The cost of cheap Chinese goods?

As any reader of this blog will know I am not a fan of the Chinese government and it's policies.  Often my arguments focus on economic and military issues relating to China's rise and the global consequence of such a rise.  While economic and military issues are the means of Chinese might, the true reason I so studiously object to the their system of government, has to do more with human rights and a respect for liberty.  As an American, I understand my country is imperfect but I ask the reader to show me a country that isn't.  What I do instinctively understand, about America, is that this is still a country where I am free to choose the manner in which I live my life, pursue my dreams and voice my concerns.


China's success provides the world an alternate path toward prosperity and governance.  The so called Beijing Consensus of state directed capitalism, that promises wealth but not freedom, is a dangerously attractive model for governments around the global.  This attraction presents the greatest threat to the millions who aspire to live a life free from tyranny.  The choice China is offering the world's poorly governed people is this: is it better to be rich and controlled or poor and free.  This logic makes sense but do we really want to live in a world where these are the options we face?  This is a terribly unnecessary choice.  As Chinese economic, military and political power continues to grow this choice gains global credibility.  This is not the future I wish for.  My two cents!


Below I have started a list of links to articles which deal with Chinese Human Rights violations.  I will continue to update this post as new articles are written and reviewed.


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/29/world/asia/29china.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper


 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203731004576045152244293970.html#articleTabs%3Darticle


http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/824qbcjr.asp

Empty Chinese Cities

 If the last decade was about a global real-estate bubble it appears as though this trend did not miss China. What has missed China, at least for the time being, was the bubble bursting.  The Totalitarian Chinese regime can push off the day of reckoning but not indefinitely.  The question then becomes when will the day of reckoning arrive?  I believe that QEII is designed to accelerate the coming collapse of the Chinese economic model.  History has shown time and time again that state run economies do not last.  Regardless of the capitalistic trapping of the Chinese model do not be fooled this is still economy that is largely state directed.  It thus will fail just as all other state directed economies have failed. QEII will drive inflation in natural resource prices thereby driving up the cost of economic growth while simultaneously causing a decline in the real value of Chinese hard dollar assets.  The decline in the dollar will make Chinese monetary sterilization increasingly expensive and ineffective leading to higher and higher inflation.  Higher inflation will cause the Chinese asset bubble to burst bring down the financial houses of cards that is Chinese state owned banks.  Viva Capitalism!

And Now Presenting: Amazing Satellite Images Of The Ghost Cities Of China

Chandni Rathod and Gus Lubin | Dec. 14, 2010, 4:15 PM |

The hottest market in the hottest economy in the world is Chinese real estate. The big question is how vulnerable is this market to a crash.

One red flag is the vast number of vacant homes spread through China, by some estimates up to 64 million vacant homes.

We've tracked down satellite photos of these unnerving places, based on a report from Forensic Asia Limited. They call it a clear sign of a bubble: "There’s city after city full of empty streets and vast government buildings, some in the most inhospitable locations. It is the modern equivalent of building pyramids. With 20 new cities being built every year, we hope to be able to expand our list going forward."

Here's China's most famous ghost city: Ordos

There are no cars in the city, except for a few dozen parked at the glamorous government center

Ordos even has an avant-garde art museum -- totally empty

Ordos Museum Street View

Image: Panoramio

Here's China's biggest ghost city: Zhengzhou New District

This $19 billion development is packed with blocks of empty houses

Like Ordos, Zhengzhou New District has glamorous public buildings

Image: Google Maps

Zhengzhou New District residential towers -- EMPTY

Empty roads in Zhengzhou.

Image: Panoramio

Here's a rendering of Zhengdong New District Wetland Park (people added with Photoshop)

Image: Panoramio

This city was built in the middle of a desert: Erenhot, Xilin Gol, Inner Mongolia

Half of Erenhot is empty. The other half is unfinished

Is that a hotel in Erenhot?

Image: Google Maps

See that orange area to the north-east of the Xinyang?

It's a giant new development, which doesn't even have a name yet.

No cars in the city except for approximately 100 clustered around the government headquarters

The ghost city of Dantu has been mostly empty for over a decade

The mostly empty city of Bayannao’er, which boasts a beautiful town hall and World Bank-sponsored water reclamation building

Now here's Kangbashi, a new city with capacity for 300,000 -- that houses 30,000

Finally, here's a giant new campus for Yunnan University, which was built to accommodate 2.3 million students. It has 11,000 enrolled.

Another great example of total wasteful state directed investment.




Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/pictures-chinese-ghost-cities-2010-12?slop=1#slideshow-start#ixzz18spANfJQ