Americans extremely wary of China goods: poll (Zogby: 2/3 for boycotting Chinese goods)

Reuters ^ | 08/08/07

[TigerLikesRooster]

Americans extremely wary of China goods: poll

Tue Aug 7, 9:55 PM ET

U.S. consumers are extremely wary of products made in China in the wake of a series of safety scandals, with nearly two-thirds saying they would support a boycott of Chinese goods, a poll showed on Tuesday.

Asked by pollster Zogby International whether they were concerned about buying Chinese products, 82 percent of respondents said yes and only 30 percent said they believed food imports from China were safe.

"The recent warnings and recalls about toxic toothpaste, tainted pet food, contaminated seafood and lead paint-laced toys from China haven't gone unnoticed by American consumers," Zogby said in a statement.

A range of Chinese exports, from fish and toys to pet food and toothpaste, have been found to be mislabeled, unsafe or dangerously contaminated, tainting the "made in China" brand and creating an international backlash.

In the latest scare, revealed after the poll was conducted, Mattel Inc. said last week it was recalling 1.5 million Chinese-made toys globally because their paint could contain too much lead.

The poll, conducted on 4,508 adults from July 17-19, found that 63 percent of people would be likely to take part in a boycott of Chinese goods until the country toughens safety standards.

Just under 70 percent of respondents said they were confident in non-food products from China. But 51 percent said they were unconvinced that China would make good on its pledge to tighten regulations on its food processors.

[TigerLikesRooster]

with nearly two-thirds saying they would support a boycott of Chinese goods, a poll showed on Tuesday.

In response, China threatened to dump U.S. Treasury bonds it holds.:-)

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[Crooked Constituent]

I paid over 100 bucks for a pair of Smith Factor Polorized Crystal Fuel sunglasses and discovered a made in china stamp on them today. Bummer.

[DB]

Not smart. Like that means anything to the average American consumer...

What China just can’t grasp is in order to have trust there must be transparency. But China does the opposite. When something bad happens and US inspectors are finally allowed in, the building where contaminated product was claimed to have been made is empty. No transparency, just a brick wall. It won’t work.

[TigerLikesRooster]

That sounds a lot like dodging WMD inspection.:-)
They are more likely to weave grand Western conspiracy against them than to address the problem.

[Aggie Mama]

I was at a Coach store the other day and saw the “Made in China” stamp on a purse. No thanks!

Today I was at Target getting supplies/basics for the kids before school starts. Hanes and Champion were the only sock manufacturers labeled as Made in USA.

[Iris7]

They are more likely to weave grand Western conspiracy against them than to address the problem.

The situation will be used by the Hu Jintao faction against their enemies, especially the Shanghai group’s “running dogs”, in much the same way the cardboard dumpling make believe show and tell has been.

[TigerLikesRooster]

I agree that, whenever this kind of scandal breaks out, it will be used as a political weapon by some. It would be no surprise if Hu goes for it.

[pandoraou812]

ping

[Jaysun]

What China just can’t grasp is in order to have trust there must be transparency. But China does the opposite. When something bad happens and US inspectors are finally allowed in, the building where contaminated product was claimed to have been made is empty. No transparency, just a brick wall. It won’t work.

The inevitable clash between Communism and Capitalism. We'll win.

[kingu]

I’ve seen more consumers put back products marked made in China in the last two weeks than ever before. Very happy I’m not one of those stores that deals in a lot of products from China (less than one percent), but investors in WalMart should be holding their breath and hoping that no more bad news comes about China, as they’re unloading the containers right now for Christmas.

[Lexinom]

Yep, I did the same thing, with a $800 elliptical machine. I researched and found the best one in our price range. Didn't even THINK to check the country of origin (hey, it's an American company after all) - and I'm normally careful to avoid Chinese goods. Though we're very happy with the machine itself I'm kicking myself. I'd gladly have paid $1,400 for a machine of better quality, made in Germany, Switzerland, Mexico, or (gasp!) the U.S.A. There's a REASON so many old American cars are still around - part of it nostalgia, but part of it... metal! (not cheap Chinese plastic)

I feel angry that Chinese goods are so ubiquitous that, almost by default, what a person wants based on informed study will invariably end up being made in China.

Let's bring manufacturing back stateside, and start paying a fair wage for honorable trades. Enough of this every-kid-must-go-to-college-to-be-indoctrinated crap.

[Lexinom]

Buy Hanes and Champion then. REWARD THE COMPANIES THAT ARE KEEPING THEIR MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS STATESIDE (and punish those which move them to China).

Your wallet contains the most influential ballots you will ever have.

[Lexinom]

I am very happy about this. We must wean ourselves dependence on cheap Chinese goods - even if it means short-term hardship. China is not our friend; they are an ancient and proud society, independent. Let’s increase their independence a little by taking our business elsewhere... When Communism fails there, when Tibet is free, when Tiananmen Square and countless millions of smaller but equally brutal incidents become part of a PAST epoch, I’ll change my tune a bit.

[jeffers]

I already boycott anything labeled “made in China” and anything else I suspect was manufactured there.

That’s what happens when you put profits ahead of safety and take a chance on poisoning us and our pets.

As far as I’m concerned, I’ll never trust Chinese work again. You only get one free chance to kill me.

[nygoose]

Due to China’s large US dollar holdings, any organized attempt by the American consumer to boycott Chinese goods would likely be strongly opposed by the Feds.

[Caipirabob]

Due to China’s large US dollar holdings, any organized attempt by the American consumer to boycott Chinese goods would likely be strongly opposed by the Feds.

Sounds like something that would manifest in heavy opposition towards "country of origin" labelling. I have to say, the Fed's pretty much bought and paid for. If they had a single vested interest in the future of an "American" nation, we'd have shut down our borders to invaders long ago.

[nygoose]

Excellent point about the possible disguise for the policy.

[freeangel]

I always look at labels and country of origin now. Unfortunately it doesn’t always help with food products.

[Diogenesis]

The US Commerce department is ruled by dual citizenship workers.
The US Patent Office has a history of sending US Patent applications
directly to China (and guess where else?) on CDROM
even as the patents are never issued (eg. clean alternative energy).

Does ANYONE think this betrayal has ended?