A nod to China

I generally don't say much about China, since I don't teach China save occasionally in World History. Shame on me.

I felt I could not overlook this Daily Kos diary about the reaction to a wave of suicides in Foxconn's very, very large electronics factory in Shenzhen (see image showing a Foxconn produced motherboard from a couple of years back). The diary cites this New York Times article, which I excerpt:

The Foxconn Technology Group, a giant contract electronics manufacturer that experienced a series of worker suicides, said it would raise salaries by at least 30 percent, more than previously indicated.

...

“It’s been a while since we increased wages, hence the decision,” Mr. Ding said on Wednesday. The company supplies Apple, Hewlett-Packard and other large technology companies.

At least 10 people have died this year at Hon Hai’s manufacturing complex in Shenzhen, and the police are treating the deaths as suicides.

Foxconn’s chairman has rejected accusations from labor rights groups that the firm is a sweatshop and last week opened the Shenzhen plant to the media.

According to the DK diary, there has been a wave of strikes in China. See the diary for more information.

Huge export-oriented factories controlled by the communist elite of China have been a key factor in the world economy for quite some time now. If these strikes are being met by concessions, this could have a big impact on us all. It does make me wonder what is behind them.

It's hard being an oligarch, out on the street.