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The Chinese government carefully controls foreign access to its market already (unlike the US), and already bans quite a few foreign companies from operating on

by kelnos 2y ago

The Chinese government carefully controls foreign access to its market already (unlike the US), and already bans quite a few foreign companies from operating on the Chinese Internet (again, unlike the US). I imagine Apple already complies with whatever they need to comply with in order to make the Chinese government happy. > 'cos we're all equal, no? No, we absolutely aren't. The Chinese government has ensured for decades now that foreign businesses have only tightly controlled access to the Chinese people while Chinese-owned (i.e., easily controllable by the Chinese government) businesses have advantages not given to outsiders. (And those outsiders need to open up a Chinese subsidiary that is majority-owned by Chinese investors/companies.) On the other hand, most Western countries have given Chinese companies near-unfettered access to their markets. If anything, this TikTok ban is actually making things more equal, if only by a tiny bit.

licenede 2y ago
Actually what’s scary for Apple, and really for all companies with assets or factories still in China is that recently China prevented Apple from shipping its own equipments out of China to India. China is so fearful of even more unemployments that it is now willing to upset one of its largest employer. Foxconn stops sending Chinese workers to India iPhone factories In addition, equipment shipments are delayed, potentially disrupting next-generation iPhone production in India. https://restofworld.org/2025/china-foxconn-factoriesfoxconn-stops-sending-chinese-workers-to-india-iphone-factories/ https://restofworld.org/2025/china-foxconn-factoriesfoxconn-... You really have to be braindead as a COO if you do not have contingency plan to move stuff out of China this year.
bilekas 2y ago
> If anything, this TikTok ban is actually making things more equal, if only by a tiny bit. I do t use tiktok and have no skin in the game as an EU resident, but setting a precedent for this kind of behaviour to permit clthe government to simply block anything it wants is basically following in CCPs footsteps, that's certainly not a good thing in my eyes.
- kelnos 2y ago
  This is not a new precedent. The US government has placed foreign-ownership restrictions on media companies since before the public internet was a thing. The only difference here is that it's targeted at a specific company, but I'm not really up in arms about that, even though I think they definitely could have written the law without naming ByteDance or TikTok specifically.
  - themaninthedark 2y ago
    Not just media companies, the government block a Japanese company from buying US Steel. Not out of antitrust concerns but due to the foreign ownership aspect.
    - xp84 2y ago
      Yup, and that was done against one of our most loyal allies.
  - xcrunner529 2y ago
    Yep, but people don't pay attention to history anymore and their ignorance keeps us repeating it.
    - j33zusjuice 2y ago
      Did they ever?
      - xcrunner529 2y ago
        I think more people in government did because they actually were educated and not just all grifters.
- HenryBemis 2y ago
  Numerous examples of China-says-jump-everyone-says-how-high. NBA, any company that makes anything within China using slavery, the guy/actor/wrestler (the name escapes me right now) who had to learn Chinese to apologize. Take your pick of "precedent". 1bn customers = a lot of money. A company that will kiss the ring will do the right thing by its shareholders and a nasty thing against humanity. I am 200% sure that Apple has given the keys for all users/phones/servers in China to the gov/CCP and nobody complained. If North Korea had 1bn potential customers, we would be seeing Kim very differently. We are cattle. It's all a 1984-ish sham. Historically China has been so large and 'diverse' (not to be confused with DEI) (like India and Russia). It's not "one chinese person is just like anyone else". There are multiple Republics/States/etc. It takes an emperor to keep together an empire. And that usually requires (plenty of) violence. Communism is built to make people suffer, remove individuality and requires total obedience and personal reformation to be the 'good citizen'. You and me both are EU citizens. We are all different and we respect/accept each other. In China if you disagree, you disappear. They would very much like to do the same to the rest of the world. And one day they will, just not yet. I hope they implode before they do (like all empires). (apologies for the grim tone)(I suggest "Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order by Ray Dalio": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xguam0TKMw8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xguam0TKMw8)
usr1106 2y ago
> unlike the US The US is not a master piece of freedom. Want to market or own foreign shares? Want to travel to Cuba? Have you gone through the crazy US border control process as a foreigner? Yes, China is absolutely worse. But the US is not a good example.
- kelnos 2y ago
  I never claimed the US was perfect, just better. I think using it as an example is fine. No country is perfect by any metric; everything is a matter of comparison over who is better or worse on a particular thing. > Want to market or own foreign shares? ADRs work for that, no? > Want to travel to Cuba? Have you gone through the crazy US border control process as a foreigner? I agree those things are bad, but they have nothing to do with market access, which is the topic at hand.
- dboreham 2y ago
  I have a London stock exchange trading account with Schwab. I think I opened it online. The only catch is that I can only deposit or withdraw funds via my US Schwab account.
alfiedotwtf 2y ago
> The Chinese government carefully controls foreign access to its market already (unlike the US) Is there any reason you’re skipping the past 40+ years of turmoil in the Middle East purely from the US trying to control oil fields? Because Iran would like a word with, and there’s a hell lot of other countries behind them waiting their turn
- mingus88 2y ago
  Perhaps I misunderstand your point, but the US obviously doesn't have any issue meddling in other country's economies or political systems. The US also obviously allows foreigners to business in the US without many restrictions. Is this the "free market" I keep hearing about? I don't know. The OP was contrasting this with China, that does not allow foreigners access to their markets. As a regular American, quite honestly, I would like a bit of protectionism from the US, as I recently bought a house and had to compete with cash offers from Chinese banks. It's insane to me that we allow foreigners to buy property here, while our own citizens are being increasingly priced out of our own country.
  - alfiedotwtf 2y ago
    Isn’t that how laissez faire capitalism works - the person with the higher bid gets the sale, not based on central planned rules of which country the current administration is beefing with that day?
PittleyDunkin 2y ago
Well if we aren't going to get the actual fruits of capitalism I'm for damn sure going to fight it tooth and nail at home. Shit sucks and I can't think of anyone I trust less than an American capitalist.

by kelnos 2y ago

licenede 2y ago

Actually what’s scary for Apple, and really for all companies with assets or factories still in China is that recently China prevented Apple from shipping its own equipments out of China to India. China is so fearful of even more unemployments that it is now willing to upset one of its largest employer. Foxconn stops sending Chinese workers to India iPhone factories In addition, equipment shipments are delayed, potentially disrupting next-generation iPhone production in India. https://restofworld.org/2025/china-foxconn-factoriesfoxconn-stops-sending-chinese-workers-to-india-iphone-factories/ https://restofworld.org/2025/china-foxconn-factoriesfoxconn-... You really have to be braindead as a COO if you do not have contingency plan to move stuff out of China this year.

bilekas 2y ago

> If anything, this TikTok ban is actually making things more equal, if only by a tiny bit. I do t use tiktok and have no skin in the game as an EU resident, but setting a precedent for this kind of behaviour to permit clthe government to simply block anything it wants is basically following in CCPs footsteps, that's certainly not a good thing in my eyes.

kelnos 2y ago
This is not a new precedent. The US government has placed foreign-ownership restrictions on media companies since before the public internet was a thing. The only difference here is that it's targeted at a specific company, but I'm not really up in arms about that, even though I think they definitely could have written the law without naming ByteDance or TikTok specifically.
- themaninthedark 2y ago
  Not just media companies, the government block a Japanese company from buying US Steel. Not out of antitrust concerns but due to the foreign ownership aspect.
  - xp84 2y ago
    Yup, and that was done against one of our most loyal allies.
- xcrunner529 2y ago
  Yep, but people don't pay attention to history anymore and their ignorance keeps us repeating it.
  - j33zusjuice 2y ago
    Did they ever?
    - xcrunner529 2y ago
      I think more people in government did because they actually were educated and not just all grifters.
HenryBemis 2y ago
Numerous examples of China-says-jump-everyone-says-how-high. NBA, any company that makes anything within China using slavery, the guy/actor/wrestler (the name escapes me right now) who had to learn Chinese to apologize. Take your pick of "precedent". 1bn customers = a lot of money. A company that will kiss the ring will do the right thing by its shareholders and a nasty thing against humanity. I am 200% sure that Apple has given the keys for all users/phones/servers in China to the gov/CCP and nobody complained. If North Korea had 1bn potential customers, we would be seeing Kim very differently. We are cattle. It's all a 1984-ish sham. Historically China has been so large and 'diverse' (not to be confused with DEI) (like India and Russia). It's not "one chinese person is just like anyone else". There are multiple Republics/States/etc. It takes an emperor to keep together an empire. And that usually requires (plenty of) violence. Communism is built to make people suffer, remove individuality and requires total obedience and personal reformation to be the 'good citizen'. You and me both are EU citizens. We are all different and we respect/accept each other. In China if you disagree, you disappear. They would very much like to do the same to the rest of the world. And one day they will, just not yet. I hope they implode before they do (like all empires). (apologies for the grim tone)(I suggest "Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order by Ray Dalio": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xguam0TKMw8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xguam0TKMw8)

usr1106 2y ago

> unlike the US The US is not a master piece of freedom. Want to market or own foreign shares? Want to travel to Cuba? Have you gone through the crazy US border control process as a foreigner? Yes, China is absolutely worse. But the US is not a good example.

kelnos 2y ago
I never claimed the US was perfect, just better. I think using it as an example is fine. No country is perfect by any metric; everything is a matter of comparison over who is better or worse on a particular thing. > Want to market or own foreign shares? ADRs work for that, no? > Want to travel to Cuba? Have you gone through the crazy US border control process as a foreigner? I agree those things are bad, but they have nothing to do with market access, which is the topic at hand.
dboreham 2y ago
I have a London stock exchange trading account with Schwab. I think I opened it online. The only catch is that I can only deposit or withdraw funds via my US Schwab account.

alfiedotwtf 2y ago

> The Chinese government carefully controls foreign access to its market already (unlike the US) Is there any reason you’re skipping the past 40+ years of turmoil in the Middle East purely from the US trying to control oil fields? Because Iran would like a word with, and there’s a hell lot of other countries behind them waiting their turn

mingus88 2y ago
Perhaps I misunderstand your point, but the US obviously doesn't have any issue meddling in other country's economies or political systems. The US also obviously allows foreigners to business in the US without many restrictions. Is this the "free market" I keep hearing about? I don't know. The OP was contrasting this with China, that does not allow foreigners access to their markets. As a regular American, quite honestly, I would like a bit of protectionism from the US, as I recently bought a house and had to compete with cash offers from Chinese banks. It's insane to me that we allow foreigners to buy property here, while our own citizens are being increasingly priced out of our own country.
- alfiedotwtf 2y ago
  Isn’t that how laissez faire capitalism works - the person with the higher bid gets the sale, not based on central planned rules of which country the current administration is beefing with that day?

PittleyDunkin 2y ago

Well if we aren't going to get the actual fruits of capitalism I'm for damn sure going to fight it tooth and nail at home. Shit sucks and I can't think of anyone I trust less than an American capitalist.