China welcomes US (Bush) decision on steel pipe trade (why does

[rodeodance]

Bush get to make trade decisions?????????

http://today.reuters.com/investing/FinanceArticle.aspx?type=businessNews&storyID=2006-01-02T092600Z_01_MAR233915_RTRUKOC_0_US-CHINA-STEEL.xml
China welcomes US decision on steel pipe trade


Mon Jan 2, 2006 4:26 AM ET

BEIJING (Reuters) - China welcomed on Monday a decision by U.S. President George W. Bush to reject a request by some U.S. manufacturers for curbs on imports of steel pipes.

"The Chinese side believes that the policies the U.S. government has adopted up to now in these special protection cases help the healthy and stable trade relations of the two countries," a spokesman for China's Commerce Ministry said in a notice on its Web site (www.mofcom.gov.cn).........


Steel-pipe producers have asked for curbs under a special provision of Beijing's accession in 2000 to the World Trade Organization that allows countries to restrict imports of manufactured goods from China in response to a surge.

The decision on steel pipes, which was announced on Friday, comes as the Bush administration faces pressure from Congress to take a tough line on trade with China. The U.S. trade deficit with China is estimated at about $200 billion for 2005.

[xchrom]

1. yep -- fuck the workers.

bush demostrates once again that he doesn't give a shit -- except for when his next sofa diving episode can begin.

[Mika]

2. More like.. fuck American workers. n/t

[xchrom]

6. it fucks all workers.

there is greater chance for 3rd world workers to gain more stable economies when there is better more even trade with other 3rd world countries.

3rd world to first world trade is the problem -- not that there should be none -- but much different than it is.

[Dongfang Hong]

9. You'll need to explain that one to me.

How does a protectionist tariff help a steel-industry laborer in Chongqing? By rendering his labor less competitive in the American market, it denies him the full value of what his labor would be worth on the world market. What these tariffs do is to tilt the balance towards American industry, pure and simple. And if American steel is made comparatively more competitive, then Chinese steel by necessity is made less competitive. I don't understand how stifling the Chinese steel industry helps the Chinese in any way.

[Solon]

11. Protectionist tarriffs don't help, that is true...

But neither do any free trade agreements as currently negotiated. Look to the factories and sweatshops, not only in China, but around the world, and you would know this is true. When corporate-friendly treaties are ratified, it does nothing to help a steel-industry laborer in Chongqing, except for probably guaranteeing he or she will probably die at the factory/smelter for lack of safety regulations. I would have less of a problem with free trade if stipulations were put in place allowing for independent, worker elected unions to be formed, enviromental and labor regulations be put in place, and child labor being abolished. Until that happens, give me protectionism instead.

[madeline_con]

12. I'm not getting anything on google, so...

what the heck is "sofa diving"? :shrug:

[Dongfang Hong]

3. I would say he has that power

for two possible reasons. I'm not sure which is valid, as my knowledge of the exact workings of international trade is highly limited, but I'll take a stab at it.

1. First of all, the office of president acts as a negotiator of sorts. He has the constitutional authority and mandate "to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur."--meaning that he negotiates the treaty, declaring what he wants and doesn't want, and then when he has something he finds satisfactory, he presents it for ratification by the Senate. In this case, it is no different than if he were to outline what he would find satisfactory in a judicial nominee--while perhaps not prudent, certainly legal.

2. If this is policy to be determined by the Dept. of Commerce in any way, then since he appoints the heads of the department at his pleasure, it can be presumed that the opinions and actions of the Dept. of Commerce are his opinions and the actions which he wishes to undertake. This is in accordance with the traditionally bureaucratic rather than legislative role of the cabinet--they exist not as their own entities but as tools of the Executive branch. In this case it is no different than when he told NASA it was to retool itself towards achieving manned flights to Mars.

I generally agree with this decision--this isn't the fight we want with China. I would certainly give them this; lowering a barrier to their benefit makes it easier for them to do things to a greater benefit to us--say, hurry along in their reevaluation of the RMB. Of course, this certainly won't endear Mr. Bush to either unions or the conservative sinophobic factions, but the electorate likely won't notice something so small.

And there's my first post. I feel so proud.

[oblivious]

4. And a fine post it was. Welcome to DU, Donfang Hong.

[doc03]

5. Bush caved in on the pipe imports, now

China will start dumping other steel products just as they did a couple years ago. Their strategy is to destroy our steel industry piece by piece. We went through all this before. The steel companies will file a complaint with the ITC and then they recommend trade sanctions. Then the WTO controlled by the governments that support the dumping in the first place rule against the USA. Bush put the tariffs steel to win the mid-term elections in the steel states a couple years ago, now there are no elections to win so us in the steel industry will be sacrificed. What can we do China was given the MFN status and they are the people supporting our massive debt. We are between a rock and a hard place.

[firefox]

7. They bought a US steel mill and moved it to China

Will steelworkers be working for $8 an hour? It kind of looks like it could happen.

[Dongfang Hong]

8. No elections to win?

Unless I am very, very confused, it is again a midterm year.

[doc03]

10. Bush won in this area (Ohio & WV) because Clinton & Gore

came here in 1992 and made two promises one was to stop illegal steel dumping and the other was to stop WTI from building a hazardous waste incinerator in Toronto, Ohio. They proceeded to push NAFTA through and the WTO and MFN for China and the WTI plant was built and now it produces more pollution than any other site in the state of Ohio. I think that may have pushed Ohio & WV into the Republican column for ever. If you say Bush didn't support steel this time you will be quickly reminded that Clinton didn't either and he passed NAFTA.

[bobbieinok]

14. thanks for the info...I didn't know this....this info should always be bro

brought up when discussing voting in OH and WV

[doc03]

15. Sometimes I get carried away on the steel subject. But I

am not much of a Clinton fan, everyone thinks the Clinton economy was so good but the Clinton economy literally devastated this area. People here really feel betrayed buy him, I actually think the best thing Kerry could have done when he visited here was apologize for Clinton. Even with Clinton's faults I would take him over this incompetent moran Bush any day.

[dogfacedboy]

13. Sell us out to China a little more, asshole! n/t

[Hotler]

16. Is not communism our enemy???

start painting the corporate bastards as unpatriotic and treasonous. You throw Amerkin workers out on the street for communist workers you are a traitor to this country. Hide your accounts offshore, you're a traitor. so on and so forth.