How do you feel about banning Chinese made products? Are you going to try to buy American made?

Question

Made in China. These three words appear in virtually every household, office or school.

With the ban after the latest spate of Chinese-made toy and pet food recalls, there is questionable quality and safety issues of the goods, China's rights abuses, its record of pollution and the fact that American manufacturing jobs have been lost to China as reasons for proposing a ban against buy their products!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is going on several states, what do you think about it for your household? How strongly do you feel about it....on a 1-10 scale with a 1 being you dont care what you buy and a 10 being will not buy anything from CHINA.......and WHY????

My thought, I will not be buying Chinese made products this year if I can at all help it......I have decided to give my nieces and nephews money for Christmas if I cannot find toys from some of the local shops in our area........So I will be rating a 10.....ABSOLUTELY NOT BUYING CHINESE!!!!!!!!!

Answer 1

I too am not going to buy anything from China. I've already talked to my children about this Christmas and why it will be lacking in the toy department. They agreed! I think the Chinese is doing this on purpose, what better way to attack this country then with our kids toys, our dogs, and our food. Talk about terrorists! Happy Holidays! and be careful!

Answer 2

And what do you think will happen? I'll tell you:

Your currency has been the global deposit currency since the mid 1930s. Whenever anyone calculates finance internationally, they talk about Dollars. Oil, International debt and aid, all gets reported in terms of dollars. The IMF and World Bank work everything out in Dollars.

The difficulty with that is when you hear about another country's debt, it is stated in Dollars. That makes it sound like they borrowed the money from the US, you have a fantastically well performing economy after all, don't you?

Actually, you don't. You have a terrible economy. In 7 years you have gone from a budget surplus (ie. money left over) of $250 billion to a borrowing requirement of $9 trillion (yes, $9,000,000,000,000). Your government, who have spent this money without raising it in taxes have to get it from somewhere.

They've borrowed it from the best performing economy in the world: China.

China has bought $9,000,000,000,000 of debt. That's $30,000 for every man woman and child in the US, including you (and that's just the money you owe China!)

I'm sorry to tell you that the USDollar has been a pretty poor investment in the last few years. Its value on the international money markets keeps going down. 10% in the last year, which is a bit like you going to the bank to take out the $100 dollars you put in last year, and the bank giving you $90, and telling you that's all there is.
At some point, you'll decide that you'll cut your losses and take that $90, rather than hang around hoping that it'll go back up to $100 some day- because it might go down to $80 as well.

Anytime they want, the Chinese can sell the debt, too.

If they do, your country is in for a very hard time. The Chinese own so much of the US economy that the dollar would be, essentially, worthless. No other country will want dollars, so they'll all sell, too. The only country that will want dollars will be the US, but you can't afford them because your government have mortgaged your country to the Chinese. You wont be able to get another mortgage, because your nation will be a sub-prime borrower. Already the EU banks who have underwritten about a trillion dollars are asking for their money, and look at what the dollar has done!

So why does China prop up your economy and your prosperity? Because you are the largest market for their goods. If you haven't got any money, they can't sell you stuff. So they keep your economy going, so you can buy their products.

But if you aren't going to buy their products anyway, why would they keep hold of their worthless dollars?

The two lessons here are:
1. Keep buying Chinese stuff. Even if you don't like it. If you don't the Chinese will bail, and you're going to have a recession that makes the 1930s look like a beach party, and your global standing will be gone forever.
2. The Chinese own you. Anytime they want they can ruin you. They have conquered you by economics. It is your government's fault. Your government sold you to them. When you look at your economy and your quality of life, don't thank Bush, thank Hu Jintao and the Peoples Republic of China.

I expect to get a whole bunch of 'Thumbs Down' from Americans who read this. I didn't write it to upset you, and I am not anti-American. But your media doesn't tell you about this, and you should know. Don't shoot the messenger. Our economy in the UK will suffer badly, too, and we need you to think about rehabilitating your economy when you vote next year.

Answer 3

Because this economic crisis, although caused by Americans, doesn't just affect Americans. It's a global crisis affecting every developed nation on the planet (a fact that your US-centric news media probably hasn't pointed out to you). Other nations aren't going to spend their time helping the USA when they have their own economies to sort out. And Europe isn't a country FFS, it's a continent consisting of several dozen different countries. "We've always helped other countries in need" - where was the USA in 1939, when the Nazis invaded Poland? Where were Americans in 1940, when Britain was getting bombed to death by Hitler's Luftwaffe? Bet they don't teach that in American schools. And I bet the Iraqis are really grateful for all the civilians you've killed trying to find the WMDs that didn't exist. And I'm sure the US didn't ban the dollar and adopt the peso when Argentina was in economic crisis. Look, I'm British. Brits learned a harsh lesson, over 50 years ago, that Britain wasn't in any way special, unique or blessed as a country, and could easily be eclipsed, defeated or outperformed by other countries. Perhaps it's time for Americans to learn the same lesson.

Answer 4

Elizabeth has a very compelling argument and some of it is true. Her assumptions about a depression occurring if Americans stop buying Chinese is flawed however. The first depression occurred as a result of our government not having the economic mechanisms that we now have and employ (and have honed down to a pretty accurate science). Also, while there are some Chinese goods that are worth while to buy, I am not going to buy anything that endangers my health no matter where it's from. Someone as intelligent as yourself Elizabeth should know that this backlash is not about protectionism, it’s about the market correcting itself. The Chinese did this to themselves by producing and selling sub-standard products to turn a quick profit...ever hear of comparative advantage? Now that the Chinese have to spend money to regulate the production of their products like civilized nations do, we'll see how fast they will continue to expand(and if they can continue to afford to undervalue their currency).
Also, the Chinese will be more in a world of hurt than Americans if they decide to call in there loans as they cannot currently sustain their own population agriculturally anyway. Sure they can get fuel from Africa (and exploit the continent as Europeans have done for centuries) but you can't squeeze blood from a turnip. If they cut the money tap we will be forced to cut the food tap and gee I wonder who will suffer more?
And with regards to our deficit, that comes and goes with our presidents. You failed to mention that before our budget surplus 7 years ago, we were in a deficit before that and it was just as big. The sky is not falling.
Please don't get mad Elizabeth because your nation is dependant on American whims as you claim Americans are to China(look at how close attention you are paying on who Americans vote for). It's still true that when America sneezes, the world catches a cold. Don't agree? Google sub-prime and see what you turn up

Answer 5

Chinese industrial strategy is making a fool of all western countries not only the USA. By the way they are changing history as well by pretending to have invented and discovered almost everything, Chinese are fanatical copiers.just take a look at a Chinese chat room. First they copy something then claim to have invented it. See the forged map example below but there are 1000s of other examples,

Answer 6

Very well no more made-in-china; then the coming era will be made-in-india. Then, the whole story will be a re-run.

In the last decade, the export from China has been increased by 100 folds or even more. All resources in China has been used up. It is time for you to go to India. They are much rich in resource. (locusts!!)

A conspiracy theory:
When people cared about made-in-china, they would not have much time to think about iraq and war against terror. A good holiday to all American including Persident Bush. He can enjoy his golf because people are looking at China instead of him.

Have a nice Thankgiving holidays and be prepared to work in India.

Answer 7

I don't trust any of there products so I'm with you - if its Made in China, I don't need it and I don't buy it.

Answer 8

I'm for banning everything from Red China, and all other commie countries

Answer 9

only when it comes to toys. Well toys for small children

Answer 10

is there still anything american made, I have not seen it for years.