(Too) Conspicuous Consumption in Shenzhen - more billionaires than New York City now

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I don't think Donald Trump really understood international economics when he complained about trade imbalances between the US and other major economies. Of course if you have the number 1 economy in the word you will import a lot of stuff which is more cheaply produced elsewhere and export the expensive stuff. If you import more than export, it is really no big deal. In fact, I recall an economics professor saying it can be good for your own consumers and economy.


In Shenzhen, a city that now has more billionaires than New York City, you have rabid importers of American and Western luxury items. These are the status symbols here. I once took a snapshot of the inside of a KFC in Shenzhen to show my brother how similar and different it was from American KFCs and I accidentally snapped a photo of part of the parking lot. My brother wrote back saying, "My God - who goes to KFC in that city? You have 5 Audis, 4 BMWs, 6 Mercedes Benzes and 2 Porsches right outside the place." Yes, they love their foreign cars here. 


But this guy on the subway may be a little too conspicuous. 

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