The benefits are illusory and costs will bankrupt you. It is a culture of corruption and cheating and short cuts. It is not only CCP officials you have to worry about; remember Andrew Breitbart's adage: Politics is downstream from culture. You see this even with some Chinese-Americans who start businesses in the US. It can be difficult for them to overcome the ingrained, native, low-trust culture.
Chinese culture is the societal embodiment of Gresham's Law.
Winston describes Chinese EV cars, and the entire Chinese automotive industry, as a scam. And while this is clearly true, the important point, which he infers but does not come out with directly, is that this is how everything in China works. It is not an exaggeration to say that everything in China is some sort of scam.
Here in the Philippines, we are seeing an ever increasing number of Chinese branded cars on the road. I have no doubt that the Philippines is one of the countries where, as Winston mentions, China is dumping cars.
As an aside, recently I saw a new GWM (Great Wall Motor –a Chinese manufacturer that Winston mentions in the video), diesel pickup in a shopping mall. The list price was almost 40 percent less than the very similar Toyota Hilux. Sure this will vary by product and features. But of course, Filipinos are flocking to these brands.
I will add one other thing about the GWM display in the mall. The cars were lavishly decorated with the most beautiful women, er...product specialists. When the feminists chased Don Draper out of New York, he fled to China. And as Don likes to say: When you place a beautiful woman next to any product, people tend to forget the most important questions.
Because electricity is so expensive here, most of these vehicles are not electric. But we do see some. To the best of our ability, we never park near one of these.
No, you cannot avoid all Chinese products. But we have a strict rule regarding Chinese products. We do not buy anything made in China that has the potential to kill you. So, no food, no cars, no lithium batteries, etc. But yes, the fly swatter I bought last week was made in China.
We will make an exception to this rule if the product is an American brand. For example, Apple is not going to damage its reputation because of Chinese shenanigans. So sure, much of their stuff is made in China; but under closely supervised quality control. I am less sure of some American firms manufacturing in China. Are Chinese-manufactured Doritos safe? I would assume so, but why take the chance.
Now if you think this perspective is a bit harsh, here is a Shawn Ryan clip, about six months old. Really, the whole country is just a great big scam, and often dangerous. I have written about this before. So how should we handle China? We should isolate them like any other pariah state. Maybe this cannot be done diplomatically, but we can certainly isolate them economically.
The Chinese cannot do anything on their own. They need to steal, and scam, and cheat. This is deeply ingrained within their culture. If we do not allow it, they will flounder. All we have to do is: Nothing. Just stay out of China and stop buying Chinese goods. The world will be a better place.
If you read Thomas Friedman, you might come to believe that China will lead the world in the twenty-first century. But the man knows little to nothing about China or Chinese culture. He seems to only regurgitate CCP propaganda.
If you watch Winston Sterzel or Chris Chappell you will come away with a new understanding of just how ridiculous China has become.
Both Sterzel and Chappell lay a big part of the blame on the CCP, and I am sure they deserve it. But I spent a number of years immersed in the Chinese-American community, where I came to understand Chinese shortcut culture. At least that is how I started thinking about it.
Yes, the CCP are dangerous thugs. For their own citizens and for everyone worldwide. Both Sterzel and Chappell have made the point that there is little difference between the CCP/Chinese government and actual criminal thugs. In fact, the criminals have taken to pretending to be government agents in order to insure victim compliance. Works like a charm because who can tell the difference?
Sure, because of family ties to mainland China, Chinese-Americans, both residents and citizens, are still heavily influenced by the CCP. But I would say that the CCP is just as much a result of Chinese culture as the other way around. If there is any society in the world today that has the government it truly deserves, it is China.
Because the Chinese have a culture of cheating and shortcuts. This culture and attitude leads to incompetence, lack of seriousness, and dishonesty. About anything and everything. Of course, not everyone falls into this. But is it half? I don't know, but it is enough that you have to worry about everyone you deal with. Are those red chili peppers actually red, or have they just been painted red? Why would you even take the chance?
And I would guess that practically all government functionaries fall into the dishonest category. Watch a few of these videos, and you will be a lot less concerned about Chinese aggression. Chinese hypersonic missiles? Most likely just another scam. They only recently mastered the ballpoint pen. And I'm not even sure that is believable.
What about China's nuclear weapons? Here the risk is so high that we have no choice but to consider it a legitimate existential threat. And act accordingly. But I would not be a bit surprised to learn that it, too, is all smoke and mirrors.
All we know for sure is that the Chinese can produce a working water cannon. It is worth noting that they use their water cannons, and their spy balloons (not satellites), against people who they know will not fight back. It's typical Chinese government thuggish behavior. And we all know, thugs only respond to force.
Singapore and Taiwan are both overwhelmingly ethnic Chinese. While it takes decades, both prove that a society can change its culture and behavior. But there must be incentives in place. Judicial or market-driven or even just media-driven. But you will not find any such incentives in mainland China. I once read that culture is what a society tolerates. If you tolerate bad behavior, then you have a culture of bad behavior. And yes, it is just that simple. If you don't believe me, you should visit Singapore.
Anyway, here's some practical advice. It is difficult to avoid Made in China products entirely. But I would never buy or use any such product with the potential to kill you or cause you serious harm. China has become a large exporter of automobiles. I would avoid them like the plague. And I would never allow myself or my family into one. Likewise, avoid any food product made in China. Because you simply have no way of knowing what's in it. You certainly cannot trust the packaging.
Point is, we cannot and should not take China seriously. Whether we are talking about overseas aggression or the safety of food exports or automobile manufacturing.
As for the ridiculousness of China's internal culture, treat it like a Keystone Cops movie. Because that is exactly what it is.