Free Republic

When American companies moved manufacturing to China, it was all about cost. China’s wages were among the lowest in the world and its government provided subsidies and turned a blind eye to labour abuse and environmental destruction. Things have changed. China’s labour, real estate and energy costs have increased to the point that they are comparable to some parts of the US. Subsidies are harder to get and Chinese labour is not tolerating the abuse that it once did. China is now a more expensive place to manufacture than Indonesia, Thailand, Mexico and India, according to Boston Consulting Group. Add...

How can it be that the largest pending trade deal in history – a deal backed both by a Democratic president and Republican leaders in Congress – is nearly dead? The Trans Pacific Partnership may yet squeak through Congress but its near-death experience offers an important lesson. It’s not that labor unions have regained political power (union membership continues to dwindle and large corporations have more clout in Washington than ever) or that the President is especially weak (no president can pull off a major deal like this if the public isn’t behind him). The biggest lesson is most Americans...