I read a post over at So Far From Heaven.com (a blog — not Hades) about US dependence on China for steel.
As usual, when I read a claim and/or complaint of China, I research to see if the complaint holds water.
What I discovered was another leaky myth — the type often generated and spread by Sinophobes in the US.
So Far From Heaven complained the quality of tools in the United States was because of Chinese steel, which, I discovered, has nothing to do with steel produced in China, but more to do with capitalism/consumerism and planned obsolescence.
Britannica.com explains, “This term was supposedly coined after World War II by American industrial designers and writers to indicate industry’s desire to produce consumer items that would be replaced…”
For example, if a US company wants it’s tools to wear out within a specific time frame, the company’s designers and engineers are told to come up with products that will wear out faster needing to be replaced sooner, which boosts profits for the company. That’s what the US calls capitalism 101.
In addition, since most products manufactured in China for the US market are ordered by American companies such as Wal-Mart, Apple, Home Depot and Lowe’s, the contracts often specify exactly how the product is to be manufactured, and the American side of the manufacturing equation decides the quality and life span of the product. If you want to learn more about this process, I suggest visiting the China Law Blog to discover how it works.
In short, if the Chinese factory owners/managers complain, the US company takes the contract to someone that will do what they are told and do it for less.
To discover if the US depends on Chinese produced steel for manufacturing products sold to US consumers, I spent more time Googling (research).
Continued on November 25, 2011 in STEEL (no, not steal) FROM CHINA – Part 2
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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of The Concubine Saga. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too. This is the love story Sir Robert Hart did not want the world to discover.
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