Be careful what you buy in China

Be careful what you buy in China
Sep 17, 2006 12:58
WGSANT Points: Join Date: Sep 17, 2006 Status: offline	In February of 2005, the Cultural Property Advisory Committee, an element of the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, held a public hearing as part of their deliberation on a request for import restrictions by the People's Republic of China. What the Chinese government requested, under a 1983 U.S. law known as the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act (CPIA), was that virtually everything manufactured in China prior to 1911 be restricted from importation into the U.S. ostensibly to preserve the cultural heritage of China. The range of objects considered "cultural property" under the UNESCO treaty of 1970, upon which CPIA is based, boggles the mind. The request even includes such ridiculous items as Chinese coins, which were made in the billions and were intended from the start to be exchanged internationally. Indeed, huge caches of old Chinese coins are found today in many neighboring countries and even in the United States, where immigrant laborers brought them in large numbers during the 19th century. Today, the Bank of China is partnered with a nouveau riche entrepreneur who provides the state owned banks with packaged groups of old coins from his massive accumulations. These coin packs are reportedly sold by the banks to tourists at approximately $50 a set. If the State Department approves the Chinese request for import restrictions, as many insiders fear they are about to do, U.S. Customs will be charged with confiscating these coins from tourists as they return to the U.S. and repatriating the coins to China -- where they undoubtedly would be resold to the next wave of gullible tourists. Perhaps that is what is meant by "Free Trade"? The only reason this hasn't happened already is because of intense resistance by collector and trade advocacy groups. The whole process sounds ridiculous, but it is really quite serious. The request, if approved, opens Pandora's Box and could be applied to all sorts of normally legitimate items. Are we to trust that the bureaucracy will use good common sense in applying these omnibus restrictions? What do you think?

Sep 17, 2006 12:58

WGSANT
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Join Date: Sep 17, 2006
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In February of 2005, the Cultural Property Advisory Committee, an element of the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, held a public hearing as part of their deliberation on a request for import restrictions by the People's Republic of China. What the Chinese government requested, under a 1983 U.S. law known as the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act (CPIA), was that virtually everything manufactured in China prior to 1911 be restricted from importation into the U.S. ostensibly to preserve the cultural heritage of China. The range of objects considered "cultural property" under the UNESCO treaty of 1970, upon which CPIA is based, boggles the mind. The request even includes such ridiculous items as Chinese coins, which were made in the billions and were intended from the start to be exchanged internationally. Indeed, huge caches of old Chinese coins are found today in many neighboring countries and even in the United States, where immigrant laborers brought them in large numbers during the 19th century. Today, the Bank of China is partnered with a nouveau riche entrepreneur who provides the state owned banks with packaged groups of old coins from his massive accumulations. These coin packs are reportedly sold by the banks to tourists at approximately $50 a set. If the State Department approves the Chinese request for import restrictions, as many insiders fear they are about to do, U.S. Customs will be charged with confiscating these coins from tourists as they return to the U.S. and repatriating the coins to China -- where they undoubtedly would be resold to the next wave of gullible tourists. Perhaps that is what is meant by "Free Trade"? The only reason this hasn't happened already is because of intense resistance by collector and trade advocacy groups. The whole process sounds ridiculous, but it is really quite serious. The request, if approved, opens Pandora's Box and could be applied to all sorts of normally legitimate items. Are we to trust that the bureaucracy will use good common sense in applying these omnibus restrictions? What do you think?

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