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[–] 27 points 1 week ago (35 children)

Damn, never though I'd say this, but I think China is gonna save capitalism from itself.

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  • [–] 29 points 1 week ago (12 children)

    My guess is that these Chinese manufacturers will kill the old automakers that are in rapid decline after decades of low quality products at high prices.

    I don’t know if the Chinese brands have good quality but they’re priced lower than the expensive low quality trash that’s already on the market from all the other automakers.

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  • [–] 30 points 1 week ago (9 children)

    sell cheap to kill competition around the world. leverage new global monopoly for fun and profits later.

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  • [–] 14 points 1 week ago (6 children)

    This. I'm all for competition and innovation, but this is subsidized by the Chinese government to exploit a lack of manufacturing in other countries.

    If you've heard about how food or clothing donations harm local farmers and weavers, same principle. We should be encouraging domestic production around the world, not allowing one country to undercut everyone else.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (4 children)

    China is doing exactly what other countries and corporations do to establish and compete in markets.

    Let me repeat it: China is doing exactly what other countries and corporations do to establish and compete in markets.

    And because it doesn't ever seem to sink in: China is doing exactly what other countries and corporations do to establish and compete in markets.

    Newsflash: Sinophobia is not an economic strategy.

    Edit: ""All for competition and innovation" The United States barred China from buying the latest NVIDIA chips to keep it out of AI. Typical American racist scapegoating.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 week ago (2 children)

    This thread is so fucking ignorant and choking on MAGA propaganda. Look this up idiots: the US of A has subsidized Detroit far more than China in the auto industry and BYD was heavily invested by US investors like Warren Buffet.

    Warren Buffet bought 10% of BYD because US options were all losers. From 2008 to 2022 he made $8.75B.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 week ago

    The USA has yet to kill the UAW which they must do to be competitive. It's not an end-all be-all solution (wages are only like 30% of the cost of a car), but a good start. It also needs an entirely local battery supply chain, buying from China isn't an option. And they need to pay for every EV that is manufactured, no matter where it's sold to.

    But the US won't take it seriously so they'll never compete for real. Maybe they'll kill UAW but only to increase shareholder value, not to compete for real.

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  • [–] 7 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    They use this same tactic over and over and I find it surprising that more people don't immediately recognize what they're doing.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 week ago

    I guess it's just more enticing than "maximise profits for the few even if it means the planet dying". All western auto makers can get squeezed for all I care. I'd buy their products, but they spent a decade sabotaging it and making sure it keeps spewing poison.

    I have no pity for toxic companies that fought tooth and nail against EV development. The tactic works because it's taking advantage of a broken system.

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  • [–] 8 points 1 week ago (1 child)
  • [–] 3 points 1 week ago*

    Don't worry, I'm sure there's another bailout and another cash for clunkers with a side of tariffs getting cooked up by some lobbyist to get passed by some paid off politicians. They are already trying to/already have pass(ed) a complete ban on Chinese autos. Knock knock, they are already on both borders.

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  • [–] 17 points 1 week ago (14 children)

    China is better at capitalism than the US is.

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  • [–] 12 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (11 children)

    The United States greatly prefers that corporations be in charge of the government to governments being in charge of corporations.

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  • [–] -2 points 1 week ago (10 children)

    Not much difference in the outcome for the general population.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 week ago* (9 children)

    That‘s a reach, if I ever saw one. China lifted more than 800 million people out of poverty, and in fact eradicated poverty at all. Last I heard, their standard of living just closely missed being in the high income countries category. Their trajectory is in complete contrast to the declining Western empire.

    China is better at capitalism, because it‘s their only play to stay sovereign and overcome this predatory system completely. They have to prove to the capitalist world, that their system and long term development is superior and it‘s only beneficial for the world to follow their transition towards socialism to enable prosperity for all humankind, not just the global north. Not gonna happen under capitalism, especially not under the US or the EU.

    Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 week ago (5 children)

    Unless you are Tibetan or Uyghur.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 week ago (4 children)

    I try not to let US state department propaganda narratives dictate my perspective on their geopolitical adversaries.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 week ago (3 children)

    Sure and Tiananmen Square never happened.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 week ago (2 children)
  • [–] 1 point 1 week ago (1 child)

    You are the one denying issues with Tibet and the Uyghurs.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

    Nah man, not „denying issues“. I‘m just not willing to jump through hoops, because you keep throwing propaganda talking points at me.

    Uyghurs and Tibet, Tibet, Uyghurs, More Uyghurs

    Breakthrough News, a media outlet hated by Trump, has some actual reporting on China with their regular China Report. On the linked video their guest is Ben Norton of Geopolitical Economy Report, another excellent resource.

    E: How quaint.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    This is just not true for an enormous number of people. The wealth disparity is striking. The ones who are making it are making it, but it is nowhere near everyone.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 week ago

    Disparity is rising in China with the development of the private sector, but it is fundamentally true that the CPC primarily focuses on developing the living conditions for the working classes:

    Essentially, capitalists are winning the most, but the CPC ensures that more than anything the lives of the working classes are focused on. Additionally, as the private sector grows, it gets increasingly controlled and subsumed into the public sector. The privledge capitalists have rest on a dying basis because their purpose is to facilitate development towards higher levels of socialism, through developing the productive forces more rapidly. This is the tradeoff China made, and its working.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 week ago

    Well none of this (including the price) would be happening without massive government subsidies so I'm not sure here is the place to take a victory lap for capitalism due to artificially low prices designed to win market share abroad, but okay.

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  • [–] 14 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (6 children)

    Nah. It's just another rug pull in preparation. Undercut prices until the competition breaks, then fuck things up with your monopoly. We're in the undercutting prices phase, but the Chinese will want to have their fair share of interest on the subsidies they use to do that right now. It's the same old fucking capitalism again and nothing is saved from it.

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  • [–] 7 points 1 week ago (4 children)

    Yeah. Companies running on state subsidies competing with others who are not is not capitalism "working", it's just another rug pull leaving us all fucked.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 week ago (3 children)

    I guess in this fantasy scenario of yours, the United States is the one that doesn't subsidize the auto industry? lol

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  • [–] 3 points 1 week ago* (2 children)

    I love how criticizing the Chinese car industry leads people to asssume I love the American one.

    The US hasn't produced a decent car since the 60s. I don't even factor them into the calculation.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    I didn't say you loved it, I asked if you didn't think it was subsidized.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 week ago

    Not to the same degree or in the same way. In the US the name of the game is to have companies run themselves into the ground to line the pockets of CEOs and investors, and then the state bailing them out every time because of jobs and national pride.

    I'm sure there are other systems in place as well, but frankly I don't care. Teslas are pretty much the only American cars you'll see in Europe, and they've been subsidized by European countries to promote the electronic transition.

    In short, I don't think about American cars at all.

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