Film blames economic mess on China - Toledo Blade
BY KIRK BAIRD
CULTURE SHOCK
Our economy is a mess. Even in a bitterly partisan political season, that seems to be the one unifying consensus.
As Republicans and Democrats argue about how to fix the problem, Peter Navarro says they're ignoring the bigger threat: China.
Navarro, 63, who has a doctorate in economics from Harvard and has been an economics professor at University of California, Irvine, for more than two decades, has spent years studying China. And he's worried about what he considers to be mounting economic dangers to the United States by the communist nation's unfair and illegal trade practices.
It's a message he has been shouting from the rooftops for years in two books -- 2006's The Coming China Wars and 2011's Death by China -- as a guest on CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, and the CBS and NBC newscasts, and most recently in a documentary he wrote and directed, also titled Death by China, which opens today in Toledo. Navarro, who is touring with his film through Ohio, Michigan, and other parts of the Midwest, will conduct a post-screening town hall Q&A following the screenings at 7 p.m. today and Saturday at Rave Franklin Park 16.
"My life has been dedicated to policy issues, and about 10 years ago I noticed we were losing our economic base," he said in a recent phone interview. "I did a lot of studying about that and I noticed a lot of the problems starting back to 2002 being the disintegration of our industrial base with states like Ohio and Michigan and Pennsylvania.
"A lot of people on the West Coast believe the recession began in '07, but the recession came on in earnest in '04 and hit Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and the Midwest really hard" with the decline of the industrial base.
And for that he says the Chinese Government, multinational companies including Apple, Boeing, and Jeep, as well as Democrats and Republicans in Washington are to blame.
Navarro is especially proud that his film features conservatives and liberals arguing for the same point: trade reform with China. "You'll never see Congressman Tim Ryan, [a] Democrat from Ohio, in the same film as Dana Rohrabacher or Chris Smith, very conservative Republicans," he said. "The film is totally nonpartisan, left or right, but about right and wrong. It's a totally American film."
Critics contend, however, that Death by China is too one-sided in its opinion. "It is ... unabashedly one-sided and is short on solutions, other than the usual 'Call your Congressional representatives,' " opined Neil Genzlinger of the New York Times.
Navarro acknowledged hearing these complaints, but urged critics to challenge the facts of his film.
"To me, what's the other side of currency manipulation? What's the other side of illegal exports? What's the other side of being the largest counterfeiter in the world? What's the other side of using prison labor to sell Homer Simpson slippers that sell in Walmart?" he said. "I think some people view this film as alarming, but it's factually accurate. It's exactly what's going on and some people are shocked by that. But the truth is the truth. This is a wake-up call.
"I think we're very near the tipping point and that's why I'm taking the film before I go with a national distribution through the state of Ohio ... in Toledo, and taking this film to these manufacturing swing states for one simple reason: to elevate the discussion about the role of China in job loss and to get the two presidential candidates to acknowledge that the best jobs program is trade reform with China, cracking down on China's unfair trade advantage, and not more government spending."
Contact Kirk Baird at kbaird@theblade.com or 419-724-6734.
CULTURE SHOCK
Our economy is a mess. Even in a bitterly partisan political season, that seems to be the one unifying consensus.
As Republicans and Democrats argue about how to fix the problem, Peter Navarro says they're ignoring the bigger threat: China.
Navarro, 63, who has a doctorate in economics from Harvard and has been an economics professor at University of California, Irvine, for more than two decades, has spent years studying China. And he's worried about what he considers to be mounting economic dangers to the United States by the communist nation's unfair and illegal trade practices.
It's a message he has been shouting from the rooftops for years in two books -- 2006's The Coming China Wars and 2011's Death by China -- as a guest on CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, and the CBS and NBC newscasts, and most recently in a documentary he wrote and directed, also titled Death by China, which opens today in Toledo. Navarro, who is touring with his film through Ohio, Michigan, and other parts of the Midwest, will conduct a post-screening town hall Q&A following the screenings at 7 p.m. today and Saturday at Rave Franklin Park 16.
"My life has been dedicated to policy issues, and about 10 years ago I noticed we were losing our economic base," he said in a recent phone interview. "I did a lot of studying about that and I noticed a lot of the problems starting back to 2002 being the disintegration of our industrial base with states like Ohio and Michigan and Pennsylvania.
"A lot of people on the West Coast believe the recession began in '07, but the recession came on in earnest in '04 and hit Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and the Midwest really hard" with the decline of the industrial base.
And for that he says the Chinese Government, multinational companies including Apple, Boeing, and Jeep, as well as Democrats and Republicans in Washington are to blame.
Navarro is especially proud that his film features conservatives and liberals arguing for the same point: trade reform with China. "You'll never see Congressman Tim Ryan, [a] Democrat from Ohio, in the same film as Dana Rohrabacher or Chris Smith, very conservative Republicans," he said. "The film is totally nonpartisan, left or right, but about right and wrong. It's a totally American film."
Critics contend, however, that Death by China is too one-sided in its opinion. "It is ... unabashedly one-sided and is short on solutions, other than the usual 'Call your Congressional representatives,' " opined Neil Genzlinger of the New York Times.
Navarro acknowledged hearing these complaints, but urged critics to challenge the facts of his film.
"To me, what's the other side of currency manipulation? What's the other side of illegal exports? What's the other side of being the largest counterfeiter in the world? What's the other side of using prison labor to sell Homer Simpson slippers that sell in Walmart?" he said. "I think some people view this film as alarming, but it's factually accurate. It's exactly what's going on and some people are shocked by that. But the truth is the truth. This is a wake-up call.
"I think we're very near the tipping point and that's why I'm taking the film before I go with a national distribution through the state of Ohio ... in Toledo, and taking this film to these manufacturing swing states for one simple reason: to elevate the discussion about the role of China in job loss and to get the two presidential candidates to acknowledge that the best jobs program is trade reform with China, cracking down on China's unfair trade advantage, and not more government spending."
Contact Kirk Baird at kbaird@theblade.com or 419-724-6734.
Translated From Chinese
Jill Is Her Name
(Name : Jill Vidal, 1982 April 13, 2010 -), former Hong Kong singers, China and South Korea Philippine half-breed, Janice's twin sister. Since 2006, has launched an album "Hit Me" and an EP "Diamond Love", and the launch of a new song in the August 8, 2008 + Picks "Jillympics". Into the possession of dangerous drugs in Japan in April 2009 by the record companies to lift the singer's contract to leave the Hong Kong music scene.
Name: Jill
Nationality: Hong Kong, China
Nationalities: Han Fei mestizo
Date of birth: April 13, 1982
Occupation: singer
representative works: the "Hit Me"
Constellation: Aries
Blood type: A type
Height: 160cm Jill weight: 42kg
Education: secondary level
language skill s: English, Cantonese, Korean, Japanese
Interests: Art, music, fashion, photography, singing, dancing, traveling, computer games, graffiti, bearbricks, Sandman or Fafi figurines.
favorite music: Mazzy Star, bjork, Tori Amos, Keren Ann, StinaNordenstam,
The Used, Blonde redhead, Radiohead and many more ...
like the books: 120 days of Sodom, Notes from the underground, On the road, Naked Lunch Like a movie: Spirited away, Taxi driver, the shining, Ninja scroll, Easy rider, Edward Scissorhands,
Aeon Flux, Akira and Sin City And Star wars
like animals: Tabby Cat, Siamese Cat the like food: Sushi, Korean food, pizza, Indian food, anythingwith chocolate, organic food, Candies and cookies. loved sports: Scuba diving, swimming with dolphins, rock-climbing Jill sky-diving.
the into line after: record companies that Janice has a twin sister, the same love of singing, Janice introduced under to meet with company executives, excellent singing and dancing talent, success in attracting companies and become a singer.
Religion: Christian
Entertainment experience
Jill of life photos (10) music newcomer Janice (Janice) twin sister Jill (Jill) formally into the music scene, she was more with the new song "Lonely" Korea manager people favored invited to jo! in do Je on Ji Hyun junior sister apprentice. Janice debut, a move only heard and not seen its successful landing, then the media pursued the object, low results with a unique voice to shake a new daughters
major music awards won numerous awards, some brilliant performances. Twin sister Janice appearance very similar to Methodist poetry (Jill), also announced to join the music record company has not yet sent a force publicity, but she has been Korean managers fancy, was invited to join the do Jeon Ji Hyun junior sister apprentice. Assorted LP, Jill A Music record company launched sang the song "Lonely", and took the MV "IHQ, INC" Because of the unique qualities of her show in the MV, so Korean managers president left a deep impression that Jill can flex its muscles in Korea, coupled with her local race, so apart from anything else, invited her to join the effort to develop the Korean market. Jill joined to become South Korea manager's first Hong Kong singer.
"HQ, ICN" is one of Korea's largest company managers, its artists, including Jeon Ji Hyun, Cha Tae Hyun, Zheng Yucheng The number of Red Star and Song Hye Kyo, etc. No wonder Jill advised of that fact, the large table excitement, her song "Lonely" MV MTV ASIA Channel hit in South Korea, is bound to Jill kicks.
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