Sister Fei Talks Politics and Economics: The Real US-China Reconciliation Statement

The sky is falling! Let me do the accounting for everyone. I delayed publishing this terrible account for so long because I really couldn't get interested in this mother‑fussing nonsense, but recently a large number of fan larvae have come rolling in: "We don't know the accounting, some public intellectuals and intermediaries think the sky is falling!" Later I learned that these larvae were most likely arranged by a certain youth role model suspected of rape and political fraud. His and his henchman Sima Nan's messy affairs aren't over yet, and he still has the mood to stir things up, so I'll accompany you in the accounting to see how your illusory sense of pride is generated.

1. Population comparison: China 1.4 billion; United States 335 million

2. Total GDP (2023, USD): China 17.79 trillion; United States 27.72 trillion (China is 64.17% of the United States)

3. GDP per capita (2023, USD): China $12,700; United States $82,800 (a 6.5‑fold difference)

4. Minimum wage: Shanghai vs. Los Angeles (the two cities are quite comparable) Shanghai minimum monthly wage 2,690 CNY (social security bureau document, see image two) Los Angeles 2024 minimum wage $17.28 per hour, 8 hours a day, two‑day weekend, minimum monthly income $3,041.28

5. Daily consumer prices (vegetables, eggs, dairy, meat) Eggs: China 10‑15 CNY per dozen; United States $3‑5 per dozen (common eggs, do not compare with premium U.S. "phoenix" eggs, ordinary U.S. eggs are about one‑third the price) Pork: China 15‑20 CNY per jin; United States $3‑5 per pound (4‑5 times cheaper) Beef: China 30‑40 CNY per jin; United States $5‑8 per pound (5‑6 times cheaper) Chicken: China 10‑15 CNY per jin; United States $2‑4 per pound (4‑5 times cheaper) Vegetables: corn China 2‑5 CNY per ear; United States $0.5‑1.5 per ear (some claim $7 per ear, which must be award‑winning corn). Other vegetables are too many to compare one by one; ignoring exchange rates the price gap is roughly similar. Milk: China 20 CNY per 1.8 L bottle; United States $2 per 2 L bottle (about 10 times cheaper) Bread: In the United States it is so cheap that I won't compare. Fruit: Too many varieties, prices are similar. Walmart rotisserie chicken: China 35 CNY each; United States $3‑4 each (about 10 times cheaper) Haagen‑Dazs: Shanghai: small box 30 CNY; Los Angeles: $3‑5 for 420 g Starbucks: China 30‑40 CNY; United States $5‑8

6. Gasoline China (today) 92‑octane 7.5 CNY/L; 95‑octane 7.98 CNY/L; Los Angeles $0.8‑1.2 per L (6‑9 times cheaper), other U.S. places are 10‑20% lower than California.

7. Cars Example: BMW X5 New car in China: 700,000‑900,000 CNY; 10‑year‑old used car 150,000‑200,000 CNY; New car in the United States: $70,000‑80,000; 10‑year‑old used car $15,000‑25,000 (about a ten‑fold difference).

8. Housing; Rent: Select a not‑so‑luxurious building in Shanghai's Changning District, two‑bedroom apartments of 50‑100 sqm rent for 6,000‑13,000 CNY, take 7,000 CNY/month. Los Angeles ordinary two‑bedroom apartment $2,000‑3,000/month, Beverly Hills luxury two‑bedroom around $4,000, take $3,000, about twice the Chinese rent. Purchase: Shanghai property 2024 average price 58,000 CNY per sqm, take 50,000 CNY/sqm, a 100 sqm two‑bedroom costs 5 million CNY. Los Angeles ordinary apartment about 100 sqm costs $500,000‑700,000, a 7‑10‑fold price gap. Los Angeles property tax is about 1%; annual property tax $5,000‑7,000, referencing patriotic influencer Sima Nan’s "small house" tax, he pays over $4,000 a year to the U.S. government.

9. Clothing and daily goods China: manufacturing powerhouse, daily goods cheap; United States: similarly cheap. No need to compare brands; a Chinese brand denim jean costing 700‑800 CNY can be bought in the U.S. for $30‑50. Discount chains like TJ Maxx can sell Chinese‑priced brands for tens of dollars.

10. Eating out Shanghai: noodles 15‑30 CNY per bowl; boiled pork slices 40‑60 CNY per serving; steak 100‑200 CNY per serving; McDonald’s combo 20‑30 CNY; Los Angeles: noodles $15‑20; boiled pork slices $20‑40 per serving; steak $30‑50; McDonald’s combo $5‑10. The U.S. requires a mandatory 20% tip, except fast food. Egg‑filled pancake: You win, Americans don’t have such fancy snacks; Tea‑egg: You win big, Americans don’t make them and can’t afford them.

11. Communications China: 20‑600 CNY per month per person; United States: $30‑70 per month per person (unlimited calls and data)

12. Healthcare Shanghai: Employment provides medical insurance, reimbursement 70%‑80%. Unemployed must pay out‑of‑pocket; minor illnesses are not expensive, serious illnesses can cause poverty. Personally I think China’s insurance system is not bad; many emigrants keep domestic coverage for emergencies. Los Angeles: Employment provides insurance; good‑benefit companies cover the whole family. Freelancers must buy their own insurance, average annual premium $9,000‑10,000. Under the Obama health law, different income groups receive different subsidies. Those with annual income below about $20,000 (138% of the federal poverty line) get free medical, dental, and eye care. Seniors over 65, children, and pregnant women also receive free care. But U.S. healthcare costs are astronomically high, one of the biggest socioeconomic problems. Americans often fall into debt because of high out‑of‑pocket costs or denied claims. That’s why a guy named Luigi shot the CEO of United Healthcare on the street; that insurer’s denial rate is twice that of other U.S. insurers. Many Americans go bankrupt over medical bills; in this respect China and the U.S. are similar, the only difference is U.S. hospitals can treat first and bill later, and many homeless people are personally bankrupt.

13. Education Shanghai: 9‑year compulsory education is free; public high school tuition 1,000‑2,000 CNY per semester; private schools 100,000‑300,000 CNY per year; Los Angeles: 12‑year compulsory education is free; private schools $40,000‑80,000 per year. University tuition: Shanghai University of Finance and Economics 6,000‑8,000 CNY per year; NYU Shanghai $200,000 per year; UCLA in‑state $13,000 per year; out‑of‑state $42,000‑47,000 per year. A Shanghai finance graduate can earn 10,000 CNY per month; a UCLA graduate can earn $10,000 per month. U.S. private university tuition is high, $50,000‑80,000, especially MBA and law schools, but graduate salaries are also high. Top U.S. schools (Ivy League, other elite institutions) use need‑blind policies, offering scholarships and loans based on family income, keeping the "poor can become successful" pathway alive. 40% of Americans abandon higher education for vocational training or direct employment. The claim that one will never finish loan payments is nonsense; some graduates set a low monthly payment of a few hundred dollars to preserve lifestyle, extending the repayment period and increasing total interest. Some people repeatedly stress "interest on interest", which is just compound interest, the global standard loan method; our mortgages and student loans are also compound, but the Chinese government subsidizes the interest, so there is effectively no extra interest. U.S. loan rates are high, mortgage rates are similar, borrowing is a personal choice. Those who portray U.S. student loans as "predatory usury" are being sensationalist. In the U.S., higher education is an investment; without it, graduates earn about $50,000 per year; with a degree, earnings can rise to $80,000‑100,000, so the government treats it as personal investment and offers little subsidy. Former President Biden has sympathized with student financial pressure, signing bills that waived billions of dollars in student debt for hundreds of thousands of students. Fortunately, Americans don’t hold the belief that "all else is lowly, only study is noble"; blue‑collar, especially technical blue‑collar, face no occupational discrimination and can earn as much or more than many white‑collar workers, so 40% of Americans never set foot in a university, a proportion likely higher in China. Many Americans choose affordable public community colleges to learn a trade, two‑year associate degrees costing $2,000‑5,000 per year; low‑income students can get tuition waivers, and after graduation earn similar salaries to ordinary white‑collar workers (the median U.S. salary in 2024 is $70,000‑80,000 per year).

The accounting is basically finished; there may be some discrepancies, but they don’t affect the overall picture. If you insist on nitpicking individual cases, you’re not really trying to reconcile; you’re trying to prove your preset notion that "you live better than Americans".

There are those who, with the idea of "happiness," come to throw tantrums, act shamelessly, and be unreasonable. If that's the case, you should crawl as far away as possible. I'm saying all this to let everyone see, under normal circumstances, if you earn the same 3,000 yuan or 10,000 yuan, who do you think has money that lasts longer? Don't play the "Tian Ji's Horse Racing" game, and don't shout "we've won so much!" just because the US has a few people selling blood. That doesn't represent the US. We have plenty of dark examples, but that doesn't represent China either. Look at our official data: 600 million people have a monthly income below 1,000 yuan, and 900 million people have a monthly income below 2,000 yuan. I think you should be more humble and not shamelessly shout "we've won so much!" The gap between $12,500 and $82,800 is still huge. I studied and worked in the US for 5 years, and have traveled between China and the US for 20 years. I should understand the US better than most people. Your panicked shouts of "the sky is falling!" are even more ridiculous and pathetic than when Ah Q shouted, "The revolution is here! We can sleep with our mothers!" Anyone with a bit of vision knows that the US has never been a paradise, and China has never been hell. The happiness index in small and medium-sized cities in China is quite high, there's no doubt about that. But the per capita GDP difference between China and the US is 6.5 times, and the purchasing power difference is three to five times. This is also a fact. Is it really that hard to admit that others live a little better than you? Are you so inferior that you must win? Don't belittle yourself, but don't deceive yourself either, right? If you only found out today that the US still has people washing dishes, that some people have to work two jobs to earn tuition, and that some families worry about medical expenses, it's because you are ignorant and lack experience, not because of their problems. Did any public intellectuals or agents tell you that the US is a paradise, where the government waits on you and feeds you? That you can pick up bundles of US dollars by bending over? That golden-haired beauties will massage your back when you get home? Are you dreaming in autumn? The sky is not falling at all! Hurry back to your mental hospital! Actually, when looking at the US, there's no need to look up to it, nor to look down on it. It is an economically strong country, but with over 300 million people, there will inevitably be poor and rich, with strengths and weaknesses. Believing that you can lie flat or strike it rich by going to the US is your own ignorance. You are so ignorant that you have to wait for a few dishwashers and construction workers on Xiaohongshu to "suddenly realize": Oh, ordinary Americans don't eat steak every meal, and not everyone has a Porsche! Isn't this stating the obvious? Didn't you already know that Americans can't afford McDonald's? Didn't you already know about "zero-dollar shopping" and "daily shootings" everywhere in the US? Why are you pretending to "suddenly realize the sky is falling"? The social structure of the US is spindle-shaped, small at both ends and large in the middle. The middle class has not achieved financial freedom and still has to live within their means and plan their lives. Is this hard to understand? The US has never been a place that supports the lazy. The middle class receives almost no universal welfare and has to rely on their own hard work. If you want to lie flat and live a peaceful life, it's best to go to Europe, Canada, or Australia, where high taxes and high welfare provide more security for ordinary people's lives, with the state covering birth, old age, sickness, and death. However, you won't get rich there. Since there's no free lunch, why do so many people still cross mountains and rivers, risking their lives to go to the US? This is what we often call the "American Dream." It is the belief that through unremitting hard work, one can achieve a better life. The charm of the US lies in the fact that on that soil, there is no ceiling to success, making it particularly suitable for ambitious, goal-oriented, smart, and hardworking people to venture out. The education is good, funding is ample, there are many entrepreneurial opportunities, and the environment is relaxed. As long as you are hardworking and smart enough, you are more likely to succeed. The typical representative of the "American Dream" is Musk. A poor student from South Africa, he illegally stayed in the US to start a business and still received the favor of capital. It is hard to find another country in the world that can support a foreigner with no background to become the richest man in the world. Not everyone can become a Musk, so why do ordinary people flock to it? Besides a small number of people following the crowd, the vast majority have clear goals and accurate perceptions: either for their children's education, or to break through their career bottlenecks and live a relatively affluent life. The US economy is good, job opportunities are relatively abundant, and you don't have to work 996 or 0707 to have a life with a house and a car. At least you don't have to constantly put "having a house, a car, and a bride price" on your forehead when looking for a spouse. For the same effort, it is easier to reach a middle-class status in the US. Finally, to all the fools, my high-net-worth clients will never learn about the US through Xiaohongshu, let alone chat with US construction workers and then beat their chests and exclaim, "I've been deceived and regret it!" No one goes there with the great dream of "striking it rich." Immigration and studying abroad are standard economic behaviors with high thresholds. Those who can meet these thresholds are smart and wealthy people with high awareness, and they cannot be easily fooled by me. You brainless maggots who can't even afford instant noodles, stop worrying about whether the sky will fall for me, and worry about whether you can afford instant noodles for your next meal.