Hong Kong Design and the Roots of Sino-American Trade Disputes

In: The annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Volume 547, p. 37-53

Abstract

Draws parallels between recent Sino-US trade disputes & the course of the US's economic involvement in Hong Kong during the 1950s. Cold War policy, which first prevented, then promoted, & finally controlled Hong Kong domestic exports, is traced through visits by Vice President Richard Nixon & the designer Russell Wright. US influence on Hong Kong industrialists, traders, & designers is also considered, revealing how policies were translated into products. It is suggested that the US reaction against Hong Kong imports during the late 1950s -- the outcries over red profits, sweated labor, & imitation -- foreshadowed more recent fears of Asian economic hegemony, human rights abuse, & intellectual property violations. US management of Hong Kong export industries through flexible production & diversified design suggests a way through current disputes, following consumer demand for less standardized, more individualized designs. 5 Figures. Adapted from the source document.