Why China?

[DeletedUser5832]

I don't know how the citizens can even put up with being treated how they are. Being told what to do, what to watch, almost being cut off from the rest of the world.

Interesting food for thought on this subject is the Chinese government has spent years drilling an economic concept in to its people, one which the majority believe will eventually pay off. Essentially, they say 'Let the rich get richer first, and the rest will follow'. (Dont ask me to cite, I can't. I dated a middle class Chinese national for two years )

I agree with Jar's point of view to an extent here. Cheap labour (or slave labour, whatever you wish to refer to it as) is killing western economies, and massively strengthening Eastern economies. As has been discussed, the only reason China can afford such cheap labour is due to the enormous inequalities in their society. Having visited Shanghai, it is frightening to see the comparisons. The super-duper-DUPER rich, living literally next door to those dying of poverty.

As I say, what really surprised me about witnessing it all from a middle class Chinese family perspective, is how frightening it is to see how, for lack of a better word, brainwashed China is.

 

[DeletedUser]

The western world is so heavily regulated that such cheap labour would never be allowed to happen. I get the feeling that eventually China will have to regulate more and will stop growing at such a rapid pace.

But now, and in the distant future, I feel China will continue to experience an economic boom. Their rich will get richer and their poor will get poorer without their regime giving a damn.

 

[DeletedUser]

This problem isn't only in china all of the 3rd world countries are like this. I know of this because many Syrians come to Lebanon, because the wage is higher in our country than theirs.

 

[DeletedUser]

This problem isn't only in china all of the 3rd world countries are like this. I know of this because many Syrians come to Lebanon, because the wage is higher in our country than theirs.

That's like someone from Mexico immigrating to the US. Our wages are higher than their wages simply because our economy is better.

China's economy is good yet still pays their citizens next to nothing.

 

[DeletedUser5832]

Absolutely, the situation with China is entirely different.

Hell, when I was in Shanghai, you see the poor citizens from rural areas move to the city to do construction jobs. They dont get paid the same as locals would. As I said, it is entirely unequal, to the extent where China's own citizens are taking jobs from one another by undercutting pay, much in the same way it goes on in all Western societies with foreign nationals.

 

[DeletedUser]

Well the government is making them bleed until they dry then.

 

[DeletedUser]

Well the government is making them bleed until they dry then.

Now that's a pretty accurate statement

 

[DeletedUser]

No friendly thoughts about China's government and how they have suckered their citizenry to accept paltry wages and poor living conditions.

But, this is a different issue altogether. The United States and much of Western Europe are culpable. Not merely the governments, but the citizenry as a whole. Business ethics are dictated not by corporations, but by consumers. We buy according to our wants. In this case, we want to save a few bucks. Companies that attempt to behave ethically are at a gross disadvantage, because they can't compete with unethical companies. They can't compete because we would rather buy from the unethical company that sells a shirt for $5 rather than buying from an ethical company that sells a similar shirt for $7.

A prime example of consumerism revolves around chocolate, wherein children --- yes, children --- are (and have been for decades) enslaved, beaten, even killed (when non-compliant, as a warning to other slaves), in western Africa to farm cocoa beans for production of chocolates. The "knowing" purchasers of these cocoa beans include(d) such notable companies as Nestles', Hersheys, Cadbury, etc and so on. When this was presented in a documentary in the U.S. and Western Europe, the documentary was quickly hushed. But the worst part was that the documentary had very poor ratings. Not at the onset, mind you, but almost everyone didn't watch it to the end. Instead, they changed channels to watch the Simpsons or something.

The truth is ugly, and people aren't interested in knowing that their buying habits dictate how businesses exploit others in countries that view their citizenry as commodities. So yes, it is unacceptable that China and many other countries allow their citizenry to be exploited. But it is also unacceptable that unethical businesses are "allowed" to do business in our respective countries.

Fair Trade (click here) should not be a "movement," it should be a matter of legal obligation.

 

[DeletedUser13405]

Not just paltry wages, but a complete lack of environmental regulations turn your country into something like the below:

Chinese Pollution Photos

Point is either Western environmental and wage laws are just and proper and should be enforced on all countries through tariffs on any product from that country imported into the Western one or those laws should be revisited.

 

[DeletedUser]

Even though the OP had no clue what he was talking about, the result so far is interesting. As Shanara said, often the citizens from the rural areas go to the cities for very low pay. Yes, it is unequal, but who are we to say anything about this? We see this ourselves in Europe and America, with Eastern Europeans and Latin Americans going into the UK and the US. They take the jobs nobody else will, and ultimately improve our environment. Imagine our world without bin-men and the factory workers. It would be in shambles. Furthermore, being a westerner and having lived in this part of this world for most of my life (India, Pakistan, Thailand), I do not see the amount of the pay that they get as unreasonable. We have to consider that the $8 that is earned is enough. It is significantly more than what they would have earned on a self-subsistence farm and the majority of the money which is sent back improves the lives of their families.

The low pay which is 'exploited' by our western companies is not bad, but rather good. If it did not exist, the incredible cash flow going into China would not exist. Yes, I agree, there is often a man at the end who gets most of the money, but these people still get some money, more than nothing. In fact, it is interesting to note that Foxconn, the company behind the construction of the majority of iProducts has announced a wage increase. Surely we should applaud this effort, rather than acting cynical as many of my friends do. We should remember that had we built our factories in another country, they would still have been plowing the fields just to feed themselves, with only the lucky few owning western manufactured products.

Oh and Aicy, feel free to point out the hipocrasy of me posting this, as I'm sure you were planning on doing.

 

[DeletedUser]

China can't keep growing at the pace it is, as there people become more accustomed to western life, and in particular western products, their wages will also increase.

We can't really slander the Chinese for how they treat their workers, if you look back to the turn of the 19th century in Europe, when the industrial revolution was at its height, the working conditions for the average worker were just as bad if not worse than what they have in china. China is industrializing, just like we did 200 years ago. Its a process, and eventually they'll reach a point when there people want more than what they already have.

May i also point out that while the Chinese may hold much of our debt, and may create the majority of our products, the consumer base is still in NA and EU. If we were to stop buying Chinese there industries would slow down significantly.

 

[DeletedUser]

May i also point out that while the Chinese may hold much of our debt, and may create the majority of our products, the consumer base is still in NA and EU. If we were to stop buying Chinese there industries would slow down significantly.

that is real tough.. one will always buy cheap goods.. and most of the electronics items are manufactured in china.. and a lot of major corporations has built there manufacturing units there.. or gave license for them to produce.. so it is literally impossible.. people know Chinese products are unreliable.. but most people generally dont check whether this product is Chinese or not