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I don't understand why this makes you a lifelong fan of free trade. Those countries are pretty corrupt governmentally, so maybe it makes welfare look bad, but I

• Maktab 18y ago
  Free trade does not automatically equal good governance - that sort of thing requires cultural and political changes over and above the changes made to accommodate freer trade. But the rapid economic rise of Taiwan, China and a host of other countries over the past forty years has undoubtedly been due in large part to the reduction in trade barriers and resultant increase in international free trade. It works.
  • litewulf 18y ago
    Actually I think a bigger thing was exceptionally low living standards compared to the US which meant cheap labor...
    • mike_organon 18y ago
      But their living standards didn't go down suddenly, so how does that explain an effect? What changed was trade, which meant the cheap labor was accessible.
    • Maktab 18y ago
      And what of the dozens of other countries with exceptionally low living standards but restrictive trade policies which remain poor? Cheap labour gave these countries an initial competitive advantage in certain forms of manufacturing, but it was trade that allowed them to make use of this and to gradually advance into more sophisticated manufacturing and services.