An Analysis of the Controversy over the Made in China's Olympic Games

Recently, due to the United States' Olympic uniforms being made "made in China," it has caused dissatisfaction among politicians and the US manufacturing industry. John Boehner, president of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Nancy Pelosi, leader of the minority group, expressed their disquiet; New York’s two Democrats sent letters to the U.S. Olympic Committee requesting all future U.S. The Olympic uniforms should be “made in the United States” and claim to bring in US$1 billion in U.S. economy revenue; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid even threatened to “burn” the U.S.-made American Olympic uniforms. The politicians in the United States have expressed their positions in this particular political and economic context.

First, political speculation in the election year. Both party presidential candidates are fiercely arguing about "work outsourcing". This politician has used this topic to refute "Made in China" and win manufacturing votes.

The second is the media. After the release of the U.S. Olympic uniforms on Tuesday, mainstream media such as the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the New York Times all reported extensively on the issue of "Olympic Uniforms Made in China."

Third, the poor economic situation in the United States has contributed to the momentum of trade protection in the United States. At present, the manufacturing industry in the United States is picking up sluggishly, unemployment is stubbornly high, the trade deficit is as high as US$63.5 billion, and the trade deficit with China is further extended to US$26 billion, which further raises the protectionism within US trade.

Fourth, outdated statistics have caused the American people not to understand **. Due to misleading politicians and the media, the American people still think that Chinese goods have occupied most of the domestic market. In fact, according to the US Department of Commerce, the US’ GDP in 2010 was US$14.6 trillion, of which consumption accounted for about 70%; and in 2010, US imports from China totaled US$36,490 million, which accounted for only 2.49 percent of US GDP. . According to statistics from the San Francisco Fed, Chinese manufactured products and services accounted for only 2.7% of the US consumer market in 2010, and US-made products and services accounted for 81.9% of the domestic market; and for every dollar spent on “Made in China” products. There are 55 cents to US companies. As far as the apparel sector is concerned, "Made in China" only occupies the middle and low-end areas; the mid-to-high end areas are basically American-made products or European-imported products. Even in the low-end market, China’s share has gradually shifted to Vietnam, Indonesia and other countries. According to the statistics of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the proportion of U.S. imports of clothing from China has been declining year by year, and the unit price has increased year by year; the share of products from Southeast Asia and Central America is increasing. Other products such as furniture, China accounted for 20%, but the United States made furniture accounted for 59.6%; Chinese-made tires accounted for 1.2% of the US market, the United States of America tires accounted for 74.9%.