In a meeting with the International Labor Organization, Argentine trade unionists discussed examples from Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru of “exploitation of their natural resources in exchange for millionaire promises. Infrastructure works, dams, power plants and mining have more Chinese personnel than local in their ventures. Especially in senior management…The China Space Station in Neuquén, Argentina, does not allow the participation of Argentine personnel. Entrance is restricted and only Chinese and military personnel work there.”
“The Collective on Chinese Financing and Investments, Human Rights and the Environment (CICDHA) - a consortium of NGOs from Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil - documented “the failure of the Chinese State to comply with its extraterritorial obligations regarding human rights due to at least 18 projects operated by 15 Chinese business consortiums, which have acted with the support of 6 Chinese banks ”in the mentioned countries. “Of the 18 documented cases, 7 belong to the mining industry, 6 to the oil industry and 5 to the water sector. 15 also affect indigenous territories, 11 protected natural areas, 5 are natural and cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO and 12 correspond to the Ecuadorian, Bolivian and Brazilian Amazon region.”
“In a detailed study conducted by the International Labor Organization (ILO), the agency warns of Chinese investments in the region and the "quality and quantity" of the workforce. "At the moment, Chinese companies have broad criteria and freedom to implement various environmental and labor regulations, ”said the report entitled Effects of China on the Quality and Quantity of Employment in Latin America and adds that“ in general - Chinese companies - integrate Chinese nationals at the highest levels of their companies in Latin America.”
“The document also sets out Beijing's objective of imposing its own rules to settle in each of the Latin American countries. “Beyond the heterogeneity of the companies analyzed, it is important to highlight the difficulties of Chinese companies to understand the local environment where they have been established, which in various cases leads to conflicts and multiple tensions. The cultural differences ’between Latin America and China are reflected in the difficulty of understanding the norms, rules, laws and customs and customs at the local and national level of the respective countries where Chinese companies are established”. The study published in January 2019 and in which 10 years of Chinese presence in the region were analyzed, also shows the low quality of employment and the need to improve it…although trade rates between both parties were improved, the "invasion" of Made in China products caused the quality of work in this part of the planet to decrease. “There is ample space to improve the quality of jobs generated through Latin American exports to China, for the moment highly linked to low quality jobs, and reduce the impact through lost jobs via imports, linked to medium and high quality jobs.” “Another aspect to take into account are the differences that are reflected between the working conditions of Chinese personnel versus local” personnel.
Read the Spanish-language article here.