The China Syndrome

Until the 20th Century, China was a primitive, backward society, dominated for centuries by hostile warlords, then later by Western imperial powers who carved up the country into “spheres of influence” to benefit themselves, not the natives.

China invented gunpowder, but not the gun. Bad for them. Read about The Opium Wars (1839-42) and The Boxer Rebellion (1901) to get an understanding of why China today teaches this Western subjugation as their “Century of Humiliation.”

Enter Chairman Mao, an avowed Marxist, who drove out Western influences after World War II. However, his Great Leap Forward (1958-62) and Cultural Revolution (1966-76) programs were abysmal failures, resulting in continued famine and poverty.

Following Mao’s death, China under Deng Xiaoping tried a unique experiment. Maintain the communist “dictatorship of the proletariat,” but introduce capitalism masqueraded as “enterprise zones” to promote economic development and attract foreign investment. China became the poster child for the outsourcing of production with cheap and plentiful labor unhindered by safety and health codes.

Millions of Chinese workers today, both white and blue collar, operate under the 996 Policy. Report for work at 9 AM, leave at 9 PM, six days a week. That’s a 72 hour work week. Unions are illegal, with safety/health protections minimal.

A further hindrance is the now defunct One Child Policy (1979-2015).  To curb the exploding population, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ordered only one child per family, two if the first born was female. Because of it, China now has a declining population, a disincentive for marriage.

But after working a 72-hour week, who has time or energy for sex?

An American worker on average makes three to five times more pay than his Chinese counterpart. Yet China has to guard against tech giants like Tesla and Apple finding even cheaper workers like India, where labor rates grossly undercut the Chinese pay scale.

China produces 28% of world manufactured products. The US is second at 17%. No other country tops 5%. Check your closet, garage, cupboard, etc. and see how much you own is stamped “Made In China,” including most MAGA merchandise.

Then ask yourself how much more are you willing to pay to replace it with “Made In USA?”

ED ENGLER, Sebring, Fla.