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Served Chinese entrepreneurs but that isn't the same thing as served the Chinese people. For instance, at the time when Google was kicked out of China essentia

Served Chinese entrepreneurs but that isn't the same thing as served the Chinese people. For instance, at the time when Google was kicked out of China essentially leaving their market a Baidu monopoly, Baidu lacked many useful features of Google especially if you wanted to search for non-Chinese websites (e.g. if you were a scientist wanting to do international research). The PRC didn't care. Having a pliable and controlled 'captain of industry' in the form of the Baidu founder was a more important goal to them, than the convenience of their own people. Repeat that story a million times and you have an economy that looks superficially strong but makes its people miserable .... oh wait no it doesn't, because the censorship and language barriers ensure most people have no idea what they're missing out on.

_nedR 10y ago
Yeah, i agree. Definitely good for the indian consumer at least in the short term. Amazon and uber are winning out largely because they offer better service at competitive prices. But in long term i dont know. I am no econmist but If all your stuff is made abroad and little is made locally how will consumers find money to pay for the imported goods?
- sievebrain 10y ago
  They won't. Their ability to afford the foreign products would be limited by how much they earn, same as anyone is. Protectionism doesn't fix that though. If you can't afford sophisticated cheap foreign-made goods, you also can't afford the crappy expensive protected local made goods either.
skc 10y ago
You're being quite presumptuous in assuming the Chinese people served by local firms are miserable or worse off than their Western counterparts. Not everything has to be seen through Western colored goggles. There is something quite admirable to me about China forcefully wanting their own local products front and center and frankly it's worked out well for their economy all things considered.
- sievebrain 10y ago
  By definition, if protectionism is needed, then the locals preferred the foreign made products.

_nedR 10y ago

Yeah, i agree. Definitely good for the indian consumer at least in the short term. Amazon and uber are winning out largely because they offer better service at competitive prices. But in long term i dont know. I am no econmist but If all your stuff is made abroad and little is made locally how will consumers find money to pay for the imported goods?

sievebrain 10y ago
They won't. Their ability to afford the foreign products would be limited by how much they earn, same as anyone is. Protectionism doesn't fix that though. If you can't afford sophisticated cheap foreign-made goods, you also can't afford the crappy expensive protected local made goods either.

skc 10y ago

You're being quite presumptuous in assuming the Chinese people served by local firms are miserable or worse off than their Western counterparts. Not everything has to be seen through Western colored goggles. There is something quite admirable to me about China forcefully wanting their own local products front and center and frankly it's worked out well for their economy all things considered.

sievebrain 10y ago
By definition, if protectionism is needed, then the locals preferred the foreign made products.