In Indonesia¡¯s nickel belt, Chinese built smelters now produce roughly two-thirds of the world¡¯s battery grade nickel at a capital cost 40% to 60% below their Western rivals and in roughly one-third the time. This is not a story of Chinese technological triumph, however. It is the deliberate replication of a distinctly Chinese economic model: one that secures dominance by systematically operating under weaker protections for workers, communities and the environment.
China today produces nearly a third of the world¡¯s manufactured goods and dominates 70% to 90% of global capacity in rare earths, battery precursor processing and other critical minerals. With this level of manufacturing concentration, no global effort to improve labor conditions can ignore China. Strengthening oversight of China-linked supply chains is thus a necessary step for better worker outcomes for all.
The communist nation's low rights model is no longer a domestic labor issue but a systemic challenge to global labor standards, supply chain governance and fair market competition. Without a coordinated civil society response, the global baseline for worker rights will continue to fall.
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