Made in China

[CruzrDave]

Its hard to shop all American these days. I go out of my way and try to buy only American made products but I have yet to find all of the daily life items made in America. The next time you go shopping for anything check to see where it is made or grown, it will shock you.

[fordh8r]

Maybe we can start a product list of everyday items so everytime we buy something it can be listed as "Buy American safe". Hopefully info like this could make a difference and not just in the safety of products but the security of American jobs. Maybe it'll even help combat outsourcing...

[BigMike]

http://www.itbusinessedge.com/blogs/sts/?p=188

http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/toothpaste.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/08/weekinreview/08martin.html?ex=1186200000&en=0345f8f132cff3ee&ei=5070

Dave, thanks for sharing these. I just skim read them for the first time now. Pretty crazy stuff happening in China

"Southern catfish and shrimp farmers, for example, have invoked images of Asian ponds bubbling with antibiotics and pollutants but have gotten little notice from government regulators."

"William Marler, a Seattle lawyer, says .... his most recent case was filed against the manufacturer of a product called “Veggie Booty,” a snack popular with children. In some bags, the “veggie” seasoning — made in China — was contaminated with salmonella, which sickened at least 57 people."





What the heck is going on??




"Chinese Product Recalls Illustrate Importance of Ethics in Offshore Relationships"

"“quality fade:” Chinese manufacturers’ deliberate dilution of quality in the name of boosting their profit margins."

"Some U.S. customers appear more willing to risk poor quality — or even dangerous — products"


But at least here is some good news:

"China has a long record of looking the other way, although that may be changing. The government is adopting a tough stance on enforcing product quality guidelines,  dramatically illustrated by its recent execution of the head of its food and drug safety agency."

Let's hope they straighten things up over there!!

I don't want my tombstone to read "BigMike.... Died by Chinese Toothpaste poisoning"

[Doof]

at work today a chinese made socket spread and slip...where the nut/bolt goes in it bowed it...ill look for it tomorrow and take a pic if we still have that little pile

o and it was on an air gun if that makes a difference

[unclejpl4x4]

made in china................   how long  will it go on befor the  corporate monkeys   realize  being Cheops gone cost them more + american lives

[abnormaltoy]

One of the goals in socialism is to destroy capitalism...China is socialist.

I think, instead of shoring up our enemies, our investment dollars would be better spent in mexico. Mexico may be as corrupt as they come, but some heavy investment there wouldn't fatten our enemies bank accounts and then mexican citizens might not feel the need to break in to our country to make a living.

[BigMike]

That is solving two problems in one swoop!

[unclejpl4x4]

move all the products made in china 2 Mexico     

pros:
give jobs 2 Mexicans    stop border hoping
made in Mexico = made in the Americas <-- whole Continent
help stop funding china war movement

maybes:
easyer for U.S gov 2 regulate ?

cons:
million angry china mans
Cali shipping ports  ... jobs lost ?    ( but heard on Colbert  they are try 2 ship over seas stuff 2 Mexico then bring it up anyways)

[abnormaltoy]

move all the products made in china 2 Mexico     

pros:
give jobs 2 Mexicans    stop border hoping
made in Mexico = made in the Americas <-- whole Continent
help stop funding china war movement

maybes:
easyer for U.S gov 2 regulate ?

cons:
million angry china mans
Cali shipping ports  ... jobs lost ?    ( but heard on Colbert  they are try 2 ship over seas stuff 2 Mexico then bring it up anyways)

Even if American business totally divested itself from China, there would still be the rest of the world and the home market.

[mudguts]

AIN'T IT THE TRUTH!!?

Joe Smith started the day early having set his
alarm clock
(MADE IN JAPAN) for 6am.
While his coffeepot
(MADE IN CHINA )
was perking, he shaved with his
electric
razor
(MADE IN HONG KONG ).
He put on a
dress shirt
( MADE IN SRI LANKA ),
designer jeans
( MADE IN SINGAPORE )
and
tennis shoes
(MADE IN KOREA )
After cooking his breakfast in his new
electric skillet
(MADE IN INDIA )
he sat down with his
calculator
( MADE IN MEXICO )
to see how much he could spend today. After setting his
watch
(MADE IN TAIWAN )
to the radio
(MADE IN INDIA )
he got in his car
( MADE IN GERMANY )
filled it with GAS
from Saudi Arabia
and continued his search
for a good paying AMERICAN JOB.
At the end
of yet another discouraging
and fruitless day
checking his
Computer
(Made In Malaysia ),
Joe decided to relax for a while.
He put on his sandals
(MADE IN BRAZIL )
poured himself a glass of
wine
(MADE IN FRANCE)
and turned on his
TV
(MADE IN INDONESIA ),
and then wondered
why he can't find
a good paying job
in AMERICA ....

Don't forget my shirt someone bought me that says,
"Echo En Bangladesh"

[unclejpl4x4]

that would make a great poster

[abnormaltoy]

I just saw this on another forum.

http://news.windingroad.com/countriesmarkets/china/chery-amulet-fails-miserably-in-crash-test/

No wonder they're so inexpensive.

[MiniSimp]

Today:

Today's Recall
Barbie and Tanner - hazardous magnet
Batman - hazardous magnet
Polly Pockets - hazardous magnet
Doggie Daycare - hazardous magnet
One Piece - hazardous magnet
Sarge cars - lead in paint

All affected toys were made in China for Mattel

[BigMike]

http://news.windingroad.com/countriesmarkets/china/chery-amulet-fails-miserably-in-crash-test/

WOW I wonder what the automobile death rate is in China

And this is only doing 40 MPH!!

http://www.youtube.com/v/4Swzbt76wBM

[unclejpl4x4]

WOW I wonder what the automobile death rate is in China

And this is only doing 40 MPH!!

well mike they are so many china men   they need some kind of population control

[Rocksurfer]

WTF did they make that thing out of aluminum foil?

[kneedownnate]

WTF did they make that thing out of aluminum foil?

Almost exactly my response to the thread on pirate

[klmmicro]

move all the products made in china 2 Mexico     

pros:
give jobs 2 Mexicans    stop border hoping
made in Mexico = made in the Americas <-- whole Continent
help stop funding china war movement

maybes:
easyer for U.S gov 2 regulate ?

cons:
million angry china mans
Cali shipping ports  ... jobs lost ?    ( but heard on Colbert  they are try 2 ship over seas stuff 2 Mexico then bring it up anyways)

It would also help foster along the North American Union plans that the Gov has been working on.  They want the border dissolved, hence their lack-luster record on border enforcement.  The plan is too erase the borders between Canada, Mexico and the United States.  This is supposed to be a good idea (if you listen to politicians), but I often wonder who will give up what.

Our best bet is to get the idiots we have in these public offices out and work to bring some sanity back.  We need to play isolationist for a little while to get back to some American self sufficiency.  Right now we are in a "world" of hurt.  We HAVE to have the imports as we have dismantled out own manufacturing base.

[BigMike]

WOW

Yesterday blane525 informed me that Mattel's Chinese factory owner committed suicide yesterday.

I have not read the full story, but get it here:
Toymaker's suicide & Mattel's 2nd recall intensify China's quality woes

[CruzrDave]

WOW

Yesterday blane525 informed me that Mattel's Chinese factory owner committed suicide yesterday.

I have not read the full story, but get it here:
Toymaker's suicide & Mattel's 2nd recall intensify China's quality woes

Wow Maybe he can sleep at night, now.



I went to buy some shoes this weekend, almost 95% were made in China. They ranged from $12-$70. I settled for a pair of Nike's that are not made in China and were $10 more then a comparable New Balance. I was shocked at how many of the Name brands are made in China. A $12 no name shoe can't be much different then a $69 pair of New Balance. Its all about that stack of green piling up that makes people loose sleep at night.

[Rocksurfer]

China Toy recalls were front page headlines here today.

[YotaChris]

Screw all this MADE IN CHINA bull  . China and Mexico are seriously killing the amount of jobs we have available and how much we get paid doing it. 

[BUBBA]

it is sad really,i heard on tv last nite over 80 % of toys in the us are made in china.

[BigMike]

Almost exactly my response to the thread on pirate

Nate, what is the link for this thread? Thanks

[CruzrDave]

Screw all this MADE IN CHINA bull  . China and Mexico are seriously killing the amount of jobs we have available and how much we get paid doing it. 

I agree.

Check this out. Sucks to be a china relying company now!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118634791708688594.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

[CruzrDave]

Opp's I just realized the link does not work unless you subscribe to the WSJ.





China Exports Could Start to Slow
Change in Tax Policy
Likely to Cause the Shift,
Not Product Safety Woes
By JASON LEOW
August 6, 2007; Page A2

BEIJING -- China's export juggernaut is likely to show signs of slowing, but the shift is likely to come from a change in tax policy rather than from mounting concerns about the safety of Chinese goods, economists say.

The expected slowdown in export growth could start to appear in July trade data to be released as soon as this week, economists say. The change comes amid scandals involving safety problems with food and other products, which have triggered recalls in the U.S. of goods ranging from tainted seafood to toys covered with lead paint.

But those issues are likely to have little impact on China's broader trade performance, because the affected product categories form a small part of China's overall exports, and because sourcing alternatives for importers are limited, economists say.

Instead, the anticipated slowing of export growth likely came from Chinese exporters front-loading their shipments in recent months to minimize the impact of a Chinese tax change. That change, which took effect July 1, reduces longstanding rebates on taxes paid by exporters -- in effect raising their costs.
•  The Numbers: Trade figures from China this week are likely to show export growth slowed in July.
•  The Reason: Chinese exporters rushed to make shipments ahead of a July 1 cut in rebates on export taxes.
•  The Impact: Slower export growth could trim China's politically sensitive trade surplus. But the slowdown is likely to be limited as demand for China's goods remains robust.

Slower export growth is likely to trim China's politically sensitive trade surplus, which has ballooned in recent years. China's exports jumped 27% in June from the same month a year earlier to $103.23 billion. That gave the country a trade surplus of $26.9 billion, up 85% from a year earlier. Critics charge that China keeps the value of its currency, the yuan, artificially low, giving its products an unfair price advantage on world markets. Chinese officials say they are committed to gradual reform of the exchange rate.

Dong Tao, chief regional economist at Credit Suisse in Hong Kong, expects slowing exports to trim July's trade surplus to "below $20 billion." Other indicators also suggest the slowdown started in July. A survey of purchasing managers at Chinese companies published last week by CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets, a brokerage firm, showed a sharp slowdown in export orders in July. The drop in orders suggests that "a rush of orders to beat the July cut in export tax rebates" was an important driver of growth in the first half of the year, Eric Fishwick, CLSA's deputy chief economist, said in a statement.
[Slight Slowdown]

The tax change affects rebates on a value-added tax of 17% that China levies on products, including exports. As in many countries, China's government has in the past returned a large portion of that VAT to exporters -- sometimes all of it -- to avoid discouraging sales abroad. But with China's trade surplus booming, the government announced earlier this year that it was slashing those rebates on a wide range of goods. That prompted Chinese exporters to try to ship as many orders as they could while the rebates were still in effect, analysts say.

The recent flood of concern over product safety in China, while it could hurt some exporters in sectors hit by scandals, isn't likely to have a significant impact on overall trade, economists say. It is difficult for importers in the U.S. and elsewhere to quickly replace China as a source of products. And the product categories most affected by recalls -- food products and toys -- are relatively low-value. Exports of all food and agricultural goods made up just 2.7% of China's total export value in the first half of the year, according to Chinese customs statistics. Toys and games constituted another 1.9% of the total.

Product-safety problems could widen later to include more categories of goods. Economists still don't know how the problem will play out.

But for now, even the impact of the tax change is likely to be limited. Overall, global demand for Chinese goods -- particularly for machinery, chemicals and electronic products -- are expected to show robust growth for the rest of this year. "We're looking for a stable trade surplus in July," says Jonathan Anderson, an economist with UBS in Hong Kong.

Most economists are sticking to predictions that the annual trade surplus for 2007 will be roughly $250 billion to $300 billion, compared with the record $177.47 billion in 2006. The trade surplus for the first half of this year already hit $112.53 billion, and the surplus in the second half will "stay solid," says Qian Wang, an economist at J.P. Morgan Chase in Hong Kong. "The strong global demand will be a counterforce" to other factors that may damp trade growth, she says.

Write to Jason Leow at [email protected]

[BigMike]

A $12 no name shoe can't be much different then a $69 pair of New Balance.

Yup, both are made in China so why pay different for the name brand. If the New Balance was not made in China, then it would make more sense why people pay more for it?

I agree.

Check this out. Sucks to be a china relying company now!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118634791708688594.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Can you believe the recent China-product scare in America has NOTHING to do with the slow down in exporting? Wow, that is really sad.....

[BUBBA]

actually most new balance shoes are made in america.I don't think any part comes from china.
http://www.newbalance.com/corporate/aboutus/corporate_about.php

[CruzrDave]

actually most new balance shoes are made in america.I don't think any part comes from china.
http://www.newbalance.com/corporate/aboutus/corporate_about.php

Regardless of what there web site says, the pair of NB I bought last fall say Made in China on the tag located on the tongue. All the Men's NB at Big5 and Kohls had Made in China printed on the shoes tongue as of Saturday August 11th.


In some cases a part can be made in a foreign country but because a finishing step was completed here in the US it now is justified as Made in USA or Assembled in USA. I call this the Green back loop (lots of green from screwing your back side with this loop hole)

[Installer_Joe]

Last night I was shopping for something for my daughter, and I must have checked 30 different pink dolls: they were all made in china!

So I've decided to just make something for her at home