The pandemic showed the world’s dependency on China as it pulled the strings of major supply chains. However, three years into the pandemic, the West and in specifically America under Joe Biden is yet to learn its lessons.
The Christmas spirit in the states has taken a beating due to the reduction in supplies of Christmas lights, trees, and other staple items – all of which are controlled by Beijing.
A New York Times report quoted retail experts who remarked that there is visible evidence of supply chain upheaval. The retailers are warning customers of the limited inventory for certain holiday staples as the picked-over decoration aisles in stores remained empty during the peak festival period.
Items in short supply include inflatable Santas on motorcycles, red and green twinkling lights, and the computer chips that make neighbourhood displays flicker to the beat of holiday songs.
A Chinese city controls the American Christmas
The Chinese city of Yiwu is the world’s biggest hub for the manufacture of plastic reindeer, twinkle lights and other Christmas paraphernalia. Home to just over 1 million people, about 45% of what Yiwu makes goes to the U.S. alone.
However, the shortage of raw material, added with the power shortage due to a coal crisis has brought the city to a halt. China is the biggest coal consumer in the world. The communist nation still consumes over 56 per cent of coal as a part of its total energy consumption.
Fossil fuel is the most vital part of China’s energy security. Such a high concentration of thermal power in China means that any decline in coal supply hurts its ability to generate sufficient electricity.
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Companies shut down, freight costs up
As a direct repercussion of the scarcity of non-renewable material, China has been forced to shut down everything from aluminium smelters to textiles to food processing to Christmas decoration units.
Other than the town of Yiwu, many factories in China’s numerous economic hubs have shut down or have reduced production because workers are scarce in number. In response, shipping companies have cut their schedules in anticipation of a drop in demand for moving goods around the world.
Biden is not smelling the coffee
Despite the disruptions in the supply chain, Biden is refusing to smell the coffee. The President is not even acknowledging that Washington needs to stop being over-reliant on Beijing.
In a media interaction, Biden said, “Packages are moving, gifts are being delivered, shelves are not empty.”
China cracking down on Christmas celebrations
While the Western nations rely on China for their biggest festival, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is ordering locals to not celebrate Christmas as it is a ‘western celebration’.
Leaked documents from the CCP reveal that orders have been issued to impose restrictions on all kinds of Christmas celebrations, including in places of worship.
One of the leaked documents read, “The day ‘Christmas’ or ‘Holy Night,’ which is coming, is imbued with deep Western religious culture. Some Western nations rely on their advanced technology and culture to spread their values and lifestyle in China, attracting our young people.”
It further added, “Some business enterprises also want to take advantages of this celebration for business, so they create the surrounding feeling and social impact of this Western ‘feast.’ This is damaging our traditional Chinese culture.”