This week, Senator Hatch will reportedly introduce “fast track” (trade promotion authority) legislation in the Senate, to help President Obama complete the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade and investment deal with eleven other countries in Asia and the Americas. [Reposted from the Huffington Post | Robert Scott | April 12, 2015] . “Fast Track”…
Although China is often characterized by observers as the chief villain in currency manipulation, the latest U.S. government report reserves its sharpest criticism for South Korea. While the U.S. refrained on Wednesday from labeling any major trading partner a currency manipulator, the Treasury Department said it “has intensified its engagement with [South] Korea on…
International trade is not a sexy public policy issue. Aside from labor unions, who for years have been beating the drum for better trade deals, recent Republican and Democratic administrations in Washington have been gung ho for signing deals around the globe. [by Matthew Daneman | April 8, 2015 | Democrat & Chronicle] But…
The Chinese Navy in in the process of commissioning three new nuclear-powered attack submarines, according to China Daily. The report, quoted on the website Defense Tech, furthermore notes that the new vessels will be equipped with a new vertical launching system capable of firing supersonic anti-ship missiles. [by Franz-Stefan Gady | April 6, 2015 | The…
Advances in additive manufacturing and 3D printing are occurring so rapidly that there is now a daily newsletter on 3D printing for which I recently subscribed. Design News, Industry Week, Manufacturing.net, and many other publications are also publishing frequent articles on additive manufacturing, and most trade shows are now scheduling one or more sessions related…
As the Obama administration seeks to Fast Track the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) through Congress over public and congressional opposition, it has resorted to a familiar tactic – promising job gains from the deal on the basis of unfounded assumptions. [Reposted from the Public Citizen blog | April 7, 2015] We have repeatedly warned against dubious TPP jobs claims by spotlighting the…
Today, the Washington Post fact checker, Glenn Kessler, claimed that Public Citizen’s analysis of the Korean Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) is based on flawed economics and faulty math. Kessler accepts the White House claim that the employment effect of the KORUS should be based only “on a gain in merchandise exports,” and then claims that…
Michele Nash-Hoff, CPA CA Chair, will be giving a presentation at a Community Forum on Fast Track and the TPP on Saturday, April 11, from 10 a to 12 p. The event takes place at the UFCW Local 1167, located at 855 W. San Bernandino Ave., in Bloomington, CA. Guest speakers include Cm. Pete Aguilar…
Many homeowners in the United States have been suffering for years from contaminated Chinese home improvement products. [Reposted from the Made In USA Foundation Newsletter | March 2015] Defective drywall was manufactured in China and imported to the United States starting in 2001. Laboratory tests of samples for volatile chemicals identified emissions of the sulfurous…
When 60 Minutes sent investigators undercover to three Chinese factories that produce laminate flooring for Lumber Liquidators, it exposed excessive levels of the cancer-causing chemical formaldehyde in the glue used to bind wood particles that make up the core of the laminated boards. [Reposted from the Made in USA Foundation Newsletter | March 2015] It…
