Title 22 — Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-73not60

§6981 Establishment of Technical Assistance and Rule of Law Programs

Title 22 › Chapter 77— UNITED STATES-CHINA RELATIONS › Subchapter IV— TRADE AND RULE OF LAW ISSUES IN THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA › Part B— Assistance To Develop Commercial and Labor Rule of Law › § 6981

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Set up programs to give rule-of-law training and technical help about business, workers’ rights, and the legal system in the People’s Republic of China. The Secretary of Commerce, with the Secretary of State, can run programs about commercial activities. The Secretary of Labor, with the Secretary of State, can run programs about internationally recognized worker rights. The Secretary of State can run programs about the legal system and civil society more broadly. The Labor program must focus on things like making laws and rules to protect worker rights, creating ways to enforce labor laws, training officials who enforce those laws, and teaching workers about their rights. The Labor program must not help the All-China Federation of Trade Unions. Programs may pay for workshops, drafting codes, legal training and publications, support for NGOs’ operating costs, and travel for people to train in the United States or in China.

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §6981

Foreign Relations and Intercourse — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is authorized to establish a program to conduct rule of law training and technical assistance related to commercial activities in the People’s Republic of China.

(b)(1)The Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is authorized to establish a program to conduct rule of law training and technical assistance related to the protection of internationally recognized worker rights in the People’s Republic of China.

(2)In carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary of Labor shall focus on activities including, but not limited to—

(A)developing,11 So in original. Comma probably should not appear. laws, regulations, and other measures to implement internationally recognized worker rights;

(B)establishing national mechanisms for the enforcement of national labor laws and regulations;

(C)training government officials concerned with implementation and enforcement of national labor laws and regulations; and

(D)developing an educational infrastructure to educate workers about their legal rights and protections under national labor laws and regulations.

(3)The Secretary of Labor may not provide assistance under the program established under this subsection to the All-China Federation of Trade Unions.

(c)The Secretary of State is authorized to establish a program to conduct rule of law training and technical assistance related to development of the legal system and civil society generally in the People’s Republic of China.

(d)The programs authorized by this section may be used to conduct activities such as seminars and workshops, drafting of commercial and labor codes, legal training, publications, financing the operating costs for nongovernmental organizations working in this area, and funding the travel of individuals to the United States and to the People’s Republic of China to provide and receive training.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 6981

Title 22 — Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60