For a list of where you can buy goods "Not Made in China",

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To suggest additions or deletions to the A List,

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Not Made in China

By 2003, the flood of goods made in China had increased to the point that it was often impossible for the consumer to find what he was looking for without finding the label "made in China" on the back. It appeared that a concerted campaign to resist this flood was long past due. It is not assumed that this site will itself make a change, but it is hoped that it might (1) be a focus for a rethinking of the assumptions of international economic policy that has led to this point and (2) inspire individual consumers and producers to choose and advertise with an emphasis on where a product is made.

At the beginning, two possible but incorrect assumptions of readers need to be addressed

First, there is no intention to use this site as a platform to "attack" China or the Chinese. While we do not believe that workers in China have the rights they have in the West, we realize that their rights have improved over recent decades. We also realize that Chinese living in Taiwan, Singapore, even Hong Kong, live under conditions much closer to those in the advanced OECD world than do workers in China itself.

Second, we do not mean to suggest that no products produced outside the OECD countries should not be imported into them. For the occasional product from Bangladesh, the Philippines, even India, the benefits to both sides of the transaction outweigh the losses. The problem is one of scale. Many American producers today feel forced by their competitors and the expectations of the marketplace into having their goods produced in China. Even innovators based in the more developed world bringing new innovations to the market are often producing them first in China without even an initial attempt to use an OECD labor force.

It will be noted that we are explicitly not equating "not made in China" with "made in America". While we like products "made in America", we wish to avoid the jingoistic connotations of making this contrast the heart of the discussion. We also believe in the values of free trade, but only of free trade where there is a reasonably level playing field for the parties involved.

Finally, what do we expect this site to accomplish? Even if we succeed in attracting a respectable audience, we are unlikely to make more than a small dent in the flood of Chinese goods into the OECD world. Only major changes in trade policy will make possible significant change. The site could conceivably assist in achieving this goal by developing of alternatives in the minds of consumers and politicians to what seem to be nonsustainable present trends. In any event, we hope to provide a service to those producers, traders, and consumers who would prefer to avoid, when they can, products "made in China".