Thread: Made in China

OK, most paltry items are made in China these days, but I was quite POed that a Tabi shirt and a Henckel kitchen knife I bought are both made in China. WTF?
Why can't we innovators create stuff built at home? Unions and higher wages aside, there must be strategies to make stuff competitively in the West. Sure, the hi-tech, high-skilled labour are still here, but what about jobs for low-skilled folks (like the complainers in Ohio)?
Any ideas?

Blind folks in the US still make decent clocks.

^ Ya, but does anyone buy them?

Jet, the train left the station long ago. How do you think that Henckel got made in China? It started with an investment and technology transfer turn-key. Those were the early days. US and European firms made massive investments in factories in China, transferred technology and know-how, and today, they no longer need it for lower-middle value goods, but do still seek it for many high technology goods.

In any event, there is simply no way to ever go back to using US labor to produce things that can be produced in China at a fraction of the cost. And, China is looking over its shoulder as India moves up.

I see Taiwanese very high tech products, that are no longer price competitive in India, as the same thing is happening now in India as happened in China. China has its worries too now.

None of this will ever come back to the US/Canada unless it goes into an Ice age or something.

My Tommy Bahama shirts are made under license in china, cost $100 in the States, can't buy them in China but what does it cost to make em..somebody making big bucks..I don't understand why Thailand isn't giving China a bit of competition in this field..but whit do I know I'm just a newbie

yes there is... Unions and higher wages aside, there must be strategies to make stuff competitively in the West.... reduce wages, reduce safety, increase workers hours. Thanks to the unions who negotiated their workers out of a job.

Yep, Australia's the same. Just about everything from clothing to kitchen equipment to electrical goods are made in China. It seems Australia no longer has a manufacturing capability.

^^LOTS of truth in them words KW.

Or just take the stuff to be made somewhere else, anywhere but bleedin China. Die bitches!

Originally Posted by Carnwadrick

My Tommy Bahama shirts are made under license in china, cost $100 in the States, can't buy them in China but what does it cost to make em..somebody making big bucks..I don't understand why Thailand isn't giving China a bit of competition in this field..but whit do I know I'm just a newbie

The garment industry is one of the most hand work intensive industries so not surprised to see Tommy Bahama shirts made in China. You are right the cost of producing the shirt is very small. My guess under $5. Some one is probably making a lot of money but maybe not as much as you would think when all costs such as marketing, shipping, distribution, retailing etc are considered.

^^
But if the west refused to purchase Chinese products how would 120m out of work Chinese cope - are they not slightly better off on a few RMB that nil??
Remember - no social security / dole handouts here!!

Moreover, how would the government control the hungry unemployed masses - may be the recent huge increases in China's military budget is a hint of the possibility history repeating its self???

If western business who have established themselves in China to exploit the low labor costs are forced to repatriate who would they employ to do the basic, repetitive manual tasks back home - Chinese??

Leave it as it is or be prepared to pay I say!!

^No country, not even China, has a monopoly on abundant cheap exploitable labor. Mexico is a good alternative. India is a good alternative. Vietnam is a good alternative.

China does indeed understand the symbiotic nature of its relationship with the west, especially America, it's largest market in the world.

Originally Posted by Jet Gorgon

Why can't we innovators create stuff built at home?

what's stopping you?

There was an article in either the Times or Telegraph a couple of months ago about a foreigner who lived in Thailand but was absolutely passionate about Liverpool Football Club. So, the story goes, the bloke refuses to buy the fake Liverpool shirt in Thailand and on his next visit goes to the Liverpool club shop and buys the shirt of his favourite player. Looking at the label of the shirt is says...

..."Made in Thailand"

I just saw yesterday a documentary about the cotton used in Bengladesh by the textile industry exporting jeans, t-shirts etc in every part of the west. And guess what ? The cotton come from Ouzbekistan and is harvested by children as young as 7-8 years who are forced to work (everything is organized by the government with help of the police) while all schools in the country are closed for the harvest period.

Sad isn't it ?

Originally Posted by Wallalai

hildren as young as 7-8 years who are forced to work (everything is organized by the government with help of the police)

I guess it's legal then. Carry on...

Yep, Taiwan is key for semiconductor mfg. Bangladesh, lots of cotton stuff. China makes nearly everything else. I notice now that local suppliers are picking up on the anti-China product sentiment. So, the new trend is to put "imported and distributed by XX" Sometimes in 2 point print there will be a "made in China" line that you have to search the whole item for before finding it on the side of the tag, but sometimes nothing.

Please somebody correct me if I'm wrong. Dosen't China own alot of the U.S. national debt? If this is true why would they continue to support are nutty national spending if we stopped buying from them.

Years ago, in a grad-level international economics class we discussed this phenomenon:

The last country to develop will rule the world because it will have benefitted from all the R&D, mistrials, faulty products, bad trade policies, trans issues, etc etc that have transpired before.

Not sure I agree with the absolute premise, but the fundamentals are certainly in place to benefit developing rathr than advanced nations.

^^the flaw with that premise Tex is that there is an assumption that someone in the last country to develop will have an innovative idea that advances technology/industrialisation beyond that which is already in place.

I know the last country to develop will be Zambia/Zimbabwe (who will be using stolen Chinese ideas as their jump-off point to start with) and trust me, nobody there will have a innovative technological idea. Nope, they're all too busy with their creative accounting to spend any time being creative anywhere else

Originally Posted by William

There was an article in either the Times or Telegraph a couple of months ago about a foreigner who lived in Thailand but was absolutely passionate about Liverpool Football Club. So, the story goes, the bloke refuses to buy the fake Liverpool shirt in Thailand and on his next visit goes to the Liverpool club shop and buys the shirt of his favourite player. Looking at the label of the shirt is says... ..."Made in Thailand"

yeah. $130 for a rugby or cricket shirt... that aint fair pricing, that's a rip off. same same CD for $30 or $40 each in the west

Originally Posted by Hootad Binky

And only the shareholders of Walmart profit.

and wotz wrong wiv dat??

Originally Posted by William

I know the last country to develop will be Zambia/Zimbabwe (who will be using stolen Chinese ideas as their jump-off point to start with) and trust me, nobody there will have a innovative technological idea.

No one in China will either. Asians are forgers, not innovators.