U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump speaks at The MISK Event on the second day of his visit to Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 21, 2017. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser

A man has been arrested and two are missing in China after conducting an investigation into a Chinese company making Ivanka Trump-branded shoes, China Labor Watch, a New York-based advocacy group, said on Wednesday.

Labor activist Hua Haifeng was arrested in Jiangxi province on suspicion of illegally using eavesdropping equipment, according to Li Qiang, executive director of the group China Labor Watch.

The three men had been investigating labor conditions at factories that produce shoes for Ivanka Trump, the daughter of President Donald Trump, and other Western brands, he said in an email.

"We appeal to President Trump, Ivanka Trump herself, and to her related brand company to advocate and press for the release our activists," China Labor Watch said in the email to Reuters.

The Ivanka Trump brand declined to comment while the White House and Ivanka Trump's lawyer, Jamie Gorelick, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Calls to provincial police in Jiangxi and Ganzhou city police were not answered.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she did know anything about the situation and declined further comment.

The reported arrest and disappearances come at a time of sustained pressure on labor activists in China amid a crackdown on civil society under President Xi Jinping.

More at https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-labour-idUSKBN18R062