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How much do you think it costs to make a pair of Nike shoes in Asia?

(twitter.com)
689 points taubek | 16 comments | 09 Apr 25 12:58 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source | bottom
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rayiner ◴[09 Apr 25 14:52 UTC] No.43632822[source]▶
Americans need to get over their view of “Asia” as being about making shoes. When I was working in engineering in the early aughts, we mocked the Chinese as being able only to copy American technology. Today, China is competitive with or ahead of America in key technology areas, including nuclear power, AI, EVs, and batteries.

We need to anticipate a future where China is equal to America on a per capita basis, but four times bigger. Is that a world where “Designed by Apple in California, Made in China” still makes sense? What will be America’s competitive edge in that scenario?

What seems most likely to me in the future is that the US will find itself in the same position the UK is in now. Dominating finance and services won’t mean anything when both the IP and the physical products are being produced somewhere else.

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1. lossolo ◴[09 Apr 25 16:45 UTC] No.43634230[source]▶
This. Anyone who doesn’t believe it — please go spend some time in Shenzhen, Shanghai, or similar cities, like I did. I just got back from China. I’ve been (also lived and worked) to the U.S. many times, and I can confidently say that China’s tier-1 cities are on another level when it comes to development and QoL (and not only T1 cities, I was in smaller regions in the north too). It’s also incredibly clean, super safe, and the infrastructure is breathtaking.
replies(3): >>43634673 #>>43638831 #>>43640812 #
2. tayo42 ◴[09 Apr 25 17:17 UTC] No.43634673[source]▶
That's been my current dream trip for a little. I think it woukd be so cool to ride the trains around the country and see what it's really like there. Learning the language is hard though
replies(3): >>43634749 #>>43635058 #>>43635150 #
3. markus_zhang ◴[09 Apr 25 17:23 UTC] No.43634749[source]▶
English is the second language of most young and middle-aged Chinese, so you should be fine at least in tier-s cities.
replies(1): >>43637531 #
4. Symbiote ◴[09 Apr 25 17:49 UTC] No.43635058[source]▶
Remember to carry your passport at all times, as you'll need it to buy a train ticket.

Even a simple metro ticket.

You can also smile at the CCTV cameras, which are in groups every 100m or so within cities.

replies(2): >>43635477 #>>43637241 #
5. blacksmith_tb ◴[09 Apr 25 17:56 UTC] No.43635150[source]▶
I took a year of Mandarin as an undergrad, speaking is doable, reading and writing is hard, but Google Translate & Co. would make that less daunting now.
replies(1): >>43636599 #
6. magnuznilzzon ◴[09 Apr 25 18:20 UTC] No.43635477{3}[source]▶
Train tickets sure, for the high speed rail, but metro? Not in Shanghai at least
replies(1): >>43636475 #
7. Symbiote ◴[09 Apr 25 19:18 UTC] No.43636475{4}[source]▶
Metro ticket machines in Beijing won't sell a ticket until you've scanned an identity card.

Tourists must wait at the ticket window. Foreigners aren't usually asked to show the passport unless they look Chinese.

replies(1): >>43637045 #
8. tayo42 ◴[09 Apr 25 19:26 UTC] No.43636599{3}[source]▶
I thought speaking would be hardest with the tone changes. I took one online class, was overwhelming
replies(1): >>43638844 #
9. dom3k ◴[09 Apr 25 19:57 UTC] No.43637045{5}[source]▶
No need to wait at no window. After you activate Alipay, just click on "Transport" and create a metro card for Beijing. Scan code on enter, scan on exit, pay the sweet low fare automatically. One app, 30+ cities.
replies(1): >>43637220 #
10. Symbiote ◴[09 Apr 25 20:07 UTC] No.43637220{6}[source]▶
"Activating Alipay" requires using an identity card or passport.
replies(1): >>43640817 #
11. blitzar ◴[09 Apr 25 20:09 UTC] No.43637241{3}[source]▶
> You can also smile at the CCTV cameras, which are in groups every 100m or so within cities.

1/100th the amount of smiling at the CCTV cameras compared to the UK then.

12. decimalenough ◴[09 Apr 25 20:28 UTC] No.43637531{3}[source]▶
I recently visited China and even the people you'd expect to speak English (front desk at Western branded hotel, airline check-in, etc) either spoke zero English or really struggled. My shitty Mandarin got a workout.
13. toephu2 ◴[09 Apr 25 22:46 UTC] No.43638831[source]▶
Yup, Chinese Tier 1 cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen) are probably 20 years ahead of their Western counterparts (in terms of crime, or lack thereof, public transportation, convenience, cleanliness, etc).
14. blacksmith_tb ◴[09 Apr 25 22:48 UTC] No.43638844{4}[source]▶
I felt like it started making sense after a month or so, but even though I got up to ~1500 characters at the end of the year, reading was never easy.
15. spaceman_2020 ◴[10 Apr 25 05:08 UTC] No.43640812[source]▶
Cousin was in China last month. Left Shanghai for a meeting in Beijing in the morning. Was back in Shanghai by night

All via train. In cities that are 1300km apart.

16. dom3k ◴[10 Apr 25 05:09 UTC] No.43640817{7}[source]▶
You don't have to wait at the ticket window though. Privacy? Maybe not. But convenience? At every corner.