SHENZHEN, China's first special economic zone, has the worst labour safety problems, a Hong Kong-based industrialist said.
Eddy Li, president of the China and Hong Kong Economic Trade Association, said the longer economic zones had been developed, the higher the rate of factory accidents.
Commenting on the spate of industrial accidents in foreign-owned - mostly Hong Kong and Taiwanese - enterprises in China in the past year, Mr Li blamed the safety problems on the fast increase and concentration of investments in some areas.
Development had been so rapid that related safety legislation was lagging far behind, he said.
'Take Shenzhen for instance, there were only processing factories in the beginning when land supply was plentiful, but as time goes by, buildings start to appear,' Mr Li said.
'Now, factories are being surrounded by other developments with no space whatsoever for expansion.
