China weathered Trump's tariffs - but the Iran war is taking a toll

It's a sombre gathering in the backstreets of one of China's biggest manufacturing hubs, where workers are smoking under a tree in front of storefronts advertising temporary factory jobs. "No-one understands what our life is like," says one man who is unwilling to be named. "We work and work and have no life. Please help us," another adds - a rare,...

It's a sombre gathering in the backstreets of one of China's biggest manufacturing hubs, where workers are smoking under a tree in front of storefronts advertising temporary factory jobs.

"No-one understands what our life is like," says one man who is unwilling to be named.

"We work and work and have no life. Please help us," another adds - a rare, risky plea to a foreign journalist.

They seem desperate, struggling to earn enough to send money home, as they cope with the massive shifts in Chinese manufacturing, from cheap, mass-produced goods to automated advanced tech.