Submitted by CARPE DIEM

Cheap Chinese products, like motorcycles that sell for only $440, are flooding China’s southern neighbors and consumers in Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia are laying out the welcome mat.

The products are transforming the lives of some of the poorest people in Asia, whose worldly possessions only a few years ago typically consisted of not much more than a set or two of clothes, cooking utensils and a thatch-roofed house built by hand.

As the first introduction to global capitalism, Chinese products are met with deep appreciation.

Read more of the IHT article “Chinese Goods Transform Life in Southeast Asia” here.

Watch a video “Change Arrives on a Scooter” here.

Note that globalization and trade are disproportionately benefiting the poor people of SE Asia, since the rich politicians and politically-connected elite already had their BMWs. Also, this story counteracts the myth that “globalization exploits the developing nations and their poor.” I don’t think the mountain villagers of Laos, who can now reach the nearest city in 2 hours on a scooter instead of walking all day, feel too “exploited.”

(HT: Sanil Kori)

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