Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 and the Chinese Seafarers: How Far is China to Ratification?

As one of the most important conventions adopted by the International Labour Organization, the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006) has been in force since 20 August, 2013. As of April 2015, the Convention has been ratified by 66 states, including most major maritime nations. Being one of the most important maritime nations, China has the largest number of seafarers and the third largest merchant fleet in the world. The Convention, therefore, has perhaps more significant impact on China than any other country. However, China has not yet ratified the Convention at the time when this paper was drafted. Nevertheless, the Convention has generated significant impact in terms of policy, regulation or legislation as well as in the attitude and behaviour of the key stakeholders in the country. Based on the existing knowledge and scholarship available in the public domain, and the empirical data collected in two field research trips, this paper intends to have a critical review and evaluation of the response of Chinese government and other major stakeholders in the maritime sector to the MLC, 2006.