The news from China in recent weeks has been dire. Violent strikes and protests are reported almost daily. Millions of workers are out of jobs. Economic indicators presage more gloom, with electricity production for industry falling 4% in October, the first time it has declined in a decade. So is China — the "fragile superpower," as historian Susan Shirk memorably termed it — about to experience the one thing its leaders have feared for years: a so-called hard landing of its economy that could spark widespread social unrest?

Can you consider this sentence as the thesis statement?
The news from China in recent weeks has been dire. Violent strikes and protests are reported almost daily. Millions of workers are out of jobs.

Which one? I see three sentences (statements) there. Or... how can you combine these ideas smoothly into one effective statement?

Read these to see what is and is not an effective thesis statement:
http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/thesistatement.html

No, the sentence you mentioned cannot be considered as the thesis statement. A thesis statement typically presents the main argument or position of an essay or article. It encapsulates the main idea or purpose of the piece of writing.

The sentence you provided does not present a clear argument or position. It simply provides a description of the current situation in China, mentioning dire news, strikes, protests, and unemployment. This sentence could be a part of the introductory paragraph or context-setting for an essay, but it does not fulfill the requirements of a thesis statement.