Well put and yes 'tragic' might be the word for it. I was recently asked why I wouldn't make any long-term investments in China. I can't. I'm not happy or pleased to say this but there is no doubt in my mind China will face some other kind of crisis in 10 years. Which might be simply degenerating and languishing in a kind of poverty to God-forbid something much worse in terms of civil uprisings or lets hope not.

I say this because its simply impossible to imagine a country progressing when I see a fat school manager simply decide not to pay people and is quite seriosuly proud of this. And so are his friends. The number of 'little empresses' I'm seeing excited to humiliate (so childishly it can't be take serious) but humiliate anyone around them - especially foreigners. To see little emperors running up behind foreign teachers and shoving their fingers into the teachers anus region while another throws a large object out a window - and done so matter-of-factly because 'we feel like it' and a long long list of behavior, mannners and this "shame culture" rampant everywhere. This is a country that simply CANNOT work outside itself.

Remember when we used to suppose some of the African people were isolated, backward, uncivilized? I have yet to meet an African in China who isn't just simply bewildered and sincerely shocked at the behaviors he sees. There might be certain problems in the Muslims world but I don't meet Muslim world visitors who are snotting up phlegm and parking their BMW IN front of the bus stop so they can show everyone they are a big boss. I'm talking to Philipinos and Vietnamese visitors who are just scratching their heads at the rampant lying, blatant stupidity and behavior that just simply couldn't happen anywhere else we know of.

Now what you said about moving choices is interesting. To be sure Vietnam must have its problems but you know its a funny thing but the Vietnamese people were really happy to talk to me about some manufacturing ideas. I didn't really detect any BS from them but even better their child wasn't running around smashing street dogs with sticks and bottles and the Dad didn't attempt to show he was a 'big man' and didn't brag about how he can rip people off and cheat people like a champ.

There are some small but shining little stars in Africa where it turns out they are now starting to become manufacturers and getting their acts together for business.

It might even be possible the Trump movement actually wins the white house in the USA and you know its a funny thing but they just might decide its not worth the trouble or savings to manufacture in China (who knows?).

But one thing I do know - a culture and society and then an economy simply CANNOT continue on when 80% of its people are basically socially stupid, social cheats and users, proud of cheating, work on a 'shame culture' series of relationships and heirachy, produce a generation of what we'd call 'Attention Deficit Disorder' emperors and empresses who think they were victims and can get balance by victimizing others and there's simply no way it can work outside itself.