[kezekiel]

I'm doing more and more business with Chinese semiconductor companies...business we used to do with Japan and Taiwan.

Tell me about it... and the Chinese companies we deal with (as sources for grey market components) are the worst in the industry. They have become notorious for selling bum parts and for falling through on deals. The problem is, that over the last two years they have gone from being marginal players to having a significant share of the market.

I'm sick of this "Billion Man Market" baloney. It's more like the Billion Man Cheap Labor Market. It's disgraceful how our corporations are falling all over themselves exporting our production lines and our high technology to that ugly regime.

[tsomer]

"It's disgraceful how our corporations are falling all over themselves exporting our production...to that ugly regime."

I can't believe it either. It's like watching lemmings going over a cliff.

William Safire speculated once that Russia was developing its "free economy" in order to tax it and build up its military. I'm sure that is exactly what China is doing. They will not "expropriate" these milk cows, at least not their own.

I heard once a report about a brewery that tried to expand to China. They failed because they couldn't compete with extant, state subsidized breweries. I think they got out wih around 10 cents for every dollar they invested. China got a turnkey operation for next to nothing. I wonder how many investments have turned out similarly?

Silver lining to this scenario? Maybe its time to develop Japan, and sweeten up to Vietnam. I'm not a believer in the "Coca Cola Diplomacy" of the rabid free traders, but the people in China are expecting, demanding more. At some point the tin-hats are going to have to do something. They might cash in their chips, if we keep them hemmed up while insuring a comfortable retirement option.

There's no justice in diplomacy is there?