WHAT'S COMING/GOING NEXT? “It seems to me I've heard that song before....”
Do you remember that song...those lyrics? Of course, you do because it is pretty hard to really forget things which keep repeating themselves as the years go by.
You have certainly noticed how the People's Republic of China has been very busy at buying up large chunks of America. Have you noticed you no longer see or hear about what used to be called “Big Blue” desk and book computers? I.B.M. no longer makes them. As a matter if fact,they sold all of their small computers – desktops and book-sized models to China some months ago. You will see them at your local stores advertised as “Lenova” computers. IBM has, for sometime, wanted to get back to full-time building and merchandising the big stuff which keeps the little stuff alert, alive and applicable to business, commerce and industry in nations all over the world. The deal with China puts 18% of the new stock in I.B.M's pocket which can mean they now have potential possibilities of manufacturing in the Asian ways.
Other deals are in the work with China, too. Another Chinese industrial expansion has a bid in on the MAYTAG washer sale which could make headlines any day. China also has been bidding against Chevron for Unical.
All of this reminds me so much of the way Japan was on a binge of buying Americans things in the 1980's. Remember? We witnessed their purchase of skyscrapers and movie studios and production firms and manufacturing skills were bartered away into Japan's hands. It seems to me we worried more about then thane do now when the same thing is happening. We do have disturbing
news ; war in Iraq, troubles world wide ; domestic quibbles to kept us occupied plus dark, wavering curtains of terrorist threats. There seems to be enough to keep us occupied to worry very much about what China does. Then, back in the '80's we objected we saw Japanese brands replace our own make of cars, trucks, bikes, electronics and sport shoes and equipment. Think of the tremendous stocks of items we are currently importing from China. Our dependency on Chinese manufacturing grows dramatically.
Some critics of the Chinese shopping tours currently in progress say they differ from previous forays into America' s riches. The present purchases are being done with a marked difference in who is doing the shopping. The Japanese inroads were largely the doings of rich individuals or small groups of wealthy persons. The present Chinese efforts are staffed by so-called groups operating almost as cadres setting a new base of the armed forces which control them.
That can be an important difference, too. Think about it.
A.L.M. February 28, 2006 [c473wds]
