{
  "id": 9458969,
  "title": "China’s top priority should be wages, not AI",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/chinas-top-priority-should-be-wages-not-ai-9458969",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-24T01:30:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
    "slug": "reuters-business-via-scmp",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3368285/chinas-top-priority-should-be-wages-not-ai"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "China must prioritize increasing wages over advancing artificial intelligence, according to a former factory worker. Despite China's massive investment in AI, estimated at $184 billion since 2000 according to Stanford University's 2026 AI Index, many ordinary Chinese people still earn insufficient incomes. In 2022, the average migrant worker earned only 5,075 yuan (US$758) per month, a paltry 2.3 percent increase from the previous year. Retail and hospitality workers fared slightly better at 4,382 and 4,208 yuan respectively. Economist Dr. Alicia Garcia-Herrero calls this situation a \"dual economy\", where China produces cutting-edge technology and exports, but household incomes and consumption remain stagnant. MIT economist Yasheng Huang argues that low wages are fundamental to China's manufacturing success, as they allow the country to compete with poorer nations in textiles and other goods. However, Huang points out that the share of manufacturing profits going to workers has significantly decreased from 6.3 percent in 1992 to 1.8 percent in 2010, recovering only slightly to 3.3 percent in 2024. This indicates that when workers' purchasing power is suppressed, they cannot buy the products they helped create, creating a paradoxical situation. If China wants to boost domestic consumption, it must address the issue of low wages. Reducing the burden of essential services like healthcare, housing, and education could also encourage households to spend more rather than save. While AI may enhance productivity and spur new industries, it should not become an end in itself. Instead, China should ensure that technological progress benefits its people and does not solely serve as a justification for an arms race with the United States.",
  "summary": "“Whoever wins with AI wins,” US President Donald Trump has declared, dismissing warnings about the risks of developing artificial intelligence too rapidly and citing rivalry with China. The technological competition is real. China has reason to fear becoming dependent on America for advanced chips and AI technology, particularly as Washington has repeatedly restricted its access to cutting-edge…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "China’s top priority should be wages, not AI",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/chinas-top-priority-should-be-wages-not-ai",
        "published": "2026-09-24T01:30:07.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}