Opinion Beijing set out to destroy U.S. economic supremacy. It’s nearing its target.

I can remember way back in the late 80s we had just finished an April 'trade" market, and my brother and I were talking with our father. We were all in the family business together, and while we were busy the other showrooms and companies were not. Dad said it was not a good sign not only that the company we represented was going to close its domestic manufacturing in Los Angeles and have all of its goods made in China as a lot of our competitors were already doing.

Within 2 years we left the company entirely, my father had represented for them exclusively almost 20 years, and within 4 years that company was out of business altogether. by the 2000s 90% or more of our companies were supplied with goods and merchandise from China, that's why when COVID hit it killed our time-sensitive business. Result we have a lot fewer American companies and we are at the mercy of a handful of reputable Chinese suppliers if unaware one can get ripped off by a slew of unscrupulous suppliers if not careful. The point being now we have a flooded market with cheap knock-offs all because it was incredibly cheaper to have them cut and sewn in China. Soon there will be 5-6 American firms only, and because of the unscrupulous Chinese suppliers, it's extremely difficult for an American startup to get established. I have no doubt the same issues happen in other more vital industries, ones we should not let China take over.

thats just in the apparel industry imagine the damage it's done to all the other industries.

We must reestablish American-made...

Opinion Senator Mark Rubio Beijing set out to destroy U.S. economic supremacy. It’s nearing its target.

www.washingtonpost.com...

In 2019, my Senate office released “Made in China 2025 and the Future of American Industry,” a report that analyzed Beijing’s plan and spelled out the threats it posed to U.S. security and prosperity. Five years later, with the decade reaching its close, we have taken stock of China’s progress. The takeaway from our new report: “China has reached, or is near to reaching, the technological cutting edge in most of the sectors it has targeted.”

“Made in China 2025” tasked the Chinese state-industrial complex with “enter[ing] … the ranks of the manufacturing powerhouses” in 10 key fields. Of those 10, China is now the world leader in four. It exports more electric vehicles — and more cars generally — than any other country. It controls more than 80 percent of the global solar power supply chain and has completed the world’s first fourth-generation nuclear reactor. In high-speed rail, China boasts an astonishing 28,000 miles of track. Even more astonishing is China’s shipbuilding capacity, which — the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence reports — exceeds America’s by a factor of more than 200.

a reply to: putnam6

Temu is a Chinese site that sells all sorts of stuff including clothing etc.

The prices are ridiculously cheap.

I suspect they may be being subsided?

This reminds me of when parents tried to sue the band Judas Priest when their kids committed suicide, blaming subliminal messages in the music.

Nobody asked, why would the band want their audience, their gravy train, dead?

The U.S. and Chinese economies depend too much on each other.

China has at least a 70% dependence on the U.S. and its allies for more than 400 items, ranging from luxury goods to raw materials needed for Chinese industries.

In 2022, about 19% of US agriculture exports went to China.

Money has already made us globalists. Our economies are in a symbiotic relationship, if China's or the U.S. economy falls, the world will suffer together.

Trade is always good for civilization.

a reply to: putnam6

We must reestablish American-made...

So true, we need to bring manufacturing back to America like that great American Elon Musk.

oh wait...

www.reuters.com...

www.ft.com...

a reply to: TinfoilTophat

I remember that. In Court, one of the band members said: "Subliminal? I can't even spell it".

originally posted by: TinfoilTophat
This reminds me of when parents tried to sue the band Judas Priest when their kids committed suicide, blaming subliminal messages in the music.

Nobody asked, why would the band want their audience, their gravy train, dead?

The U.S. and Chinese economies depend too much on each other.

China has at least a 70% dependence on the U.S. and its allies for more than 400 items, ranging from luxury goods to raw materials needed for Chinese industries.

In 2022, about 19% of US agriculture exports went to China.

Money has already made us globalists. Our economies are in a symbiotic relationship, if China's or the U.S. economy falls, the world will suffer together.

Trade is always good for civilization.

Respectfully not all trade is good, there are degrees and nuances

There is a monumental difference in trading raw materials and allowing historically American industries to be swallowed up by China.

We must have jobs and employment for the American masses or they will no longer afford the Chinese finished goods. Those sewing, pattern making, and piece goods jobs our former company outsourced to China were what employed over 200 Americans at our small little company many of who were immigrants from Mexico and South America in the 60s and 70s.

The carpet mills in North Georgia and the poultry plants all must survive to employ the influx of migrant workers. These type of companies are vital because they don't require a college education to work at. It employs the masses, the disadvantaged, give them a job and a paycheck, and it brings value and thier income goes back mostly to thier community. Otherwise

originally posted by: lilzazz
a reply to: putnam6

We must reestablish American-made...

So true, we need to bring manufacturing back to America like that great American Elon Musk.

oh wait...

www.reuters.com...

www.ft.com...

LOL nice cherry pick, Tesla one company

but America needs jobs to employ not only Americans but the influx of migrants

FWIW that is exactly the point in the automotive industry, we outsourced so many jobs out of the country the only way a newer company a much better product BTW Tesla can compete is to outsource as well.

a reply to: Oldcarpy2

I made the mistake of ordering from them.
Once.

It was crap.

We do need to bring manufacturing back to the US.

Things used to last.
Now everyone uses disposable crap.
And then wonder why the environment is in trouble.
Common sense.
Not so common any more.

originally posted by: Oldcarpy2
a reply to: putnam6

Temu is a Chinese site that sells all sorts of stuff including clothing etc.

The prices are ridiculously cheap.

I suspect they may be being subsided?

Of course, they are subsidized by the CCP and they bought off our government officials to allow them to sell chit products to ignorant masses.

LOL, I get it too, hell I bought some stuff off of Wish too, I got a cool solar UBS charger 2 years ago that worked great for a while till now the battery inside has swollen and broken the case. Most everything is not as advertised and falls apart or has pieces missing

a reply to: putnam6

I would bet the millions of regulations pushed onto manufacturing is what pushes most to look elsewhere...not cost. We have an insane amount of regulations on damn near everything which strangles all but the biggest businesses. Trump was trying to roll back a lot of the sensless government interjection into the business world but was fought at every step. Its not exactly a free economy if the government regulates every aspect of it now is it?

originally posted by: putnam6

originally posted by: lilzazz
a reply to: putnam6

We must reestablish American-made...

So true, we need to bring manufacturing back to America like that great American Elon Musk.

oh wait...

www.reuters.com...

www.ft.com...

LOL nice cherry pick, Tesla one company

but America needs jobs to employ not only Americans but the influx of migrants

FWIW that is exactly the point in the automotive industry, we outsourced so many jobs out of the country the only way a newer company a much better product BTW Tesla can compete is to outsource as well.

Well, unlike Elon, I only hire US citizens and only use US made raw materials in my small mfg, wholesale, retail enterprises. Cherry pick myass LOL!




I could buy most of my raw materials off shore and it would help my bottom line but I prefer to put my money into actually helping the US economy.
I'm hit with regulations, taxes and licenses just like everyother LLC; I don't like it, but I feel blessed to be an American entrepreneur. And I still get called a commie here on ATS. There's a lot more insults that might apply, but "commie" isn't one of them.

If American corporations stop outsourcing manufacturing to China .

That would trigger WW3 .

That would be the straw that broke the camels back.

America has the full capability to do that very thing and we have since forever and yet .....

Greed baby GREED is the currency of our age . Money in all it's glory is such fickle thing . '' Babylon oh Babylon the great whore for the kingdoms of earth cry out at her collapse for there is no one to buy there products at ridiculous prices any longer. ''

With the minimum wage in China around 2-4 $USD per hour, hard for any capitalists' to not consider that. Maybe there is a bright side to the USA inflation and dollar devaluation going on as it leads towards a more level competitive playing field.

Employers in China are brutal to employees. Outside the Shanghi Apple phone/pc assembly building is a net over the sidewalk to catch workers jumping out of the windows above..protecting pedestrians on the sidewalk.

There's a brand of shirts I get that are usually made in Bangladesh. The one that arrived last week now says "Made in China" on the label. Now I understand why the price dropped and it says "CooFandy" on the label.

originally posted by: lilzazz

originally posted by: putnam6

originally posted by: lilzazz
a reply to: putnam6

We must reestablish American-made...

So true, we need to bring manufacturing back to America like that great American Elon Musk.

oh wait...

www.reuters.com...

www.ft.com...

LOL nice cherry pick, Tesla one company

but America needs jobs to employ not only Americans but the influx of migrants

FWIW that is exactly the point in the automotive industry, we outsourced so many jobs out of the country the only way a newer company a much better product BTW Tesla can compete is to outsource as well.

Well, unlike Elon, I only hire US citizens and only use US made raw materials in my small mfg, wholesale, retail enterprises. Cherry pick myass LOL!

I could buy most of my raw materials off shore and it would help my bottom line but I prefer to put my money into actually helping the US economy.
I'm hit with regulations, taxes and licenses just like everyother LLC; I don't like it, but I feel blessed to be an American entrepreneur. And I still get called a commie here on ATS. There's a lot more insults that might apply, but "commie" isn't one of them.

First of all Ive never called you anything much less a "commie". It's not a surprise the US could probably stand to reacquire it manufacturing base for a lot of reasons not just economically


LOL comparing whatever it is you do to what Musk is doing with Tesla WACOS respectfully....



Not to mention by your answer I don't think you have a clue what cherry-picking means and I damn sure know you didn't read the article

I wasn't trying to be political at all...

are you hiring? can I send you my resume...

originally posted by: RickyD
a reply to: putnam6

I would bet the millions of regulations pushed onto manufacturing is what pushes most to look elsewhere...not cost. We have an insane amount of regulations on damn near everything which strangles all but the biggest businesses. Trump was trying to roll back a lot of the sensless government interjection into the business world but was fought at every step. Its not exactly a free economy if the government regulates every aspect of it now is it?

Regulations or making your company fit regulatory restraints cost money too, cost is a huge reason manufacturers went over to China.

but dont take my word costs are a top priority if not the sole priority

theconversation.com...

This cotton is then processed, made into fabric, dyed and sewn into clothing and other products. They are then exported globally, including back to the U.S. as finished goods. The entire textile ecosystem for production is located in China. And this is not just the case for fabric, it’s also the case for all of the components.

If a retailer in the U.S. or Canada wants to move the production of the textiles it sells out of China, it would have to move the entire ecosystem with it. Either that, or they would need to source the inputs needed from China into other countries like Bangladesh, where final production would take place.

Costs are too high
It turns out that the costs associated with leaving China are simply too high. As long as the ecosystem for manufactured goods remains in China, then so will its significant share of the world’s manufacturing.

Will there be a tipping point when companies will relocate production out of China? It is unlikely that conditions will suddenly switch one day in favour of other countries.

originally posted by: Oldcarpy2
The prices are ridiculously cheap.

I suspect they may be being subsided?

They do not need to be subsided, things are really very cheap to produce there, that's why all Western companies started buying Chinese made things.

And to see that we do not even need to look at China.
Several years ago there was a strike of Renault workers in Romania because they wanted higher wages, as a Romanian Renault worker would get around 300 Euros for the same work a French Renault worker would get 2000.
If you pay a third in wages (a large part of any company's cost) it's natural the products end up being cheaper.

Another reason why some products are cheaper is because they cut costs in less noticeable things.
Still looking at Renault in Romania, Dacia cars are cheaper than the French equivalent because, among other things, they may remove the electric window controls from the doors to the central console, which saves a couple of meters of wires and makes it easier and quicker (equalling cheaper) building times.

a reply to: putnam6

are you hiring? can I send you my resume...

Always looking for talented product designers, metalsmiths, potters, Craftsmen and artist of all types. You can either work in your studio or our facility Need Retail sales people as well. Paid training... also we have a section making props for the film/tv industry here in tamalewood. These gigs require membership in...


iatse.net...

I live in Hickory, NC. It used to be the #1 furniture manufacturer area in the world. Not anymore. Manufacturers have closed left and right. We still have some that won’t fold, but most have. Leaving a specific skilled workforce without jobs and on Medicaid

a reply to: putnam6

My gut instinct has always drawn a line leading from Trump's trade war with china (which was doing a great deal of damage to their economy) to the 'accidental' release of covid from the Wuhan lab. China stayed quiet long enough for the pathogen to take flight globally. Whatever the truth is about the lethality of covid (probably exaggerated by WHO for their own agenda) it paused and reset all global trade.

Ofc this would be an act of self harm by China. But they've always played the long game and may well have seen long term trade reset as worth the cost. And ofc they may have had an internal agenda that involved covid - 2 birds, 1 stone

Like i said, it's just gut feeling. Nothing to back it up