Did you ever try to dig to China when you were a kid? I remember hearing, “why, if you keep digging, you’ll come out on the other side of the world!” It seemed possible back then. In actuality, China is much closer today than it was when we were digging as kids. China is not as far away as you may think.
Why Am I Talking About China?
Like many of you, I am raising kids, working, running a business. My days fly by. I do not sit in front of cable news or Twitter to try to stay on top of all the complex world news. I do, however, keep an eye on China and our trade policies with them. What China chooses to do can affect my business, both tangibly and intangibly. China’s top three import categories to the U.S. are Machinery & Electrical, Miscellaneous, and Textiles. These three categories alone are about 41% of China’s total imports to America. In the last decade, China has become a major supplier for key components like computer fans, hard drives, power supplies, monitors, cables, power cords, laptop parts, and network cards. There were supply chain delays in this last year after the pandemic became rampant.
The Trade Of “Things” Is Just One Part Of What China Is About Today
It is part of my business practice to know about my suppliers. My interest in China, though, has expanded beyond just computer parts. The geographic expanse of their country is 3.7 million square miles, and their population is around 3.44 billion people. In contrast, the physical size of the U.S. is 3.5 million square miles with 328 million people. China rescinded the 1-child-per-couple law a couple of years ago because their birth rate was dropping. Their government is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP.) This week they are having their annual “Two Sessions.” Legislators from all over the country go to Beijing to get a “state of the country” report and to agree to a 5-year plan for policies and growth. It is doubtful they will discuss publicly their long-range goal of total world domination.
I Watch What Is Happening In Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, And With the Uighurs
China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province, but the Taiwanese are established as their own Republic of China. It is separate from the Communist Peoples’ Republic of China on the mainland. China wants to control Hong Kong from Beijing. The people of Hong Kong want to keep their already separate system of government. Tibet is an independent state under illegal occupation by China. The Chinese are trying slowly and quietly to erase the history and culture of primarily Buddhist Tibet. The Uighurs are an ethnic group native to northwestern China and are mostly Muslim. Currently, there are over one million Uighurs being detained in Chinese-run detention and “rehabilitation” camps because of their ethnicity. There has been heavy international censure of the Chinese for basic human rights violations.
I Would Prefer To Only Buy From American Or American Allies’ Sources
The above explanations are certainly just rudimentary. There are millions of words published (daily) about each. I can’t get lost in the enormity of all the implications of a country of that size, with their resources, and their scheming government. What if there are thousands of others, in this country and abroad, who share my mindset on this issue? What if we could put our collective heads together and engineer a way to secure our supply chains? I like the notion of the US and our allies working in tandem to stand up to the schoolyard bully. I don’t think the issue of supply chains is one that America should shoulder alone. I think that would make us an easier target. If like-minded, liberty and freedom-loving individuals from the US and from other nations combined our strength, we could move ahead together working for fair global business and moral rights as well.
Aptica’s job is to ensure the efficiency and cyber safety of our managed IT clients whether they operate regionally or globally. If you have questions about the efficiency and cyber safety of your business IT systems, give us a call. We understand that to perform well regionally, we must understand things internationally. We know the “what is” but we must also think about the “what if?”
Jason Newburg, 260.243.5100, ext 2101, is the founder and owner of Aptica LLC. This IT management and support company has been serving small to medium-sized businesses for 19 years in the region that includes Angola, South Bend, and Fort Wayne, IN, Battle Creek, MI, and Toledo OH.