In the wake of growing reports of abuse of Chinese migrant workers abroad, this talk examines how labor migration fits within the broader scope of the Belt Road initiative (BRI). Using the realist-inspired migration diplomacy framework (Adamson & Tsourapas 2019), we interrogate why China fails to exert diplomatic pressure over BRI partner countries so as to ensure the protection of its workers. Drawing on the case of Chinese workers in Indonesia, we argue the question of labor rights along the BRI is important not only in terms of workers' dignity and well-being, but also in understanding the entanglements between diverse domestic and geopolitical ambitions across the BRI.