Ask Lemmygrad

Artisanal miners is a misnomer and I wouldn't be surprised if it was picked on purpose. It implies some farm-to-table local miner who caringly nurtures the cobalt nuggets into a basket, but it's not that. It actually refers to mining done without machinery and, by extension, often with no regard for safety or protection. Artisanal miners can be employed by companies as well as proletarians, except the work will be more dangerous. There's also no implication in this activity that it pays better to do it solo than being paid by a company. I would assume most solo, low-gear miners sell their ore to one of many middlemen regardless and don't make that much more money than if they were employed in a bigger mine. Their livelihood is predicated on their productivity in finding and mining ore, not on a wage. I'm not sure that's necessarily better than wage labor.

Miners employed in mines that are partly owned by China (there are no mines owned 100% by chinese companies, they own shares in existing mines) are getting their sustenance from mining just like 'artisanal miners' are. Artisanal miners are just moving to those bigger companies instead when their activity dries up.