[An] experiment in worker democracy at the Taiwanese-owned [Fu Luh] factory in Fujian province two months ago [which supplies Reebok], together with a similar election last year at a Reebok shoe manufacturer in neighbouring Guangdong, is thought to be unprecedented in mainland China... The managers of the two factories arranged the elections at the behest of Reebok, their US client... [Reebok director of human rights programmes Doug Cahn said,] "We can throw up our hands in China and say: 'The ACFTU is government-controlled and therefore we can do nothing.' Or we can engage in experiments like this in democratising the union..." [also refers to Kong Tai, Adidas]