Protests End Sale of Chinese Steel Mill

Although Chinese government officials in Henan Province were intent on going through with the privatization of a local state-owned steel mill, a protest involving thousands of workers and the taking of an official as a hostage seemed to put an end to the government’s aspirations. The protests mark a surge in activism in China’s crucial steel industry.
 
Chinese demonstrations have already turned bloody, with rioting workers having beat to death three weeks ago an executive that was trying to sell a different state-owned steel company. The death of the executive ended up postponing the sale of the steel mill, with the most recent developments signaling the escalating level of attention that Chinese officials have been paying to the protestors.
 
According to local newspaper reports, demonstrators decided to finally end their protests when they got word that a mediation team would reconsider the privatization of the steel mill in question. Any money that had already been paid by the company that hoped to acquire the steel mill will be refunded and the mill will not yet change hands.

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