Living without China

Can you live without China? Not if you're living in Beijing. But outside of China, you can't either. (Reuters: U.S. family tries living without China)

Sara Bongiorni tried for a whole year to boycott anything “made in China” and lived to suffer. Her book A Year Without 'Made in China' should make interesting reading. The bottom line is, living without China destroys a big chunk of your prosperity. Living without China-made products makes almost everything much more expensive. Shoes become unaffordable, appliances gather dust because all spare parts are made in China... Food for thought...

This book should be recommended reading for all those in the American Congress who want to impose sanctions on China. Perhaps they don't care, because they have the money to buy goods 'made in America'. But the lesser well off and the outright poor will suffer. China's emergence as a big trading power is a blessing for the poor of the world, thanks to products produced by the poor of China, some will argue. Perhaps, but China's National People's Congress has voted for a new Labor Contract Law, which will offer better protection for migrant workers. As a result, some products will become a bit more expensive. But the rise of China will still be good for the poor inside and outside the country.