China used more cement between 2011 and 2013 than the U.S. used in the entire 20th Century. [Reposted from The Washington Post | Ana Swanson | March 24, 2015] It’s a statistic so mind-blowing that it stunned Bill Gates and inspired haiku. But can it be true, and, if so, how? Yes, China’s economy has grown…
For Immediate Release: Contact: Symone Sanders (202) 454-5108 March 25, 2015 Lori Wallach (202) 454-5107, [email protected] TPP Leak Reveals Extraordinary New Powers for Thousands of Foreign Firms to Challenge U.S. Policies and Demand Taxpayer Compensation Unveiling of Parallel Legal System for Foreign Corporations Will Fuel TPP Controversy, Further Complicate Obama’s Push for Fast Track [A…
In August 2014, China’s state-owned Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Co. launched a new frigate, a small warship often used for submarine warfare or coastal defense, into Shanghai’s Huangpu River. As the frigate slid into the water, a casual passerby might have assumed that it was simply another ship in the Chinese Navy’s rapidly growing fleet. Yet…
As Congress prepares to consider fast track legislation to essentially pre-approve (without reading) the still-secret Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) opponents are working to get the word out and register opposition. Seattle’s city council is preparing to vote on a resolution opposing fast track, and a number of organizations sent an open letter spelling out what an acceptable fast track process would do. [Reposted from the Campaign for America’s Future blog | Dave Johnson | March 23,…
As the Trans-Pacific Partnership does or doesn’t approach completion, arguments for and against have had another airing, including the contention that the deal is worth doing for foreign policy reasons to enhance the US’s geopolitical standing in Asia. [Reposted from The Financial Times | Alan Beattie | March 25, 2015] This is an appealing fall-back…
WASHINGTON (Project Syndicate) — Is it appropriate to use trade agreements to discourage countries from using large-scale intervention in the foreign-exchange market to hold down their currencies’ value? That is the question of the day in American economic-policy circles. [Reposted from Marketwatch | Simon Johnson | March 24, 2015] In recent years, Japan, South Korea,…
WASHINGTON (DTN) — Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a vigorous opponent of granting President Barack Obama trade promotion authority, lashed out Thursday at USDA officials over the administration’s use of export statistics to convince members of Congress to support trade agreements. [Reposted from AG Partners LLC | Jerry Hagstrom | March 20, 2015] At a House…
Below is information on our trade deficit with the 20 Free Trade Agreement countries and a guide explaining how USTR manipulates the trade data to support its outlandish claim that we have a trade surplus with the 20 Free FTA partners. USTR counts foreign-made goods as U.S. exports to artificially inflate export figures and/or removes…
(Bloomberg) — Sipping coffee at a Starbucks on a tree-lined road in Bothell, Washington, Representative Suzan DelBene finds herself stuck in the middle on international trade policy. [Reposted from Bloomberg Business | Carter Dougherty | March 23, 2015] As a former executive at global software giant Microsoft Corp., just down the road in Redmond, and…
U.S. Steel Corp. (NYSE:X) may be looking to fund projects in an effort to save jobs in Birmingham, but steel production in China continues at a pace that could make it difficult for Alabama manufacturers to compete. [Reposted from the Birmingham Business Journal | Ryan Phillips | March 20, 2015] Manufacturers face overproduction U.S. Steel…
