Gender equality in China's overseas investment: case studies on chinese textile and apparel enterprises in Vietnam, Myanmar, and Bangladesh

• Author: Liang Xiaohui
• Position: Ph.D. in International Law, Law School, Peking University, Beijing, China; Deputy Chief Economist, China Textile Information Center, Beijing 100020, China. Contact: liangxiaohui@ctic.org.cn
• Pages: 478-499

FRONTIERS OF LAW IN CHINA

VOL. 14 DECEMBER 2019 NO. 4

DOI 10.3868/s050-008-019-0023-8

FOCUS

GENDER AND BUSINESS

GENDER EQUALITY IN CHINA’S OVERSEAS INVESTMENT: CASE STUDIES ON

CHINESE TEXTILE AND APPAREL ENTERPRISES IN VIETNAM, MYANMAR, AND

BANGLADESH

LIANG Xiaohui∗

Abstract With the progressive implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, the

Chinese textile and apparel sector has extended investments in many Southeast Asian

countries, of which Vietnam, Myanmar, and Bangladesh are the most prominent

examples. Furthermore, the impacts of Chinese-invested textile and apparel companies

on local female workers have become more important and pervasive. This paper uses

data accumulated in a survey project conducted in 20 Chinese-invested textile and

apparel enterprises to present the on-site situation of gender equality performance in

Chinese textile and apparel investment in these three countries. It finds that, despite

quick progress and sporadic good practice, Chinese textile and apparel enterp rises face

challenges in gender equality at both the policy and practice levels. It concludes that

gender equality is critical for China’s responsible overseas investment and local social

development, and Chinese enterprises must go beyond legal compliance in dealing with

gender equality. In so doing, they must realize that awareness raising and

gender-sensitive management mechanisms must be the core and long-term measures to

address gender equality challenges.

Keywords overseas investment, gender equality, Vietnam, Myanmar, Bangladesh

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 479

I. RESEARCH BACKGROUND....................................................................................... 480

II. METHODOLOGY AND ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK.................................................. 481

III. RESEARCH FINDINGS ............................................................................................ 482

∗ LIANG Xiaohui (梁晓晖), Ph.D. in International Law, Law School, Peking University, Beijing, China;

Deputy Chief Economist, China Textile Information Center, Beijing 100020, China. Contact:

liangxiaohui@ctic.org.cn

This paper is an outcome of the research project “Gender Equality in Overseas Chinese Textile and

Apparel Enterprises” undertaken by the Office for Social Responsibility of China National Textile and

Apparel Council under the support of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and

The Asia Foundation from Aug. 2017 to Mar. 2018.

2019] GENDER EQUALITY IN CHINA’S OVERSEAS INVESTMENT 479

A. Vietnam.............................................................................................................. 482

1. Gender Policy and Gender Discrimination.................................................... 483

2. Workplace Management and Gender Sensitivity........................................... 484

3. Maternity Protection and Family Welfare...................................................... 485

4. Workplace Sexual Harassment ...................................................................... 486

B. Myanmar ...........................................................................................................486

1. Gender Policy and Gender Discrimination.................................................... 487

2. Workplace Management and Gender Sensitivity........................................... 489

3. Maternity Protection and Family Welfare...................................................... 490

4. Workplace Sexual Harassment ...................................................................... 491

C. Bangladesh........................................................................................................ 492

1. Gender Policy and Gender Discrimination.................................................... 492

2. Workplace Management and Gender Sensitivity........................................... 494

3. Maternity Protection and Family Welfare...................................................... 494

4. Workplace Sexual Harassment ...................................................................... 495

CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................ 496

A. Gender Equality Is Critical for China’s Responsible Overseas Investment and

Local Social Development ................................................................................496

B. Chinese Enterprises Must Go beyond Legal Compliance in Dealing with

Gender Equality................................................................................................ 497

C. Awareness Raising and Gender-Sensitive Management Mechanisms Are the

Core and Long-Term Measures to Address Gender Equality Challenges.........498

INTRODUCTION

The introduction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013 greatly stimulated

Chinese investment globally. According to the Chinese government, by the end of 2017,

39,200 Chinese companies were operating in 189 countries and regions with assets of

US$6 trillion.1 However, the majority of Chinese investment has been in less developed

countries and regions with higher social, labor, and environmental risks.2 Furthermore,

manufacturing industries, which bear the same feature in terms of social risks, remained

the sectors most commonly invested in.3 As a result, increasingly, Chinese overseas

investment is facing growing social, labor, and environmental risks and challenges.

Furthermore, the prevalence of global Chinese investment has inevitably imposed

increasingly greater effects on local communities and people, such as the 1.71 million

1 Ministry of Commerce of the People’ s Republic of China (MOFCOM), 中 国对外投资发展报告 2018

(Report on Development of China’s Outward Investment 2018, available at http://images.mofcom.gov.cn/fec/

201901/20190128155348158.pdf (last visited Mar. 10, 2019).

2 For instance, according to MOFCOM, 81% of the Chinese ODI went to Asia (69.5%), Africa (2.6%),

and Latin America (8.9%) in 2017, see Id. at 5–6.

3 Id. at 150.