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Ear to the Ground

Chinese Workers Are Not the Enemy

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Posted on Jan 19, 2011
Flickr / Thomas Anderson (CC-BY)

By Moshe Adler

Led by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., members of Congress are demanding that China reverse its pro-labor policies or ... the U.S. will do the same. If the Chinese don’t revalue their currency, we will slap tariffs on their goods. Of course Congress should help American workers, but curbing the appetites of our own executives would be a far better place to start. Hurting Chinese workers, however, is not what American workers need.

American workers need jobs and access to the Chinese market, and Chinese workers need jobs and technology. Volvo provides a model of how we can make both sides happy. Under its new Chinese ownership, product development and production for Volvo’s European and American markets take place in Sweden, while production for the Chinese market, with the same technology, takes place in China.

China is not the problem, it’s just Congress’ latest excuse for abandoning the American worker.

Moshe Adler teaches economics at Columbia University and at the Harry Van Arsdale Center for Labor Studies at Empire State College. He is the author of “Economics for the Rest of Us: Debunking the Science That Makes Life Dismal” (The New Press, 2010).

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By wassu, July 21, 2011 at 12:11 am Link to this comment

Both the Chinese and American workers are need jobs.Chinese workers are very hardworking and talented.you discus a good issue in this post.thanks for taking time to discus this topic.
Texarkana Gazette

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MarthaA's avatar

By MarthaA, January 22, 2011 at 1:09 am Link to this comment

Peter Knopfler, January 22 at 3:01 am,

Obama: wants to open up China markets for trade

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSWEN597820110121

“SCHENECTADY, N.Y. | Fri Jan 21, 2011 1:16pm EST

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. Jan 21 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday he wants to open up Chinese markets to U.S. companies to have “two-way trade, not just one-way trade.”

Obama, speaking to workers at a General Electric Co. plant in New York, said he had struck a deal with Chinese President Hu Jintao in White House talks earlier this week on better access to China for U.S. companies.”

If the United States can get a Chinese market and manufacture and sell to China, instead of just buying all the Chinese crap, the economy will start looking up for the United States.  Time will tell.  It is outrageous that neocon government of the United States for short term profit just gave the U.S. markets to other countries and began a systematic destruction of the U.S. that included the loss of our manufacturing.  It would be nice if President Obama could get our nation markets for our various products, but it is highly unlikely. I sure do not want to have to eat chicken from China, instead of the United States, if that is part of the deal.  I know I am sick of all the Chinese crap foisted off on the American Populace.

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MarthaA's avatar

By MarthaA, January 22, 2011 at 1:03 am Link to this comment

Peter Knopfler, January 22 at 3:01 am,

Obama: wants to open up China markets for trade

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSWEN597820110121

“SCHENECTADY, N.Y. | Fri Jan 21, 2011 1:16pm EST

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. Jan 21 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday he wants to open up Chinese markets to U.S. companies to have “two-way trade, not just one-way trade.”

Obama, speaking to workers at a General Electric Co. plant in New York, said he had struck a deal with Chinese President Hu Jintao in White House talks earlier this week on better access to China for U.S. companies.”

If the United States can get the Chinese market and manufacture and sell to China, instead of just buying all the Chinese crap, the economy will start looking up for the United States.  Time will tell.  It is outrageous that neocon government of the United States for short term profit just gave the U.S. markets to other countries and began a systematic destruction of the U.S. that included the loss of our manufacturing.  It would be nice if President Obama could get our nation markets for our various products, but it is highly unlikely. I sure do not want to have to eat chicken from China, instead of the United States, if that is part of the deal.  I know I am sick of all the Chinese crap foisted off on the American Populace.

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Peter Knopfler's avatar

By Peter Knopfler, January 21, 2011 at 9:01 pm Link to this comment

ALRIGHT lets get real . Communist China just got
their results on their population study and that was
also leaked, so 200,000,000 kids factory child labor
8/14 year olds, another 200,000,000 unemployed no
where to go. And twice USA population 700,000,000
people living in rural areas, with drinking water
mixed in their feces. Prison Population provides free
labor. If you fall for their propaganda you will
forget they are COMMUNISTS PLAIN AND SIMPLE. Mobile
execution vehicles. Between Saudi Arabia and
Communist China the highest human abuse record and
America is number three. Go buy your Communist poop
at wal/marts target etc. go home watch TV, get F?cked
by your own communist chinese of America. Why not you
can get a communist bank account whats next sell
federal reserve, enslave america or make it like
Mexico, Ha surprise!

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MarthaA's avatar

By MarthaA, January 20, 2011 at 12:17 am Link to this comment

It was the Conservatives in Congress that deregulated, deindustrialized, financialized, and destroyed the United States markets through NAFTA, CAFTA, and all same type trade agreements by giving United States markets to China and other countries for short term profit; now could it be possible Congress expects American exceptionalism will work on the oldest civilization on earth?

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By SuperMike1661, January 19, 2011 at 12:09 pm Link to this comment

MeHere

I KNOW YOU.  You are a professional propagandist for the CPC.


YOU ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE.  EXPLAIN:


Why do you think that Corporate Media giants do not report on the largest ONGOING crime in the history of the world, the slaughter of over 65 Million men, women and babies by the Communist Party of China?

I mean, I do not push you on this, but it might be interesting to pull on this little thread… this little mountain of bodies over there at the side of the room.

Report this

By MeHere, January 19, 2011 at 11:50 am Link to this comment

Nothing seems to gather more bipartisan support than blaming other countries for
our own problems.  It’s a sure sign of weakness for a powerful country such as
ours.

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By Jaded Prole, January 19, 2011 at 8:27 am Link to this comment

For working people of any country the enemy is usually our own ruling class.

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PatrickHenry's avatar

By PatrickHenry, January 19, 2011 at 6:56 am Link to this comment

The problem is we have is free trade, not fair trade.

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mrfreeze's avatar

By mrfreeze, January 19, 2011 at 2:47 am Link to this comment

My local NPR affiliate, KUOW (University of Washington) has some of the best local programming in the U.S.. Recently, the local journalists have been examining some pretty tough issues here in WA regarding our state deficit (which is huge). What has emerged is a grim yet predictable conclusion:

The corporate “owners” of our state have utterly defeated labour. Just today the President of the Business “Round Table” blamed “high cost public employees” for our budget problems and defended an entrenched culture of tax loopholes for businesses here. AND, of course, he made the usual veiled threat that should tax policies change, “businesses will leave the state!”

Well, given the fact that our manufacturing sector has been almost completely transferred to China, why would we blame Chinese workers when our worst enemies are our own people…..or artificial people as the case might be?

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By SuperMike1661, January 19, 2011 at 12:48 am Link to this comment

Adler says the PRC has “pro-labor” policies??

There is something wrong here. 

The CPC is profoundly aggressive in its hatred for real labor unions, and only tolerates ITS OWN UNIONS THAT COW TOW TO IT.

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By SteveL, January 19, 2011 at 12:34 am Link to this comment

Since income taxes seem so unpopular tariffs would be a great substitute.  The
U.S. supported itself on tariffs before the income tax.

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