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China's peasants gained from it? And what benefit have the workers reaped? The answer is nothing at all. Out of humanitarian concern and concern for human rights, will the US government not consider whether it can establish some kind of legislation or code of practice to ensure that your nationals will also try to export some of the rights enjoyed by American workers, for example freedom of association, when they export their capital to China?"
In the words of the MPS spokesman, this comment became: "Han vainly tried to compel the Chinese government to allow Chinese workers to organize independent labor unions". In order to gain an insight into the actual social status of Chinese workers today, one need look no further than this one official comment.
3. "At the 80th Congress of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Han made speeches attacking the Chinese government, the PRC Trade Union Law and the [official] trade union. He also spread rumours to the effect that he had been jailed for organizing free trade unions."
At the 80th ILO Congress, in front of delegates from more than 100 different countries (including China), I did indeed solemnly point out that China's new Trade Union Law infringed upon our Constitution; I also criticized the unsatisfactory performance over the past several decades of the official All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU.) In addition, I requested that the National People's Congress should amend the Trade Union Law so that it would truly reflect the principle of freedom of association as endorsed by our Constitution; that China should ratify as soon as possible three important international conventions, namely the International Labour Conventions No. 87 and 98 and the U.N.'s International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
But I also reminded the Chinese government that the international labour movement bore no ulterior motives in regard to China. I said that the government should no longer suppress the free labour movement and should immediately release all those detained for organizing free trade union activities. I have always considered such comments to be only legitimate and fair criticisms that any citizen should be able to make of his government. Surely, moreover, the legality of a meeting held under the auspices of the United Nations and attended by official delegates from my own government should be beyond all doubt - and any criticisms made by me at such meeting not be seen as a malicious attack.
Concerning the question as to whether or not I was in fact imprisoned [after June 1989] for my free trade union activities: I refuse to waste any time at all belaboring this obvious point.
4) "In July 1993, when Han Dongfang heard rumors about a factory strike [in Beijing), he immediately instructed the original members of the Beijing Autonomous Workers Federation to instigate the workers to go on strike and he seized the opportunity to try to establish an anti-government illegal trade union.'
In early July, Agence France Press reported that workers in the Beijing Compressor Machine Factory intended to strike in protest against a planned site
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