Boycott Chinese goods - Is it possible

[keith_correa]

Since this topic has been derailed right after the OP's post allow me to derail it further.
The Chinese are extremely smart people. I have had the privilege of working closely with many - believe me when I say we can never match them in many things including (very importantly) work ethic. I admire them a lot and I would never punish people for the failings of their government - that goes for the Chinese too. In this case, we gain nothing except for a pigeon chest and besides, given the facts, we boycotting anything Chinese is farcical - in a month we will have the hot air let out and we will forget everything - this is fact and we have forgotten far worse. Why then do we waste our time on boycotts? Why can't we spend the time to compete? Competing with them and winning will automatically result in a sort of boycott, no? Think about it. The problem with us is we spend too much time talking and not enough time doing. The government and cards will always be stacked against us - after all we elect them. We are the ones who fall for the politicians agenda and vote them in despite them publishing their agenda in advance. And what is the agenda we fall for and cheer for? Enough said!

 

[Sean de Silva]

Since this topic has been derailed right after the OP's post allow me to derail it further.
The Chinese are extremely smart people. I have had the privilege of working closely with many - believe me when I say we can never match them in many things including (very importantly) work ethic. I admire them a lot and I would never punish people for the failings of their government - that goes for the Chinese too. In this case, we gain nothing except for a pigeon chest and besides, given the facts, we boycotting anything Chinese is farcical - in a month we will have the hot air let out and we will forget everything - this is fact and we have forgotten far worse. Why then do we waste our time on boycotts? Why can't we spend the time to compete? Competing with them and winning will automatically result in a sort of boycott, no? Think about it. The problem with us is we spend too much time talking and not enough time doing. The government and cards will always be stacked against us - after all we elect them. We are the ones who fall for the politicians agenda and vote them in despite them publishing their agenda in advance. And what is the agenda we fall for and cheer for? Enough said!

Absolutely well-articulated @keith_correa !
imho the chinese have three qualities which we will NEVER have in a million years : 1. DISCIPLINE 2. DISCIPLINE & 3. DISCIPLINE
It was hilarious reading all the anti-china posts above which to me is nothing but venting off pressure cooker steam. Selective amnesia will take care of all the hot air as time goes by until the next big gastric gripe comes along..

 

[sdk]

Absolutely well-articulated @keith_correa !
imho the chinese have three qualities which we will NEVER have in a million years : 1. DISCIPLINE 2. DISCIPLINE & 3. DISCIPLINE
It was hilarious reading all the anti-china posts above which to me is nothing but venting off pressure cooker steam. Selective amnesia will take care of all the hot air as time goes by until the next big gastric gripe comes along..

We have a combination of India and discipline here

Indiscipline
Indiscipline
Indiscipline

I think by now everyone must have seen WhatsApp videos of people wearing masks and gloves and then crushing each other to enter into buses

They seem to think that after Santa Singh and Banta Singh

We now have a new character to make jokes on, a new deadly fatal one...

Social Distan Singh

 

[newlash09]

This is a question that has been going through my mind for some time now. As I do most of my purchases on Amazon India. It would be nice if we can get Amazon to produce two more filters to filter the products..

1. Country of manufacture
2. Country of parent company.

So when I go shopping, I can choose atleast country of manufacture as India, and only those goods will showup. I wouldn't mind spending more for a made in India product. And I will happy take a chance on the quality.

 

[sdk]

This is a question that has been going through my mind for some time now. As I do most of my purchases on Amazon India. It would be nice if we can get Amazon to produce two more filters to filter the products..

1. Country of manufacture
2. Country of parent company.

So when I go shopping, I can choose atleast country of manufacture as India, and only those goods will showup. I wouldn't mind spending more for a made in India product. And I will happy take a chance on the quality.

Your wish...

The government's command...

Moneycontrol.com: Govt wants ‘origin of product’ displayed, calls Amazon, Flipkart others for meeting.

Govt wants ‘origin of product’ displayed, calls Amazon, Flipkart others for meeting

The government has already mandated its online marketplace, GeM, to enter the country of origin while registering new products.

www.moneycontrol.com

 

[Deleted member 15865]

Your wish...

The government's command...

Moneycontrol.com: Govt wants ‘origin of product’ displayed, calls Amazon, Flipkart others for meeting.

Govt wants ‘origin of product’ displayed, calls Amazon, Flipkart others for meeting

The government has already mandated its online marketplace, GeM, to enter the country of origin while registering new products.

www.moneycontrol.com

Let’s see how this works out. Also, wouldn’t this also penalise country’s other trade partners? For example think Schiit products - 100% made in US.

 

[raghupb]

Whoa!!
This thread has gone to 3 pages

To answer FM @Hari Iyer's innocent question,
Is it possible to choose a company that is not HQ'ed in China, .... yes.
Is it possible to cut China from the supply chain of products we buy, uh .... not really.
Example:
We need API from China to manufacture many drugs, eg Crocin, etc
If we say "no China", then at present we can have only "Atta-cin" (Crocin made out of Atta)

In many circumstances we can consciously make a brand choice and we always do.
Audio-Gear/Mobiles/TVs/Routers/Computers/Displays - there are companies that make these and not HQ'ed in China
Even though many of these products are made in China or sourced from China.
It is the individual's choice.

Having said this, I don't feel comfortable with China's presence in Indian infrastructure.
Telecom, Roads, Railways, Ports, Airports, etc. I trust GOI is diligent enough to do the mandatory checks, if such is the case.
One major bone of contention is in the Telecom space, where many countries are definitely resisting company "H"
Company "H" has a checkered past in terms of business ethics and information privacy.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[sdk]

Let’s see how this works out. Also, wouldn’t this also penalise country’s other trade partners? For example think Schiit products - 100% made in US.

Either in this article or another one, the govt says that there is a demand by the customers to know origin and it should be displayed prominently so that they can make an informed choice. I think they are trying to make it like the veg and non veg logo

If 50 percent or more of the material is Indian then it is to be marked as Indian

 

[Hiten]

Chinese are smart - Correct. They are hardworking - Correct. Is that all ? No. The progress they have has not come with only these. They are single party rule with absolute power. Where they control everything. it makes things EASY. They can move small community and their homes to another far away place to make infrastructure with whichever way govt. wants. No one complains or has any power to complain. Compare it with us. A free country. Where even a single person can confront govt. Abuse them. make legal hurdle in the govt. process. Collect few hundred people and start agitation. Another scene. Do we have guts to export chemically adulterated baby food to other countries ? NO. But they do. .Can we make blatant copy of iPhone ? No. But they can. Can you imagine our little darlings Chintu, Pintu & Babli going to school for giving exams with IV drips in there little arms to pass exams ? NO. But chinese do. Our children have free will.(Woh maar khayenge par padhenge nahi ). We are corrupt nation. Agreed. Are they ? You will be surprised if you search from whatever little information trickles out of that CPC ruled state. There is also currency manipulation by them (to make products cheaper)(and they manipulate lots of bad black money through various small island channels) of which I am absolutely ignorant to understand. May be some financial expert can explain.

To India ko itna bhi mat koso. 'woh itane bhi achhe nahi hai...aur hum itane bhi bure nahi hai'

Also does this attitude help.. 'aare apna to aisa hi ch hai'...'apan sudharne wala nahi'...'there is no hope' ...????

Venting anger and frustration is part of life. So should we stop keyboarding ? sharing thoughts ? Give suggestions ? Doston ke saath share nahi karenge to kis ke saath share karenge ? Chinese se ?

Do our anger and thoughts die down with passing of time. Absolutely. We indians are always against odds. Because problems are aplenty and we are busy with life's daily little struggles. And No unity. Which we will need in coming months.

Do post some positive thoughts friends.

Regards.

 

[keith_correa]

Totally agreed about positive thoughts. Yes, we need positivity. A lot! More than a lot! Let's use positivity the way it is meant to be used. Negativity towards ANYONE [the Chinese included], will never get us anywhere. Like someone else said in another thread here - it is the government's job to form policy; let's not take up that role. If policy is formed, then we should [and will] adhere to it but most often than not the problem with us is that we have a misplaced sense of nationalism/patriotism/whatever[ism] and allow ourselves to be manipulated by that and more. And that is exactly what it is - manipulation! When the government cannot legally play a role they want, they take to different channels to manipulate people to play that role. We should be smart enough not to fall for that.

IMO, any consumers attitude should be very simple when buying anything:
Everything else being equal, do we have an Indian company giving us the same quality at the same or slightly [how much is slight? I leave that to the individual to set] more cost? If yes, I doubt anyone will not buy local. If no, and the consumer still buys local, I would use one word to describe them: Foolish!

 

[alphacentury100]

It is impossible to boycot Made in China products immediately, so what we can do is:
1. First we can reduce or avoid the purchase of Chinese brands like Mi, Vivi, Oppo, Oneplus etc. and instead purchase from indian brands or brands that belong to other countries without bothering about where they are manufactured from.
2. With time, after we have successfully boycotted chinese brands completely, we can then start avoiding made-in-china products.

Even the Indian government has asked the Ecommerce sites like Flipkart and Amazon to mention the origin of the goods they sell, which is an appreciable decision.
But as it is impossible to avoid the made in india goods immediately, we can start by boycotting the chinese brands first.
Just my opinion.

 

[Hari Iyer]

To explain how the supply chain works i will like to give my own example when i attempted building micro TL speakers 7 years ago. These speakers costed me around 6K for a pair and the list of suppliers were all Indian,

Drivers - Iwai, Vasai
Capacitors-CTR, Mumbai
Resistors-Raatronics, Mumbai
Inductors - wound using RR cables wires, Mumbai
PCB - locally sourced from a DIY guy at Thane
Wires- Polycab telephone wires for internal wiring
Terminals - MX
Screws - purchased from Lohar Chawl, Mumbai
Wood-locally purchased from Thane
Damping material - Recron, Reliance Industries
Solder - Alpha Alient, Chennai
Carpenter - local carpenter

As you can see 100% local Indian materials were used in manufacture of the speakers and for a small product like speakers the number of vendors that gets indirectly benefited. You can imagine how much the benefit will be for larger products.

PS: Moderators are free to delete this post if they find this as a marketing pitch.

 

[keith_correa]

Made in India - Products, Apps - Apps on Google Play

Best App to Find Indian Made Products, Apps, and Games #vocalforlocal

play.google.com

 

[Deleted member 15865]

So, those favouring/promoting the boycott - what are you going to do about the Made in China equipment (not just audio, but everything) that you already bought? Logically, you should be putting them up for sale on eBay etc for international buyers so that you help the country get some foreign exchange. Game? If not, and you don’t want to let go of those equipment that are serving you well and were a good bargain, then ...

 

[keith_correa]

<snip>As you can see 100% local Indian materials were used<snip>

Where do you see that? I don't. You're just looking at the last leg which is where you bought it from and are extrapolating the "local" strawman to the whole supply chain. Where do you think iWai sources a big chunk of their inputs from? Do you think Polycab does not import their raw material from China? Same with CTR and Raatronics. You just cannot escape the big "C".
If one goes by the reasoning of "the number of vendors that gets indirectly benefited" when you bought from a local vendor, I can give you a whole list of local vendors who benefit when one imports from China - I know the chain, because till before this pandemic struck I used to import a product from a US company who manufactured in China. Why did I import from China? There was no comparable product in the Indian market cost notwithstanding. Absolutely none! Then, last year the patriotic bug struck me (and greed too!) I tried seeing if I could manufacture that product in India. Spent a good 3 months trying EVERYTHING my (and my partners) little mind/s could think of. Approached tons of locals. In the end it was a total waste of time/energy. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest possible quality, the Chinese manufactured product was at 8, what I attempted locally, was at best a 3 or 4. Even at the 3 or 4 level, where did the raw material come from? China! Sad but true!

 

[Hiten]

Where do you think iWai sources a big chunk of their inputs from?

http://www.iwaispeakers.com/infra.php
Looks like 33 years old company I see klippel speaker measurement system in there. (Posted as seen. Dont Claim, suggest, favour anything)
Regards

 

[keith_correa]

http://www.iwaispeakers.com/infra.php
Looks like 33 years old company I see klippel speaker measurement system in there. (Posted as seen. Dont Claim, suggest, favour anything)
Regards

Yes, it's an old company.
Yes,they use Klippel and MLSSA.
I know of them for long. Even know some guys who work there.

because they can make bigger profits if they get it made in China than they can make, if it is made in their home country. It is true that 90 percent of the people who use apple phones would not have bought it if it was not made in China, because, if it was made in USA, the prices would be double or more.

Profits is one side. "Cheaper" results in affordability thus increasing customer base. Which in turn increases sales. Both sides win.

So every manufacturer is profit minded.

As they should be. That is why they are in business. Even charities are profit minded these days.

 

[blackscorpio]

Big names in audio like Quad, Mission, Polk etc etc have started their production in China, why? because they can make bigger profits if they get it made in China than they can make, if it is made in their home country. It is true that 90 percent of the people who use apple phones would not have bought it if it was not made in China, because, if it was made in USA, the prices would be double or more. So every manufacturer is profit minded. I am not sure about this, but I have heard even Reliance petroleum imports certain products, even though they can make it here, but will incur more manufacturing cost and would reduce their profit. Even though we produce rubber, some companies import it from Malaysia, because they get it cheaper there, thus destroying the home industry.
I would say manufacturers should stop thinking of just profits. They should also consider the nations growth. Its not going to be easy. Maybe it will take years to attain this. Our country has the resources. Just need to channel it the proper way. Then we can say goodbye to China.

And government should take constructive steps, rather than imposing/increasing import taxes to make stop importing, the govt should look at incentivizing local manufacturers so they can compete with imported prices.

 

[Deleted member 15865]

I would say manufacturers should stop thinking of just profits. They should also consider the nations growth.

Businessmen should (and will) working towards returns on investment and maximising their net worth and market capitalisation. That’s their dharma - I’d respect every businessman who does that while following the laws of the land.

It’s for governments to make it attractive for businesses to operate from their lands - through robust infrastructure, enabling and stable laws and policies, minimum bureaucratic interference and corruption, access to resources and so on. They also need to balance national interests, environmental protection and local sentiments while doing this. That is their dharma.

It’s when government gets into running business (except in initial stages of nation-building) or businessmen get into running/influencing governments that we have problems.

 

[Hiten]

I am not sure about this, but I have heard even Reliance petroleum imports certain products, even though they can make it here, but will incur more manufacturing cost and would reduce their profit. Even though we produce rubber, some companies import it from Malaysia, because they get it cheaper there, thus destroying the home industry.

Dear Preth,
This thread has good chances of turning in to dirty slime of politics. But I will wade through it wearing PPE kit.

Any Govt. policies are based on ....well politics of trade relations. The backflips and somersaults you see in Any party past present or future depends on what they want to do in national interest. Any company may be buying something just because govt. tells them to buy them from certain countries. Because of geopolitics they want good relations with that particular country which helps them doing international negotiations on various fronts. I remember decades ago USA banned Indian Silk Skirts claiming they easily catch fire. Then after sometime we are best buddies. in 70s we had bad relations with middle east now they are neutral or friends. Some middle east countries even vote for us. Just few months back Donaldbhai threatened us if we dont give HCQ to mein dekh lunga. Now we are BFF. Just two years back indian and chinese soldiers were doing joint military drills.
Now doing this inescapable silly topsy turvy dimag ka dahi things some other countries which was our best buddy gets disappointed and renegotiate trade deal with us. More backflips and somersaults. Manipulating peoples thoughts is probably the first chapter in "How to master dirty politics" book. And it is in curriculam of all parties. Some get distinction by cheating and some has more elegant way of getting merit.
As we move towards multipolar world more such things would happen. Dont bother too much about this. This happens to All the countries and all the time. And generally good amount of trade is non political. Just follow my advice in post #36. No compulsion though only if you feel like it.
Regards.
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Comrades please dont judge my inclination or affiliation by what I post.