Human Rights Watch urged French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday to treat human rights as an integral part of France’s broader policy with China. Rather than treating them as distinct from economic and political priorities, the group says France should take concrete measures to uphold human rights in Sino-French relations.

Macron is visiting China from December 3 to 5, for high-level discussions aiming to shift geopolitical dynamics between Europe, China and the United States. Some of the key issues that HRW said demand immediate attention as part of China’s ongoing deepening repression include: labor rights abuses in China’s supply chains, commercial drones produced by China-based companies being used by Russia to attack civilians in Ukraine, and China’s use of “transnational repression” to target critics abroad, including in France.

Human Rights Watch noted that France and the EU have often treated human rights issues separately from other economic and political aspects of their relations with China, and said it is time for Macron to acknowledge their interconnection and include human rights in his broader policy discussions with Beijing.

The Chinese fast fashion retailer, Shein, for example. has been subject of investigations that have found that Shein workers in China toil for excessive hours for very little pay, work under informal arrangements, lack social protections and grievance mechanisms, and face patterns of gender-based task segregation. On the other hand, Shein has expressed its dedication to collaborating with suppliers and fostering conditions that align with international standards for health, safety, labor rights, and social welfare. Other cases of Chinese state-imposed forced labor have been documented in Uyghur and other Turkic Muslim communities, with members of these groups compelled to work in China’s cotton, automotive, solar, and critical mineral supply chains.

In response to ongoing forced labor concerns, the EU has adopted a regulation that forbids products any product made using forced labour from being sold or imported in the Union market. The regulation will be fully implemented in December 2027. Macron has pushed the EU to use its “trade bazooka,” the Anti-Coercion Instrument, to address China’s trade practices. At the same time, experts stress that China’s full compliance with its recently ratified ILO Conventions 29 and 105 on forced labor are essential for strengthening relations between France and China.

In June, Human Rights Watch reported that Russia has used commercial drones made by Chinese companies to target civilians in Kherson, Ukraine. During the ongoing visit, Macron should urge the Chinese government to make sure these companies do not sell drones to sanctioned parties and that they assist in investigating attacks on civilians, said the Human Right Watch.

In a recent case in July, Chinese authorities arrested 22-year old Chinese student Tara Zhang Yadi, who had been studying in France. Upon her return, she can face up to five years in prison, or up to 15 if found to be a ringleader, under charges of “inciting others to split the country and undermine national unity,” because of her advocacy for Tibetan rights while in France.

Macron’s visit offers an opportunity to balance dialogue on human rights with broader policy discussions, reinforcing the importance of cooperation and respect for international standards in Sino-French relations.