Is America Made in China?
Monday, 11 August 2008
Is America Made in China?
By John W. Whitehead
Why would the president of the United States fly halfway around the world to watch four days of sports at the Beijing Olympics? George W. Bush is the first sitting American president to attend the Olympic Games on foreign soil. This, despite the fact that China has been recognized by the U.S. State Department as an authoritarian regime with a dismal human rights record. But Bush is savvy enough to understand America’s economic dependence on China.

Virtually everything in America is now imported from China. This includes crucifixes and talking Jesus dolls. American Girl dolls, all the rage among the younger set, are made in China. The plastic for American Express cards is reportedly made in China. From toothpaste to computer accessories to food and vitamins, there is little that is not made in China. Even our Old Glory-brand American flags are manufactured in China. Indeed, it’s almost impossible to avoid buying Chinese-made products.

One Louisiana family learned this the hard way when they attempted to live without products made in China for an entire year. They ended up buying expensive sneakers from Italy, forgoing candles on birthday cakes, living without a blender when theirs broke, nursing their television back to health when it crashed, killing mice the “old-fashioned wayâ€