Posted on 08/07/2007 11:09:25 PM PDT by 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.
They say they support a boycott right before they leave to shop for them at Wal-mart.
Look for lots of "American" corporations' support for the Chi-Coms; ditto on the Internet via goggle and YaHu!
For you authors, how about a book, "How to avoid buying 'Made in China'."
Lately I have been doing an occasional item reject at the checkstand at stores, when it gets scanned and rung up I get ready to pay and then I happen to “notice” it was Made in China, I then refuse to pay for it. I know its not much of a statement but other shoppers see and hear it.
Naively I thought one could 'trust' a toy made by Fischer-Price.
I thought to myself 'well, good luck with that'...
I long for the day we can buy most products with the 'made in the USA' stamp of approval once again.
ping
I know there’s a good reason, but it escapes me on the surface! Many thanks for any Finance 101 info someone can provide.
Amen to that. I fear it’s one of those easier-said-than done situations. We have lost so many of the trades needed to make so many things and our education system has completely forgotten how to train for every day life.
When the transfer of making things first started moving overseas the quality had to be as good as made in the USA, but as the process has matured the quality has been able to slowly decline. It’s reaching a point where you can’t get a quality this or that, regardless of what you are willing to pay.
Competition has come to mean nothing more than price these days. It used to include quality and customer support. No more. It’s price and the rest be damned.
Has the pendulum gone too far to one side to get back?
That's when the phones start to ring. Any bondholder who was using his bonds to secure a loan, for instance, now must either pay the loan back or put up a different security. Corporations who have to do this take a big hit on their quarterly reports, and the stockholders are not amused, because this affects the value of their holdings, etc.
If they dump them, don’t they lose on the investment?
It's like the agreement between thieves: if neither one cheats, they both win a little; if both cheat simultaneously, they both lose; but if one cheats, he wins it all. In this case, the first one to dump might get most of his money back. Not guaranteed, but possible.
Sorry to be so dense, but I’ve just never figured it out. This is a start!
Many thanks!
Certainly, but here's another one for ya: What exactly is that "money" that the Treasury owes? Answer: it's pieces of paper (or computer blips) that represent XX "dollars". Once upon a time, back when a dollar was convertible into specie at a well-established legal rate, it had a value independent of what goods it could buy. Not anymore.
Today, the worth of a dollar to you is what you can buy with it. The worth of that same dollar to the seller you have just paid is what he can buy with it in his turn. It's a grand pyramid of confidence, balanced on its tip. Take that confidence away, and the "money" is just paper.
One way to shatter that confidence would be for the Treasury to pay off all those outstanding bonds with this fiat money. If you thought inflation was bad in Jimmah's days, you ain't seen nothing yet. And Social Security has the potential to start a Weimar avalanche all by itself.
Gotta run. Meeting a guy.
One only has to look at S. Korea and their auto exports. They had increased, during the 80's, because of price and then decreased, during the 90's, because of a lack of quality. Since then, the S. Koreans have addressed consumer concerns regarding autos and are on their way to becoming a major auto exporter (if they are not already).
I believe China will address quality issues as well. And not only address them, but move onto autos. I believe one day, in the not too distant future, America will import more autos from China than anywhere else in the world. And not just because of price, but because of quality as well.
China is sure to have set backs, such as what is happening now with tainted items. But in the long run, more products will inevitably flow from China.
Don’t forget about the defective tires that could kill us on the highways!
And we were going to allow China to make and supply the US with the ‘morning after’ pill. Simply amazing. Would it be beyond belief that... after a few years of taking a birth control pill made in China....those trusting Americans would find themselves unable to procreate at all? Somehow...I don’t think so.
I wonder if there is a still a movement by the WH and Congress to remove “Country of Origin” labels still, as third world countries like China sell us tainted and poisoned goods.
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN should be on EVERY single product sold in the US...
Its insane, Millions of americans are unknowingly using products, taking vitamins, etc that are from China, and frankly have zero confidence they are what they say they are.
This should be a requirement of EVERY product on the shelves... most vitamins now are made in China, but try and find that fact on a single bottle in the stores.
If China wanted to integrate into the world economy they would release their currency for global trading, they have ZERO interest in the world economy... what they have interest in is raising China and building China’s military.
China cannot even feed its own people, while at the same time allowing a small province become exceedingly rich.... this province will be snuffed out, the minute it feels its military might is enough to engage the west, take back Taiwan and pay Japan back for WWII.
I went back there last week to look at replacements, and there wasn't a Cooper in sight. In fact, the only tires I saw were Chinese made brands. I didn't even know Chinese made tires existed until very recently.
Guess I'll be shopping elsewhere...
I believe they want to release their currency for global trading. But they want to do it gradually so it does not shock their economy. They are still relatively poor and will not be able to handle the sudden exposure to the world. Don't forget, even American steel industry filed for time and protection and got it.
China cannot even feed its own people, while at the same time allowing a small province become exceedingly rich.... this province will be snuffed out, the minute it feels its military might is enough to engage the west, take back Taiwan and pay Japan back for WWII.
Actually, they can feed their own people. And as far as military might, well, they have a long ways to go before embarking on all the goals you are talking about. The civilian economy is their main concern.
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