But, behind the much-hailed economic miracle lie numerous stories of abuse and mistreatment, of staff being forced to work in regimented factories making products for Western multinational companies, in conditions so dismal that wire netting covers balconies and windows to prevent suicide; of lethal dangers in the construction, mining, and other industries; of an absence of health and safety provisions; of inhumane hours, physical abuse, and bullying, and arbitrary payment, with wages deducted for food and shelter that leave workers with no or little income.5 China’s modernization has led to
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