Too many U.S. firms don’t take care of their own
Chinese companies peddle masks, masks and more masks
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Masks, masks and more masks.
They are among the greatest needs right now .. right behind test kits for the coronavirus.
Yet, the United States is not able to provide all or even most of its citizens with masks.
Most are made overseas.
That's why we here at the Williamsport Sun-Gazette -- and perhaps at most businesses -- are being flooded with emails from China asking if we need to buy masks.
They go like this:
Hola there,
I have great news for you. Our Covid-19 protection masks have been stocked in our US warehouse and ready to ship out tomorrow.
Almost 72% of our masks already pre-ordered, we only have limited stock left before the next batch comes in which is next month!
The price is already reduced by 30% to support our customers so if you want to get some in case you need to go outside, you have your gear to protect yourself than please get it now before it's out stock.
Be safe and happy shopping,
Nancy from PaKuBon.com (with a gmail account)
The email isn't even addressed to any newspaper account. It's some weird, probably untraceable address.
Then there are emails peddling masks from China that come from "Judy."
Here's another:
Dear Friend, How are you? Now COVID-19 is effecting the world, the best way is stay at home with your family, if you must go out, please wear masks and wash your hand after coming back. The COVID-19 caused so many people lived in hospital and some died, all the world are short of masks/disposable gloves/safety goggles/protective clothing/stretcher/First Aid kit/Face Shield/Forehead thermometer/Hand sanitizer. We are China Supply Chain of epidemic prevention materials, we can provide all these products. If you want to help your country or sell this kind of products, please contact me urgently, we can help you. Now time is life and money, unit price and delivery cost is increasing every day, if you can make decision in 3 days, we can ensure you can get goods in 7 days. Hope we can cooperate soon! Thanks and best regards Joy Zhong Sales Manager ShenZhen XinHaiWan Technology Co., LTD Cell#/Whats app/Wechat: 0086-13925295320 Tel.: 0086-28228900 Fax.: 0086-84508848
We get about 8 to 10 of these every day.
EVERY DAY.
America was caught completely off-guard in this pandemic.
The nation's private and public corporations have built a reputation and very, very profitable business models of producing their goods overseas because of cheaper labor.
Loyalty -- and to some extent, quality -- be damned.
Consumers have happily participated, buying goods from China like there's no tomorrow.
Peter Navarro, a trade advisor to the president, said in an in-your-face interview on 60 Minutes last Sunday that the medical equipment shortages some areas of the United States are facing amid the coronavirus pandemic are a direct result of the "globalization of production."
Navarro, a big critic of China, asserted that the "biggest lesson" of U.S. medical supply shortages is that crucial equipment shouldn't be manufactured overseas.
"Make this stuff here," he said. "We wouldn't be having this problem if we had the domestic production of essential medicines, medical supplies like masks and medical equipment like ventilators."
"If we made it here, we wouldn't be faced with this. That was the original sin," he added.
Asked how the U.S. could be in a position in which hospitals run out of masks, gowns and gloves for nurses, Navarro pointed to globalization and the reliance on production in China.
"It's the globalization of production through multinational corporations, who salute no flag, who love cheap sweatshop labor, and who love the massive subsidies that the Chinese government throws at production to bring it from here to there," he said.
AMEN.