Making It Easier For China

Another Sign Of The Times
The locked factory gate is as much a symbol of our times as is the "Made In China" tag that is to be found on 99% of the products that can be purchased in your local Wal Mart store.

Here at the 'Wonks, we are not really protectionists, but we do believe in Fair Trade with nations that honor the Rule Of Law, and respect the treaties that they have signed with the United States.

The New York Times is reporting that as of January 1, 2005, import quotas on textiles will be ended. That means what is left of the American textile and clothing industry will soon be extinct. Thousands of people are going to be out of work.

And the country that will gain the most? You guessed it. Once again, it will be China.

This is the country that:

• levies severe tariffs and quotas on any popular American products
• allows rampant counterfeiting of American movies and music
• has an authoritarian one-party system which brutally suppresses even mild dissent
• allows workers to be paid about forty-five cents per hour
• murders thousands of its own young citizens for the "crime" of demonstrating for basic democratic rights.
• locks people up for their religious beliefs
• has state-mandated abortion
• does not even allow its people to have open access to the internet
• committed air-piracy, imprisoned United States Navy airmen, and finally tore an American military aircraft to pieces, then requiring American technicians to ship the parts out in an ocean freighter after stripping the aircraft of its classified electronics systems.
• will not implement even the most rudimentary safeguards for the environment
• occupies the nation of Tibet
• illegally exports missile technology to terrorist states (Iran)
• points atomic weapons at the United States

Fidel Castro doesn't pull half the shenanigans that the Chinese government does.

We correctly do not allow Castro's Cuba to trade freely in the American market, and yet we continue to subsidize the outsourcing of American jobs to China.

Even though it might be a good idea to treat China as the pariah state that it is, we are not advocating that. What we are saying is this, "Why do we have to bend-over backwards to make it easier for them complete the destruction of our manufacturing base?" Why do we insist on giving them "most favored nation status" when it comes to trade? These are the same trade terms that we have with our close allies, England and Israel.

Every Presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan has promised to hold China accountable, and every one of them, Republican or Democrat, forgot their words as soon as they got to Washington. They call their policy of appeasing China by another name, "Engagement." Our prediction here at the 'Wonks? This policy of appeasement is not likely to change anytime soon.

Update: (afternoon) It is being reported by CNN that China is opposing any effort to refer Iran to the United Nations' Security Council over the issue of Tehran's nuclear program.

Let's see...hmmm... China sells illegal missile technology to Iran. (See above.) The Mullahs will soon possess nuclear weapons.

Does anyone else see a problem here?

As you may or may not already be aware, members of the Watcher's Council hold a vote every week on what they consider to be the most link-worthy pieces of writing around... per the Watcher's instructions, I am submitting one of my own posts for consideration in the upcoming nominations process.

Here is the most recent winning council post, here is the most recent winning non-council post, here is the list of results for the latest vote, and here is the initial posting of all the nominees that were voted on.