A New “Made in China” Consumer Calculus

The first line of defense in any China Wars strategy must start with a radical change in consumer behavior. I do not, however, urge any consumer to simply “boycott Chinese products.” That is a Draconian prescription. For many products, it is also impractical. I do, however, emphatically urge every consumer to do the following:

• Question whether you really need what you are about to buy from China.

• Carefully consider the hidden costs associated with buying Chinese products, not just China’s cheap prices, and factor the hidden costs of a world “Made in China” into your buying decisions.

If this book has done anything, it has carefully identified a wide range of the hidden costs of buying what, in reality, are not so “cheap” Chinese goods. These hidden costs include job destruction, stagnant wages, rapidly rising food and fuel costs, a dirtier and hotter planet, tacit support for Chinese repression, the inadvertent funding of China’s military buildup, and a collateral dramatic increase in geopolitical risks around the world.

To increase the range of “Not Made in China” alternatives, we as consumers also have an important role to play:

• Send emails, postcards, or letters to retailers and manufacturers letting them know you want non-China options. This works! For example, in response to consumer demand, Wal-Mart has increased its floor space for “Made in USA” products such as Tramontina’s new line of cookware and thereby created new manufacturing jobs in Tramontina’s Wisconsin factory.

• Let retailers and manufacturers also know what you didn’t buy. Tell them that you did not purchase a particular product or products because it was made in China and that you were concerned about product quality, the environment, jobs, or some other issue.

Finally, to protect yourself and your family from the flood of contaminated, defective, and cancerous products now coming out of China, as an informed consumer, you should

• Seek out websites such as www.notmadeinchina.net, www.madeinusa.org, and other consumer advocacy sources that provide information about “Not Made in China” alternatives.

• Lobby your elected officials for better product labeling so that finished products that are not made in China but which nonetheless have substantial Chinese components can be identified.

• Regularly check the websites of organizations such as the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for the latest recalls and safety news at www.cpsc.gov.