I'd want to have both sides' products tested independently. If the US sent contaminated products, they replace it and pay 10x penalties. Drawn from an escrow import/export account overseen by a mutually trusted agent. And vice-versa. Keep a tally, see who comes ahead.

Oh, and if the US company is shipping poisoned grain, put them on increased scrutiny for domestic use (like 50% of lots are tested).

It's fair. It's equitable. It's transparent.

And, I'm confident that once ours versus theirs are tallied, we'll come out smelling like roses.

Guys. The cost savings from outsourcing, once you factor in the increased oversight, shipping and admin costs, are only about 30%. Look it up.

Just because Chinese laborers make 1/10th doesn't mean the savings is 10x.

@Nemesis_Enforcer: for real, though. :)

@boandmichele: Nah I try to not get within 2000 feet of a walmart...to many idiots its dangerous to even drive by one.

As bad as you want to pretend American food is (which its not but you would never know this thanks to the media) Its not Americans putting antifreeze in dog and cat food, or using a paint and glass additive to make artificially old rotten eggs.

The worse you could say is we use too many chemicals in protecting our crops from fungus and insects, but then this is coming from a country that has been documented to dump thousands of tonnes of toxic waste in their drinking water.

Karl Marx is orgasming in his grave.

Give me a break.

I was talking to a Nutritionist a couple days ago about food products from China. They told me that US crops have just as many pesticides as the crops in China.

I then found out the UK has much stronger standards regarding the use of pesticides. If you want to eat fewer pesticides, buy food grown in the UK.

Honestly, I'd welcome a trade boycott with China. With the amount of bad press they've been getting, and that threat that they made over the value of the yuan a few weeks back, the American consumer should start checking labels. That and the $150 billion+ trade deficit would go down, the Chinese would buy less government securities, and the US might even rebuild its industrial base.

God help us if we ever go to war. We can't build anything ourselves anymore.

he's just trying not to get executed! Seems to be the case with all of the recalls going on.

I'm sure this is just a case of some bean farmer forgetting where his marijuana patch is and harvesting it accidently. Used to be a big source of 'income' to farmers when I was growing up.

When the same claims are made about America it's not true?

Roll on the Propoganda Train! Choo Chooooo!

@Nemesis_Enforcer: you must have gotten ahold of some walmart produce or something. ive heard that things from walmart can cause vomiting and crying. :p

Chinese quality standards....lol that made me spew Coke across my desk at work and tears spring forth from mine eyes...

Oh those wacky China men!!

@Cassifras: Oh my, that made me laugh outloud. Good one.

Plus, any major US manufacturer setting up a plant in the US would benefit from some sweet, sweet corporate welfare.

Considering the stuff corporations resist so hard so often cost cents on the dollar, I wouldn't be so quick to say "OMG we have to import from China or WE'RE SCREWED" without actually looking at the real savings.

It could be capitalism's salvation. Because right now I agree it's way out of whack. Capitalism unchecked is as bad as anything else if you're not the 1% at the top profiting from everyone else's silly adherence to your rules that you've set up to maintain your stranglehold on 90% of the nation's wealth.

I worked in Asia for 7 years (Hong Kong, Philippines, Thailand) and this is a common problem. The American values of putting everything out in the open (e.g. lots of press, nationwide toy recalls) are contrary to Asian values of saving face and keeping these types of problems hidden. As U.S. and China economies become more interdependent, these things will work themselves out but it's going to be messy. China will not quit importing soybeans from the U.S. but don't be surprised to see a big announcement that they'll be importing more soybeans from Brazil.

i think we just need more quality control and testing on products if companies are going to have factories in other countries with lower standards.

It really is somewhat scary to think of how screwed this country is in the future due to our consumerism and the way unchecked capitalism is going. Unfortunately looking around I have yet to see a system thats remotely better than ours now.

@Falconfire: It's not that harebrained. The PRC doesn't have the hard currency reserves to rebound from us cutting all imports. They depend on us to provide them with funds that they use to buy things from everyone else. If we actually did that, it would be bad news in Beijing within 3 months.

You solve two problems with one solution. First you force US companies to stop exporting jobs so that their executives can make a couple million more (under the guise of bullshit keeping prices low which everyone knows is a complete and utter lie, its to keep profits as high as possible and you can easily see the disproportioned salaries of CEO's and CFO's to prove this)

And second you punish that pimple of a country to the point that hopefully their billions of citizens would grow a set of balls and hang their government.

(yes I realize that this is completely a hairbrained idea, but Im so sick of the Chinese government at this point, and our pandering to it.)

apparently revenge is a dish best served with tofu

I bet they will be careful eating those soybeans while they are in there formaldehyde soaked clothes and their children are gnawing on lead painted toys..but watch out, them soybeans might have some "harmful weeds" in them.

It's just a shot across our bow.

Buy our lead-tainted toys and used chopsticks, or we'll put Iowa farmers out of business just in time for the caucuses.

When you deal with the devil, you gotta pay the devil his due.

So, I'm wondering if China is as dependent on us for soybeans as we are them for cheap consumer electronics & shoddily made clothes?