Chinese banks and ECAs stay silent on human rights allegations

(Global Trade Review, London, 11 August 2021) Chinese banks have a “dismal” rate of engagement with concerns about the human rights impacts of their overseas investments, a new report says. The London-based Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) says China’s banks, including private, state-owned and development banks, have responded to only one of 20 requests to answer to human rights concerns raised by civil society organisations. BHRRC said that overall, it has recorded 670 allegations of human rights abuses “linked to Chinese business conduct abroad”. Countries where most complaints are recorded are Myanmar, Peru, Ecuador, Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia. China’s banks’ 5% rate of response to BHRRC requests compares to the Asian and global financial sector’s response rate of 63%.