China retrieves $1.6 billion for migrant workers ahead of Lunar New Year

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has recovered more than 10 billion yuan ($1.65 billion) of unpaid wages for its migrant workers in the last two months, officials said on Friday, underscoring a persistent problem that often leaves workers empty-handed before a key annual holiday.

Many migrants only return home once a year for the lunar new year, which falls on January 31 this year. Gift-giving, including cash in red envelopes, is an important tradition, and theft spikes each year in the run-up to the holiday.