EZ- "There's a long way to go before we can compete with .63 cents an hour."
when i was a kid it was "a bowl of rice per day" now average current labor costs (HOURLY WAGE $1.30) are rising at almost 100% per year. US labor costs are not...when you throw shipping, much needed tariffs and taxes, increased use of robotics, and the quality control issues in it wont be long until it's cheaper to build here..
when i was a kid, i saw mexico take huge industry from the US because of "labor cost", now indonesia, vietnam, cambodia are killing the textile industry in china because their labor costs are 1/4 that of china...if you ever get into a walmart take a look at the tags on the clothing...it might suprise you.
china's energy costs are rising. more and more countries are pressuring china to instill environmental controls, safety and labor standards, etc...
probably the biggest argument why china is about to have "growing pains" is in your response to my original post...you said
" some injection workers are paid a mere 4.3 yuan ($0.63) per hour, according to an investigative report from the Zhejiang Workers' Daily."
a few years ago this was unheard of in china. investigative reports into labor rights inside china?....this sounds like the beginnings of "union" to me.. next will be 6 weeks paid vacation, paternity leave and paid nap time....