China has just announced that a Chinese astronaut has taken a historic walk in space for the first time after sending over two other manned spacecraft during the last few years. Astronaut Zhai Zhigang made the historic 15 minute space walk Saturday, September 27, 2008.
There is nothing wrong with the Chinese ambitious space program. But is this not too early for the Chinese government to pour a substantial amount of its resources to fast track its space program while the other sectors lack the required technology to upgrade the quality of their products and services?
A case in point is the problem of contaminated milk made by Chinese milk manufacturers and processors that contain melamine, an ingredient used in the manufacture of plastics. Thousands of Chinese children were rushed to various hospitals as a result of drinking contaminated milk.
Other Chinese products such as toys and similar consumer items have been the subject of complaints from consumers all over the world for their inferior quality. It would seem that these inferior quality Chinese products have found their way to foreign markets primarily because of their cheap price. It seems that quality takes a backseat in the Chinese system.
The international community is amazed at how China is able to attain an almost overnight success in terms of trade and commerce specifically in its exports sector. The answer of course is the low price of Chinese products and the ability of Chinese producers to produce so much for so little cost.
The Chinese formula for success in the area of trade and commerce is definitely working for their government in generating the needed financial resources to further develop the Chinese economy. However, the international community seems to frown on its high technology priorities such as the space program where millions of dollars are spent in favor of advancing its technolgy in the improvement of the quality of their consumer products that they sell to the international community.