How then, do we move backwards? How does a society, with most of the people having no clue of future events, move from being dependent on a vast and intertwined network of goods and services produced by the indigenous people of whereever, to a local resource and renewable energy based society, and do so in the timeframe available (20-30 years using the most liberal extimates, 10-20 with resonable estimates, 5-10 with worst case scenarios), all the while prices on everything increasing, world politics getting more militaristic, governments continuously reducing civil liberties, shortages of goods on the market and weather patterns resembling bad Hollywood movies?
Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:48 am Post subject: Re: The Last Days of Cheap Chinese
Rather than start a new thread, I thought I would add this hear as a sort of general Chinese economy thread.
Still growing. The first quarter shows growth of over 10% inspite of slowing demand from America and those increadible freezes.
Quote:
Inflation climbed to 8.7 percent in February
Quote:
Urban disposable incomes climbed 11.5 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier to 4,386 yuan ($627), the statistics bureau said. Rural earnings rose 18.5 percent to 1,494 yuan.
Quote:
Retail sales climbed 21.5 percent last month, the fastest pace since at least 1999, when Bloomberg data began.
So it looks like China is still growing in real terms. It is also starting to consume more of its own produce. Irony of irony to see a marxist government of China redistributing wealth from the west to Asia using free trade. Ofcourse the redistribution of wealth follows the redistribution of labour.... they worked for this wealth the hard way.
Perhaps a prolonged period of recession and weaker demand from America can help stem global comodity inflation and see the Chinese refocus on increasing the pace of internalising growth.
They will never have US standards of living, but they are aiming for moderate wealth and may be on the way there now. Many many obsticles on that path though.
Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:20 pm Post subject: Re: The Last Days of Cheap Chinese
dorlomin wrote:
Rather than start a new thread, I thought I would add this hear as a sort of general Chinese economy thread.
Still growing. The first quarter shows growth of over 10% inspite of slowing demand from America and those increadible freezes.
Quote:
Inflation climbed to 8.7 percent in February
Quote:
Urban disposable incomes climbed 11.5 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier to 4,386 yuan ($627), the statistics bureau said. Rural earnings rose 18.5 percent to 1,494 yuan.
Quote:
Retail sales climbed 21.5 percent last month, the fastest pace since at least 1999, when Bloomberg data began.
So it looks like China is still growing in real terms. It is also starting to consume more of its own produce. Irony of irony to see a marxist government of China redistributing wealth from the west to Asia using free trade. Ofcourse the redistribution of wealth follows the redistribution of labour.... they worked for this wealth the hard way.
Perhaps a prolonged period of recession and weaker demand from America can help stem global comodity inflation and see the Chinese refocus on increasing the pace of internalising growth.
They will never have US standards of living, but they are aiming for moderate wealth and may be on the way there now. Many many obsticles on that path though.
China (most of Asia?) is becoming the factory of the World, they can still export to many other markets. But it will be nice that there environmental standards rised with their economic growth. _________________ anagami.net
Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 11:39 pm Post subject: Re: The Last Days of Cheap Chinese
seahorse wrote:
Kunstler has warned of this problem for years, as well as many others. The beginning of the end for the 1,000 mile long salad.
It is the beginning of the end for all of those who can't measure in world standard measurement units, meaning SI. Americans are destroying any chance of a future economic recovery by continuing to embrace obsolete measurements.
Every year, millions of Chinese are hitting the streets on "e" bikes - battery-powered contraptions that are increasingly popular as soaring fuel prices make traditional motorbikes and scooters expensive to drive.
Quote:
Yet a 48-volt bike battery uses just under 10 kilogrammes of lead, similar to that used by a medium-sized car like a Toyota Camry. They last for about a year, compared with over three years for a typical car battery.
Quote:
Lead has been the star performer on the London Metal Exchange and is up by 130 percent this year.
Every year, millions of Chinese are hitting the streets on "e" bikes - battery-powered contraptions that are increasingly popular as soaring fuel prices make traditional motorbikes and scooters expensive to drive.
Quote:
Yet a 48-volt bike battery uses just under 10 kilogrammes of lead, similar to that used by a medium-sized car like a Toyota Camry. They last for about a year, compared with over three years for a typical car battery.
Quote:
Lead has been the star performer on the London Metal Exchange and is up by 130 percent this year.
We're kind of at an optimal balance right now (well, all things considered) But our global population is at such a level that anything that a significant chunk of the planet starts doing that it wasn't doing before has big consequences.
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 11:40 am Post subject: Re: The Last Days of Cheap Chinese
Actually the chinese government has been taking measures (such as slashing the export tax rebate) to push the low cost manufacturers to places further inland that need the devlopment and employment or to go over the border to Vietnam or Cambodia. This is only accelerating something that started earlier in the year.
Quote:
Yet a 48-volt bike battery uses just under 10 kilogrammes of lead, similar to that used by a medium-sized car like a Toyota Camry. They last for about a year, compared with over three years for a typical car battery
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