harry wrote:

I thought that in the U.S. and U.K., anyone can take any job they
can get hired for, at any wage and benefits that they can negotiate.

In China as in Victorian England/America the population are largely
job slaves. There is no minimum wage, people are in an economic trap
on starvation wages. They have few rights and workplace health and
safety is non-existent. Child labour is common.
Eg all the coal mining accidents and poisonous toys the send over.

And yet, during the Victorian era, every time Big Ben tolled the hour, the
British Ensign was being raised at dawn somewhere in the world.

Then England got trade unions...