China: The Coughing Dragon?

China: The Coughing Dragon?
“Money is the root of all evil.” China probably best exemplifies this corruption and slavery to pollution and food contamination, china has risked all those for money and an overheating economy.
It must be noted that slavery is rampant in many developing countries. But corruption and a penchant for sky-high profit margins exacerbate the situation. China aspires to be a first-world country. But judging by the current situation, she’s far from it. U.S. has hit back on China’s practices. Yet it cruel irony, it has been a culprit of Black slavery too. This shows that in some people’s pursuit for wealth, they are willing to disregard humanity, ethics, and the sanctity of life, which disgusts me to no end. It also shows how lucky I am, compared to those slaves in China.
We can compare slavery in China to maid abuse in Singapore, which many in Singapore are guilty. Low pay and long working hours are shared characteristics. However, what sets maid abuse from slavery is that maids have a shelter and reasonable amenities, bearing exceptional cases. Slaves have no rights and no pay.
And no escape.
So much for the grim realities of life.

I feel that the Chinese government has not done much to improve the dire circumstances. Whether it is reducing pollution or stopping corruption, it has failed miserably. What can it do? Firstly, increase the government pay. Like Singapore, increasing civil pay will reduce corruption, bribery and embezzlement. Is this not a more effective way than just meting out harsh fines and death by firing squad. Secondly, internal squabbling must stop to get things done. Red tape, a. It is a reasonable and feasible plan. Singapore is more than enough proof for this.
As detractors say, the only good things that come out from China is cheap goods. At the cost of quality and safety. I can understand (note: understand not empathize) the plight of these Chinese businessman. In the competitive Chinese market, businessmen who want to win construction bids, sell the cheapest cars have to buy slaves, no matter how cheap labour is. Slaves are free labour. Besides utilizing slaves, they sacrifice quality for price. For example, China cars like Geely failed European crash standards, attaining a measly 1-star out of a possible 5. We owe our cheap LCD TVs and cars to slaves.

Companies that want to have nary a chance of success are turning to slave workers who work long hours with little or no pay. However, this is little reason to buy slaves and thereby, violating the sanctity of human rights. In cruel irony, we owe our cheap household appliances and goods to slave workers. The $300 you just forked out for that coveted pair of shoes may just be the “cost” of a slave which helped make them, for that is the average price of a human life in the booming global slave trade.
I despise slave drivers, and I hope everyone does. It would be a moral disaster if you do not. Thus, I unabashedly say that slave drivers are no better than murderers. Their actions separate families, and effectively destroy the once-hopeful future of a child. This child may be an Einstein, but they have destroyed him. I also admit that I will misunderstand slave drivers because I am prejudiced against them. This prejudice arose because I have yet to relate with someone compassionate for slave drivers.

The next time you buy a “Made-in-China” product, you are not only risking your safety to save a few bucks, you are also releasing more carbon dioxide and inadvertently supporting slavery.
That being said, the world bust be an ardent supporter of slavery. Therefore, I urge you to think twice before buying that cheap China-made Essence of Chicken from the supermarket next time.

UNSW: The Aftermath

On May 24 this year, UNSWAsia shocked the academic world by announcing that is was leaving the Singapore education scene, barely three months after the first lessons had started. It was expected to have 15,000 students by 2020, but its first enrolment was only 148. It was a huge blow to Singapore’s ambitions of becoming a world-class education hub with UNSW the most prolific of the foreign institutions here. Clearly, it was a change of leadership which incited the closure, with someone with a nose for bottom line at is helm.

UNSWAsia’s spokesman argued that the school was unsustainable. Ironically, James Cook University and Insead started out with only 50 students and have tided through the early storm. From this, we know that behind every successful business is a plan of calculated risk. As the old adage goes, ”Nothing venture, nothing gained”.

This can be applied to our daily life. Firstly, if you want to be an entrepreneur, one must surely take calculated risks. We should not give up and close our business after three months in the red, but rather focus on one’s strengths and seek ways to improve equity. Secondly, in whatever we do, we should take the road least traveled by, for the grass may be greener there. Suppose you are a handphone manufacturer. Would you venture into Africa or Japan? Instincts say Japan but the opportunist will know that Africa has a larger market as Japan’s mobile penetration rate is too high.

It is reasonable that UNSWAsia should not close down so early. Success does not come by easily. Insead, a thriving business school bears testament to this. I write this as a student, and I can easily get into the shoes of the affected students-how they feel, etc. However, it might be noteworthy that in our fluctuating business world, the first sign of failure is probably the best time to exit, as seen by the 1997 Asian financial crisis, SARS and WTC.

However, the vice-chancellor of UNSW has had experience in the business and financial world, as a former CEO of John Fairfax Holdings, Australia’s media giant. I have neither but can understand the predicament UNSWAsia is in. With tens of millions of dollars in reserve, the whole UNSW will go down under (pun unintended) a huge pile of loans if UNSWAsia fails. I see it as a move to preserve the Sydney campus, to save UNSW. I am inclined to also believe that they are trying to preserve the prestige and legacy of UNSW, just like nothing beats studying Oxford/Cambridge in London.
Truly, I am quite annoyed that UNSWAsia should close down after just 3 months. Fortunately, it did not leave students in the lurch, unlike Froebel Academy, and arranged for scholarships for affected students. However, an academic institution is not-for-profit and lack of sustainability does not justify its closure. As much as I want to comment more, I am not an economist and will probably not see things as clearly from the economic perspective. Therefore, I might misunderstand their true intentions.
Hopefully, this incident will not affect Singapore’s status and dream to be the education hub of Asia.