Being critical of some aspects
of production in China is one thing, but why rejoycing in the misfortune of others?

My
heart bleeds..........

Haha, koen...
That was a good one.

This whole concept of having 'better' products
made cheaper overseas in sweat shops seems to have started by the Republicans, with their anti-union, pro-business attitudes.

It's one thing to buy a Sony or Panasonic product that was designed, conceived and manufactured overseas, but a company like Levi Strauss being forced to have their slacks and jeans made overseas to compete at Walmart or Target is disgusting.

I'd rather support American workers even if this means paying a bit more.

Source please.
LRF,
This is interesting to me. I'd love to see a source cited.

Thanks!
nate

CNBC David Faber. Marc...
CNBC David Faber. Marc Haynes, Melisa Fransis Eran Burnett,Micheal Lee, all morning show commentators on the rise and fall of the chines economy and since the n olymbic how China has been suffering, due to lack of export from countries,
Industry affected the most Toys , manufacturing,

Your reply hints toward...
Your reply hints toward complicity on the part of the United States, LRF, so I don't suppose it's necessary to add anything more specific to that. I think most of us have a good sense for the huge role that we play in world markets/developing countries. But still I'd want to second Koen's remark: that there's clearly nothing to rejoice in the misfortune of others. What goes around doesn't really ever come around any more - it is already here.

Let's Be Rational.
Let's re-approach this before some of our emotions get the better of our rational. Consider this simple question:

What country's companies engage foreign resources for these presumed bad products?

Yes, there is a whole industry of knockoffs and counterfeit products for the China market but remember that everything made in China and sold here is under the auspices of American companies.

Nice!
Nice photo find woodywoody. I love Edward Burtynsky's work. A great documentary he directed is Manufactured Landscapes that includes how Chinese manufacturing is taking its toll socially and environmentally.

Here are links:

http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/WORKS/China/Large_Images_Book/CHNA_MAN_17_05.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Burtynsky

http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/Introduction/Manufactured_Landscapes.html

Manufactured landscapes...
by Edward Burtynsky's should be a must for every student in design or designer but that being said I agree with Nate in pointing the finger at ourselfes. The working conditions of Chinese workers are at least to a large extend dictated by Nord American and European companies who aswer the call for "rolling back" the prices. As long as consumers are not prepared to pay a price that is close to what they would have to pay their neighbour for doing the same thing, we will collectively force other people into this kind of working conditions. Why is it that we are willing to pay $60.00 to put on the winter tires (that's what I did yesterday) or $240.00 to have a tooth fixed (the day before)but we still want to go to Wall-Mart (that I never did)to buyproducts that can only be on the market for that price because someone is exploiting someone else...
I also wonder if those who are so keen on buying "classics" from so called licenced sources also have the same respect for intellectual property when it comes to other producs (drugs come to mind)

I agree with you
I hope Chinese factories can reduce to a half at current record.
there is too many inferior reproductions with low cost materials.
It affect european manufacturers ,even good producers in China. they are forced to go for a price war.
all business men need low cost , high quality. what can they do in future?

To get rid of inferior producers
Cut the happiness of "made in china" users.

Is this discussion
not being a tad bit dismissive of the American companies that build factories in China to supply the Chinese themselves? Instead of focusing on Chinese companies supplying inferior (and sometimes dangerous), products for export, can we not also appreciate those American companies that have expanded into China and that remain one of the few bright spots for potential growth of our own economy by supplying global markets?

I worry that we may be painting all companies that have anything to do with "China" with a very broad brush. Wal-Mart cheepo Nelson clocks aside, let us not punish the very large industrial companies like Eaton or Caterpillar or GE that maintain and operate Chinese plants that employ Chinese workers that provide transformers or circuit breakers or steel or other manufactured equipment for the Chinese to use to power or build their own infrastructure.

One of the only markets showing growth lately has been those companies large enough to expand into a global arena to provide their products to growning nations.

I worry with an Obama presidency that his vow to add taxes to companies expanding overseas or to otherwise penalize them that he is not taking into account American companies that are providing goods to the countries into which they are expanding.

As Heath lamented in another thread, electricity is not universal. Transformers and circuit breakers in China are not compatible with the same in the UK or continental Europe or the US. If a US company has a plant in China making circuit breakers for the Chinese are they now in danger of being overtaxed or penalized for their success in that endeavor?

But Woody
it would be entirely possible to build Chinese-compatible products here in the US for export to China, albeit at a much higher cost, due to US labor costs and considerable shipping expenses. However, it would be conceivably possible. Large companies are fully capable of just building the plant in China and employing the Chinese and incurring smaller shipping costs.

That's just good business practices. My worry, however, is that those companies will be punished monetarily for having the wherewithal to do exactly that because they will be lumped together with all of the retail cheepskates that just want to use cheap Chinese labor to make their kid's onesies that will catch on fire at the drop of a hat that will be shipped back to K-Mart or Dollar General or wherever.

I just realized as I was typing this that I have used a number of "Americanisms" and I apologize. Onesies are a type of baby underwear and Dollar General is a discount retailer outlet.