英国《每日电讯报》1月10日发表Paul Midler的文章Why 'Made in China’ is a mark of shame（为什么说“中国制造”是耻辱的标签），摘要如下（英语原文附后）

人们说，通向复苏道路的第一步是承认自己存在问题。只不过，如今，当公众开始意识到“中国制造”标签被大量劣质危险产品玷污时，各家公司是否开始认识到出现了严重问题。人们接下来要问的是：为什么中国制造商的行为如此恶劣？

中国供应商和西方国家进口商之间的关系是问题的关键所在。进口商通常会在中国工厂发货前支付货款，因此，中国工厂完全有理由投机取巧。

只有在集装箱到达目的地后，问题才会被发现。而由于中国的法律制度不完善，供应商没法将中国工厂告上法庭。

中国制造商会竭尽所能地拉生意。但一旦拉生意，双方的关系就会每况愈下，尽管是一点点地恶化。“质量下滑”，即产品质量随着时间的推移逐渐下降，是最常见的问题之一。

由于中国制省商知道其他任何地方都比不过他们，而西方国家消费者又希望自身供应链保持连贯性，因此中国制造商可以自如地、一点点地降低质量水平，无论所签的是什么合同。实际上，产品不合格是西方公司在中国参与的一场游戏的结果，西方公司是输家。

这在很大程度上是文化问题。中国供应商认为，进口商不知道的事情不会对其造成伤害。他们未经许可就改变产品规格，并且认为请求原谅比请求同意要容易得多。质量被视为实现更大利润的障碍，而质量问题不会被公开讨论。

有些人认为，这个问题的根源在于政治制度。中国政府对通过商贸活动促进外汇流入国内的制造商予以奖励。然而，与此同时，那些以不道德方式经营的制造商几乎没有受到惩罚。

中国可以阻止质量下降等不道德的商业行为，成立一个部门专门处理这类投诉。

与此同时，我们仍在不断看到令人担忧的新闻标题。

2008年，中国有数万婴儿因食用被三聚氰胺污染的奶粉而患病。政府对几十家涉及此事的经营者予以制裁、对其他经营者予以警示并处决了两个人。但这毫无效果。几周前，又有一家上海奶制品生产商被发现在其奶制品掺入这种有毒物质。

对于一个连最极端的惩罚方式似乎都无法对犯罪活动产生影响的国家，我们可以说些什么呢？而我们从这样一个经济体进口商品的热情又说明了我们自身的什么问题呢？

Why 'Made in China’ is a mark of shame

By Paul Midler
Published: 6:46PM GMT 10 Jan 2010
The nature of the relationship between Chinese suppliers and Western importers is the key to the problem. Chinese factories are typically paid for their wares before they are shipped, so they have every reason to cut a corner or two.
Only after the containers have arrived at their destination are problems uncovered, and taking Chinese factories to court is not an option because of China's underdeveloped legal system.
Chinese manufacturers will do whatever they need to in order to catch a piece of business, but from there, the relationship often goes downhill, albeit in small steps. "Quality fade", the quiet and incremental degradation of a product's quality over time, is one of the more common issues.

Because Chinese manufacturers know that they cannot be matched anywhere else, and also that their Western customers prefer continuity in their supply chain, they feel comfortable nibbling away at quality levels, despite whatever contracts they may have signed. Product failures are, in effect, the result of a game that is being played and lost by Western companies in China.

Much of the problem is cultural. Chinese suppliers believe that what an importer doesn't know can't hurt him. They change product specifications without asking, and they believe that it is better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission. Quality is seen as a barrier to greater profitability and quality issues are not openly discussed.

Some believe that at the root of the problem is the political system. There is a carrot in China without a counterbalancing stick. China's Communist Party rewards manufacturers that help bring foreign currency into the country through commerce. At the same time, however, there is little or no punishment meted out to those who conduct their businesses in an unethical fashion.

China could prevent unethical business practices such as quality fade by establishing an office that handles such complaints. Why the country has not yet done this is anyone's guess.

Meanwhile, we continue to see worrisome headlines.

In China, hundreds of thousands of babies were sickened last year by melamine- tainted milk. The government cracked down on the dozens of operators that were involved, and, to deter others, executed two individuals. It had no effect. Just a few weeks ago, another dairy producer was caught adulterating its milk products with the toxic substance.

What can we say about a country in which even the most extreme forms of punishment do not seem to have an impact on criminal activity? And what does our eagerness to import products from such an economy say about ourselves?

Paul Midler is the author of
Poorly Made in China, one of the Economist's top 10 business books in 2009.