how is this news? of course companies will move manufacturing to a place that's cheaper, if the quality is comparable. basic economics.

Good luck to America's investment into a black hole.

Any company that does so is shooting itself in the head.

This is a disgrace. Since corporations want the americans to purchase their goods, while not paying them or letting them make them, then maybe we could just impose higher tarrifs on them. Simple, you leave the U.S. and layoff americans, then we give you a high tariff for trying to import into the country. Since the chinese and the third world labor are not paid as well, they won't be able to afford the goods anyway. "KEEP IT IN AMERICA".

We sue M$ like paranoids for monopoly, yet we let China with nukes get a monopoly on manufacturing just like the arab states and Russia are doing. Boy, are we smart out West. Yeah, go enjoy your cheap VCR, it'll probably have some value when the nukes are raining down own us.

The problem is that if we don't go there we lose competitive advantage to those who do (Europeans et al). It's a two way street. Siemens, Thyssen, Volkswagon, and many others have inked multi-billion $ contracts to build Chinese infrastructure. We can't stop it from happening so we may as well get in on the profits.

"how is this news? of course companies will move manufacturing to a place that's cheaper, if the quality is comparable. basic economics."

Butt, butt,,,,,doesn't your statement fly in the face of "Free trade" theory?

Where's the level playing field for the American worker? (unless, of course, s/he is willing to take a drastic pay cut)

Are Republicans and Socialists proud to place American workers in "competition" with communist slaves?

If we can get the "European Powers" to help us kill people and bomb countries, then why can't we convince them to stop helping Communist China grow? If we have to use cheaper labor overseas for purposes of capitalism, then why don't we seek out India or Israel? After all, they are both democracies, and our position in the world would not be weakened. No, I think there are more insidious forces at work here...

RE: Post #3

Very well said.

Also,the Chinese are also far better at manufacturing than the Mexicans.

China is (despite their protestations) still a totalitarian communist state. Their paranoia and expansionist aspirations make them a dangerous threat to our national security.

Therefor transferring industrial facilities and advanced technology to a rival nation that is rapidly growing in power and influence is reckless and foolish.

Communist Rules For Revolution

(Captured at Dusseldorf In May 1919 by Allied Forces)

1. Corrupt the Young: get them away from religion. Get them interested in sex. Make them superficial: destroy their ruggedness.

2. By specious argument cause the breakdown of old moral virtues: honesty, sobriety, continence, faith in the pledged word, ruggedness.

3.Encourage civil disorders and foster a lenient and soft attitude on the part government toward such disorders. (L. A. riots were just a coincidence?... of course!)

4.Divide the people into hostile groups by constantly harping on controversial matters of no importance. (Racial differences?)

5. Get people's minds off their government by focusing their attention on athletics, sexy books, plays and other trivialities.

6. Get control of all means of publicity. (Media) Destroy the people's faith in their natural leaders by holding the latter up to contempt, ridicule and obloquy (disgrace)

7. Cause the registration of all firearms on some pretext, with a view to confiscation and leaving the population helpless

8. Undermine capitalist economies by recruiting the greedy and weak in their government to argue for the "democratization" or "changing" of the regime by more external investment.

9. Use enemies capital against them whenever possible.

10. Create diversions of scale to detract criticism.

Sounds like the Chi-Coms are right on target...

I would argue it's a risk for the U.S., but it's also a risk for the Communists in China. Think about it. While the Chinese don't have free elections, they still try to 'sell' their system to their population. If you get rid of the core of Communism--that is, community ownership--then what you're left with is an incoherent ideology. That would leave the government prone to change its ways, either from reforms within or from reformers outside the government. True, a more open China is not necessarily a friendlier China--but it could happen. After all, look how well the U.S. and Russia get along now.

There are a couple of flaws with that argument: (1) American companies would only have to deal with a few guys at the top, to make over 1 billion people do their bidding (that's not going to go away real fast; (2) China's GDP is supposedly going to overshoot the U.S. in about 10 years (and they have not changed a thing); and (3) the richer the Chinese government gets with foreign investment, the easier it will be to crush any forces within their system who want change.

We are helping them do it.

"We can't stop it from happening so we may as well get in on the profits."

All well and good if you have enough income to invest now.
Better invest a LOT, cause you won't have the money to do so later.

I'd like to thank those in our government that wrote and passed the
legislation that makes it possible for this to happen. Without them,
China would not have the money to invest in mfg (not to mention it's
war machine) and those jobs would still be here, helping the economy
which is still headed downhill thanks to clinton's policies.
(remember the "we gotta slow down the economy" line? Looks like they succeeded.
Too bad the "old boy" network won't denounce those that are responsible.
Of course, then people might start paying attention and find that they are ALL to blame...)
You boys did a great job helping the Chinese develope and big business make bigger profits
(which, if you had the money to invest, tricked down some coin to you too
-in addition to the "campaign contributions" that nobody in DC wants to talk about).
Too bad it will be at the expense of the American citizens that you are supposed to represent.
Thanks for NOTHING.

God no! Let's start a mutual fund whose principal criteria is that the multinational company does not do business with or in China.

Let's start a discount chain store that prides itself by not selling anything made in China.

I'm being stupid, but I honesly feel that we are selling out to the Chinese slowly but surely.

True, a more open China is not necessarily a friendlier China--but it could happen. After all, look how well the U.S. and Russia get along now.

China’s new openness is almost entirely limited to trade. In the news recently was the closing of thousands of Internet cafes, because foreign news websites were not blocked.

The U.S. and Russia new relationship is still in a high flux, and to say we are now fast friends would be premature to say the least.

Our new cooperation with Russia is almost entirely due to fighting a common enemy.

It might also be noted that the collapse of the Soviet Communist state was due to the collapse of their economy. Our increasing trade with the Chinese communist can only prevent the same from happening to the Red Chinese.

China is still a highly repressive government. Our increasing trade and transfer of technology to this resume merely props up this degenerate government.

Slave labor and torture are not the hallmarks of an emerging democracy.

"It might also be noted that the collapse of the Soviet Communist state was due to the collapse of their economy. Our increasing trade with the Chinese communist can only prevent the same from happening to the Red Chinese. China is still a highly repressive government. Our increasing trade and transfer of technology to this resume merely props up this degenerate government. Slave labor and torture are not the hallmarks of an emerging democracy."

DOUBLE BUMP