ABSTRACT
This chapter gives an account of the historical and institutional context of the emergence of labor NGOs in South China. It describes how an ethos of uncertainty, ambiguity, and indeterminacy has arisen in the wake of the economic reforms introduced in the late 1970s that have created the political, economic, and legal circumstances under which labor NGOs emerged. Accompanying the economic growth was an increasing number of social organizations in the post-Mao era. By focusing on how labor NGOs struggle to become economically viable, this chapter discusses the involvement of the international community via the mediation of Hong Kong labor groups. The chapter situates relationships among Chinese labor NGOs, Hong Kong labor organizations, and Western funding agencies in China’s political system with specific regard to the state secrets system and state surveillance. This is to highlight the restrictive political climate and thus the risky and contingent nature of doing labor activism in China.
