Chinese migrant workers and today’s global workplace collide in an all new way. Chinese workers emigrate to other countries, set up Chinese style factories (read: long hours, seven day work week, low pay) in Western countries to retain the coveted “Made in Well Known Western Country” tag.
Spiegel online has a very interesting article about Italy-based, Chinese-manned textile factories producing low (and even some high) quality clothing from Italy’s well-known textile city, Prato. After the initial odity wears off, we start to wonder why and how this style of business has become synonymous with Chinese culture.
In the words of Popeye, “I ams what I ams.” You cannot separate the people from the culture, the programing that drives them. Chinese culture is very insular by nature. And man is very greedy by nature. You mix the two, and you find Chinese factories, separated from the outside world, focused on making money by any means.
Guangdong Province seems to be the Chinese domestic epitome of this Chinese business ethic. Another Spiegel article on Chinese worker’s rights quotes a Chinese activist as saying, “Guangdong Province is an economic predator that devours its workers.”
In the face of global trade and multi-million dollar companies, trying to develop a better situation for the workers is no easy task. These workers seek opportunity. Many of the workers know exactly what they are entering from the beginning, but are so hungry to advance their economic situation, they toil through the tough factories as long as needed in order to move to a better situation.
Many of these workers have the motivation to work, but lack the opportunity at home. Rural areas would love to develop their resources, but it is hard for investors to see past the Chinese coastal wall of factories to see the interior of China and the potential is holds.
Slowly, this change is happening. Provinces like Guangxi are developing their industrial and commercial base and cities like Liuzhou are welcoming as many companies as they can. Sanjiang County (within Luizhou City) will be one of the suppliers of human resources for Liuzhou’s development, and hopefully will be able to develop some of its own resources and jump into the ever changing global marketplace.
As an interesting addition to this story, Italy's Prime Minister, Romano Prodi announced before his upcoming trip to China, that "China is a friend of Italy, and we hope Italy will further become Europe's gateway to the East." He expressed hope in Chinese business's incresing investment in Italy.
That coin has two sides. Sure, the investment would be great; increased trade would be mutually beneficial. The question is how Italy and Italians will react to cities like Prato being taken over by Chinese. Is that the kind of "investment" they want.
Culturally, I would venture a guess that most Italians are not too excited about the idea. Economically, Italy will have to develop a practical approach to business with China and Chinese people so that both sides truly benefit.
Posted by: Cooper Strange | 12 Sep 2006 at 15:15
Today, at a China-Italy trade fair in Guangzhou, the Chinese Vice-Premier, Zeng Peiyan said, "Hopefully the [small and medium enterprises] in both countries can work together to combine China's human resources and manufacturing capabilities with Italy's strength in technology and design." That sounds good, but it all depends on how those human resources are managed.
A fundamental need for ethical business practice is still needed, for much of China's "strength" in human resources is its availability of millions of workers who, I would guess, work far below Italy's labor standards.
Posted by: Cooper Strange | 16 Sep 2006 at 17:14