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thesmtsolver2yesterday at 3:23 AM2 repliesview on HN

> because they're so much better cars than our domestic brands

Is that objectively true? True after factoring in harms they do to human rights and the environment?

Nope.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/may/12/c...

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/10/human-rights-...

Remember, even EU despite claiming to be morally superior to the US, heavily tariffs BYD (much more than the tariffs that the globe mocks Trump for). https://thenextweb.com/news/byd-rejects-hungary-environmenta...


Replies

chiiyesterday at 5:57 AM

> Is that objectively true?

objectively true. And there's zero need to factor in things like "human rights" or "environmental protection", because these are costs that have been externalized and the consumer don't pay for it (in their lifetime anyway). That's what objectively means.

Chinese cars are unavailable in the US because US manufacturers are 100% unable to compete. Japan was in the exact same position before, but because of ally status, japanese car companies (with their gov't as the proxy) managed to negotiate and have a "voluntary import restriction" in place to protect US manufacturers. This artificial restriction created a higher price for consumers than it ordinarily would have been.

The japanese car manufacturers were also able to setup shop in the US, and instead of exporting, they manufacturered directly on US soil. They're allowed to do this sole because they're an ally, and i don't expect this same to be allowed for chinese companies.

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one33sevenyesterday at 6:49 AM

Are you saying USA is somehow a good example for environmental issues and human rights? Read the news in the past years?

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