[Excerpt] Since 2022, China Labor Watch has been investigating labor conditions in two Chinese-owned factories in Serbia -the Zijin Mining Group and Linglong Tire Factory. From July to October 2024, we conducted in-person and online interviews with migrant workers at these two companies in Serbia.

Workers shared conditions that adhere to six indicators of forced labor per the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) definition: long working hours and allegations of no paid overtime, retention of identity documents, abuse of vulnerability, limited movement, restriction to freedom of movement, and isolation, high agency fees and susceptibility to debt bondage, and wage withholding. This report details the findings following interviews with workers from China, India, Nepal, Zambia, and Indonesia in two Chinese-owned companies.

The report: (1) begins with a background on Chinese investments in Serbia, (2) details working conditions described by workers juxtaposed to the ILO indicators of forced labor, (3) explores the structural factors that perpetuate these conditions, and (4) closes with recommendations for worker-centered outcomes.