southern China | CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon

11/03/2015

Chinese shoe factory workers strike over benefits | Reuters

About 5,000 workers have gone on strike at a shoe manufacturer in southern China over benefits, two activists and a worker said, marking one of the biggest work-stoppages in the country in months.

The company that owns the factory, Stella International Holdings Ltd, lists Guess? Inc, Michael Kors Holding Ltd, Prada SpA and Burberry Group PLC among its customers.

China’s slowing economy, rising costs and the spread of social media have driven an increase in strikes. Last year, the number of strikes more than doubled to 1,378 from 656 the year before, according to China Labour Bulletin, a Hong Kong-based advocacy group.

The strike at Stella’s Xing Ang factory in the city of Dongguan started on Sunday with workers unhappy about not receiving housing assistance, said Liu Zai, who added she had not received the funds in eight years at the factory.

“We want an explanation. Why haven’t they paid this for so many years?” she said by telephone.

Liu and two activists said all of the factory’s workers, about 5,000 people, were on strike. On Wednesday, most were forced to return to their workplace but were still refusing to work, Liu said.

via Chinese shoe factory workers strike over benefits | Reuters.

Posted in China alert, Economics, strike, worker rights | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Apple Inc., Burberry Group PLC, China, China Labour Bulletin, chinese new year, Dongguan, factory workers, Hong Kong, Liu Zai, Mainland China, Michael Kors Holding Ltd, southern China, Stella International Holdings Ltd

11/02/2015

Chinese Companies Named and Shamed on List of Deforestation ‘Powerbrokers’ – China Real Time Report – WSJ

Foshan Saturday Shoes , headquartered in southern China, might not be a Fortune 500 company. But on Wednesday, it and 29 other Chinese companies landed on a different kind of powerhouse list.

Launched by research group the Global Canopy Programme, the so-called “Forest 500” list aims to chart out the 500 companies, countries and investors that play the biggest role in what they term the “global deforestation economy.” Together, the group said, those 500 control the global supply chains of commodities such as timber, palm oil and beef that together account for more than $100 billion in trade.

It’s not just appetite for exotic timbers or plain old plywood that’s landed China a particularly prominent role in that ranking, said the Global Canopy Programme’s Mario Rautner. From demand for soybeans to land-intensive cattle and their sundry byproducts, the country is one of the most important driving forces helping raze trees and clear land overseas, he said.

Foshan Saturday Shoes scored a 1 out of a 0-5 ranking measuring adherence to various sustainability initiatives and reporting and transparency, among other factors, with 0 being the lowest score possible. Chinese dairy giant Mengniu also scored a 1, as did food processing company COFCO. Mengniu and COFCO didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. A representative for Foshan Saturday Shoes said he didn’t see any connection the company had to deforestation and wasn’t in a position to comment on it.

The list aims to evaluate how well the ranked companies are doing in the fight against deforestation. Among countries that import heavily from tropical forest regions – accounting for 35% of global leather imports from such areas, for example – China scores conspicuously poorly, he said, behind neighbors such as Japan, India and Korea. The study examined public procurement policies, governance and commitment to reducing deforestation.

Inclusion on the list by itself isn’t necessarily indicative of their contribution to deforestation, Mr. Rautner said. “We’re not saying these 500 are causing deforestation directly,” he said. “They are powerbrokers.” For example, various multinationals’ performance was praised, depending on their participation in initiatives such as the Consumer Goods Forum, a corporate alliance that has resolved to try and achieve zero net deforestation by 2020.

via Chinese Companies Named and Shamed on List of Deforestation ‘Powerbrokers’ – China Real Time Report – WSJ.

Posted in China alert, deforestation, Economics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Asia, Biodiesel, China, Chinese companies, Deforestation, Doritos, Fortune 500 company, Foshan Saturday Shoes, Global Canopy Programme, Human rights, Indonesia, Malaysia, Oil Prices, Palm oil, PepsiCo, southern China

11/09/2014

Tech factory workers strike in China over mooncakes, benefits | Reuters

About 16,000 workers at two subsidiaries of Taiwanese touch-screen maker Wintek Corp went on strike over holiday benefits this week in southern China in one of the biggest work stoppages this year, the Xinhua news agency reported.

A Wintek executive said the strikes started on Tuesday at subsidiary Dongguan Masstop Liquid Crystal Display Co Ltd and spread on Wednesday to Wintek (China) Technology Ltd. Each factory employs about 8,000 workers, said the executive who declined to be identified as he was not authorised to speak on behalf of the company.

The strikes ended on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, and the company did not expect production to be affected, the executive added. He did not say how many workers had participated.

Wintek is a long-time supplier to Apple Inc, but it was not immediately clear who the factories’ main customers were. A Wintek Corp facility in the eastern city of Suzhou, near Shanghai, is on the iPhone and iPad maker’s list of 2014 suppliers, but not the factories in Dongguan.

An Apple spokesman in California said the company generally did not comment on supplier relationships beyond the list.

Six police vehicles were parked in the rain outside the gates of the Wintek factory in an industrial estate in the southern city of Dongguan on Thursday, although there were no workers in sight.

A manager surnamed Wu said: “Things have been settled now. The workers are back to work.”

China has seen a surge in the number of strikes at its factories in recent years as the economy slowed and a worsening labor shortage has shifted the balance of power in labour relations. Smartphones and social media have also helped workers become more aware than ever of the changing environment.

The largest strike in decades took place in April when about 40,000 workers halted production at a shoe factory complex in Dongguan that supplies Nike Inc, Adidas AG and other major sneaker brands. Those workers were unhappy about insufficient social insurance payments.

Workers involved in the Wintek strike told Xinhua that recruitment advertisements had offered cash bonuses equal to half of their monthly base salary on three holidays: the Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Spring Festival.

A worker surnamed Zhang told Xinhua they were only given 100 yuan, a piece of chicken and a banana for Mid-Autumn Festival, which was on Monday. Last year each staff member received 700 yuan ($114.17) in cash and a box of traditional mooncakes.

The workers returned to work after officials explained that the downgraded holiday benefits were a reflection of the company’s relatively weak performance so far this year, the Wintek official said. Wintek incurred a loss in the first half.

via Tech factory workers strike in China over mooncakes, benefits | Reuters.

Posted in China alert, Economics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Apple, China, Dongguan, Dongguan Masstop Liquid Crystal Display Co Ltd, factory workers, holiday benefits, iPad, IPhone, Mid-Autumn Festival, Nike Inc, southern China, Wintek, Wintek Corp

18/08/2014

Drought in Northeast China Is the Worst in 63 Years – Businessweek

Southern China is a rice-growing region, while the northeast is the country’s wheat and corn-growing “bread basket.” This summer the northern province of Liaoning is suffering the worst drought in 63 years, according to the local meteorological bureau: The province has seen the lowest precipitation since the government began keeping records in 1951. The dry summer threatens immediate drinking water supplies and autumn harvests.

A farmer stands at the bottom of the Zhifang Reservoir, near Dengfeng, China

The agricultural research service Shanghai JC Intelligence predicts that China’s corn yields may drop 1.5 percent this year, which could drive up domestic corn prices and compel farmers to use alternative grains for animal feed.

(China also imports from the U.S., but since last fall, Chinese inspectors have rejected an increasing number of shipments found to contain unapproved genetically modified organisms (GMO) varieties.)

Other regions have also suffered under the drought, including the northern provinces of Inner Mongolia and Jilin, and central Henan province. In Inner Mongolia, 300,000 people have faced drinking-water shortages, according to state-run Xinhua newswire. More than 270,000cattle have also gone without water. Xinhua reported economic losses to the poor northwestern province total $37 million so far.

Harvests of soybean and barley may also be hurt by the drought, as well as livestock health.

via Drought in Northeast China Is the Worst in 63 Years – Businessweek.

Posted in agriculture, China alert, Economics, food security | Leave a Comment »

Tags: China, drinking water supplies, drought, Henan, Henan province, Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Liaoning, Northeast China, northern province, Shanghai JC Intelligence, southern China

26/06/2014

Building Golf Courses in China: An Illegal and Booming Industry – Businessweek

Like the U.S., China has an extensive national park system. Still, its designated parklands aren’t always protected from economic development. On Tuesday, Beijing Youth Daily published an investigation into how 20,000 acres of protected land in southern China’s Guizhou Forest Park were converted into golf courses, padding the pockets of local developers.

Clearing the way for a golf course in China's southern Hainan province early in 2103

A telling note: Since 2004, construction of new golf courses has been illegal in China, following a directive of the State Council. The poorly enforced regulation hasn’t stopped the number of golf courses from multiplying from 170 in 2004 to more than 1,000 today—a more than fivefold increase in a decade, according to the paper.

The quixotic rise of golf in China—where Mao Zedong once lambasted putting as a bourgeois pastime—is the subject of a new book by the Asia Society’s Dan Washburn. In The Forbidden Game: Golf and the Chinese Dream, a charming and accessible work, Washburn follows the lives of three men whose careers are shaped by the sport: an American golf course designer who finds work in China, a budding Chinese tournament golfer, and a farmer whose land is converted into fairways.

via Building Golf Courses in China: An Illegal and Booming Industry – Businessweek.

Posted in China alert, Economics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Asia Society, Beijing, China, Dan Washburn, Golf course, golf courses, Golf in China, Mao Zedong, southern China, United States

11/05/2014

Fired from Walmart, Mrs Wang is now gunning for China’s state labor union | Reuters

When Wang Yafang was fired from her job at a Walmart in southern China in July 2011 for dishonesty, she refused to sign the termination papers and even showed up at work the next day – only to be sent away.

Wang, 38, then sued Walmart Shen Guo Tou Stores Inc, a Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) subsidiary, for wrongful termination, and beat the world’s largest retailer in arbitration and twice in court, winning 48,636 yuan ($7,800) in damages.

Now, she’s aiming at an even bigger target: the state-backed All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU).

All-China Federation of Trade Unions (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the three decades since China began reforming its economy, its giant state labor union – with upwards of 280 million members – has sat on the sidelines, rarely intervening on behalf of workers in disputes.

In a bid to help change that, Wang, backed by lawyers who have handled some of China’s highest-profile labor cases, decided to sue the union branch at the Walmart in Shenzhen where she worked for nine years. Unlike the few previous attempts by workers to sue grassroots union branches, courts have heard Wang’s case.

Wang and her team argue that the union endorsed the assessment of her as “dishonest” when she was fired and in doing so damaged her reputation. She wants an apology. The union branch has denied the charges.

Beneath the surface, Wang and her lawyers are leveling a more serious accusation – one echoed by many Chinese workers – that the ACFTU is failing in its role as the protector of worker rights and interests.

The landmark case highlights shifting labor relations in China, where workers increasingly know their rights and are seizing opportunities to challenge the status quo, often in court. Independent unions are banned in China, and the ACFTU is coming under unprecedented pressure to adapt.

Two courts in Shenzhen have already heard Wang’s case since she filed the suit last July, and have ruled against her. This month or next, her lawyers plan to launch a final appeal with the Guangdong superior people’s court.

“Either way, if she wins or loses, it is already extremely meaningful that this case has been brought to trial,” said Shi Zhigang, a former union boss from Nanjing who now acts as a collective bargaining adviser to local union branches.

“It’s an amazing development that the courts have even accepted the case and are using Chinese law to make an assessment and evaluation of the union.”

via Fired from Walmart, Mrs Wang is now gunning for China’s state labor union | Reuters.

Posted in China alert, Economics, Politics, trade union | Leave a Comment »

Tags: ACFTU, All-China Federation of Trade Unions, China, Guangdong, Nanjing, Shenzhen, southern China, wal mart stores inc, Walmart, Walmart Shen Guo Tou Stores Inc, Wang, Wang Yafang

03/12/2013

With Glut of Lonely Men, China Has an Approved Outlet for Unrequited Lust – NYTimes.com

Slack-jawed and perspiring, Chen Weizhou gazed at a pair of life-size female dolls clad, just barely, in lingerie and lace stockings. Above these silicone vixens, an instructional video graphically depicted just how realistic they felt once undressed.

The one-child rule is a factor in China’s gender imbalance.

A 46-year-old tour bus driver, Mr. Chen had come earlier this month to the Guangzhou National Sex Culture Festival “for fun,” which was not how he described intimacy with his wife, who did not attend. “When you’re young sex is so mysterious, but once you’re married it gets really bland,” he said, barely taking his eyes off the screen.

With an official theme of “healthy sex, happy families,” the 11th annual exposition sought to remedy the plight of Chinese men like Mr. Chen — and their wives, if they are married.

The overwhelming presence of men at the festival mirrored a demographic imbalance in China, where decades of the one-child rule and a cultural preference for sons combined with illegal sex-selective abortions have distorted the country’s gender ratio to 118 newborn boys for every 100 girls in 2012, rather than the normal 103 boys. In Guangdong Province, home to a migrant worker population of 30 million — China’s largest — the scarcity of women leaves bachelors with limited options.

Filling an exhibition center here in the capital of Guangdong in southern China, the festival was a three-day mating ritual between capitalism and hedonism, all diligently observed by that most prudish of chaperones: the Chinese government. Erotic possibilities abounded, including a transgender fashion show, sliced deer antler marketed as an aphrodisiac, naughty nurse costumes and some flesh-color objects disconcertingly called “Captain Stabbing.”

via With Glut of Lonely Men, China Has an Approved Outlet for Unrequited Lust – NYTimes.com.

Posted in China alert, Economics, Gender imbalance, One-child policy, Politics, Social & cultural | Leave a Comment »

Tags: China, Guangdong, Guangzhou, one-child policy, Sex-selective abortion, southern China

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