Questions about Globalization
Questions about globalization & food production
What are some of the main food products ("foods") that your country produces?
Well, there are a lot, but I think some of the main ones are: rice, wheat, seafood, and many other agricultural products, fish, shrimp, apple juice, garlic, pine nuts, berries, and coffee.
What are some food products that come from different parts of your country?
In the south of China they produce a lot of rice which is used in many products such as vinegar, beer, and also wine. In the north of China, the major crop is wheat which is used in bread and noodles which are very popular there.
There are also four principal tea-growing or producing regions in the country, each has its variety and specialty.
What widely consumed food products are mainly imported into your country?
This is a growing area thanks to the expanding middle-class consumers who are interested in imported products. The amount of imported food products has been rising each year recently. The biggest product imported is milk powder, but there is a lot of demand for other food products such as fresh fruit and vegetables, certain types of meat, and also seafood.
Imported coffee, some kinds of snacks, and confectionery from other countries are popular too. Nowadays, we can see almost every type of food product being imported as more people have more income to spend on such things.
People like chocolate, wine, and special gourmet items from Europe, for example, and also US snacks and coffee, as well as condiments and other ingredients imported from sources in Africa.
Do you think it's important that a country is self-sufficient in food?
Yes, I consider it to be a good thing. A country should be able to feed its population. It’s also nice to enjoy imported food because it’s different and sometimes more interesting or not even available here in China, but a country needs to be able to support its people with the basic staple foodstuffs.
Globalization & International Trade
Besides food, what products are made in your country?
China makes all kinds of products. Factories and plants are producing, clothes, jewelry, shoes, sports equipment, toys, cars, and all kinds of electronic goods.
Exporting finished goods is one of the biggest economic activities in China so we produce almost everything there is to some degree. If you can think of a commercial product, then you can probably find a company here producing it.
Do you think the globalization of industry and commerce is a good thing?
I think it’s a natural evolution. As technology makes it possible to be in contact with people from all over the world it is now easier than ever to learn about different things. This means that some aspects of culture can be shared by all people in the world and not only in the country where it originates.
As people become wealthier, as in China, they like to spend their money on different things and many of these things are imported. It helps the country grow and it is good for trade and international relations. There are benefits for everyone.
For example, a Chinese factory worker is less expensive than in some other countries so a company producing a product here can make their product cheaper for their customers, or they can make more profit and then reinvest it in more research and technology jobs in their own country. Overall, yes, I think it’s a good thing.
Do you think every country should make everything it needs or should it import some things?
Import and export are important and have been a way of trading and developing regions of the world throughout history.
It’s a positive activity and there are benefits for all countries or people involved. A country should be able to be relatively self-sufficient, but it’s not necessary to produce everything that people want.
Maybe the best goal is to be able to produce the basic things that most people need every day, such as food and energy. Anything else could be imported as required.
What are the disadvantages of a country producing everything it needs?
One obvious disadvantage is that the country in question might become isolated if it does not participate in foreign trade, exchanging goods with other countries.
This makes for a closed economy and therefore it might not present the best opportunities for companies or businesses to make the most of external opportunities.
A simple example would be: a company that manufactures electronic equipment might be physically able to produce products, they have the technical knowledge and raw materials, but the finished product may be very expensive for the customer.
Sometimes it is cheaper to import goods and products. Another disadvantage might be the lack of variety available because maybe the country does not have all the raw materials to manufacture all types of products that exist, or that they want. Such a scenario would be quite limiting for a country.