‘It’s not what it seems’
at the beginning of my business dealings with china more than thirty years ago, i put my trust in every word of a factory manager since honesty is the norm in any business. although the chinese products were cheap and perhaps of less value in terms of quality than others, you always get what you pay for without being cheated or manipulated. after years, we have seen fraud activity in the market has to a large extent been growing. during my last visit to china, i mentioned that to the chairman and owner of a large company. he pointed to me and said: ‘you’re the reason’. when i expressed my displeasure, the owner of the factory said he did not mean it to be me but to the people of my country who insist on bargaining the price while at the same time asking for the best quality. so in order to keep the business going bowing to the requests of customers the factory has no option other than manipulation in the standard of the goods. over time, manipulation in the quality of chinese goods, especially canned products and clothing, have become a semi-public phenomenon, especially since it is diffi cult to believe the instructions written on cans and clothes related to the contents or materials used in making them, mainly some clothes. the factory, for example, says the clothes are 100% cotton made, but the product looks like a piece of plastic once soaked in water. to make the clothes look starched, shiny or white they are often sprayed with chemicals. these substances usually cause skin allergies, especially for children. it is important, as more than one dermatologist warns, to wash the clothes before use. this phenomenon has recently become a global trademark, not limited to chinese products. we live in a crazy world which seeks to make profi t in the shortest time possible by hook or by crook irrespective whether the products will cause harm to others or not. there are also several types of honey in the market and the promoters of this product claim ‘this’ honey can cure diseases. this is true in the short term. some are injected with corticosteroids that cure certain diseases, but the side effects of cortisone are serious. the same applies to saffron, which is diffi cult to distinguish between the good from the spoiled, which fi lls the market. we also have to change the bed pillows every two years ago, at the most, and change the slippers every 6 months, especially if they are used every day. leaves and towels are suitable environments for the formation of bacteria, even if they are constantly washed, and should be replaced every 6 months or a year maximum. it is preferable to change tooth brushes every two or three months, and change hair brushes constantly and also not use perfumes two years after opening a bottle. running shoes must not be used for more than one year. so are the other substances that should not deceive us by their appearance, they may be contaminated and expired. we hope the new food control department will play a role to monitor what we put in our belly. a decree was issued to end the work of the committee that was formed for the islamization of laws after spending a quarter of a century without doing anything, and the state has allocated tens of millions of dinars for it.
