Saturday, August 18, 2007

Would you...... (2)

The late Mattel case is the latest warning sign that China is a real and tangible problem to the world.

Forget all the bullshit about China being the engine of the world economy. China is a polluting engine that could kill the world.

Products are manufactured without any rules, by underpaid workers, sometimes by political prisoners.

And we close our eyes to the human rights violation for the sake of our greed.
This nation will organize the next Olympic games and there is always open discussion about the possibility for the athletes to show and tell their concerns about these violations.

The responsibilities are not only on China but on all the companies that moved productions over there: they should control and be held responsible for those manufacturing under their labels.
Since years now, labour issues and now safety and health issues are linked with products manufactured in the emerging countries, where the greed of few is creating troubles for the health of a lot of people everywhere in the world.

It’s time to give to China and to all the companies manufacturing there a strong sign that this situation has to come to an end.

Would you be willing to pay a premium for safer products manufactured in a safe environment?

4 comments:

Gianfranco Chicco said...

I would blame mainly the companies that produce there and close their eyes to what's happening. I don't think that all chinese companies are the same. And the final responsibility is on the western company that uses a local producer without controlling on quality, work conditions, etc. If western companies started to ban untrusty providers, most chinese companies would turn good, ethical, green, better work conditions. It's one of the basic rules of a free market (and from the point of view of production, China is already a free market!).

If there's high demand for unethical production companies, then they will not change. If western companies ask for certain conditions to be respected (with the consequent raise in costs, which would be inevitable), China would be forced to change, or lose those jobs to other countries (and in east asia there are a lot of them willing to take those orders!).

gianandrea said...

Thanks for the comment. I agree that corporate greediness is a major problem for the western world. In my opinion the issue is because we are too much finance oriented and driven by the quarterly report.
Still I feel that China, for its past and its present is the country more entangled in these problems and this should mean something.

Anonymous said...

Gianandrea,

I have been reading everything I can on the Chinese cultural philosphy regarding the West. From my readings, there is much to fear, as the bottom line seems to flatline at a place where the West is incivilized and unworthy to the point of no return.

I have never been to China, have no personal experiences, and can only say that the writers who make these claims are scholars. Whether they or right or wrong, I cannot confirm. However, I do know that when we dehumanize a person, people or culture, it is easy to treat them badly.

gianandrea said...

Lewis, thanks for your comment. Unfortunately, the problems with China and products imported from there will continue. This is a pest.