Confederate Flag Manufacturers In China Respond To US Debate With Concern, Suggestions

Confederate Flag Manufacturers In China Respond To US Debate With Concern, Suggestions
By Duncan Hewitt @dhewittChina on June 23 2015 8:00 AM EDT

SHANGHAI -- The debate about the future of the Confederate flag could have a knock-on impact in China, the world’s biggest producer of flags and related items.

A quick search on China’s largest sourcing website Alibaba, for example, reveals more than 400 types of made-in-China Confederate flags and related products -- from “Confederate flags on butterfly” navel rings for 62 cents a piece, to “Confederate/USA Crossed Flags Photo License Plates” for $4. There are also Confederate flag-logo iPhone covers, “attitude belt buckles," dog tags and dog collars.

News of the debate about the flag has been widely reported by Chinese news media. “Is the American Civil War not yet over?,” asked Shanghai news website The Paper on Tuesday, for example, in a story exploring the flag’s history. (The seriousness of its discussion of the topic may, however, have been undermined slightly by the fact that it illustrated the article with an image from the early 80s’ U.S. TV show, “The Dukes of Hazzard,” featuring stars John Schneider and Tom Wopat leaning on their distinctive Dodge Charger stock-car, with the Confederate flag emblazoned on its roof, accompanied by the caption: “The Confederate flag still has many supporters in the American south.”)

http://www.ibtimes.com/confederate-flag-manufacturers-china-respond-us-debate-concern-suggestions-1979130