Letters to the Editor
Published Letters: 78 Editor's Choice: 28
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Because I live here
[Read the article: The China scapegoat]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]For the last two years. Not saying I know everything about here. But I've seen MANY factories. I sell consulting services to manufacturers in China. And you know something...I have a very simple test for how the labor conditions are...if the workers bathroom smells like piss from outside the doorway, I suspect both exploitation and bad quality.
My comparison to the US situation is made in earnest. I read the NY Times everyday. From my perspective, it seems that the government of the US is bought and sold. Sure there are corrupt people in the Chinese government. And sure...every time the F1 Race (a car race) comes to Shanghai, many of my companies give free tickets to key government people (usually on the tax board because they don't want to be audited). But on the other hand I see the Chinese government as much more actively working towards the overall betterment of their entire country, not just interest groups. And the Chinese government is far more serious about renewable energy, clean environmental technologies, and labor relations than the US government. Of course, the motivation is different...the Chinese government views attaining those technologies as part of their race to get even with the developed world. They place importance on labor relations because when Chinese people get too pissed at their government, they tend to riot and sometimes rebel.
I don’t have time today to point you to the newspaper articles that support these statements. But much of this is based on personal experience. I have lived in China for about 3 years (not consecutively) and traveled to visit many types of factories in different areas. I am an active American Chamber of Commerce – Shanghai member and through that forum talk to government people often.
The fact is, I see so many misconceptions about China, and from outside the US, the US does not seem less corrupt. You said “When a totalitarian government has to turn on itself because the corruption is crippling, that says something.”. I don’t know what you mean by turning in on itself. But its not a totalitarian government. Authoritarian, technocratic…yes. Totalitarian no. “Totalitarian”, this word, is used as part of anti-China rhetoric.
" So they inflate the dollar...by paying for our war in Iraq…And your point here would be what, exactly?”
The poster was talking about China manipulating US currency. My point is that they manipulate to the extent that we request that they manipulate it by selling those bonds to pay for the war. This is actually the real reason why Chinese government does not care about what we say about the currency issue…because the US is their debtor and the war fund helps secure Chinese energy supply.
" In any case, its obvious that if the currency was to float freely, it would just hurt the US more….I disagree entirely... “
Question: What would Chinese people buy more of if the US dollar was weaker? Answer: cigarettes. You doubt this? What foreign brands to Chinese people want that don’t make their products in China? Only status brands like Lois Vetton. If the currency changed by 20%, would that make up the difference between a factory worker making $.5 per hour and one working at $15 per hour? Would the whole supply chain of components be able to be moved back to America? Could America sell cloths to China? Computers? Video recorders? Would any American get a job because of the currency change? Yes…maybe it would help the trade deficit…by moving production away from China and into Vietnam, Thailand, and Mexico. And that’s a big maybe. What it would definitely do is DRASTICALLY increase inflation in the US and make the US poorer. Would you be OK with 10-30% inflation on the price of your clothes, your electronics goods, you cars, OVERNIGHT? No, most people would be very unhappy with that. And both the US and Chinese government knows this. And this is why when the US calls for currency reform, the Chinese government sees it for what it is...political rhetorical bullshit.