It is virtually impossible to avoid buying goods in UK shops that are made in China. From bed linen to dog chews, the shops are full of Chinese-made goods. Whenever I can, I try to buy alternative products, but of course that comes with a cost. The goods with a ‘Made in China’ label are always cheaper.
Electric vehicles made in China
The European Commission has decided on Wednesday to impose a higher-than-expected duty of up to 38.1% on Chinese electric vehicles. This will take formal effect from 5 July, and will make vehicles run by batteries more expensive. This decision has been controversial at a time when climate action has been promised to phase out diesel and petrol-driven vehicles by making electric vehicles affordable. However, the European trading bloc has to protect its own car industry and counteract the Chinese state-subsidised production of vital batteries.
According to Politico, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told leaders at the G7 summit in Italy:
“Our objective is to engage China and get Beijing to course-correct and address the problems at their root.”
The EU is aware that China will not be able or willing to immediately overhaul its system of subsidies. What the EU hopes to achieve is productive dialogue on how EU–China trade should work in the future. There is a huge deficit between the two sides, with China generating around 17% of global GDP but accounting for a third of total manufacturing production. The EU wants China to work on driving consumption rather than industry for its growth.
Politico reports that:
“Von der Leyen on Friday drove home the point that she has made repeatedly to Xi about industrial overcapacity: China can only dispose of that through aggressive export promotion, she said. Or, as she put it to G7 leaders: ‘Our objective has to be create leverage to get China to engage. Without such leverage, China simply ignores our demands for a level playing field’.”
Chinese battery factory in Hungary
In my article on Chinese links to right-wing governments in Europe, I described how Serbia and Hungary have signed new trade agreements. One of the Hungarian contracts is about producing batteries in Hungary. I cannot imagine that the staff there will be predominantly Hungarian. I saw in Africa that when China built large projects, they brought their own workers, thus not benefitting the poor local population with employment opportunities.
Fashion made in China
Freedom United, a global community fighting modern slavery, child labour and human rights violations, calls on people to be discerning when buying clothing. Fashion, especially cotton, made in China is tainted by slave labour:
“People belonging to ethnic, cultural, and religious groups in northwestern China, including Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and Hui, are currently the target of the largest organized detention of an ethno-religious minority the world has seen since World War II. Since 2017, over one million have been detained.”
According to Freedom United, countless Western companies are profiting from a system of forced labour in their supply chains. Over 20% of the global cotton and 84% of China’s own cotton supply is grown in the Uyghur Region.
Freedom United reports that companies buying uniforms for their staff, and even organisations usually considered to be based on pure ethics, seem to choose tainted goods for financial reasons:
“The official sportswear uniform supplier of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Anta Sports, is among many apparel companies around the world that source cotton from the Uyghur Region. In March 2021, Anta Sports defiantly declared: “We have always bought and used cotton produced in China, including Xinjiang cotton, and in the future we will continue to do so.”
When I checked labels in major UK supermarkets selling bed linen, I was stunned by how many were made in China. Of course, they were a lot cheaper than Egyptian, Portuguese or Turkish cotton.
Other international companies buying tainted goods
The list of companies that Freedom United believes are buying goods made in China in forced labour camps does not just include clothing companies like Nike, Uniqlo and Zara.
Solar panel production, so vital for climate action, is also said to rely on Chinese supplies. As the owner of an iPhone, I am upset to read in a New York Times report from November 2020 that disclosure forms showed that Apple paid lobbyists $90,000 to “educate policymakers” in an effort to soften the language of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which is currently before the U.S. Senate.
It seems that I have been too naive in trusting the EU to ban goods produced unethically.
Pet treats made in China
I had another unpleasant surprise in the local pet shop. My two dogs adore treats that they can chew for a long time. Their favourite used to be rawhide sticks, which kept them busy chewing and carrying them around (sometimes digging them into the garden under a bush). But when I looked at the label on the packet of sticks and saw that they were made in China, I refused to buy them.
I had just signed several petitions demanding the end of the yearly dog and cat meat festival in China. Dogs and cats are stolen and squeezed into cages, then often tortured, as that is supposed to make their flesh taste better, and then thrown into boiling water. Videos I found hard to watch showed horrific scenes. Often this happens in front of the other animals. China, Korea (both North and South), Thailand and Vietnam are all known to have such practices. Buying animal products from these countries risks supporting unsavoury practices.
As a vegetarian dog lover, I now check where the food products I buy for my dogs are made. Of course, sadly, I cannot guarantee that none of the ingredients used are from countries with good animal welfare standards. ‘Made in Britain’ often just means that the ingredients were mixed together in this country. Especially since Brexit, labelling of goods has become less reliable.
Tough choices
With the current cost-of-living crisis, when people are struggling, it is natural that people try to buy cheaper goods they can afford. I buy most of my clothes, if I need something new, in charity shops. But even there, I check the label. This is not just to save money, but being aware how much vital water is used in the textile industry, I believe recycling is a good option.
People have to make tough decisions in their buying practices. Often, financial situations don’t allow them to purchase ethically. I must admit that despite my best intentions, I have to compromise my ideology.
For example, when it comes to buying a motorhome, since my circumstances mean I cannot rely solely on public transport to get around, I am in a quandary. I would like to buy a vehicle that causes the least possible pollution. However, the campervans and motorhomes that I can afford are all diesel vehicles. Plus, their electricity is supplied by lithium batteries, most probably made in China. I sadly have to compromise and buy a van made after 2017, as the newer diesel engines since then are Euro 6 and ULEZ compliant. But I cannot avoid the use of batteries, and thus support the industry of a country where human rights and democracy are foreign concepts.
