By Kenneth Rapoza, CPA Industry Analyst Labor and human rights move to the fore in dealing with China. Sourcing cotton or computer equipment from Xinjiang? Look out. This week, Customs and Border Protection issued orders to block imports from five new companies stationed in Xinjiang, the infamous Western China province that is home to “re-education…
“Conscious Beauty. Clean Beauty. Green Beauty. Sustainable Packaging. Selfcare. Wellness. Health. Safety…” These are key buzzwords for today’s conscious-beauty consumer. She/he strives to protect the environment, prevent animal testing, ensure healthy ingredients, guarantee fairness in manufacturing and labor, and support noble social causes — all while looking beautiful. [Randa Fahmy | September 8, 2020 |…
By Kenneth Rapoza, CPA Industry Analyst American Manganese has a plan: take lithium, cobalt, manganese and nickel waste used to make EV car batteries and recycle them back into car batteries. This is one way to have control of our critical minerals supply and it helps promote a domestic EV battery market, a market that…
By Kenneth Rapoza, CPA Industry Analyst Summary: If we experience a global pandemic like this again, we know two things to be true: we can’t get critical medical supplies from China when China and the rest of the world need them too. We can’t rely on our allies to get it to us when they…
By Charles Benoit, CPA Trade Counsel U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer recently published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal detailing a five-point plan for reforming the World Trade Organization (WTO). Lighthizer’s plan received superficial criticism from all his usual detractors. But what he proposed is genius. Lighthizer’s plan will expose the hypocrisy of so-called…
By Kenneth Rapoza, CPA Industry Analyst Joe Biden wants a Green New Deal and that means installing around 500 million solar panels nationwide. Where will the majority of those solar panels be made? In the USA, or China? If Joe Biden wins, solar is expected to play a large role in fossil-free energy over his…
By Kenneth Rapoza, CPA Industry Analyst From H&M to Heinz, companies are now on notice if they are sourcing from Xinjiang, home of the Uyghur Muslim detention facilities Beijing refers to as re-education centers. Disney might be okay with filming Mulan in Xinjiang, home to hundreds of thousands of Uyghur Muslims held in detention facilities…
By Kenneth Rapoza, CPA Industry Analyst The US needs a “whole-of-government” approach to re-shore production if Americans are ever going to produce what we consume. The trade deficit hit $63.5 billion in July, its highest monthly total since July 2008 ($67.0 million), though much of the deterioration is due to continued lockdowns and demand suppression…
By Kenneth Rapoza, Industry Analyst, CPA The latest Chinese company additions to the Commerce Department’s Entity List shows the growing influence of national security in the fight with China. The Chinese company that was made famous for its 2017 “X-6 Skywalker” drone was put on the Commerce Department’s Entity List on Wednesday along with 23…
By Kenneth Rapoza, Industry Analyst, CPA Joe Biden’s trade team has the right ideas on China. Here are some standouts we note in his Made in All of America trade policy. We are pleased to see that Joe Biden has come to grips with the fact that China is a problem for U.S. manufacturing and…
