the.world.is.flat-第29节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


posted　the　following　African　proverb；　translated　into　Mandarin；　on　his　factory　floor：　
Every　morning　in　Africa；　a　gazelle　wakes　up。　
It　knows　it　must　run　faster　than　the　fastest　lion　or　it　will　be　killed。　
Every　morning　a　lion　wakes　up。　
It　knows　it　must　outrun　the　slowest　gazelle　or　it　will　starve　to　death。　
It　doesn't　matter　whether　you　are　a　lion　or　a　gazelle。　
When　the　sun　comes　up；　you　better　start　running。　
I　don't　know　who　is　the　lion　and　who　is　the　gazelle；　but　I　do　know　this：　Ever　since　
the　Chinese　joined　the　WTO；　both　they　and　the　rest　of　the　world　have　had　to　run　faster　
and　faster。　This　is　because　China's　joining　the　WTO　gave　a　huge　boost　to　another　form　
of　collaboration…　offshoring。　Offshoring；　which　has　been　around　for　decades；　is　
different　from　outsourcing。　Outsourcing　means　taking　some　specific；　but　limited；　
function　that　your　company　was　doing　in…house…such　as　research；　call　centers；　or　


accounts　receivable…and　having　another　company　perform　that　exact　same　function　for　
you　and　then　reintegrating　their　work　back　into　your　overall　operation。　Offshoring；　
by　contrast；　is　when　a　company　takes　one　of　its　factories　that　it　is　operating　in　
Canton；　Ohio；　and　moves　the　whole　factory　offshore　to　Canton；　China。　There；　it　
produces　the　very　same　product　in　the　very　same　way；　only　with　cheaper　labor；　lower　
taxes；　
115　
subsidized　energy；　and　lower　health…care　costs。　Just　as　Y2K　took　India　and　the　world　
to　a　whole　new　level　of　outsourcing；　China's　joining　the　WTO　took　Beijing　and　the　
world　to　a　whole　new　level　of　offshoring…with　more　companies　shifting　production　
offshore　and　then　integrating　it　into　their　global　supply　chains。　
In　1977；　Chinese　leader　Deng　Xiaoping　put　China　on　the　road　to　capitalism；　declaring　
later　that　〃to　get　rich　is　glorious。〃　When　China　first　opened　its　tightly　closed　
economy；　companies　in　industrialized　countries　saw　it　as　an　incredible　new　market　
for　exports。　Every　Western　or　Asian　manufacturer　dreamed　of　selling　its　equivalent　
of　1　billion　pairs　of　underwear　to　a　single　market。　Some　foreign　companies　set　up　
shop　in　China　to　do　just　that。　But　because　China　was　not　subject　to　world　trade　rules；　
it　was　able　to　restrict　the　penetration　into　its　market　by　these　Western　companies　
through　various　trade　and　investment　barriers。　And　when　it　was　not　doing　that　
deliberately；　the　sheer　bureaucratic　and　cultural　difficulties　of　doing　business　in　
China　had　the　same　effect。　Many　of　the　pioneer　investors　in　China　lost　their　shirts　
and　pants　and　underwear…　and　with　China's　Wild　West　legal　system　there　was　not　much　
recourse。　
Beginning　in　the　1980s；　many　investors；　particularly　overseas　Chinese　who　knew　how　
to　operate　in　China；　started　to　say；　〃Well；　if　we　can't　sell　that　many　things　to　the　
Chinese　right　now；　why　don't　we　use　China's　disciplined　labor　pool　to　make　things　
there　and　sell　them　abroad？〃　This　dovetailed　with　the　interests　of　China's　leaders。　
China　wanted　to　attract　foreign　manufacturers　and　their　technologies…not　simply　to　
manufacture　1　billion　pairs　of　underwear　for　sale　in　China　but　to　use　low…wage　Chinese　
labor　to　also　sell　6　billion　pairs　of　underwear　to　everyone　else　in　the　world；　and　
at　prices　that　were　a　fraction　of　what　the　underwear　companies　in　Europe　or　America　
or　even　Mexico　were　charging。　
Once　that　offshoring　process　began　in　a　range　of　industries…from　textiles　to　consumer　
electronics　to　furniture　to　eyeglass　frames　toauto　parts…the　only　way　other　companies　
could　compete　was　by　offshoring　to　China　as　well　（taking　advantage　of　its　low…cost；　
high…quality　platform）；　or　by　looking　for　alternative　manufacturing　centers　in　
Eastern　Europe；　the　Caribbean；　or　somewhere　else　in　the　developing　world。　
116　
By　joining　the　World　Trade　Organization　in　2001；　China　assured　foreign　companies　that　
if　they　shifted　factories　offshore　to　China；　they　would　be　protected　by　international　
law　and　standard　business　practices。　This　greatly　enhanced　China's　attractiveness　
as　a　manufacturing　platform。　Under　WTO　rules；　Beijing　agreed…with　some　time　for　
phase…in…to　treat　non…Chinese　citizens　or　firms　as　if　they　were　Chinese　in　terms　of　
their　economic　rights　and　obligations　under　Chinese　law。　This　meant　that　foreign　


companies　could　sell　virtually　anything　anywhere　in　China。　WTO　membership　status　also　
meant　that　Beijing　agreed　to　treat　all　WTO　member　nations　equally；　meaning　that　the　
same　tariffs　and　the　same　regulations　had　to　apply　equally　for　everyone。　And　it　agreed　
to　submit　itself　to　international　arbitration　in　the　event　of　a　trade　dispute　with　
another　country　or　a　foreign　company。　At　the　same　time；　government　bureaucrats　became　
more　customer…friendly；　procedures　for　investments　were　streamlined；　and　Web　sites　
proliferated　in　different　ministries　to　help　foreigners　navigate　China's　business　
regulations。　I　don't　know　how　many　Chinese　actually　ever　bought　a　copy　of　Mao's　Little　
Red　Book；　but　U。S。　embassy　officials　in　China　told　me　that　2　million　copies　of　the　
Chinese…language　edition　of　the　WTO　rule　book　were　sold　in　the　weeks　immediately　after　
China　signed　on　to　the　WTO。　To　put　it　another　way；　China　under　Mao　was　closed　and　
isolated　from　the　other　flattening　forces　of　his　day；　and　as　a　result　Mao　was　really　
a　challenge　only　to　his　own　people。　Deng　Xiaoping　made　China　open　to　absorbing　many　
of　the　ten　flatteners；　and；　in　so　doing；　made　China　a　challenge　to　the　whole　world。　
Before　China　signed　on　to　the　WTO；　there　was　a　sense　that；　while　China　had　opened　
up　to　get　the　advantages　of　trade　with　the　West；　the　government　and　the　banks　would　
protect　Chinese　businesses　from　any　crushing　foreign　competition；　saidJack　Perkowski　
of　ASIMCO。　〃China's　entry　into　the　WTO　was　a　signal　to　the　community　outside　of　China　
that　it　was　now　on　the　capitalist　track　for　good；〃　he　added。　〃Before；　you　had　the　
thought　in　the　back　of　your　mind　that　there　could　be　a　turning　back　to　state　communism。　
With　WTO；　China　said；　'We　are　on　one　course。'〃　
Because　China　can　amass　so　many　low…wage　workers　at　the　unskilled；　semiskilled；　and　
skilled　levels；　because　it　has　such　a　voracious　appetite　for　factory；　equipment；　and　
knowledge　jobs　to　keep　its　people　

employed；　and　because　it　has　such　a　massive　and　burgeoning　consumer　market；　it　has　
become　an　unparalleled　zone　for　offshoring。　China　has　more　than　160　cities　with　a　
population　of　1　million　or　more。　You　can　go　to　towns　on　the　east　coast　of　China　today　
that　you　have　never　heard　of　and　discover　that　this　one　town　manufacturers　most　of　
the　eyeglass　frames　in　the　world；　while　the　town　next　door　manufacturers　most　of　the　
portable　cigarette　lighters　in　the　world；　and　the　one　next　to　that　is　doing　most　of　
the　computer　screens　for　Dell；　and　another　is　specializing　in　mobile　phones。　Kenichi　
Ohmae；　the　Japanese　business　consultant；　estimates　in　his　book　The　United　States　of　
China　that　in　the　Zhu　Jiang　Delta　area　alone；　north　of　Hong　Kong；　there　are　fifty　
thousand　Chinese　electronics　component　suppliers。　
〃China　is　a　threat；　China　is　a　customer；　and　China　is　an　opportunity；〃　Ohmae　remarked　
to　me　one　day　in　Tokyo。　〃You　have　to　internalize　China　to　succeed。　You　cannot　ignore　
it。〃　Instead　of　competing　with　China　as　an　enemy；　argues　Ohmae；　you　break　down　your　
business　and　think　about　which　part　of　the　business　you　would　like　to　do　in　China；　
which　part　you　would　like　to　sell　to　China；　and　which　part　you　want　to　buy　from　China。　
Here　we　get　to　the　real　flattening　aspect　of　China's　opening　to　the　world　market。　
The　more　attractive　China　makes　itself　as　a　base　for　off…shoring；　the　more　attractive　
other　developed　and　developing　countries　competing　with　it；　like　Malaysia；　Thailand；　
Ireland；　Mexico；　Brazil；　and　Vietnam；　have　to　make　themselves。　They　all　look　at　what　


is　going　on　in　China　and　the　jobs　moving　there　and　say　to　themselves；　〃Holy　catfish；　
we　had　better　start　offering　these　same　incentives。〃　This　has　created　a　process　of　
competitive　flattening；　in　which　countries　scramble　to　see　who　can　give　companies　
the　best　tax　breaks；　education　incentives；　and　subsidies；　on　top　of　their　cheap　labor；　
to　encourage　offshoring　to　their　shores。　
Ohio　State　University　business　professor　Oded　Shenkar；　author　of　the　book　The　Chinese　
Century；　told　BusinessWeek　（December　6；　2004）　that　he　gives　it　to　American　companies　
straight：　〃If　you　still　make　anything　labor　intensive；　get　out　now　rather　than　bleed　
to　death。　Shaving　5％　here　and　there　won't　work。〃　Chinese　producers　can　make　the　same　
adjustments。　〃You　need　an　entirely　new　business　model　to　compete；〃　he　said。　
118　
China's　flattening　power　is　also　fueled　by　the　fact　that　it　is　developing　a　huge　
domestic　market　of　its　own。　The　same　BusinessWeek　article　noted　that　this　brings　
economies　of　scale；　intense　local　rivalries　that　keep　prices　low；　an　army　of　engineers　
that　is　growing　by　350；000　annually；　young　workers　and　managers　willing　to　put　in　
twelve…hour　days；　an　unparalleled　component　base　in　electronics　and　light　industry；　
〃and　an　entrepreneurial　zeal　to　do　whatever　it　takes　to　please　big　retailers　such　
as　Wal…Mart　Stores；　Target；　Best　Buy　and　J。C。　Penney。〃　
Critics　of　China's　bus