Are our trucks now Chinese?

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Flatcap

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Excuse the frustration! Living in Scotland see's me having to order parts for my 92 WT from the States but increasingly see the "Made in China" mark on parts delivered:mad: Now I understand about economics etc (don't get me started on quality issues)but on a practical side, our vehicles are becoming more reliant on these cheaply made far eastern parts. So whether we like it or not, we end up using them but what happens as the worlds relationship with China continues to sour?
What if Chinese sanctions became an issue and where would it leave us all on parts availability on these old vehicles and would US companies step up and make these parts?
 

HotWheelsBurban

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Very valid points, and ones we on this side of the pond don't think of too often. It's good to have the perspective of other parts of the world; y'all see things we don't,or see them from a different point of reference at least.
Hopefully this scenario doesn't come true anytime soon.....that would not be good at all, to have these trucks because we can work on them, but not be able to get parts because they are coming from overseas.....
 

Pinger

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I suspect it isn't only our (older) trucks that are dependent on Chinese manufactured parts but much newer European and Japanese cars also.
For a while I've been aware that it's reliance on cheap (or cheaper than can be made in the West) parts that makes running my GMT400 viable. What will happen if that supply line is disrupted I have no idea. Worse that just losing parts for GMT400s would be an across the board shortage of car parts rendering many older (but much newer than GMT400s) obsolete and scrapped pushing sky-high the prices of the remaining viable stock of vehicles.

Apart form auto stuff, there is so much other (typically white) goods manufactured in China that the West would be bereft of anything to sell were that supply to be lost and/or the cost become prohibitive if home manufactured. I can only assume western governments are cosying up to other countries with low labour costs (eg India) to step into the void should it go **** up with China. But with China's refusal to condemn Putin's invasion of Ukraine and it and Russia's fingers in many global pies through Belt and Road initiatives for one and military/militia support for despots by the other, western countries could face hurdles in persuading some countries to become hosts to our at-arms-length factories. Until and unless Europe can find alternatives to Russian gas, it isn't even in a position to step up production of anything even if it wanted to. Interesting times!
 

618 Syndicate

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It's important to note that articles made in China cost so little because of labor costs. Production moved to cheaper sources of labor as soon as transportation costs dropped enough to make it a viable option. It's a function of capitalism. Movement from a production based economy to a service based economy has amplified consumption.
Basically what I'm saying is we did this to ourselves when we (the West) collectively allowed capital to dictate market terms without meaningful consideration of labor outcomes.
 

Stumpy

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The last administration had tariffs/incentives in place to promote US production, and it did in fact do that for the company I work for. It was great to see us producing more in house. But with the current admin, we slowly started going back to relying on China. I don't think we are using them to the extent we were, but probably just a matter of time.

Now with the economy in the crapper, people are lucky to get a 40 hour work week.
 

618 Syndicate

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The last administration had tariffs/incentives in place to promote US production, and it did in fact do that for the company I work for. It was great to see us producing more in house. But with the current admin, we slowly started going back to relying on China. I don't think we are using them to the extent we were, but probably just a matter of time.
The tarrifs and incentives were largely for show, the money had already been made. Neither political party, nor any elected officials in this country are interested in the fate of the working class, they just want us to believe they are.
 

Stumpy

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The tarrifs and incentives were largely for show, the money had already been made. Neither political party, nor any elected officials in this country are interested in the fate of the working class, they just want us to believe they are.
Show or not, it made a difference, that I'm only aware of, because the guy that handles that stuff told me so.

I agree on the politicians don't care about us though.
 

Stumpy

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What was the difference? Not arguing, genuinely interested.
He didn't go into details, just mentioned the tariffs, and it not making sense financially to use the China factories they were using before. It kicked off more in house production on items we could make. The few items we couldn't, they got from India.
 

WV_Dave

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Until the 16th amendment, the Feds had to rely mostly on tariffs.

That helped keep the manufacturing local and the Fed small.

Now we have neither.
 
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