Chinese protestors win concessions in Wukan and Haimen (video)

The villagers of Wukan China have had what appears to be a victory as the authorities have agreed to release detained protesters and give some land back to the people. Up the coast a ways from Wukan in Haimen, thousands of workers have been protesting and "occupying" highways to protest the building of coal fired power plants that they claim are poisoning their environment. Many of the 80,000 or so protests in China last year were over environmental issues. Reports indicate that they too have had somewhat of a victory as the builkdign of a second power plant has been put on hold.

We are seeing the rise of the world's most powerful working class, hundreds of millions strong. The Chinese bureaucracy backing down here has some significance. Perhaps the money and resources the US government gave to the Mubarak regime to suppress dissent so brutally and successfully in Egypt all these years will be offered to the Chinese Communist Party hacks. The US authorities never back down.