If we had to dump China for better and cheaper labor, where should we go?

There already has been a lot of movement to countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, etc.. The problem with those is that the PRC is invested a lot in those countries too so just because something is made in Indonesia doesn't mean you've decoupled from the PRC.

Also the costs have been rising in the PRC and people moving manufacturing from the PRC hasn't mainly been due to political reason but that labor is cheaper now in other countries. The PRC themselves have been outsourcing and one reason they have invested heavily in Africa is for natural resources but also as outsourcing for labor. Africa has been referred to as the China of China...

 

Ultimately , you'd prefer to make as much as you can at home but that doesn't fit the description of cheap labor so my vote would go to Mexico and the northern triangle countries , makes more opportunities for them which should reduce out illegal immigration problem if they have stable economies and economic opportunity.

 

Tpp tried to shift trade away from China but most Americans thought it was for more China trade or some job stealing Illuminati bullshit.

Shitcanning years of negotiation meant more trade went to China

 

If you want a race to the bottom, go where China is going for the cheapest of the cheap labor.

Anyhow, the "free" market, cheap labor, efficiency for maximum profit has already pushed to diversify beyond China for years and this event just would accelerate that.

NOTE: cheap labor isn't going to solve anything in the next sharp downturn. Americans, if they want strong resiliency and ability to sustain sharp downturn or major shock would demand that all part of its society, from health care to individual to major corporation is designed to be such. This idea of the US gov must jump in and needing to bail big and small every 10 years isn't going to work forever... well, may not even work this time.

 

South America has potential, but I would imagine a much stronger military presence is necessary. China has a solid foothold in sub-Saharan Africa for their cheap goods and I'm not sure we want to get overly involved on that continent. We have to start a major program to re-establish critical production of meds, rare earth metals, etc. in the US regardless of cost. We do the same with our food supply so their is no reason we can't subsidize rare earth mining and so on here at home.

 

Yep.. TPP was meant to contain the PRC. That said not all of it went to waste as much of those went into the USMCA agreement.

 

So why do we have to move production to other cheap wage areas? Is it to encourage pollution by transporting stuff half way around the world. Or is a fear that only half of Americans are unable to raise $400 for an emergency and that is too little. A fear that dog walkers and yard men and other service workers will cost too much.

 

NONE of the above it should be here in AMERICA

 

It is more like because you can take both California and Texas from them and they do not complain. ...

 

How much cheaper is Asian than Mexico - considering transport etc?
I am legit asking because I wonder what was the barriers that keep us in Asian but not as invested in Mexico?

Why are we importing cheap labor from Mexico but not utilizing the cheap labor in mexico?

Rocket River

 

Indeed, there was a thug country took over Philippine since 1898.... but it was not China.

 

I believe we are using the cheap labor in Mexico. The problem is Mexico's the labor force is tiny when compared with China. US bought 2.4 billion face masks from China in the last one month. China has produced total 7.1 billion masks in the same period. Mexico will never have that kind of production.