4 ms·
In some ways, you can't blame China for trying. It's playing dirty, but that's how international relations go. You can place a bit more blame on the US compani
by tropo 8y ago
In some ways, you can't blame China for trying. It's playing dirty, but that's how international relations go.
You can place a bit more blame on the US companies that let it happen. The people running them are short-sighted and unpatriotic.
The real problem is that the law allows companies to be in a race to the bottom that is ultimately self-destructive. Allowing non-citizens to get access to the IP should be illegal. If it were, then bringing that IP to a location controlled by China's contradictory law would be a violation.
You can't fully stop spies, but you sure can make it illegal to simply hand things over without a fight.
Samuel Slater is a fine example. He was a spy. He broke the law. The USA would have gotten the technology years earlier if the UK had simply handed it over. Picture that: the USA demands that textile factories be built in the USA, as joint partnerships with technology transfer. The UK wasn't that stupid.
- seanmcdirmid 8y ago> You can place a bit more blame on the US companies that let it happen. This is one aspect of Chinese culture that I’ll never understand. For example, if you get cheated, it’s your fault for being lax/trusting/stupid enough to get cheated. The immorality is on the victim, which makes for some extremely paranoid business relationships when working in China. How is that beneficial in the long term? Why doesn’t such a system just implode on itself? I guess this is where guanxi comes into play to counteract that, because I don’t see how it could work otherwise.
- TeMPOraL 8y ago> The immorality is on the victim, Does Chinese culture actually shift moral blame onto the victim? If not, then this sounds a bit like the "victim blaming" obsession of modern American culture, which misses the crucial point - there are two types of blame to be passed around here. The offender was evil - they cheated. The victim was stupid - they were aware of the danger and ignored it.
- seanmcdirmid 8y agoIts more like just by simply doing business in China the victim should have been aware of the danger. There is no negative karma for doing scams, cheating, or stealing IP, only for being scammed, cheated, or having IP stolen. It isn't really victim blaming, more like your business partner comes back to you and says "Why did you let me cheat you? This is all your fault."
- Fjolsvith 8y agoI've never heard of a "victim blaming" obsession of modern American culture, despite having grown up in it. Could you point me to some articles that elaborate?
- anon92612 8y agoAt least in the US, you have to be cheated a second time for it to be your fault.
- seanmcdirmid 8y agoYa, in China the saying goes "trick me once, shame on me."