DECEMBER IS CHINA
December is Christmas. And Christmas is gifts. Gifts are toys (for our young ones). Toys are China-made (mostly). Hence- December is China.This is especially true for me. December last year saw me write gibberish on China and its forthcoming social challenges- December this year sees me write twaddle on China and its potential end of economic jet coaster ride.
Since China was admitted to WTO in December 2001, moving on with Chinese economy has been like a jet coaster ride, hasn’t it? Gliding so fast it excites you (thinking of the massive potential market it is), thrills you (wondering to what extent economic progress can soar up), pulls on your nerves (what if something goes wrong and the safety belt doesn’t hold?) all at once.
And when dealing with China it never hurts to check and double-check those safety belts. That’s the bottom line of the whole campaign on www.china-free-products.blogspot.com, which specialises itself in informing public of the potential danger of consuming/using China-made tainted products.
And indeed the aforementioned China-made tainted products have come swarming to global market -US in particular- along with its skyrocketing of manufacture industry. We are talking about a wide variety of goods -from toothpaste to toys- with “Made in China” label on it. Cheap, abundant, on display with bright colours that are both tantalising and alarming. Just pick one and drag it to the nearest lab to see what it’s made of- then the hysteria begins.
“China-free” has become a new adjective of considerable use lately, or so it seems. Tune in CNN or Fox and in no time you’ll hear this massive China-free Christmas campaign romping about. What with that melamine used as food additives and cardboard box turned to make-believe meaty dim sum filling, some eyebrows are bound to be raised. And now this toy coating havoc- scientists swore that a chemical coating found on the China-made beads, when ingested, metabolizes into the so-called date rape drug gamma hydroxy butyrate. Rape drug, I beg your pardon. The setting-up of “China-Free-Products” blog does not seem groundless now that everyone sees a justified cause with eyes wide open.
Let the hub-bub, hullabaloo, clamour go on a bit more and we may see the end of our Chinese seatbelt-less jet coaster ride as we know it - when customers all around the globe turn up their noses at China-made goods (assuming high scores on their health and safety awareness, of course).
Which is not wholly fair- because not all products from China are tainted and not all tainted products are from China. It might well ended up as another scapegoat story.
But don’t let’s worry about it (yet). Give some time for the plot to emerge and find its shape. China will always be an object ready at hand to pull your interest- and in many senses. We shall see what becomes of this China-free uproar later on. December next year, perhaps?
In the meantime, do check those safety belts, dear.
posted by eloque @ 5:48 AM
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