Western companies once relocated to China for low wages. That time has long passed. Today, the average net spendable income of Chinese workers often exceeds that of their European counterparts. The median monthly take-home pay in China is close to the EU average. After adjusting for purchasing power and lower prices, Chinese workers now keep more of what they earn.

What is the source for this?

The 2025 disposable income per capita PPP (Purchasing Power Parity, meaning income is adjusted for purchasing power as stated in the linked article) in China is USD 12,236.

In Western Europe, it is more than USD 24,000, which is roughly the same as in Japan.

In Canada it is USD 28,000, in Australia and New Zealand more than USD 32,000.

[Source, opens pdf]

If you think Oxford Economics is a biased source for whatever reason: according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the disposable personal income in China in 2025 stood at CNY 56,500. This is some USD 8,300 at the exchange rate at the time of this writing, so even lower.

Female workforce participation drives productivity.

The female labour income share in 2024 in China stood at 36.5%.

In Germany it was 37.3%. In New Zealand, Australia, the U.S. around 40%. In the UK it stood at 42%, n Canada more than 43%, in France almost 44%.

[Source, in this site you’ll also see that China has been experiencing a widening inequality in term of wealth an income, particularly in the last decade.]

I could go ahead with this, but I haven’t got enough time. You’ll find better sources than this propaganda link.

The ‘secret sauce’ of made in China is forced labour and a 996 working culture in a country where workers’ rights are effectively non-existent and unions forbidden. The only union allowed in China is the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), and it is part of the Chinese Communist Party.

[Edit typo.]