{"id":1447757,"date":"2024-01-04T23:20:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-05T04:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/?p=1447757"},"modified":"2024-01-04T23:20:00","modified_gmt":"2024-01-05T04:20:00","slug":"protests-by-angry-chinese-workers-surge-to-most-in-7-years-posing-a-threat-to-beijings-rule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/protests-by-angry-chinese-workers-surge-to-most-in-7-years-posing-a-threat-to-beijings-rule\/1447757\/","title":{"rendered":"Protests By Angry Chinese Workers Surge To Most In 7 Years, Posing A Threat To Beijing’s Rule"},"content":{"rendered":"

Protests By Angry Chinese Workers Surge To Most In 7 Years, Posing A Threat To Beijing’s Rule<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Chinese workers staged twice as many protests to defend their rights in 2023 compared to the previous year, according to a Hong Kong-based human rights group<\/strong>. As the of Epoch Times<\/a> notes, China observers say that such widespread demonstrations could lead to the downfall of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).<\/p>\n

China Labor Bulletin (CLB), a Hong Kong nonprofit organization that \u201csupports and actively engages with the emergent workers\u2019 movement in China,\u201d reported 1,793 protests<\/a> as of Dec. 31 amid massive layoffs, reduced wages, and business closures in the country. This was the largest number of annual protests in 7 years and the most since the “summers of violence” 2015 and 2016 when the Yuan devaluation sparked widespread economic turmoil across the country. <\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The emergence of large-scale Chinese workers\u2019 protests is \u201can inevitable outcome\u201c of China\u2019s economic crisis,\u201d Lai Jianping, a former Chinese lawyer and current affairs commentator based in Canada, said in a recent interview with the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n

Mr. Lai believes that the protests may lead to the demise of China\u2019s communist regime.<\/p>\n

Nationwide Workers\u2019 Protests in 2023<\/h2>\n

China\u2019s economy remained sluggish in 2023 despite an abrupt relaxation of the draconian zero-COVID measures since December 2022. Reduced orders from international buyers and poor economic conditions in the country have led factories to lay off workers, relocate to minimize costs, or shut down altogether, according to<\/a> the CLB.<\/p>\n

The CLB\u2019s report reveals that the protests were mainly related to export-oriented industries\u2014such as electronics, garments and apparel, toys, and automotive\u2014and that workers protested over wages, layoffs, and relocations and demanded compensation.<\/p>\n

Protests broke out across China, including the four municipalities under the direct administration of the CCP.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Guangdong Province, a major manufacturing hub, recorded 510 protests of various sizes last year, the highest in the country, according to the CLB report.<\/p>\n

The second highest number of protests (108) is reportedly in China\u2019s eastern Shandong Province, followed by central Henan Province and northern Shanxi Province (100 protests recorded in each one).<\/p>\n

Of the four municipalities, Beijing, China\u2019s capital city, reportedly recorded 33 protests last year, while Shanghai recorded 47 protests, Chongqing recorded 35, and Tianjin recorded 25.<\/p>\n

On Jan. 7 last year, a large-scale protest broke out<\/a> in Chongqing after thousands of workers were abruptly laid off by Zybio, Inc., a manufacturer of COVID-19 test kits, one of the earliest protests in the first month of the year that was recorded in CLB\u2019s report. The local authorities sent out riot police to suppress the protest.<\/p>\n

Other Protests<\/h2>\n

According to Nikkei Asia<\/a>, 1,777 demonstrations were recorded in the country that were linked to the property sector between June 2022 and October 2023. Two-thirds of these demonstrators were homebuyers and homeowners who protested over \u201cproject delays, contract violations, alleged fraud, and shoddy workmanship,\u201d the report said. Most of the remaining protesters were construction workers demanding unpaid wages.<\/p>\n

On July 21, 2023, thousands of parents<\/a> rallied at various government agencies in Xi’an city, Shaanxi Province, to protest against a government policy limiting students\u2019 access to high school and college education opportunities.<\/p>\n

Due to Chinese authorities\u2019 record of covering up information, it is difficult to assess the true scale of these protests.<\/p>\n

\u2018They Have to Fight for Their Survival\u2019<\/h2>\n

Mr. Lai said the recent rights-defending campaigns in China involve \u201cmore numbers\u201d of participants and that the events are \u201cmore intense than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that many people are currently facing extreme poverty, lacking the financial resources to support their families, pay for their children\u2019s education, cover medical expenses, and repay mortgages.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese individuals can only stand up to defend their legitimate rights, to demand wages arrears, and to request job opportunities,\u201d Mr. Lai said.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, by reverting to the revolutionary era of Mao Zedong, Chinese leader Xi Jinping \u201chas deterred foreign investors and Chinese private entrepreneurs from engaging with China.\u201d<\/p>\n

Li Yuanhua, a former scholar of Chinese history now residing in Australia, believes that the widespread protests among workers primarily stem from their \u201cwill to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe privileged class within the CCP has been plundering social assets, while Chinese workers at the bottom of society have been pushed to their limits. Unable to secure their basic needs and survival, they are compelled to take a stand,\u201d Mr. Li told The Epoch Times in a recent interview.<\/p>\n

China\u2019s social welfare system is on the brink of collapse and cannot provide any support to the poor working class, he said, adding that \u201cthey have to fight for their survival.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mass Protests May End CCP\u2019s Rule<\/h2>\n

The CCP has adopted a heavy-handed approach to suppress dissidents and protesters to maintain its authoritarian rule.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, when the people struggle for survival, they no longer fear the CCP\u2019s suppression, Mr. Li said, adding that this is what the regime fears.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis kind of resistance from the people is genuine, and they don\u2019t fear the CCP\u2019s violent suppression. For them, resistance may lead to death, but without resistance, death is inevitable. So why wouldn\u2019t they resist?!\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Mr. Lai, the CCP cannot effectively quash all the nationwide protest campaigns.<\/p>\n

The question is how much longer can Beijing delay injecting a massive stimulus to appease the angry crowds, <\/strong>one which will send the prices of all commodities across the globe soaring higher and end the Fed’s dream of a “soft landing”…<\/p>\n

Continue reading here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tyler Durden<\/a><\/span>
\nThu, 01\/04\/2024 – 18:20<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bhttps:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/economics\/protests-angry-chinese-workers-surge-most-7-years-posing-threat-beijings-rule<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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