Latest news with #ChinaDissentMonitor
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
China sees surge in worker protests over unpaid wages, factory closures and US tariffs
Worker protests over unpaid wages are increasing throughout China , reflecting a surge in dissatisfaction among millions impacted by factory closures due to hefty US tariffs on Chinese imports amidst an economic slump, as reported by Radio Free Asia (RFA). #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack Nuclear Power! How India and Pakistan's arsenals stack up Does America have a plan to capture Pakistan's nuclear weapons? Airspace blockade: India plots a flight path to skip Pakistan From Dao county in Hunan province to Suining city in Sichuan and Tongliao city in Inner Mongolia, numerous frustrated workers have taken to the streets to voice their grievances about overdue wages and to contest unfair layoffs at factories forced to shut down due to US tariffs. The workers claimed that the Sichuan-based firm, which produces flexible circuit boards, had not compensated them for their wages since the beginning of the year and had withheld social security benefits for nearly two years from June 2023, according to the RFA report. Continue to video 5 5 Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x 5 5 / Skip Ads by by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Thon Hai An: Unsold Furniture Liquidation 2024 (Prices May Surprise You) Unsold Furniture | Search Ads Learn More Undo Analysts at the American investment bank Goldman Sachs have estimated that at least 16 million jobs across various sectors in China are at risk due to US President Donald Trump's implementation of a 145% tariff on Chinese imports. They predict that the increased tariffs from the Trump administration will "considerably impact the Chinese economy ," with slower economic growth expected to further strain the labour market, especially in export-oriented industries. Live Events Earlier this week, more than a dozen migrant workers in Tuanjie village, located in the northwestern Shaanxi province's Xi'an prefecture, voiced their concerns at a local project office, stating that they had not received their wages since February 2025. On April 24, hundreds of employees from Guangxin Sports Goods in Dao county organised a strike after the company's factory shut down without providing their owed compensation or social security benefits, as highlighted by the RFA report. Workers at the factory, which specializes in sports protective gear and related products, alleged that Guangxin Sports wrongfully terminated over 100 female employees over the age of 50 in September 2024, citing "retirement age" as the reason, without issuing their owed wages or assisting them with retirement processes. As stated by the US-based nonprofit Freedom House's China Dissent Monitor, the majority of protests documented in China during the third quarter of 2024 were driven by workers, who made up 41% of all in-person and online dissent events in the country. Approximately three-quarters of all protests recorded were related to economic issues, including workers seeking unpaid salaries, homeowners contending with stalled housing projects, and rural conflicts regarding land confiscation, Freedom House noted in the report by RFA.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
China's Economic Protests Spiked to Record Ahead of Tariff Shock
(Bloomberg) -- Protests driven by financial grievances in China saw a steep increase in the months before Donald Trump's return to power set off a trade war with Beijing that now threatens millions of jobs. Trump Signs Executive Orders on Federal Purchasing, Office Space How Did This Suburb Figure Out Mass Transit? DOGE Places Entire Staff of Federal Homelessness Agency on Leave Why the Best Bike Lanes Always Get Blamed LA County Floats Leaner Budget Burdened by Fire and Legal Costs Cases of economic protest rose by 41% in the fourth quarter from the same period last year, according to data compiled by Freedom House's China Dissent Monitor. The tally was the highest for a three-month period since the US advocacy group began documenting incidents in 2022. 'The prolonged economic malaise in China is leading to accumulated social conflict and dissent by citizens,' according to their analysis. The discontent bodes ill for an economy now facing an onslaught of US tariffs as a result of a tit-for-tat escalation that saw Trump hike levies on most Chinese goods to as high as 145% this month. The surge in protests came even as gross domestic product clocked the fastest growth in six quarters as Beijing rolled out a blitz of stimulus support late last year. The overall number of economic protests has steadily risen since the end of strict coronavirus restrictions in 2022, as China's youth unemployment rate soared and its housing crisis worsened. But in a sign unease is on the rise, protest activity in 2025 was higher than in the previous two years during what's usually a period of relative quiet after the Lunar New Year holiday, according to the report. Grievances tend to flare up ahead of the festival that falls around January and February — when workers expect to get unpaid wages — and then go into a cyclical dip. China Dissent Monitor shared data with Bloomberg that runs up until February. The platform, which documented protests and other forms of opposition in China, has suspended all work since USAID funding was withdrawn by the Trump administration earlier this year, making it harder to gauge public sentiment in the world's second-biggest economy. While social unrest doesn't pose an existential threat to the Chinese Communist Party, it's closely watched as a potential catalyst for policymakers to inject further stimulus. Smaller, contained incidents of public dissent are relatively common in the Asian nation, though its tightly controlled internet and mass surveillance of the population mean coordinated, nationwide protest is rare. Economic grievances are typically related to labor disputes among workers and property owners dealing with delays to projects after a yearslong real estate crisis. Such economic anxieties are expected to increase as US tariffs come into effect. The levies are pushing up concerns about jobs, income growth and investment losses among households, according to Morgan Stanley. A total of 44% of consumers fear they or their family members may lose their jobs, according to a survey conducted last week by the US bank immediately after the latest round of tariff hikes between Beijing and Washington. A measure of job openings compiled by Paris-based QuantCube Technology plunged nearly 30% from a year ago over the past two months, based on a data set that tracked online postings from over 2,000 companies. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. estimates that up to 20 million people — or about 3% of the labor force — may be exposed to US-bound exports. Domestic consumers' confidence in China's economy has slumped to the lowest level since 2022, when the nation saw protests break out over increasing discontent with Beijing's zero-Covid policies. While a deeper malaise persists in pockets of the economy, booming exports helped keep GDP growth at 5.4% last quarter as businesses frontloaded shipments in anticipation of higher tariffs. GM's Mary Barra Has to Make a $35 Billion EV Bet Work in Trump's America Trade Tensions With China Clear Path for Salt-Powered Batteries How Mar-a-Lago Memberships Explain Trump's Tariff Obsession Trump Is Firing the Wrong People, on Purpose The Beauty Salon Recession Indicator ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio
Bloomberg
17-04-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
China's Economic Protests Spiked to Record Ahead of Tariff Shock
Protests driven by financial grievances in China saw a steep increase in the months before Donald Trump's return to power set off a trade war with Beijing that now threatens millions of jobs. Cases of economic protest rose by 41% in the fourth quarter from the same period last year, according to data compiled by Freedom House's China Dissent Monitor. The tally was the highest for a three-month period since the US advocacy group began documenting incidents in 2022.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
China rights monitors suspend work, lay off staff after U.S. aid freeze
By Laurie Chen BEIJING (Reuters) - Dozens of non-government groups monitoring dissent, human and labour rights in China have laid off staff after being forced to suspend work following a freeze on foreign aid by U.S. President Donald Trump, the monitors say. The groups are key to documenting a years-long crackdown by President Xi Jinping on minorities, rights defenders and lawyers. Last year, the EU expressed concern about the "very serious" human rights situation in China, particularly its regions of Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. "A lot of these NGOs were blindsided - they thought, because of U.S.-China competition, even if there are funding cuts, the China programmes will stay," said Maya Wang, associate China director at Human Rights Watch. "The suspension of U.S. funding for these causes will essentially deal a very heavy blow to global civil society." Among the affected groups is U.S.-based Freedom House, which said its project, China Dissent Monitor, staffed by researchers in Taipei who keep a public database of Chinese protests, was forced to suspend all research due to the funding freeze. Freedom House received $80 million in U.S. government grants in 2024, making up 88% of yearly revenue, its financial report shows. Its dissent database, tracking more than 7,000 protests since 2022, has become an important tool for journalists and China researchers as the government moved to rein in protests over the slowing economy and sharply rising youth unemployment. "The relevant reorganisation of U.S. institutions is their internal affair," the Chinese foreign ministry told Reuters in a statement. FUNDING WOES HRW's Wang estimates the freeze has hit dozens of similar China-focused groups because NGOs and grassroots groups work on projects funded by the same grant. Numerous Chinese laws effectively bar domestic NGOs from receiving foreign funding, and heavily limit the operations of foreign NGOs in China. Official data shows the United States pledged $10.7 million in foreign aid for China issues in 2024, mostly through USAID. Almost half of that figure, or $5.2 million, went to projects related to democracy, human rights and governance. Many China human rights and democracy groups became heavily dependent on U.S. funding over the years because private foundations and corporate donors avoided these causes, while other governments prefer to back purely humanitarian projects, said Wang. There is no public breakdown of how much USAID funding went to specific organisations or projects. Many China rights NGOs choose not to disclose exact funding sources to avoid Beijing's accusations of being overly influenced by foreign governments. Trump has halted most U.S. government-funded aid globally for 90 days, while moving to dismantle USAID, which he has described as being run "by a bunch of radical lunatics". The move is part of an effort by his administration to slash the federal government workforce and curb spending it considers wasteful. While Trump has said some funds may be released when the pause expires, it is unclear what could be restored, setting off a scramble among many China-focused groups for savings, further funding, and efforts to cut reliance on the United States. Beijing has long blamed Washington for seeking to foment "colour revolutions" in China by supporting civil society NGOs through USAID and the U.S. Congress-funded National Endowment for Democracy. This week, state broadcaster CCTV ran a segment titled, "USAID: Aid as a pretext for interference." Seven staffers of the New York-based China Labor Watch, founded by a veteran China labour campaigner, Li Qiang, to monitor abuses in Chinese factories, have been furloughed. Some on temporary work visas face deportation to China, Li said. Roughly 90% of the group's budget came from the U.S. government, beginning from 2021. Li estimates running costs this year at $1 million, up from $800,000 last year. "It's like telling us our projects aren't important and what we do has no meaning," said Li, who is now trying to raise funds elsewhere. "I put too much trust in the U.S. government and neglected finding new sources of funding. This was a strategic mistake. We could have diversified much earlier."
Reuters
14-02-2025
- Business
- Reuters
China rights monitors suspend work, lay off staff after U.S. aid freeze
BEIJING, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Dozens of non-government groups monitoring dissent, human and labour rights in China have laid off staff after being forced to suspend work following a freeze on foreign aid by U.S. President Donald Trump, the monitors say. The groups are key to documenting a years-long crackdown by President Xi Jinping on minorities, rights defenders and lawyers. Last year, the EU expressed concern about the "very serious" human rights situation in China, particularly its regions of Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong. "A lot of these NGOs were blindsided - they thought, because of U.S.-China competition, even if there are funding cuts, the China programmes will stay," said Maya Wang, associate China director at Human Rights Watch. "The suspension of U.S. funding for these causes will essentially deal a very heavy blow to global civil society." Among the affected groups is U.S.-based Freedom House, which said its project, China Dissent Monitor, staffed by researchers in Taipei who keep a public database of Chinese protests, was forced to suspend all research due to the funding freeze. Freedom House received $80 million in U.S. government grants in 2024, making up 88% of yearly revenue, its financial report shows. Its dissent database, tracking more than 7,000 protests since 2022, has become an important tool for journalists and China researchers as the government moved to rein in protests over the slowing economy and sharply rising youth unemployment. "The relevant reorganisation of U.S. institutions is their internal affair," the Chinese foreign ministry told Reuters in a statement. FUNDING WOES HRW's Wang estimates the freeze has hit dozens of similar China-focused groups because NGOs and grassroots groups work on projects funded by the same grant. Numerous Chinese laws effectively bar domestic NGOs from receiving foreign funding, and heavily limit the operations of foreign NGOs in China. Official data shows the United States pledged $10.7 million in foreign aid for China issues in 2024, mostly through USAID. Almost half of that figure, or $5.2 million, went to projects related to democracy, human rights and governance. Many China human rights and democracy groups became heavily dependent on U.S. funding over the years because private foundations and corporate donors avoided these causes, while other governments prefer to back purely humanitarian projects, said Wang. There is no public breakdown of how much USAID funding went to specific organisations or projects. Many China rights NGOs choose not to disclose exact funding sources to avoid Beijing's accusations of being overly influenced by foreign governments. Trump has halted most U.S. government-funded aid globally for 90 days, while moving to dismantle USAID, which he has described as being run "by a bunch of radical lunatics". The move is part of an effort by his administration to slash the federal government workforce and curb spending it considers wasteful. While Trump has said some funds may be released when the pause expires, it is unclear what could be restored, setting off a scramble among many China-focused groups for savings, further funding, and efforts to cut reliance on the United States. Beijing has long blamed Washington for seeking to foment "colour revolutions" in China by supporting civil society NGOs through USAID and the U.S. Congress-funded National Endowment for Democracy. This week, state broadcaster CCTV ran a segment titled, "USAID: Aid as a pretext for interference." Seven staffers of the New York-based China Labor Watch, founded by a veteran China labour campaigner, Li Qiang, to monitor abuses in Chinese factories, have been furloughed. Some on temporary work visas face deportation to China, Li said. Roughly 90% of the group's budget came from the U.S. government, beginning from 2021. Li estimates running costs this year at $1 million, up from $800,000 last year. "It's like telling us our projects aren't important and what we do has no meaning," said Li, who is now trying to raise funds elsewhere. "I put too much trust in the U.S. government and neglected finding new sources of funding. This was a strategic mistake. We could have diversified much earlier."
