Attractive as it is, at some point all these cheap imports from China will have to stop. If allowed to go on unchecked they will gradually hollow out all the production facilities in America and Europe.
Free-trade is treated like some holy writ, whereas it also has its bad sides as well as its good. There are already tariffs on some Chinese goods where the trade was deemed to be unfair.
Further tariffs will have to be applied to safeguard a basic production facility in the countries of the West. Cheaper imported goods are allowing the wages of the poorer in society to stagnate. At some point action of sorts will have to be taken, and whoever makes the first move will probably suffer the most.
We have become addicted to cheap goods but at some point we will have to go 'cold turkey' It is best to do this sooner rather than later..Or become so dependant that when the 'cheap imports' eventually become 'dear imports' our economies will not survive the shock.
