What the Foxconn riot tells us about China

More than 2,000 angry workers take to the streets, and 5,000 police officers are needed to put the riot down. Is a growing wave of labor unrest a sign that China is in trouble?

Foxconn Tech-Industry Park in Taiyuan, China
(Image credit: REUTERS)

Foxconn, a company most famous for building Apple's iPhones and other iGoodies, but also responsible for assembling lots of other tech wonders, encountered an unwelcome controversy this weekend when 2,000 workers rioted, requiring the government to dispatch 5,000 armed officers. (Watch amateur video footage of the riot below.) In the end, 40 people were hospitalized, several workers were arrested, and Foxconn shut down the factory to give everyone a chance to cool down. The riot is only the latest in a string of woes for Foxconn, which faced scrutiny after a riot at another plant in June. What does this growing unrest tell us about Foxconn, and the evolving state of business and labor in China? Here, three theories:

1. China's labor unrest remains murky

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