Cadillac News:
“The first issue is that they don’t have the regulatory environment that we do,” said Bruce Schafer, vice president of manufacturing at Rexair in Cadillac. “Entrepreneurs have much more discretion until they’re caught but the penalties are severe.”
Schafer, who is familiar with manufacturing in China, said contract manufacturers are enormously competitive. That leads many to cut corners and “do things that aren’t normal,” Schafer said."
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
China to launch new label on food exports
Channelnewsasia.com:
"Food exports that have passed inspections will carry the label 'CIQ', which stands for China Inspection and Quarantine, the China Daily reported, citing a regulation from the nation's quality watchdog."
Now I know what to watch out for, so I can NOT purchase it.
Don't you wish Chinese-made products, or American-made with Chinese materials, were better marked? Call the company and tell them so.
"Food exports that have passed inspections will carry the label 'CIQ', which stands for China Inspection and Quarantine, the China Daily reported, citing a regulation from the nation's quality watchdog."
Now I know what to watch out for, so I can NOT purchase it.
Don't you wish Chinese-made products, or American-made with Chinese materials, were better marked? Call the company and tell them so.
More Chinese lead paint: Common Steel Problems
ABC News: Latest China Scare: Common Steel:
"Adley said that the hazardous steel would cost an estimated hundreds of thousands of dollars to clean up. If untreated, it could pose a slew of safety hazards to construction workers, the environment and the general population, he said."
"Adley said that the hazardous steel would cost an estimated hundreds of thousands of dollars to clean up. If untreated, it could pose a slew of safety hazards to construction workers, the environment and the general population, he said."
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
The Gross Side of Chinese Food
ABC News: China Factory Recycled Dirty Chopsticks:
"China, on track to overtake the United States this year as the world's second-largest exporter, lacks the manpower to enforce food and drug safety regulations at home or for export. Imports are generally carefully scrutinized.
"A lack of business ethics and a spiritual vacuum after China embraced economic reforms in the late 1970s have been blamed for unscrupulous business practices and corruption."
"China, on track to overtake the United States this year as the world's second-largest exporter, lacks the manpower to enforce food and drug safety regulations at home or for export. Imports are generally carefully scrutinized.
"A lack of business ethics and a spiritual vacuum after China embraced economic reforms in the late 1970s have been blamed for unscrupulous business practices and corruption."
What if...
I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but what if...
Any smart enemy looks for the weaknesses of its foes to exploit. And if those exploits can be self-administered, more's the better.
In America, the weaknesses are economic: greed and cheapness. So if the Chinese were smart and looking to make it easier for global dominance over the Big Dog of America, why not simply weaken us through our economy, as opposed to fight us outright?
If the Chinese hold stead over the manufacture of all or most goods sold here, there are a couple of things they could do. First, after we are completely dependent on them (as we almost are now), they could simply start to withhold those goods. But that would be a little too forthright for them. Remember, they are the "inscrutable" ones.
A more insidious idea (and more to Chinese thinking, if you know anything about them) is to poison the next generation. History has shown time and again that China is patient if nothing else. So what if - and I admit this is a big "if" - China were to feed to our populace a steady stream of bad goods, such as those containing lead, that turn our next generation into idiots? This has the added bonus of being imminently less expensive for China to do, rather than poison us outright. But on the other hand, maybe they're also waging a bacterial war against us with all the bad food products. Perhaps the pet food debacle was simply a test run?
Lord knows, they know their exports won't be inspected when they arrive here, and that American will happily buy them from Wal-Mart because they are "cheap."
A Chinese saying came to my attention yesterday: "If the the price is cheap, the product is no good." Their way of saying you get want you pay for.
On the other hand, maybe they're just cheaper and dumber than we.
Any smart enemy looks for the weaknesses of its foes to exploit. And if those exploits can be self-administered, more's the better.
In America, the weaknesses are economic: greed and cheapness. So if the Chinese were smart and looking to make it easier for global dominance over the Big Dog of America, why not simply weaken us through our economy, as opposed to fight us outright?
If the Chinese hold stead over the manufacture of all or most goods sold here, there are a couple of things they could do. First, after we are completely dependent on them (as we almost are now), they could simply start to withhold those goods. But that would be a little too forthright for them. Remember, they are the "inscrutable" ones.
A more insidious idea (and more to Chinese thinking, if you know anything about them) is to poison the next generation. History has shown time and again that China is patient if nothing else. So what if - and I admit this is a big "if" - China were to feed to our populace a steady stream of bad goods, such as those containing lead, that turn our next generation into idiots? This has the added bonus of being imminently less expensive for China to do, rather than poison us outright. But on the other hand, maybe they're also waging a bacterial war against us with all the bad food products. Perhaps the pet food debacle was simply a test run?
Lord knows, they know their exports won't be inspected when they arrive here, and that American will happily buy them from Wal-Mart because they are "cheap."
A Chinese saying came to my attention yesterday: "If the the price is cheap, the product is no good." Their way of saying you get want you pay for.
On the other hand, maybe they're just cheaper and dumber than we.
I know you are, but what am I?
China warns on U.S. soy as Chinese goods under scrutiny | Reuters:
"BEIJING (Reuters) - China, the world's top soy importer, has accused the United States of exporting substandard soybeans even as its own exports come under growing scrutiny abroad over safety concerns.
'Recently, supervision bodies have found numerous quality problems in soybeans imported from the United States,' the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said on its Web site (www.aqsiq.gov.cn) on Wednesday.
Harmful weeds and contaminated dirt had been found among the beans, which could threaten China's agricultural and forestry production and ecological safety, the quality watchdog said."
Tit for tat, as the Chinese scramble to recover their global image.
"BEIJING (Reuters) - China, the world's top soy importer, has accused the United States of exporting substandard soybeans even as its own exports come under growing scrutiny abroad over safety concerns.
'Recently, supervision bodies have found numerous quality problems in soybeans imported from the United States,' the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said on its Web site (www.aqsiq.gov.cn) on Wednesday.
Harmful weeds and contaminated dirt had been found among the beans, which could threaten China's agricultural and forestry production and ecological safety, the quality watchdog said."
Tit for tat, as the Chinese scramble to recover their global image.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Here we go again
ABC12.com: Wal-Mart pulls two Chinese-made pet treats:
"Philadelphia television station WPVI reported last week that a woman claimed her two-year-old Chihuahua died after eating Bestro Chicken Jerky Strips.
The station reported that an autopsy found the dog died of an infection caused by toxic bacteria."
"Philadelphia television station WPVI reported last week that a woman claimed her two-year-old Chihuahua died after eating Bestro Chicken Jerky Strips.
The station reported that an autopsy found the dog died of an infection caused by toxic bacteria."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)