The China Syndrome
While you weren’t looking China joined with Russia to wage war on the United States. Without firing a shot and without the need to ever fire a shot, China will institute its own economic sanctions on America and the world. To jolt the American economy doesn’t take much effort: Halt all exports to Walmart for a month and America will be on its knees.
Using Covid-19 as a convenient excuse, China has shut down manufacturing plants across its country, but most importantly in the city of Shenzhen. Foxconn, Apple’s primary manufacturer of many gadgets, has a factory in Shenzhen. It’s famous as a workplace so dismal that management strung nets around the building to catch workers who would rather jump off the roof than spend another minute in the factory. At this moment the world’s largest company is at the mercy of China.
Shenzhen is the manufacturing heart of the world. If its workers are not allowed out of their apartments, the lack of products the world may face makes me happy we’re not continuing to experience a toilet paper shortage. The shit is about to hit the fan.
China’s zero tolerance policy for Covid is great cover to shut off the manufacturing capital of the world. No one will be able to lay blame on the country by virtue of its consistent policy to lock down all Covid outbreaks. It is doing what it has always done these past two years. This is a public health matter.
To think that this is a purposeful strategy is akin to starting a conspiracy theory. It’s preposterous to believe this is a planned covert sanction to cut America off from its consumer goods. There is no malice, no ulterior motive, no well-thought out strategy to cripple the U.S. economy. China has always had America’s best interests at heart. It’s a public health matter, dammit!
Walmart manufactures approximately 80 percent of its goods in China. How long before major shortages grip the U.S. if these goods are curtailed? Three weeks? America is weak when it comes to manufacturing its own products and it won’t be up and running in three weeks. American companies are used to cheap labor. If manufacturing were to return to the United States, what salary scale would be necessary to attract American workers? How often would the nets get used?
When American companies fled the U.S. for China, America’s bed was being made. It was a conscious choice to partner with China. I have never understood the American government’s continuing policy to poke at it with a stick. China’s a bad actor on the world stage in many ways, but it’s one we never stopped financing. It’s our bad actor.
There was nothing to gain by pissing it off and everything to gain by becoming independent of the goods we depend on it to buy. Once we recognized that problem, action should’ve been taken to address it. Instead, we declared it the greatest threat to America and spent years bitching and moaning about it. And we continued buying its cheap, plastic crap.
Don’t get too worried. Just a little. This may all come to an end with calm negotiations and common sense. However, I can’t remember the last time those were effective tools. Prepare for the worst; hope for the best.
Get ready. Buy that iPad you’ve been wanting — tomorrow. Rather than an iPad, think about an abacus. You may need it. They’ve been warning us about the power grid for years. Stock up on toilet paper.
The shit is hitting the fan.
