Jump to content

Boycotts of Chinese products

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There have been campaigns advocating for a boycott of products made in China. Commonly cited reasons for boycotting China include the alleged low quality of products, human rights issues, territorial conflicts involving China, support for separatist movements within China, and objection to more specific matters relating to China, including the government's mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There have been calls for a boycott of goods made in China in countries such as India, the Philippines, and Vietnam, as well as separatist movements in China itself. A full boycott of products made in China is considered to be difficult to achieve, as the country manufactures a large number of goods that are widely sold and used across the world, and also holds stakes in various non-Chinese companies.[1][2]

Causes

[edit]

China is the second largest country in the world by population, and the third largest by territory, sharing long borders with 14 other nations.[3] Border conflicts and disputes have occurred many times between China and their neighbours during its history.[4]

In 1949, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) won the Chinese Civil War, gaining control of mainland China.[5] Since the 1980s, with the "reform and opening up", Chinese leaders have made economic development one of their first priorities.[6] Chinese businesses often produce goods tailored to market expectations; therefore, Chinese products generally may lack quality[7] when consumers prefer to pay a low price.

Many companies and businesses also lack capital, industry expertise, and marketing power, leading to their manufacturing of counterfeit products. Many companies produce such goods to piggyback on the popularity of legitimate companies such as Apple, Hyatt and Starbucks[8][9] are copied. However, by looking at the situation in the context of history, it is often argued that this is simply a normal transition in manufacturing, and that a phase of low quality and counterfeit manufacturing is not unique to China alone, as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan have undergone very similar economic phases.[10][11] Keeping the aforementioned information in mind, with high quality goods being delivered from Chinese firms such as Huawei and Lenovo in recent years, it can be observed that the state of Chinese manufacturing quality is ostensibly trending upward in limited sectors.[7][12]

The 2008 Chinese milk scandal was considered a signal of poor food safety, affecting thousands of people, and as a result, many Chinese parents do not trust Chinese milk products.[13] In recent years, however, the Chinese government has taken many actions in order to prevent sales of substandard food.[14]

Technology produced by Chinese companies has also been a subject of scrutiny, especially by the United States; for example, in 2018, Donald Trump, the President of the United States, signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 into law, containing a provision that banned Huawei and ZTE equipment from being used by the U.S. federal government, citing security concerns.[15][16][17]

Some organisations have used the COVID-19 pandemic as part of campaigns against China; for example, the Vishva Hindu Parishad in India has called for a boycott of China in retaliation for China's allegedly being directly responsible for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus strain and the subsequent COVID-19 pandemic.[18]

Boycott by country

[edit]

Australia

[edit]

Amid escalating trade tensions between Australia and China during the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey conducted by YouGov reported that 88% of Australians support relying less on Chinese imports and produce more essential products locally.[19] In December 2020, politician Pauline Hanson called for a boycott of Chinese products and stated that China was putting its "tentacles around the world".[20][21] There were calls to boycott 41 vineyards in Australia that were owned by Chinese companies,[22] as well as Australian companies in which Chinese held stakes.[23] These calls reportedly "triggered online abuse" against employees of such companies, and resulted in orders and bookings getting canceled.[24]

In 2019, Australian companies Target and Cotton On Group stopped importing cotton sourced from the Chinese province of Xinjiang after reports of human rights abuse in forced labor camps came to light.[25]

India

[edit]

India and the Parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration have called for a joint campaign to boycott Chinese goods in response to border intrusion incidents perpetrated by China.[26][27] Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh sarsanghchalak (chief) Mohan Bhagwat stated "We speak about self-dependence and standing up to China. The new government seems to be standing up to it. But where will the government draw strength from if we don't stop buying things from China?"[28]

In 2016, China blocked the entry of India to the NSG. Besides this, China is viewed as a major roadblock by Indians towards its permanent seat in the UNSC, with China having used its veto power repeatedly to keep India out of the UNSC's permanent seats while the US, UK, France and Russia support India's entry.[29] Meanwhile, China has large amount of investments in Pakistan and provides support for Pakistan in many international organizations, although countries including India and the USA allege Pakistan is a state sponsor of terrorism. During the conflict between the India and Pakistan in August–September 2016 after the Uri attack, Chinese support towards Pakistan led to a campaign to boycott Chinese products in India.[30] As a consequence, sales of Chinese products dipped by about 40 percent in the period immediately after the boycott call.[31][32]

In May 2020, in response to the 2020 China–India skirmishes, Indian engineer, educator and innovator Sonam Wangchuk appealed to Indians to "use your wallet power" and boycott Chinese products. He called for India to "stop using Chinese software in a week and hardware in a year".[33] This appeal was covered by major media houses and supported by various celebrities.[34][35] Soon after, the Indian government banned 59 apps that were linked to China "to counter the threat posed by these applications to the country's sovereignty and security", including TikTok, WeChat, Helo and UC Browser.[36] Less than a month later, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of the Government of India banned 47 more Chinese-origin apps and started investigating 250 more for user privacy violations.[37] The Board of Control for Cricket in India suspended the Indian Premier League title sponsorship deal with Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo for one year, after India's border standoff with China.[38][39]

In spite of various campaigns by notable individuals and organisations, many Chinese companies still have influence over various markets, especially relating to consumer technology and software. For example, as in June 2020, Xiaomi, Oppo, Realme, OnePlus and Vivo accounted for approximately 2 in 3 smartphone sales in India.[40] On the other hand, Samsung and Nokia, both companies that once led the market, together accounted for about a third of smartphone sales.[41] In spite of the campaigns, retailers have stated that the growing rhetoric is unlikely to sway consumer behaviour, especially due to alleged "value for money" in Chinese products, especially smartphones.[42]

Chinese companies also hold minority stakes in several Indian tech companies; 18 out of 30 of India's billion-dollar startups in 2020 had raised funds from Chinese investors. Major Chinese investment firms like Alibaba Group and Tencent hold minority stakes in Indian startup companies like Byju's, Zomato, Ola Cabs and Flipkart. In spite of the Indian government recording the origin of foreign direct investment, many Chinese companies exploit loopholes by routing the investments through their non-Chinese subsidiaries; for example, Alibaba's investment in Paytm was by Alibaba Singapore Holdings Pvt. Ltd. Hence, these investments don't get recorded in India's government data as Chinese investments.[2]

In view of these circumstances, various other issues have been pointed out. For example, B Thiagrajan, managing director of Blue Star Limited, an Indian manufacturer of air conditioners, air purifiers and water coolers said "We are not worried about finished goods. But most players across the globe import key components such as compressors from China," and added that it would take a long time to set up local supply chains, and that there were few alternatives for certain kinds of imports. Besides, boycotting popular Chinese apps such as TikTok has been suggested as a more effective alternative to boycotting physical goods in terms of value added because there are multiple alternatives.[43]

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh associated traders' organisation,[44] declared in June 2020 that it will boycott 450 broad categories of commodities, which include 3,000 Chinese products.[45]

Philippines

[edit]

Many nationwide campaigns were held by different groups to boycott Chinese products.[46] Albay Gov. Joey Salceda supported Filipinos to boycott Chinese products over the Spratly Islands dispute which was the Scarborough Shoal standoff in 2012.[47][48]

United Kingdom

[edit]

In May 2020, leader of the Brexit Party, Nigel Farage declared that it was "Time to stop buying all Chinese goods" and claimed that the Chinese "intend to be a bullying master of countries that have become too dependent on them."[49] A group of lawyers and activists submitted a 60-page document urging the UK government to ban the import of all cotton from Xinjiang over concerns of "forced labour regime" in the province.[50] A MailOnline survey conducted in June 2020 revealed that 49% of British citizens would boycott "at least some Chinese products", while two-thirds voted in favour of increasing tariffs on Chinese imports.[51]

Italy

[edit]

On 10 May 2021, after a reportage from an investigative program called "Report" on RAI 3, there was a boycott of Chinese-made products. The report claimed that thousands of Chinese-made surveillance cameras from the company Hikvision were installed in hundreds of prosecutor buildings, ministries and companies all over the country, raising concerns about Hikvision's connection with the PLA (the Chinese army). The cameras were able to talk to each other, save data and send data overseas to China when a connection was available, after further investigations the cameras were found in major airports.[52] Dislike for China has been rising in Italy in 2021.

United States

[edit]

In the United States, charges related to human rights violations (including forced labor camps), unequal treatment of women, conflicts with Hong Kong and Taiwan, and persecution of the religious in China have sparked calls for economic boycotts of the country over the years.[53][54]

In 2019, the Federal Communications Commission placed China-based telecommunication equipment companies Huawei and ZTE on blacklist citing national security risks.[55] Chinese state-owned network provider China Mobile was banned from operating in the US in 2019 while a license removal was proposed for China Telecom in 2020 due to similar concerns.[56]

According to a survey conducted in Washington in May 2020, 40% of respondents stated that they would not buy products made in China.[57] On an interview during the COVID-19 pandemic, Florida senator Rick Scott claimed that "the American public is going to stop doing business with China" and that they "are now totally fed up with China", accusing China of having "clearly killed Americans with their actions", referring to China's handling of the pandemic. He also said, "No one should ever buy anything from Chinese communist. We should never forget it is communist China, run by the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi."[58]

Vietnam

[edit]
Anti-China protests in Hanoi over the Haiyang Shiyou 981 standoff.

In 2011–12, when China was increasingly aggressive in the South China Sea, many calls appeared on the Internet to boycott Chinese products. According to a reporter of Radio Free Asia, there are two main reasons that Vietnamese used to boycott Chinese products: low quality and the assertive actions of China in the disputed areas in the South China Sea. However, the public was less attentive to these calls while the Vietnamese government seemed not to want this problem might affect their relationship with China.[59]

In 2014, when the tensions about the disputed areas in the South China Sea with China once again happened, especially the case of the Haiyang Shiyou 981 standoff, have triggered some boycott movements in this country.[60] The usage of Made-in-Vietnam goods is an incentive method to show the patriotism over South China Sea conflicts. Vietnamese people have called for a boycott alleging low quality and lack of safety in Chinese products.[61][62] An advertising campaign was used to promote patriotism with the slogan: "Vietnamese People Give Priority to Vietnamese Goods" (Vietnamese: Người Việt Nam ưu tiên dùng hàng Việt Nam).[60]

Tibetan Government-in-exile

[edit]

In 2014, Professor Thubten Jigme Norbu, brother of the 14th Dalai Lama, had called for a campaign to boycott Chinese products for seeking Tibet independence.[63][64][65] He said: "I am confident that the campaign to boycott Made-in-China products will gain the support of freedom loving people around the world, and will eventually succeed in forcing China to respect the rights of its own people and acknowledge Tibetan independence. ... I call on all Tibetans and friends to join with us in the pure and sacred struggle to free our country."[66]

In 2020, exiled members of the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) organized a movement to boycott Chinese products in McLeodganj, Dharamsala to promote awareness about the expansionist policies of China.[67][68]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Netizens clamour for boycott of 'Made in China' products". The Times of India. 5 May 2013. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "What's Chinese, what's not? Is boycott pragmatic?". India Today. June 1, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  3. ^ "The World Factbook". Archived from the original on February 13, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  4. ^ Xiaobing Li (2012). China at War: An Encyclopedia. Publisher ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1598844156. Preface XV.
  5. ^ Mikhail Iosifovich Sladkovskiĭ (1966). History of Economic Relations Between Russia and China. Publisher Transaction Publishers. ISBN 1412825199. Page 236.
  6. ^ "China, Japan can help by helping themselves". 11 November 2008. Archived from the original on December 1, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  7. ^ a b Pula, Gabor& Santabárbara, Daniel (March 2011). Is China climbing up the quality ladder? Estimating cross country differences in product quality using Eurostat's COMEXT trade database European Central Bank. Archived 2019-11-12 at the Wayback Machine. WORKING PAPER SERIES.
  8. ^ Branigan, Tania (17 October 2012). "China's fake Apple shops point to impatience for the newest products". the Guardian. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  9. ^ Michael Zakkour (April 30, 2014). "Copycat China Still A Problem For Brands & China's Future: Just Ask Apple, Hyatt & Starbucks". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  10. ^ Rita Reif (October 9, 1994). "'Made in Japan' (Without the Inferiority Complex)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 11, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  11. ^ Levy, Sidney; Rook, Dennis (1999). Brands, Consumers, Symbols and Research: Sidney J Levy on Marketing. p. 167. ISBN 0761916970.
  12. ^ Kim Bhasin (June 12, 2013). "'Made In China' Evolves As Chinese Manufacturers Fight To Shed Poor Reputation". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  13. ^ Why it's Still So Hard to Find Safe Baby Formula Archived 2014-10-28 at the Wayback Machine By Qi Yue (启越) The Economic Observer Online 2013-06-13 17:44
  14. ^ Lin Fu (May 13, 2016). "What China's new food safety law might mean for consumers and businesses". Brookings Institution. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  15. ^ Kharpal, Arjun (2019-03-05). "Huawei says it would never hand data to China's government. Experts say it wouldn't have a choice". CNBC. Archived from the original on 2019-05-29. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  16. ^ Lee, Timothy B. (2018-08-14). "New law bans US gov't from buying tech from Chinese giants ZTE and Huawei". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 2019-05-31. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  17. ^ Doffman, Zak. "China Just Crossed A Dangerous New Line For Huawei: 'There Will Be Consequences'". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2019-12-19. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  18. ^ Pandey, Neelam (2020-06-18). "VHP and its youth wings to begin 'boycott China' campaign, 'expose' its hand in Covid outbreak". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
  19. ^ "Made in Australia: Calls to ditch Chinese imports". 7NEWS.com.au. 4 June 2020. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  20. ^ "Australian boycott of Chinese goods would leave us exposed and have little impact on them". News.com.au. 1 December 2020. Archived from the original on 1 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  21. ^ "China is 'putting its tentacles' around the world: Pauline Hanson". Sky News Australia. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  22. ^ "Aussies urged to boycott 41 Chinese-owned vineyards". news.com.au. 9 December 2020. Archived from the original on 31 December 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  23. ^ "Calls to boycott all Chinese-owned companies in Australia grow". news.com.au. 10 December 2020. Archived from the original on 1 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  24. ^ "List of Australian businesses with Chinese links leads to 'unfair' abuse at home as trade war rages". www.abc.net.au. 15 December 2020. Archived from the original on 5 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  25. ^ "Cotton On and Target stop buying cotton from Xinjiang over human rights concerns". www.abc.net.au. 16 October 2019. Archived from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  26. ^ "Indo". The Times of India. 23 September 2013. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  27. ^ "Boycott Chinese products, says prominent cleric in Eid sermon". Zee News. 6 October 2014. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  28. ^ "Boycott Chinese goods, says RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in DD telecast : India, News". Archived from the original on 2020-06-08. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  29. ^ "Major differences among UN members over India's permanent membership in UNSC: China". The Economic Times. 16 January 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-07-10. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
  30. ^ "'Boycott Chinese items' campaign gains momentum as China sides with Pakistan on JeM terrorist Masood Azhar". The Financial Express. 2016-10-03. Archived from the original on 2020-06-17. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  31. ^ "After boycott call, Chinese goods sale dips up to 40 per cent". The Economic Times. 2016-10-22. Archived from the original on 2020-07-10. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  32. ^ Agal, Renu (2020-06-04). "Sonam Wangchuk is right. Time for India to hurt Chinese wallet and go Swadeshi". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  33. ^ Ganai, Naseer (30 May 2020). "Magsaysay Awardee Sonam Wangchuk Calls For 'Boycott Made In China'". Outlook India. Archived from the original on 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  34. ^ Ganai, Naseer. "Magsaysay Awardee Sonam Wangchuk Calls For 'Boycott Made In China'". www.outlookindia.com/. Archived from the original on 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
  35. ^ "'Boycott Chinese products': Milind Soman quits TikTok after 3 Idiots' inspiration Sonam Wangchuk's call". hindustantimes.com. 31 May 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-05-31. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
  36. ^ "India bans 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, WeChat, Helo". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 2020-07-16. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  37. ^ Shrivastava, Rahul; Sandhu, Kamaljit Kaur (July 27, 2020). "India bans 47 Chinese apps; over 250 more under scanner for user privacy violation". India Today. Archived from the original on 2020-07-27. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  38. ^ "India-China Tension: BCCI Suspends IPL Sponsorship Deal With Vivo for 1 Year". The Wire. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  39. ^ "BCCI suspends IPL 2020 title sponsorship deal with Vivo as India-China tensions remain high". ThePrint. 6 August 2020. Archived from the original on 4 October 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  40. ^ "India Smartphone Market Share: By Quarter". Counterpoint Research. 2020-09-09. Archived from the original on 2020-09-16. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  41. ^ "Nokia: The revenant". fortuneindia.com. Archived from the original on 2020-06-04. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
  42. ^ Sengupta, Devina; Peermohamed, Alnoor (2020-06-03). "Social media rhetoric against Chinese goods may be a nonstarter". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 2020-06-04. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  43. ^ Inamdar, Nikhil (2020-06-25). "Can India afford to boycott Chinese products?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2020-06-26. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  44. ^ Ramaseshan, Radhika (2021-09-05). "Why Infosys is latest RSS target". Business Standard. Archived from the original on 2021-12-08. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  45. ^ Neelam, Pandey (18 June 2020). "Traders' body calls for boycott of 3,000 Chinese products over 'continued' border clashes". The Print. Archived from the original on 18 June 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  46. ^ News Desk in Washington/Philippine Daily Inquirer. "Filipino, Vietnamese Americans call for boycott of 'Made in China' products". Yahoo News Philippines. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  47. ^ "Philippine governor calls for boycott of 'Made in China' products". AsiaOne, Philippine Daily Inquirer. June 13, 2011. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  48. ^ "Albay gov renews call for boycott of China products". Philippine Daily Inquirer. May 17, 2012. Archived from the original on November 4, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  49. ^ O'Callaghan, Laura (19 May 2020). "Farage calls for boycott of Chinese goods over 'bullying' tactics on coronavirus inquiry". Express.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 June 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  50. ^ "UK government urged to ban import of Chinese cotton 'made using Uighur forced labour'". The Independent. 23 April 2020. Archived from the original on 18 June 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  51. ^ Bickerton, James (6 June 2020). "Half of Britons boycotting Chinese goods as anger over coronavirus mounts". Express.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 June 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  52. ^ "Come sono finite mille telecamere della cinese Hikvision nelle procure di tutta Italia". Wired Italia (in Italian). 2021-04-07. Archived from the original on 2022-01-20. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
  53. ^ "Boycotting China is not that easy". Spectator USA. 20 May 2020. Archived from the original on 17 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  54. ^ "New US bill could ban imported Chinese goods from Xinjiang amid forced labor concerns". CNN. Archived from the original on 16 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  55. ^ "Huawei, ZTE Fight to Stay Off Blacklist, as U.S. Firms Fear Ban". www.bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 2020-06-17. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  56. ^ "Trump administration moves against Chinese telecom firms citing national security". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  57. ^ "Americans Are Giving Made-in-China the Cold Shoulder". www.bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 2020-06-16. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  58. ^ "Americans Want to Boycott Chinese Goods and Companies Like Amazon Should Help Them, Senator Rick Scott Says". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 16 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  59. ^ Le Hong Hiep (2016). Living Next to the Giant: The Political Economy of Vietnam's Relations with China under Doi Moi. ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. Page 112.
  60. ^ a b "Vietnamese Boycott Chinese Products". Voice of America. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  61. ^ "Vietnamese Businesses Urge Boycott on Low-End Chinese Products". VOA. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  62. ^ "Tẩy chay hàng Trung Quốc: "Cơ hội cho hàng Việt Nam vươn lên chiếm lĩnh thị trường"". Phapluatvn.vn. 13 May 2014. Archived from the original on July 11, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  63. ^ "Boycott Made in China : SFT Canada – Students for a Free Tibet Canada". Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  64. ^ "Shops in India join Chinese goods boycott campaign". Archived from the original on December 1, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  65. ^ "Tibetans campaign for boycott of Chinese goods during Kalachakra prayers". Phayul.com, Associated Press. January 14, 2003. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  66. ^ Barry Sautman, June Teufel Dreyer (2006). Contemporary Tibet: Politics, Development, and Society in a Disputed Region. Publisher M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 0765613549. Page 72.
  67. ^ "3 men held for June 17 PNB branch robbery in Mohali". Hindustan Times. 12 July 2020. Archived from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  68. ^ "Boycott Chinese goods: Tibetans". Tribuneindia.com. July 11, 2020. Archived from the original on July 14, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Boycotts_of_Chinese_products&oldid=1256159247"