Made in China

By Karen Farris, Op-ed contributor Thursday, November 01, 2018

I was organizing in the garage. Every plastic bin I used was made in China.

Much of what I stored inside was too. Many of my office supplies, electronics, even my toothpicks are from China.

So when I read about a September "showdown" between our navy and China's in the international waters of the South China Sea, it gave Made in China new meaning.

Experts agree that China will be the dominating naval force by 2030. China is aggressively seeking global economic and cyber superiority.

Should America try and maintain military and economic superiority? I grew up thinking so.

Recently, a college professor posed a hypothetical scenario to his students: China sends a flotilla of troops, a destroyer, and an aircraft carrier into our Pacific waters....undetected because of their superior technology. China doesn't want war, only occupation. China will rule the United States from Beijing. Further, China will offer free internet, provide for our country, and give us state-of-the-art technology. Next comes a universal app that appears on all our American mobile devices requiring us to select War....at which point the Chinese are poised to attack. Or, choose "Accept the Offer"...and the Chinese would control the US remotely.

The professor asked the students to choose.

I know what I'd choose, but I'm older and remember my parents talking about the Red Scare. Wars were fought over communism's brutalities. But the college kids? They've grown up with a country constantly at war, and in a nation that's bitterly divided.

The majority of the class accepted the offer.

Will Made in China one day be Made in China's America? I might live to see it happen.

Karen Farris served in the crisis pregnancy ministry — traveling thousands of miles and speaking to over 10,000 students about their life choices — for nearly a dozen years. She became a grant writer and helps find resources for projects that serve those in poverty, mainly children. She's been a blogger since 2010 — Friday Tidings — sharing stories of faith, life, and purpose to give hope in a hurting world.