Editorial 18.06.2021

China’s Belt and Road Initiative is often criticized because of Beijing’s associated geopolitical ambitions. To the exploitation of Chinese labor on the construction sites of the projects, however, less attention is paid. The G7 wants to distance itself from this and promises high labor standards in its recently adopted global infrastructure initiative. Will this convince the major Western economies? After all, cheap labor is a cynical, competitive advantage in the struggle for international contracts and prestige.