Made in China

Last updated
The label on a Supra STL-112 phone Made in PRC.jpg
The label on a Supra STL-112 phone

Made in China or Made in PRC is a country of origin label, often in English language, affixed to products wholly or partially made in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The label became prominent in the 1990s, when foreign companies based in the United States, Europe, and Asia moved their manufacturing operations to China due to China's low production costs of clothing, electronics, and other goods. [1] "Made in China" eventually became associated with cheap, exploitable labor, churning out numerous mass market products of low quality.

Contents

Goods "made in China", however, have been produced through supply chains that usually included multiple countries along the way. [2]

History

The label was first widely used during the Japanese occupation of China in the Second Sino-Japanese War, when Chinese civilians began to boycott Japanese-made products. At the time, China's economy lacked a framework for effective industrialization. As such, boycotting foreign-made products and buying domestic ones at that time became a way to put pressure on the Japanese economy under the so-called "national salvation effort". [3]

By the early 21st century, goods labeled "Made in China" were often only partially made in China, such as US-designed iPhone. [2] In 2015, China devised "Made in China 2025", the government’s ten-year plan to update national manufacturing base by rapid development of local high-tech industry. [3]

Quality and perception

According to long-term research published by European Central Bank in 2011, the quality of Chinese products exported to EU markets is high relative to other developing economies, even at low unit cost. [4] The study challenged the assumption that low-cost products from China are of low quality and suggested that the quality of Chinese products is similar to that of the most technologically advanced competitors and economies. [4] The study also indicated that Chinese products were an anomaly in the relationship between price and quality; while products from most countries became relatively expensive as the quality increased, Chinese products remained affordable despite the upgrading quality. [4]

According to a Pew Research Center survey in November 2023, the quality of Chinese technology products is seen as generally well-made, but worse than American products. Respondents from few countries, such as Israel and India, held particular negative views toward Chinese products. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Canada</span>

The economy of Canada is a highly developed mixed economy, with the world's tenth-largest economy as of 2023, and a nominal GDP of approximately US$2.117 trillion. Canada is one of the world's largest trading nations, with a highly globalized economy. In 2021, Canadian trade in goods and services reached $2.016 trillion. Canada's exports totalled over $637 billion, while its imported goods were worth over $631 billion, of which approximately $391 billion originated from the United States. In 2018, Canada had a trade deficit in goods of $22 billion and a trade deficit in services of $25 billion. The Toronto Stock Exchange is the tenth-largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization, listing over 1,500 companies with a combined market capitalization of over US$3 trillion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Indonesia</span>

The economy of Indonesia is a mixed economy with dirigiste characteristics, and it is one of the emerging market economies in the world and the largest in Southeast Asia. As an upper-middle income country and member of the G20, Indonesia is classified as a newly industrialized country. Estimated at over 21 quadrillion rupiah in 2023, it is the 16th largest economy in the world by nominal GDP and the 7th largest in terms of GDP (PPP). Indonesia's internet economy reached US$77 billion in 2022, and is expected to cross the US$130 billion mark by 2025. Indonesia depends on the domestic market and government budget spending and its ownership of state-owned enterprises. The administration of prices of a range of basic goods also plays a significant role in Indonesia's market economy. However, since the 1990s, the majority of the economy has been controlled by individual Indonesians and foreign companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protectionism</span> Economic policy of regulating trade between states through government regulations

Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulations. Proponents argue that protectionist policies shield the producers, businesses, and workers of the import-competing sector in the country from foreign competitors and raise government revenue. Opponents argue that protectionist policies reduce trade, and adversely affect consumers in general as well as the producers and workers in export sectors, both in the country implementing protectionist policies and in the countries against which the protections are implemented.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Export</span> Goods produced in one country that are sold to another country

An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is an exporter; the foreign buyers is an importer. Services that figure in international trade include financial, accounting and other professional services, tourism, education as well as intellectual property rights.

Offshoring is the relocation of a business process from one country to another—typically an operational process, such as manufacturing, or supporting processes, such as accounting. Usually this refers to a company business, although state governments may also employ offshoring. More recently, technical and administrative services have been offshored.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Non-tariff barriers to trade</span> Type of trade barriers

Non-tariff barriers to trade are trade barriers that restrict imports or exports of goods or services through mechanisms other than the simple imposition of tariffs. Such barriers are subject to controversy and debate, as they may comply with international rules on trade yet serve protectionist purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Made in USA</span> Phrase indicating that something was produced in the United States

A Made in USA mark is a country of origin label affixed to homegrown, American-made products that indicates the product is "all or virtually all" domestically produced, manufactured and assembled in the United States of America. The label is regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Country of origin</span> Country of manufacture, production, or growth

Country of origin (CO) represents the country or countries of manufacture, production, design, or brand origin where an article or product comes from. For multinational brands, CO may include multiple countries within the value-creation process.

In its economic relations, Japan is both a major trading nation and one of the largest international investors in the world. In many respects, international trade is the lifeblood of Japan's economy. Imports and exports totaling the equivalent of nearly US$1.309.2 Trillion in 2017, which meant that Japan was the world's fourth largest trading nation after China, the United States and Germany. Trade was once the primary form of Japan's international economic relationships, but in the 1980s its rapidly rising foreign investments added a new and increasingly important dimension, broadening the horizons of Japanese businesses and giving Japan new world prominence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign trade of the Soviet Union</span> Overview of foreign trade in the Soviet Union

Soviet foreign trade played only a minor role in the Soviet economy. In 1985, for example, exports and imports each accounted for only 4 percent of the Soviet gross national product. The Soviet Union maintained this low level because it could draw upon a large energy and raw material base, and because it historically had pursued a policy of self-sufficiency. Other foreign economic activity included economic aid programs, which primarily benefited the less developed Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) countries of Cuba, Mongolia, and Vietnam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Import</span> Good brought into a jurisdiction

An importer is the receiving country in an export from the sending country. Importation and exportation are the defining financial transactions of international trade. Import is part of the International Trade which involves buying and receiving of goods or services produced in another country. The seller of such goods and services is called an exporter, while the foreign buyer is known as an importer.

Global sourcing is the practice of sourcing from the global market for goods and services across geopolitical boundaries. Global sourcing often aims to exploit global efficiencies in the delivery of a product or service. These efficiencies include low cost skilled labor, low cost raw material, extreme international competition, new technology and other economic factors like tax breaks and low trade tariffs. Common examples of globally sourced products or services include labor-intensive manufactured products produced using low-cost Chinese labor, call centers staffed with low-cost English speaking workers in the Philippines, India and Pakistan, and IT work performed by low-cost programmers in India, Pakistan and Eastern Europe. While these are examples of low-cost country sourcing, global sourcing is not limited to low-cost countries.

Trade is a key factor of the economy of China. In the three decades following the dump of the Communist Chinese state in 1949, China's trade institutions at first developed into a partially modern but somewhat inefficient system. The drive to modernize the economy that began in 1978 required a sharp acceleration in commodity flows and greatly improved efficiency in economic transactions. In the ensuing years economic reforms were adopted by the government to develop a socialist market economy. This type of economy combined central planning with market mechanisms. The changes resulted in the decentralization and expansion of domestic and foreign trade institutions, as well as a greatly enlarged role for free market in the distribution of goods, and a prominent role for foreign trade and investment in economic development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of East Asia</span>

The economy of East Asia comprises 1.6 billion people living in six different countries and regions. The region includes several of the world's largest and most prosperous economies: Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, and Macau. It is home to some of the most economically dynamic places in the world, being the site of some of the world's most extended modern economic booms, including the Taiwan miracle (1950–present) in Taiwan, Miracle on the Han River (1974–present) in South Korea, Japanese economic miracle (1950–1990) and the Chinese economic miracle (1983–2010) in China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of China</span>

China has an upper middle income, developing, mixed, socialist market economy incorporating industrial policies and strategic five-year plans. It is the world's second largest economy by nominal GDP, behind the United States, and the world's largest economy since 2016 when measured by purchasing power parity (PPP). Due to a volatile currency exchange rate, China's GDP as measured in dollars fluctuates sharply. China accounted for 19% of the global economy in 2022 in PPP terms, and around 18% in nominal terms in 2022. Historically, China was one of the world's foremost economic powers for most of the two millennia from the 1st until the 19th century. The economy consists of public sector enterprises, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and mixed-ownership enterprises, as well as a large domestic private sector and openness to foreign businesses in their system. Private investment and exports are the main drivers of economic growth in China, but the Chinese government has also emphasized domestic consumption. Post-1978 economic reforms China's average GDP growth has been over 10% annually for over three decades. And in certain years, GDP growth even exceeded 13% annually. Though in recent years, their growth has significantly plummeted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States–China Relations Act of 2000</span>

The U.S.–China Relations Act of 2000 is an Act of the United States Congress that granted China permanent normal trade relations (NTR) status when China becomes a full member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), ending annual review and approval of NTR. It was signed into law on October 10, 2000, by United States President Bill Clinton. The Act also establishes a Congressional-Executive Commission to ensure that China complies with internationally recognized human rights laws, meets labor standards and allows religious freedom, and establishes a task force to prohibit the importation of Chinese products that were made in forced labor camps or prisons. The Act also includes so-called "anti-dumping" measures designed to prevent an influx of inexpensive Chinese goods into the United States that might hurt American industries making the same goods. It allows new duties and restrictions on Chinese imports that "threaten to cause market disruption to the U.S. producers of a like or directly competitive product."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manufacturing in the United States</span> Overview of the manufacturing industry of the United States of America

Manufacturing is a vital economic sector in the United States. The United States is the world's second-largest manufacturer after the People's Republic of China with a record high real output in 2021 of $2.5 trillion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Africa–China economic relations</span> Intercontinental economic ties

Economic relations between China and Africa, one part of more general Africa–China relations, began in the 7th century and continue through the present day. Currently, China seeks resources for its growing consumption, and African countries seek funds to develop their infrastructure.

The country-of-origin effect (COE), also known as the made-in image and the nationality bias, is a psychological effect describing how consumers' attitudes, perceptions and purchasing decisions are influenced by products' country of origin labeling, which may refer to where: a brand is based, a product is designed or manufactured, or other forms of value-creation aligned to a country. Since 1965, it has been extensively studied by researchers.

There have been campaigns advocating for a boycott of products made in China. Commonly cited reasons for boycotting China include the alleged low quality of products, human rights issues, territorial conflicts involving China, support for separatist movements within China, and objection to more specific matters relating to China, including the government's mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

  1. David Barboza (8 February 2006). "'Made in China' labels don't tell whole story". The New York Times . Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  2. 1 2 Elizabeth O’Brien Ingleson (2024). Made in China: When US-China Interests Converged to Transform Global Trade. Harvard University Press. p. 266. ISBN   978-0674251830.
  3. 1 2 Amy Wang (20 December 2018). "Made in China: Past and Present". Business Today . Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 Pula, Gabor; Santabárbara, Daniel. "Is China climbing up the quality ladder? Estimating cross country differences in product quality using Eurostat's COMEXT trade database" (PDF). Structural Change and Economic Dynamics. 45. European Central Bank: 9-29.
  5. Silver, Laura (6 November 2023). "Comparing Views of the U.S. and China in 24 Countries". Pew Research Center.

See also