Golden Boten

Fig. 69.3 A page from Golden Boten City s brochure for investors. (Source Paul T. Cohen)...

It is not hard to see how the locals (if not the central government) might view the rapid rise of the 1,600-ha (4,000-acre) Golden Boten City special zone (Chinese tequ), opened in 2007 by the Chinese investment company Fu-Khing, as a salutary lesson in engagement with Chinese leaseholds. The developer s brochure for... 

Fig. 69.4 Shops at Golden Boten City. (Source P 1 Nyiri)...

Local employees are a diminishing presence. Golden Boten opened amidst claims of preferential hiring of local Lao to make up the 900 required staff. Dealers wages are high by Lao and even Chinese standards, 1,200 yuan (roughly US 200) by the end of 2008 for a six-day work week, plus room, board and an additional 310 yuan (US 52) if one chooses to work seven days. Yet the number of Lao employees has dropped from nearly 300 to a little over 100. New Lao dealers are hired only if they can speak Chinese. Lao workers occupy only one floor of one dormitory the bottom one, and they have indicated a range of difficulties an unfamiliar work environment, abuse from Chinese overseers, perceived discrimination in the food hall where they feel they receive smaller proportions of food than the Chinese and so forth. 

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