Made in China

Christmas services are full of bells and whistles.

Several thousand people are each given a miniature electric candle as they sing Silent Night.

Lovely, tranquil and peaceful sight.

Suddenly my mind was transported to several days earlier when I was clearing those expired test kits popular during the years ravaged by Wuhan virus.

I checked before disposing.
Tiny fonts read Made in China.

Next the masks.
Sure enough, Made in China.

Communist China’s conquest is in plain sight in tiny fonts.
Unlike Burger King blaring its signs on Champs-Élysées, or Starbucks’ ubiquitous reminder of USA presence, it’s so stealthy.
One wouldn’t know it has arrived.

Only at a critical crunch point would one notice the conquest.

There were stories that the 3M factory was banned from shipping the masks they manufactured back to USA.
A company owned by USA could not ship what they owned and made back to their country!

Then there was this talk about almost 90% of aspirin powder was made in China.

The world woke up to this stealth PRC conquest ever since the Wuhan outbreak.
Countries began regaining control over the supply chain, at least on essential products.

It’s been five years since the Wuhan outbreak.
Test kits and masks are in the rear view mirror.

Now it’s solar panels and electric car batteries.
Countries now already know.  

But there are so many that the world still don’t, or doesn’t care, or simply can’t do anything about.

Like those miniature electric candles bought in bulk by mega churches for their faithful to sing Silent Night with.

Innocent Christians.

They care about child labor, concentration camp labor, freedom of religion and human rights.
Yet they buy candles made in China, the country that turned Christian ministers into prisoners and martyrs; that confiscated church properties and took down crosses.

Or Christmas ornaments.
Tech gadgets as gifts.
All made in China

Bit by bit they feed the dragon that trounces on all those things Christians so cherish.

Really?
Those tiny candles?
We couldn’t get them anywhere else so cheap.

Precisely.

A friend recently said, “I’ve got to delete this app after my next purchase. I know they store all your info. But man, TEMU is so cheap and offers so many discounts!”

Remember the Liberty Bell souvenir you bought in Philadelphia? Or those from US Congress gift shop?
Made in China.

Even tomato puree on shelves in U.K. grocery store contain tomatoes grown and picked in China by forced labour, according to the BBC.

It says it all.

Sure, I get it.

Apple has divested its sourcing, now some from India.
Tech firms now from Taiwan and Japan.
Key and hi tech items got government and major industries attention.
It’s moving away from Made in China.

But sneakers? Blouses? Air fryers? Shelves? Even miniature candles?

Who cares?
No strategic significance!
Let poor Chinese make a living.

Well, why don’t make a trawl on not TEMU or Shein but Amazon.
See how much is feeding into PRC coffer.
And get a sense of how indispensable Made in China has become part of the life of average citizens.

I’m pessimistic if the world would ever wean itself off Made in China conquest, and consequently feeding the red dragon forever.

I’ve no confidence that people in the west would care enough as long as the product is not strategic and doesn’t enter into the body.

Because even for products that do become part of us, see how long and how little success the world has made.

The red artificial coloring Red No. 2, also known as Amaranth was banned in the USA in 1976 because of its link to cancer.
But other red food dyes, such as Red No. 40 (Allura Red), remains permitted in the U.S even now.

And for food vaguely connected to cancer but definitely more healthy, see how long it’s taken Organic foods to be received and how little market share they garnered!
Economics wins.

Unless some very forceful parameter comes in.

Take activist Food Babe’s campaign that eventually got several major US brands, such as Subway and Panera Bread to remove the azodicarbonamide, a chemical used as a dough conditioner, from their products.

Take also Kosher food for Jews.
There’s wide acceptance and buy-in within Jewish communities.

Will Christians’ ethics be enough to move them to not buy Made in China?

Will people who have suffered enough under communist China like those Hong Kongers in diaspora in Taiwan, UK, Canada, Australia and USA have enough in them to never buy Made in China?
And will their sympathisers?

I don’t know.
I’m hopeful.
Though pessimistic.