China’s (Fragile) New Labor Movement

China could be on the cusp of a new movement that markedly improves the lives of its workers, explains Leo Hindery, Jr. “The wages and working conditions that Chinese workers now confront daily are inescapable spurs to immediate action by them. However, with each confrontation and especially with each strike at a large company, the all too cozy relationship that exists between foreign corporations and Chinese elites is being challenged and the likelihood of a government crackdown grows.” Hindery says that past focus on its myriad illegal trade practices distracted the world from “the pure shame of China’s labor practices concerning wages, work hours and conditions.”