Free trade loses lustre

The Sunday Times ^ | February 29, 2004

[Paul Ross]

In fact, it establishes that Marx preferred protectionism with regard to the free movement of capital.

I don't see that 'preference' at all. He explicitly 'favors' free trade, whatever his caveats:

"...the Free Trade system works destructively. It breaks up old nationalities and carries antagonism of proletariat and bourgeoisie to the uttermost point. In a word, the Free Trade system hastens the Social Revolution. In this revolutionary sense alone, gentlemen, I am in favor of Free Trade. "--Karl Marx

[Paul Ross]

You're assuming of course, that .27 cents an hour is a bad wage there.

I don't need to assume that. And even if it were a 'good wage' there, it would be because of a communist government-designed and created, artificially-generated state of general poverty among the population. And the wage is fixed. Why does it need to be set in concrete if China is truly becoming 'freer'???? The fact is, they aren't.

The rulers, the communist party, are making sure that their 'economic black-hole' designed to suck in the U.S. technology and industry stays attractive.

And those low wages are also fixed SO THAT they can't afford our stuff, and become a real middle class in their own country...and a threat to the Communist Party. It is fixed so that they WILL BUY only their own stuff, to further aggregate all the manufacturing power into their own country...and keep us out. Any sharp stick they can poke in the eye of the U.S. or monkey wrench into our economy, they will wield.