Why should Americans care about the issues inside Chinese factories halfway around the world?
China’s rapid rise has consequences for everyone, not least of which the people who used to make what China now produces at lower cost. It was my interest in this very issue that prompted me to write The China Price. This is a country that is inspiring great trepidation among Americans, I wanted to get inside the factories that were setting off these waves of fear. Of course, we don’t have to care. But it’s now impossible to ignore the issues inside Chinese factories: the product safety scandals, the job losses, and the price rises from Chinese factories aren’t affecting only Wall Street but Main Street as well. When these issues come up, it’s important to understand the system that produced them. At the same time, as our awareness to climate change and other environmental issues deepens, China will loom larger in our minds. Any consumer who claims to care about the environment should consider the consequences of their buying choices. We have to consider the irony of driving our Prius
