In their headlong rush for global respectability as a hybrid Communist-free market power, mainland Chinese masters of the world's largest population omitted a vital function required of great industrial countries: manufacturing quality control.
U.S. consumers have been burned repeatedly by inferior, even deadly, Chinese products—lead-painted toys, toxic pet food and sickening seafood products.
It's happened again. Chinese-made drywall used in construction is being investigated as the source of illness among U.S. homeowners. The drywall literally stinks and may cost homeowners plenty to replace.
Hundreds of thousands of mom-and-pop industries have appeared in the midst of China's relaxed, free-enterprise attitudes. However, they're mostly unregulated and have virtually no quality control.
U.S. companies that have swooned over less expensive goods have been importing these substandard products.
And during accelerated trade with China and the expansion of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. government cut the budgets of two important watchdogs, the Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Products Safety Commission. In one FDA program, only 1 percent of imported products were tested for quality and safety.
Two urgent actions are required.
First, Washington should beef up product health and safety inspections on all imports, but especially those from China.
Second, Congress should remove incentives for U.S. companies to rely on overseas vendors for products, while creating incentives to revive robust domestic manufacturing that restores jobs and strengthens the U.S. economy.