Yes, Chinese workers are becoming more defiant, but I'd say that suggests progress. There is no way the recent successful strike action at Honda's joint venture in China would have happened without the government's sanction. Allowing workers to win higher wages, while moving towards a minimum wage in certain sectors, shows the Chinese authorities "get it" and are starting to ease up in terms of economic freedom. They are not doing so fast enough for most Western tastes, but the direction of travel is clear.