4 ms·

"Specialize" is not quite the right word. In trade economics (from the very crudest level), trade is beneficial to BOTH parties EVEN when etc etc etc. i.e. high

by creer 2y ago

"Specialize" is not quite the right word. In trade economics (from the very crudest level), trade is beneficial to BOTH parties EVEN when etc etc etc. i.e. higher profit. It's really hard to beat trade. It's not that anyone needs to specialize as in "otherwise it won't work". It's that it's more profitable and so people will tend to prefer that plus some extra money in their pocket. And it's not specialize as in only do wine, cheese and perfume and nothing else. It's systematically favor some things that you are relatively better at than others, and trade for the others (not even 100%, you can export some plastic parts and import some similar plastic parts at the same time). Even if the other country could themselves be better at it. So for France, engineering of all kinds, wine, cheese, perfume, meds, etc but also any manufacturing that by chance has gotten and remained strong (say, like airplanes, some electrical equipment, whatever else that really any other country also could possibly manufacture).

constantcrying 2y ago
You did not answer any of my questions. I do not think that Europe or the US even could specialize in anything. The population is so large that for every good and service needed there is a group of people who are specializing in it right now. What single good/service is not at all produced in Europe. Which single good/service is not produced in China? At the scale of 1B people specialization becomes meaningless. You can't even accomplish it if you wanted to. All you could do is letting one of your industries get out competed by some other power.
- creer 2y ago
  I feel we are talking past each other so I will leave it at that. The specialization you ... expect? is irrelevant. Business jets are not produced in China, large efficient passenger jets are not produced in China, printed silk scarves branded Hermes, silent diesel electric submarines for export are not produced in China. (See what I did there?) And that's irrelevant to why trade exists. Even an up-to-the-minute super competitive manufacturer has no incentive (except political and some risk-aversion) to do everything in-house or in one country. It does have incentives to trade with other countries and other companies. Even if it possibly had the machines and low cost employees on hand and already trained to do that, from an economics point of view it should (in the long term), sell some production units, focus on the others and trade for the difference.
  - constantcrying 2y ago
    >Business jets are not produced in China, large efficient passenger jets are not produced in China, printed silk scarves branded Hermes, silent diesel electric submarines for export are not produced in China. (See what I did there?) And that's irrelevant to why trade exists. Literally every single one of these is false. China is producing every single one of these things. Business Jet: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comac_C909 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comac_C909 Large efficient passenger jet: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comac_C919 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comac_C919 Hermes: China is well known for producing knockoff products. 0% chance that some Chinese factory is not making Hermes branded scarfs. Silent diesel electric submarines for export: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_039A_submarine https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_039A_submarine (Yes, they are actually made for export) I think it is pretty clear that you are totally and utterly wrong.

by creer 2y ago

constantcrying 2y ago

You did not answer any of my questions. I do not think that Europe or the US even could specialize in anything. The population is so large that for every good and service needed there is a group of people who are specializing in it right now. What single good/service is not at all produced in Europe. Which single good/service is not produced in China? At the scale of 1B people specialization becomes meaningless. You can't even accomplish it if you wanted to. All you could do is letting one of your industries get out competed by some other power.

creer 2y ago
I feel we are talking past each other so I will leave it at that. The specialization you ... expect? is irrelevant. Business jets are not produced in China, large efficient passenger jets are not produced in China, printed silk scarves branded Hermes, silent diesel electric submarines for export are not produced in China. (See what I did there?) And that's irrelevant to why trade exists. Even an up-to-the-minute super competitive manufacturer has no incentive (except political and some risk-aversion) to do everything in-house or in one country. It does have incentives to trade with other countries and other companies. Even if it possibly had the machines and low cost employees on hand and already trained to do that, from an economics point of view it should (in the long term), sell some production units, focus on the others and trade for the difference.
- constantcrying 2y ago
  >Business jets are not produced in China, large efficient passenger jets are not produced in China, printed silk scarves branded Hermes, silent diesel electric submarines for export are not produced in China. (See what I did there?) And that's irrelevant to why trade exists. Literally every single one of these is false. China is producing every single one of these things. Business Jet: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comac_C909 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comac_C909 Large efficient passenger jet: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comac_C919 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comac_C919 Hermes: China is well known for producing knockoff products. 0% chance that some Chinese factory is not making Hermes branded scarfs. Silent diesel electric submarines for export: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_039A_submarine https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_039A_submarine (Yes, they are actually made for export) I think it is pretty clear that you are totally and utterly wrong.