What I Bought Is Not A Toilet Lid, But A Sense Of Security

Chinese tourists went to Japan to rush to buy toilet seats. They were mentioned by financial writer Wu Xiaobo, and they were quickly followed up by the national media. During the two sessions, from the prime minister and ministers to the committee representatives all expressed their concerns. Various rumors spread wildly, such as the Japanese toilet seat made in Hangzhou, the world's 1/5 toilet seat made in Xiamen, and the 90% smart toilet seat core component made in Wenzhou.

In addition to the toilet lid, there are also rice cookers and rice. Therefore, some people say that the Chinese (at least some people) have a "Japanese goods myth." According to reports, Japan’s sky-high rice is actually produced in Panjin, China; and according to a TV station’s test, the rice cooked in a high-end Japanese rice cooker is not as fragrant as the ordinary Chinese rice cooker.

So, what brings about the seemingly "irrational" fascination with Japanese goods? Or, what's wrong with "Made in China"? From the perspective of the migrant workers, this can be explained by the value chain link.

Look at the toilet lid first. Although the toilet cover purchased from Japan is produced in China, and the Japanese company that manufactures and sells this toilet cover also has a branch in China, this product is not available in China. In other words, although this toilet seat is produced in China, it strictly follows Japanese standards in the production process. And this standard, in the words of the customer service staff of Japanese shopping malls, makes Japanese toilet lids "in terms of quality, better than (China) domestic products of the same brand." Everyone is toilet lids, even produced by the same manufacturer at the same location. , But the production process is in accordance with different standards, the difference is so big.

The story of rice and rice cooker is similar. The rice is produced in Liaoning and exported to Japan as "sky-priced rice". The value-added fundamental lies in the standard-the rice planting process strictly follows the Japanese model, technology and process, with strict control of fertilizers and pesticides, and the processing and packaging process It was also completed after exporting to Japan.

In this way, the "Japanese goods myth" is not necessarily a myth. In other words, this "irrational" has no lack of rational elements. In fact, plots similar to "buying Japanese toilet lids" happen every day. For example, when we buy things on Taobao, even if we are not buying imported products, we have to look for "original export orders". My heart has already defaulted. The original order follows foreign standards and the quality is better.

Therefore, when the media tried to cool down the "Japanese goods myth" with the "no difference" of origin, user experience, technology, and materials, they did not really understand what consumers are willing to pay for it— —Not only the toilet seat/rice/rice cooker, but the "sense of security". Yes, the "sense of security" created by strict rules and standards is the greatest added value contained in Japanese products.

Regrettably, this "sense of security" is still generally absent in the domestic value chain. Every "3•15 Gala" is so amazing. Domestic brands have changed from "poisoned milk powder" to "waste oil", multinational companies set one set overseas. With every exposure of the media, quality problems continue to deprive consumers of the "sense of security" and give "Made in China" time and time again. "Make up.

In the past, international trade reflected the comparative advantages of a country’s production. We know that "juices grown in Huainan are oranges, while those grown in Huaibei are oranges." It is clear at a glance which XX product (in which country) is strong. Since then, the development of global value chain trade has blurred the borders of products. Whether the production of oranges or oranges is no longer a regional issue. In the same region and the same factory, similar products produced may be far apart. The quality of products depends on the differences in rules and standards in the value chain creation process.

The development of global value chains makes it even more important to unify rules on a global scale. Because of the quality of products, in the final analysis, it is the choice of multinational corporations, an important participant in the global value chain. Multinational companies have promoted the development of global value chains and brought higher welfare effects to different countries, but they are not saviors, but economic entities that follow the principle of maximizing profits.

In the context of a high degree of integration of raw material supply, free capital flow and global allocation of labor, the costs of raw materials, capital and labor for products sold by multinational companies around the world are converging. When selling in the markets of various countries, the method for multinational companies to control costs and maximize profits is naturally to choose to produce and sell in accordance with the country’s lowest standards, as long as they do not touch the bottom line of violations or just wander in the "grey area." , Multinational companies can make profits.

Therefore, judging from the production decision-making mode of multinational companies, if we want to build a "sense of security" in the value chain, we need strict standard formulation and thorough implementation.

However, the improvement of standards cannot be achieved overnight. It is affected by multiple factors: First, domestic small and medium-sized enterprises are less able to bear them. The increase in standards may make small and medium-sized enterprises unprofitable and then withdraw from the market. Employment has an adverse impact; second, domestic monopolies have a higher voice in formulating industry standards, which will hinder the formation of high standards; third, even in the manufacturing industry, there are many processes that are difficult to standardize. This part is simply It is difficult to achieve the expected effect of improving product quality by raising standards.