I thought Trevor Loudon was being a bit over-cautious about letting the Chinese have part-owership in Port Lyttelton. But now it turns out he thinks any trade with China is a security risk to New Zealand! Now that's going way too far, Trevor.

The only Chinese I've ever known were a couple who used to run the cyber cafe on Broadway in Newmarket, where I used to live. Very polite, very spick-and-span, reserved and quiet folks. I used to run into them at computer flea markets too, like the Greenlane one, and say "hi." Polite and quiet as mice. Koreans, Japanese, and Vietnamese kinda look the same but, to generalise, you can tell the Chinese apart from them by their polite, humble, and withdrawn baring. Same deal with the seamstress down Osborne St who used to do my sewing. Such has been my experience with Chinese.

However, for the last few weeks I've been working for a company here in Melbourne that imports a modest amount of aluminium from China. A few times I've trucked a load to Smorgon Steel, which is a huge place. You have to report to an office and be kitted out with safety gear and papers just to get in. Chatting to a Smorgon guy I learned that, in the past two years or so, a huge proportion of their ally has come in from China that used to originate from here in Australia. He also said the Australian quality was far better but he would say that, being an Ozzie.

Apart from what I've learned this week I know that huge amounts of manufactured goods and raw materials are coming in from China. As a student of economics I know Ricardo's lesson of the mutual trade benefits of comparative advantage. We too, as well as the Chinese, are making out on these [most volumous] trade deals- else we would not do it.

The blokes I deliver ally to span the whole of Melbourne. Some of these firms on-sell or transport the packs and bundles to other states of Australia. Some of the regular local customers I have delivered to only this week, for example, make ramps of all sorts, roofs, flagpoles, shop and home interior fittings, window louvers, window frames, white boards, washrooms, and campervans. I love being nosy and seeing seeing what's being done. They think I'm working for money? Hah, I'm working so I can get paid to listen to rock and drive around Australia peeking in on everyone's business! And loving it.

I get to see a myriad, though a tiny proportion, of what's going on with Chinese aluminium in this city- the product, the businesses, the people employed. Production is keeping us all busy building Melbourne, materially, into a better and better city and increasing the standard of living. Ah, the grace of capitalism.

If all of this is also making the Chinese more wealthy and prosperous too what's the trouble, Mr Loudon? Even if we do end up going to war within 20 years I think we should keep trading in the mean time. While their might is nourished by us, so is ours by them. Perhaps your quarrel is really with what we are doing with that might, millitarily, as compared with them?

And if there is to be war then all that trade will mean is that both sides get to do it at a higher level of comfort than otherwise. We'll both have lots of guns, but we'll also both have lots of butter and soft pillows and warm clothing to go to war with. If battle is coming, why not fight it at a higher standard of living, ah?


In other N.Zeal news, Maia at Capitalism Bad is linking in as an exclaimation of how not-scared of him she is. :)