Mad at China

(Red Skirt also here, Blue Skirt response)

First it was the mysterious death of pets from Chinese ingredients. Then poison in toothpaste. Lead on children's toys, now formaldehyde in children's clothing.

All cultures are not equal. All countries are not the same.

This matters. Economic freedom does not guarantee political freedom, but it's a start. China has been sailing around the edges of the free world economy for years, but the clear sailing is over.

There is no accountability internally, but there is on the world market.

China has damaged their brand, getting even American liberals' attention. Don't mess with Elmo. Maybe they'll have to cancel that luxury tour of the Great Wall.

So China has launched a PR campaign to persuade us otherwise--Believe in Made in China. At the same time China has claimed that the US has sent over subpar orange pulp and apricots and recently ratcheted up its quid pro quo by accusing a US heart pacemaker of faulty products. The official (is there any other?) Chinese News Agency, Xinhua:

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) said the heart pacemakers, valued at about US$240,000 in total, were detained by Shanghai Entry-Exit inspection and Quarantine Bureau at the end of April.

The administration said the pulse strength of the devices, made by St. Jude Medical Inc, was not in line with its indicated properties.

The difference between the testing parameters and the default ones exceeded the two-percent limit set by the Chinese technical authorities, the AQSIQ said.

The pacemakers pose potential threats to patients's lives as they could cause misdiagnoses, the statement said, citing unnamed doctors.

Very touching concern from a country which arrests and tortures people for exercising publicly in a spiritual way. Or uses mothers as guinea pigs for stem cell research, resulting in their death. Laudable sentiments from China's old men leaders who condone trafficking in babies' body parts after more than a few forced abortions. More unnamed doctors presumably.

There is "Don't Be Evil" Google, increasing its investment in China at this time, even as Chinese censors efficiently use its search engines to shut down information--the Great Firewall of China. Yahoo delivered up a dissident user to the repressive Chinese government.

China cracks down on export quality in its provinces near HongKong, instituting stiff fees. Property rights are iffy in China, but China invests elsewhere, allowing its citizens to trade in the HongKong stock market, and its state company to outbid the Canadians for oil in Kazakhstan. (Remember, China has port rights near the Panama Canal.) BBC:

There are plenty of signs that the Chinese are already getting an upper hand in Central Asia.

Unlike Western oil firms, Chinese state oil companies do not have to operate on a commercial basis.

Many analysts believe China grossly overpaid for the PetroKazakhstan purchase, seeing the deal as a perfect example of Beijing's willingness to pay over the odds and stifle competition.

Recent war games with Russia in that part of the world and inviting Iran are not a good sign. Iran is a major Chinese energy supplier, so this is not a surprise. China pressured North Korea to behave--good, but sided with Sudan on the Darfur massacre--very bad, shedding innocent blood for the promise of oil there.

Having aborted lots of their girl babies at birth, their grown young men are engaging prostitutes and contracting AIDs:

Despite the fact that many people in China find these issues so difficult to talk about, sexual behaviour is changing, partly because of China's increased exposure to outside influences, and partly related to the millions of mostly male migrant workers living in the cities.

Many of these workers are separated from their wives and families.

Some surveys suggest one in 10 sexually active men in China today has bought sex from a prostitute.

Even if sex workers know about HIV/Aids, it can be difficult for them to insist that clients use condoms.

China's population is aging, but they apparently not fast enough. New official slogans:

Some appear to address the so-called "one-two-four" problem created by the one-child policy of one adult child being left to support two parents and four grandparents: "Children are the flowers of the mother land; senior citizens are the wealth of our society." Demographers estimate that the population of China has reached a median age of 33 and with fewer children being born, the population is rapidly aging. With fewer workers coming of age to replace existing workers, the ratio of workers to dependents in China will peak in 2010. The following decline will leave a dangerous shrinking number of workers to support China's vast aging population which some predict will be eliminated via widespread euthanasia.

Now China has decided no news is good news. We are not to know what is going on. This is not good at all. Tranparently non-transparent, no way to treat a most favored nation trade partner.

So can we agree, Blue Skirt, that we're mad at China, no made in China, liberals and conservatives alike? We think trade and engagement are the way to go with China, but are looking for some better behavior. (No, CCTV's building a new communications center for the Olympics on the location of some poor woman's house is not a good example of turning over a new leaf. )

And since Barack has ruled out invasions except for our allies, maybe we will have to boycott the Olympics. Maxine Waters thinks it's a good idea.