I’m contacting you in light of our latest investigation which concerns the use of forced labor in China’s food processing industry.

Qingdao Tianyuan Aquatic Food Co. Ltd. has received persons from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China under the government’s labor transfer program. The United Nations, human rights organizations and academic experts agree that since 2018, the Chinese government has systematically subjected Xinjiang’s predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities to forced labor across the country via state-sanctioned employment schemes which use coerc…

Our company has noticed that your organisation, The Outlaw Ocean Project, have recently made accusations against our company, alleging the presence of forced labor and continuously spreading negative information to various organizations and our partners without providing any evidence. These actions from your organization have severely impacted our normal business operations, seriously tarnished our business reputation, and put the livelihoods of hundreds of our employees' families at risk.

We respect and share the underlying objectives of The Outlaw Ocean Project, recognizing the gravity of…

Thanks so much for engaging with us, and I hope I can offer some clarity on what we're requesting of you and your partners.

Our questions and research relate to the use of workers from Xinjiang at Qingdao Tianyuan, information we obtained from some of Qingdao Tianyuan's own company materials, as well as from government and Chinese media reports. It also relates to the position of the United States and United Nations, among others, on the use of workers from Xinjiang, and that it may constitute "forced labor." Our messages to your partners, such as UZP, reflected these two facts. Qingdao Tian…

Thank you for your email! We believe that this is the right direction — to establish direct dialogue, enhance mutual understanding, eliminate biases and differences, and achieve common sustainable development goals.

To begin with, I would like to explain to you our company's principles for employee recruitment, "open recruitment, voluntary application, and selection based on merit." All of our employees voluntarily apply for positions. Because our product involves an intric ate hand-manufacturing processes, only the individuals who are voluntarily aspire to learn these skills can work well in…

To clarify and reiterate: when we discuss these matters publicly, we are citing the existence of the government's transfer of workers from Xinjiang into key processing plants. U.S. law cites any such workers in a product’s supply chain as part of state-sponsored forced labor (even if the Chinese general public and law see it otherwise). The United Nations also holds the view that these transfers may constitute forced labor. Please also understand that we contacted Qingdao Tianyuan on May 24, 2023, to request comment on our findings but received no response. As for our evidence, we have relied…

In our previous email, we outlined our company's views and practices. I would like to reiterate and emphasize a couple of key points here:

1. Qingdao Tianyuan Aquatic Foodstuffs Co. is a private enterprise, and we neither have knowledge of nor participate in any national labor transfer or poverty alleviation projects.

2. Every single one of our company's employees voluntarily applies for positions, signs labor contracts, works willingly, receives fair compensation, and is paid monthly on time. We respect the rights of every employee, including their religious beliefs and lifestyle habits, in…

Through our recent communication, we hope that both of us have a clear understanding of each other's views and practices, and we believe that our response will help you understand our situation.

We agreed, as you have mentioned, that the misunderstanding is due to the differences in law and public perception between China and the United States.

We do hope you come and see the real side of the issue and the treatment of our workers by yourself, you will believe that our care for every employee is respectful and ethical. We have explained previously our corporate regulations and the nature of…