Commentary: China's prosperity promise is wavering and the leadership is hesitating
China's economic miracle is stalling – the low-wage sector is growing rapidly. But the central government is shying away from real reforms.
China's Meituan is testing a system that counts waiting time at traffic lights as work hours for its millions of delivery drivers. The trial aims to reduce the immense time pressure on low-wage delivery workers. In another initiative, China is issuing marriage documents at subway stations to encourage more people to get married and boost the birth rate, as the population is rapidly ageing and shrinking.
Despite China's economic successes in tech fields, its societal model is facing challenges, including a rise in precarious employment and uneven benefits from the AI boom.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
