Abstract:

The recent conflicts and suicides and Foxconn - one of the world's largest employers - sent a strong signal: China is on the verge of a social breakdown. Its working class wants to benefit from the economic miracle it has built with its own hands. At that point, Chinese companies can either raise salaries, but risk losing their cost advantage, or delocalise to countries offering even cheaper labor and more flexibility. Indeed, the latest trend of globalization sees China moving its production to other Asian countries. But with the factories come Chinese management and working methods, as Cambodia and Bangladesh have already experienced. Asia, the workers unpheaval is a thrilling investigation into a drive that might turn the world economy upside down.