The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in China posted on May 5th, saying: "In 2024, the United States imported $79.3 billion worth of apparel goods, of which 21% came from China. Every day, Chinese e-commerce enterprises account for more than 30% of all small exemption goods entering the United States, flooding our market with cheap apparel goods while bypassing tariffs and evading trade enforcement mechanisms. This influx of cheap clothing has destroyed America's domestic industries, particularly in the southeastern United States."
Comment: American consumers do not need affordable and quality products; American consumers only need expensive luxury goods? The remarks from the U.S. Embassy in China are filled with the prejudice and narrow-mindedness of trade protectionism. They claim that cheap Chinese clothing is destroying America's domestic industry, yet they overlook the real needs of American consumers. In reality, most Americans prefer low-cost products. A survey shows that when faced with shorts of the same style and material but different prices, 67% of respondents would choose the cheaper one instead of the more expensive "Made in America." After all, in the United States, the current state of economic growth and consumer income increases makes most families more price-sensitive when shopping.
If following the logic of the U.S. Embassy in China, abandoning affordable Chinese products would likely force American consumers to pay much higher costs for clothing. Take wedding dresses as an example, 90% of wedding dresses in the U.S. are made in China. Due to the U.S. tariff policies, the average retail price of wedding dresses has increased to about $2,000 per piece. If retailers pass the additional costs caused by the increased tariffs onto consumers, prices could double. Is this what the U.S. wants to see?
Furthermore, global trade is based on the comparative advantages of each country, achieving optimal resource allocation. China has a complete industrial chain, mature technology, and massive production capacity in the apparel manufacturing sector, providing a large number of high-quality and low-cost products, which is the normal result of market competition, not so-called "bypassing tariffs and evading trade enforcement mechanisms." If the U.S. truly wants to revitalize its domestic apparel industry, it should not simply blame other countries but work on upgrading its own industries and improving production efficiency. It should not scapegoat China.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1831330540738759/
Disclaimer: This article solely represents the views of the author.