Quote:
Originally Posted by Sangetsu
Please explain this inherent flaw. There is a difference between nationalism and national pride. If national pride is a bad thing, it might be worth pointing out that China probably possesses more such pride than any other nation.
But if China represents Asia, Japan may not want to be a part. The annual per-capita income in China remains under $3000 per year, whereas the annual per-capita income in Japan is near $40,000. It's only because workers in China are paid little more than slaves that the Chinese economy is so strong. On top of this, Chinese workers must work 25% more hours to earn 1/13th the pay they get compared to Japanese workers.
The above statistics are the main reason I do not and will not buy anything made in China. I will not subsidize such slavery with my money. The next time you buy a $125 pair of Nike basketball shoes made in China, it might be interesting to note that the cost material and labor that went into those shoes was probably less than $1.
|
That's all well and good what you're saying, but I think you and many people seem to forget that Japan was in almost the same situation not that long ago. Cheap labour and economic growth go together very well... It happened in Japan post WW2, then Indonesia in the 80's and 90's, and now it's China! It's a never ending cycle unfortunately!
I think you'll find many people in China, even the factory workers on $3000 a year are very proud of their country because they are thinking of the future and the next generations. And btw, you can't compare the $40,000 a year with China's $3,000. If you take cost of living, the $3,000 suddenly doesn't sound that bad considering a reasonably well off person in China earns around $6,000 - $10,000 (like a university professor for example).
Also, I need to check this out as I'm not sure, but it seems factory labour in Japan isn't exactly well paid either! Compared to the standard of life and salaries in Japan, they are also treated like "slaves", as you describe the Chinese factory workers!