The bicycle I bought recently is much better than those I used several years
ago. But one small part is still as awkward as its predecessor. The valve in the
wheel is slanted towards a spoke, making it very difficult to fasten the pump to
it when trying to inflate the tyre. Bicycle manufacturers never seem to pay
attention to the position of the valve when mounting the inner tyre on the steel
wheel. I have seen too many slant valves, both on my bicycles and other
people's, and both today and 20 years ago.
China exports bicycles to many other countries. I don't know if they all have
slant valves but it is not rare that Chinese products are rejected because of
trivial defects. Such defects have become an excuse for trade protectionists to
set technical barriers against Chinese exports.
Quality inspection is a major part of technical barriers in international
trade.
Chinese imports inspection authorities last week announced suspension of
import of kimchi from the Republic of Korea (ROK), citing the substandard
quality of the pickled vegetables. The move followed a similar ban imposed by
ROK authorities on imports of Chinese pickles.
One can certainly smell the stink of protectionism in the dispute. But
technical barriers are different from out-and-out safeguard measures. They are
based on quality standards. Though their formulation sometimes involves
arbitrary elements, standards are mostly reasonable, leaving little room for
criticism.
In the pickles dispute, for instance, both sides claimed discovery of eggs of
parasites. The motives behind the allegation might have been out of
protectionism, the results of the quality inspections were factual.
China is a major exporting country. With the rapid growth of exports, China's
products are met with more and more technical barriers. Some of the quality
standards imposed by importing countries seem to be "too strict" to follow. What
shall we do to cope with the new challenge? We might as well lay bare the
protectionist motives behind the technical barriers, but we should do something
more than complaining. We should give a serious thought to the quality of our
products: Are our products really of high standard?
It must be acknowledged that the quality of the products has been greatly
improved. But in terms of details, there are still differences between our
products and those made in developed countries.
Last month, I ordered a wooden bed from Swedish furniture company Ikea. The
bed arrived as a DIY package of wooden boards and bars - I was to assemble them
myself. Soon after setting my hands to them, I marveled at the precision of the
modular design. The positions of the tenons and mortises were so precise that
they fitted each other perfectly. And all symmetrical parts were exactly the
same size, making the joining easily done without even the slightest twist or
deformation.
Similar products in China, however, are usually not as accurate in details.
Many residents of new homes must have experienced the same thing: The bolt on
the door or window is often difficult to fit in place because the workman was
not careful enough to align it exactly with the socket when installing them.
Things of this kind are not difficult to improve. The workers only need to be
a little more careful.
People often complain about the "low quality" of Chinese workers. The workers
certainly need to improve themselves. But the root cause of the problem lies in
the management. The bed I bought from Ikea was not imported from Sweden. It was
made by Chinese workers at Ikea's contracted local plants. The managers strictly
followed Ikea's demands on quality and handicraft to every detail.
Chinese enterprises do attach importance to quality control but few of their
managers are as meticulous as their counterparts in developed countries when
inspecting their products. In most cases, the difference between a Chinese
product and the same product made in Europe, Japan and ROK lies only in
specifics. The key is the attitude towards work.
Many workplaces in China are still permeated with a sluggish and careless
atmosphere. Products turned out in this kind of place can never be possibly as
fine and delicate as we see in a developed country.
A factory in Cixi, Zhejiang Province, hoped to become a contracted supplier
of office watercoolers to a Japanese company. The Chinese plant presented some
sample products, which impressed the Japanese. The potential co-operator was
about to sign the deal but asked to have a look at the factory first.
After the visit, the Japanese said: "We can't imagine the beautiful samples
were manufactured in such a messy and dirty environment." They left.
The case should be thought-provoking for many Chinese enterprises.
Email: liushinan@chinadaily.com.cn
(China Daily 11/09/2005 page4)
