More Chinese regions are raising minimum wages, but will it help boost consumption?

As more Chinese provincial-level regions raise minimum wages, economists say the increases could encourage lower-income workers to spend more, but were unlikely to significantly boost consumption or the broader economy and could add to the cost burdens faced by smaller firms. The provinces of Guangdong and Shanxi and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region announced this month that wage increases of around 10 per cent or more would be implemented later this year. The increases far outpace their...