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Whenever someone says this, I ask them which companies are banned (far fewer than many Westerners seem to think), and point out that Western companies are far m

Whenever someone says this, I ask them which companies are banned (far fewer than many Westerners seem to think), and point out that Western companies are far more ubiquitous in China than vice versa.

reaperducer 6y ago
Western companies are far more ubiquitous in China than vice versa Except at Wal-Mart. Where non-Chinese goods are so rare they get special labels and promotion.
- zepto 6y ago
  And Amazon, and Ebay
vmception 6y ago
I think we're talking about Google, Facebook and gaming consoles. Do you really think that is a strong argument? We're cutting some Chinese companies out for some reasons, some of which are privacy, some of which are ideological (protectionist/privacy), some of which are petty. They cut some western companies out for some reasons, some of which are content based, some of which are ideological (content/privacy), some of which are petty.
- oxymoran 6y ago
  No, they are being cut out because they are owned by Communists who have over a million people in forced re-education camps and have ambitions of replacing the US as the global superpower.
  - vmception 6y ago
    No, this article is not about that. WeChat ban is about national security - privacy, because Americans are having their data mined. The only sanctions levied because "they are owned by Communists who have over a million people in forced re-education camps" have been on 11 Chinese suppliers that have been barred from obtaining some US licenses. So you have to accept that pretty absolutely nothing is happening because of that, and thats what you are going to have to tell your children when they are old enough to ask.
- DiogenesKynikos 6y ago
  Yes, because it gets to the central misconception that these discussions always begin with: that Western companies somehow can't operate in China. If we begin from an understanding of the actual situation - that Western companies have a massive presence in China, far beyond the presence that Chinese companies have in the West - then we can have a conversation. But these conversations almost always begin from the exact opposite premise.

reaperducer 6y ago

Western companies are far more ubiquitous in China than vice versa Except at Wal-Mart. Where non-Chinese goods are so rare they get special labels and promotion.

zepto 6y ago
And Amazon, and Ebay

vmception 6y ago

I think we're talking about Google, Facebook and gaming consoles. Do you really think that is a strong argument? We're cutting some Chinese companies out for some reasons, some of which are privacy, some of which are ideological (protectionist/privacy), some of which are petty. They cut some western companies out for some reasons, some of which are content based, some of which are ideological (content/privacy), some of which are petty.

oxymoran 6y ago
No, they are being cut out because they are owned by Communists who have over a million people in forced re-education camps and have ambitions of replacing the US as the global superpower.
- vmception 6y ago
  No, this article is not about that. WeChat ban is about national security - privacy, because Americans are having their data mined. The only sanctions levied because "they are owned by Communists who have over a million people in forced re-education camps" have been on 11 Chinese suppliers that have been barred from obtaining some US licenses. So you have to accept that pretty absolutely nothing is happening because of that, and thats what you are going to have to tell your children when they are old enough to ask.
DiogenesKynikos 6y ago
Yes, because it gets to the central misconception that these discussions always begin with: that Western companies somehow can't operate in China. If we begin from an understanding of the actual situation - that Western companies have a massive presence in China, far beyond the presence that Chinese companies have in the West - then we can have a conversation. But these conversations almost always begin from the exact opposite premise.