Bad, Bad China, Says The WTO. Who Cares, Says China

Bad, Bad China, Says The WTO. Who Cares, Says China | The Truth About Cars:

"China has a 60 percent local content law for cars. If local content falls below that mark, the car is treated as an import, even if it’s Made in China. That means a 25 percent duty.

“Unfair!” said the US, EU and Canada, and filed a complaint with the WTO in March 2006. In July, the WTO ruled that China is wrong. China appealed. The WTO now rejected the appeal, and China has to come into compliance. “WTO’s final ruling marks the first time the country has lost a legal trade dispute since joining the global trade body in 2001,” China Daily regrets.

However, the Chinese parts industry’s fear of a flood of cheap imports from the EU and NA is unwarranted, China Daily says: “Analysts say that the effect on the domestic auto industry would be minimal since many multinationals would still prefer using local car parts to imported ones even if the Chinese government lowers the tariff over some auto parts.” According to a report by China Galaxy Securities, most multinational carmakers have already started making more car parts in China to cut costs. Honda and Volkswagen, for instance, make over 80 percent of their components in China. And China doesn’t have to change tomorrow: “China now has a reasonable period of time"

Could the Economic bust in the US be a good thing in the long run?

Here's the scenario: the US has been flush with cheap goods ever since industrialists discovered they could make and transport goods cheaper from halfway around the world than they could by making them where they will be consumed, paying the local workers a decent wage. That decent wage also creates more consumers for their goods.

The Chinese are now finding that their goods can't be sold at any price, because consumers just aren't buying anything, and manufacturers are closing shop and moving out of china.

The future could be (and this is a big "if," assuming logic exists in board rooms), that Western labor unions will either die the horribly wretched death they deserve, or that they will agree to reasonable terms. This will make the Western manufacturers look again at making goods where they are sold, eliminating transport costs, and again, creating the consumers they desperately need.

Nah, it'll never happen, because it makes sense.

Bloom Off The Rose For Chinese Car Industry | The Truth About Cars: "The good new times are over in China. According to reports published by J.D. Power, the increase in auto sales has slowed down to 6.7 percent this year, as opposed to 22 percent in 2007 and 26 percent in 2006. An analyst at the usually well-informed Nomura bank in Japan sees China’s auto sales growth slowing to 3.8 percent next year, and 6.4 percent in 2010."

Wal-Mart removes brand of eggs from China stores - USATODAY.com

This melamine is everywhere in China's food supply. So much so, that I hear the PRC is going to come up with a new recipe: General Tso's Melamine.

Wal-Mart removes brand of eggs from China stores - USATODAY.com:

BEIJING (AP) — Wal-Mart said Tuesday it had stopped selling a brand of eggs in its Chinese stores after food safety regulators in Hong Kong found excessive levels of the industrial chemical melamine in eggs sold under the brand.

The world's largest retailer said it has removed a brand of eggs produced by China's Dalian Hanwei Enterprise Group from all of its stores in China."

Report: FDA inspections of foreign plants lacking - USATODAY.com

Report: FDA inspections of foreign plants lacking - USATODAY.com:
"Although the FDA will soon be placing inspectors in China and India, 'given the growth in foreign drug manufacturing for the U.S. market, and the large gaps in FDA's foreign drug inspection program, significant challenges remain,' the Government Accountability Office said in its report.

The report 'confirms that the system deployed by FDA to police (foreign) facilities and keep Americans safe from poorly manufactured drugs is understaffed, overwhelmed and completely inadequate,' said Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich."

Why the Dems Want the Economy to Fail

I won't belabor the point about Wall Street face-planting after the US Congress fails to do anything about the 2008 banking and economic crisis. But take note of this:

Surprise! This is an election year. The Democrats are holding nothing back in order to win the presidency. They have no doubt seen the polls indicating that democrat Barack Obama's poll numbers have increased precipitously since the start of the crisis. Given that Obama's numbers have shot up in inverse proportion to the Dow Jones Industrial Average going down, why would the Democrats want to end the crisis?

The US stock market lost 777 points yesterday, translating to 1.1 TRILLION dollars of lost value. That's about 1.5 times the cost of the $700 billion bailout. If you think that doesn't affect you, have a look at your retirement portfolio; if you have a 401K, you lost a lot of money. Common sense would tell anyone with the slightest twinge of statesmanship that the crisis must be ended. But in an election year, all bets are off.

What other reason can be offered for Rep. Nancy Pelosi to go on a name-calling spree, including saying that against her Republican opponents were "unpatriotic," right before a critical vote on the measure? Common sense would say that action would cause the vote to fail. Ironically, she was in the midst of a speech congratulating the House of Reps on it's "bipartisan" efforts, when she went off-message and condemned Pres. George Bush and Republicans for causing the crisis in the first place (not true; they all caused it, as far back as 1999).

Barney Frank, head of the banking committee, did much the same, but he couldn't even corral all of his dem party members in the committee to vote for the measure; 12 democrats on the banking committee voted against the bill. Had they voted yes, the bill would have passed.

The longer this crisis lasts, the more stock value is lost, the harder it is for credit to be issued, and the greater the risk of an outright depression. The US monetary system is locked up, and all the democratic leadership in congress can do is call names. Positively incredible.

What will the dems do to win an election? I think it's time that all of them - both parties - are given their walking papers. Vote out all incumbents. It's the patriotic thing. Assuming we're all still capable of voting in the breadline.


ABC News: Stocks Have Miserable Day After House Vote:

"The day started with silence -- the iconic opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange failed to sound -- and things just got worse from there, ending in the single biggest one-day point loss in history.
Congress votes down economic relief package prompting investors to sell.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 777.68 to close at 10,365.45. The previous biggest point drop came on Sept. 17, 2001, the first day the market reopened after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

A jittery stock market spent all morning in negative territory as investors worried about the $700 billion bailout package before Congress today. By 1:40 p.m. it became clear that the House was not going to pass the bill, and stocks went into a freefall; the Dow fell 400 points in 10 minutes before eventually dropping 700 points below Friday's close.

The Nasdaq and S&P 500 also posted massive losses, down 9.1 percent and 8.8 percent respectively."

Cadbury: Melamine Found in Chinese-Made Chocolates - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

FOXNews.com - Cadbury: Melamine Found in Chinese-Made Chocolates - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News:

"HONG KONG — British candy maker Cadbury said Monday it is recalling 11 types of Chinese-made chocolates after tests found they contained the industrial chemical melamine.

A Cadbury spokesman said it was too early to say how much of the chemical was in the chocolates.

'These are preliminary findings from tests. And it's too early to say where the source was or the extent of it,' the spokesman told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

He declined to be named because of company policy.

Cadbury said in a statement it has recalled 11 chocolate products made at its factory in Beijing which are distributed in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Australia."

More food in China found with unsafe chemical levels - USATODAY.com

More food in China found with unsafe chemical levels - USATODAY.com:

"HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong supermarkets stripped shelves of a popular cookie brand made in China on Friday after Macau authorities found excessive amounts of the industrial chemical melamine in the product.

The removal of the chocolate-filled cookies came after Macau's Health Bureau found Thursday the amount of melamine in the Koala's March brand was 24 times the safe limit.

The grocery store Wellcome removed the brand made by Japan's Lotte China Foods Co. from shelves Friday, spokeswoman Annie Sin said. Another chain, PARKnSHOP, also pulled the company's cookies."

Chinese milk powder sickens 53,000 kids

ABC News: China's Product Safety Watchdog Steps Down:

"The head of China's food safety watchdog resigned Monday for failing to stop the widespread contamination of baby formula as the number of children sickened in the scandal soared to nearly 53,000, including four infants who died.

The shake-up came as investigators revealed that China's biggest producer of powdered milk, Sanlu Group Co., had received complaints as early as December 2007 linking its infant formula to illnesses in babies. Months later, tests revealed the milk was tainted with the industrial chemical melamine, which causes kidney stones and can lead to kidney failure."

More Than 12,000 Chinese Children Sick From Milk

FOXNews.com - More Than 12,000 Chinese Children Sick From Milk

"BEIJING — China's tally of the number of children sickened by tainted milk products has doubled to nearly 12,900 as the government confronts a scandal over widespread contamination of the milk supply.

More than 80 percent of the 12,892 children hospitalized in recent weeks were 2 years old or younger, the Health Ministry said in a statement posted on its Web site late Sunday. The statement said most consumed infant formula from one company, the Shijiazhuang Sanlu Group Co., the dairy at the center of one of China's worst food safety scandals in years.

Over the weekend, the Chinese territory of Hong Kong reported the first known illness outside mainland China — a 3-year-old girl who developed kidney stones after drinking Chinese dairy products. She was discharged from the hospital, a Hong Kong government statement said.

In the two weeks since the government first acknowledged the contamination, it has issued recalls for dairy products from 22 companies after tests turned up traces of the industrial chemical melamine. The Health Ministry said that most of the hospitalized were sickened by powdered milk and formula."

China worries about long-term effects of bad milk

China worries about long-term effects of bad milk | Industries | Consumer Goods & Retail | Reuters:

"SHIJIAZHUANG, China, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Chinese parents agonised on Tuesday about the long-term health effects that their children could suffer after consuming formula milk which the government has confirmed was contaminated with a toxic chemical."

Chinese Baby Formula Scandal Widens - NYTimes.com

Chinese Baby Formula Scandal Widens - NYTimes.com:

"BEIJING — China’s Ministry of Health on Monday announced that two babies have died in recent months and 1,253 others have been sickened by contaminated milk powder in a widening food safety scandal that has exposed persistent weaknesses in the country’s regulatory system.

More than 340 infants remain hospitalized, including 53 in serious condition. Inspection teams are visiting dairy farms and processing centers in the country’s four main milk-producing provinces to ensure that producers are not violating safety standards.

The Chinese authorities have confirmed that the tainted baby formula was laced with melamine, a chemical additive sometimes used to make plastics and fertilizer. Last year, after thousands of pets became ill in the United States, the same chemical was found in pet food and traced to a Chinese ingredient.

The tainted milk powder has been traced to the Sanlu Group, one of China’s biggest dairy producers, which operates as a joint venture with a New Zealand-based dairy conglomerate, Fonterra. China does not export milk powder to the United States."

Chinese-made uniforms withdrawn after skin irritations

Chinese-made uniforms withdrawn after skin irritations:

"An Australian power company has withdrawn more than 3,000 Chinese-made protective uniforms after staff complained of skin irritations.

Ergon Energy says there will be no more uniforms worn in the field from close of business today.

The Electrical Trades Union says more than 250 Ergon Energy workers had broken out in rashes and some had vomited after wearing the flame-retardant suits.

Ergon says as soon as staff reported skin irritations it advised them to seek medical advice.

The company says independent scientific tests are being conducted on the uniforms and it has advised its suppliers to do the same.

Chinese manufacturers have been hit with a series of product recalls in the past year, involving millions of toys, cell phones and food products."

FDA warns on Chinese-made infant formula - MarketWatch

FDA warns on Chinese-made infant formula - MarketWatch:

"The Food and Drug Administration warned early Friday that consumers should avoid infant formulas manufactured in China. The agency advised that some Chinese-made formulas have been suspected of containing the chemical melamine, which can cause the formulation of kidney stones in babies. Currently, no Chinese manufacturers are approved to sell baby formula in the U.S. However, the agency said that Chinese-made formula may be on shelves in the U.S. in specialty stores serving the Asian community."

China says 432 babies ill in milk powder scare | Reuters

China says 432 babies ill in milk powder scare | Reuters:

"SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese authorities said on Saturday that they believed 432 babies across the country had been sickened by contaminated milk powder.

The government has ordered Sanlu Group, a dairy producer partly owned by New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra Co-operative Group, to halt production after a preliminary investigation found its products were responsible, officials said.

'This is a severe food safety accident,' Gao Qiang, a senior official at the Ministry of Health, told a news conference.

Sanlu, based in the province of Hebei, admitted this week that its baby formula had been contaminated with melamine, a toxin linked to the deaths and illness of thousands of pets in the United States last year."

China Visitors, Encrypt Your Data

China Visitors, Encrypt Your Data: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China's blocking of Web sites has embarrassed the International Olympic Committee, but a computer security expert said on Thursday that visitors to Beijing also needed to protect their data from prying eyes.

'People who are going to China should take a clean computer, one with no data at all,' said Phil Dunkelberger, chief executive of security software firm PGP Corp.

Travelers carrying smart cell phones, blackberries or laptop computers could unwittingly be offering up sensitive personal or business information to officials who monitor state-controlled telecommunications carriers, Dunkelberger said.

He said that without data encryption, executives could have business plans or designs pilfered, while journalists' lists of contacts could be exposed, putting sources at risk."

U.S. tire manufacturers upset over Chinese imports -- chicagotribune.com

U.S. tire manufacturers upset over Chinese imports -- chicagotribune.com: "'I don't know how much more we can take,' Rep. Don Manzullo, R-Ill., said of Midwest communities such as Freeport, Ill., with its Titan Tire Corp. plant. 'We continue to lose one industry after another after another.'"

'Several' Government Computers Attacked by Chinese Hackers - washingtonpost.com

'Several' Government Computers Attacked by Chinese Hackers - washingtonpost.com:

"Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.) today called for better measures to protect government computers and cellphones from cyber attacks by foreign governments, after revealing that computers in his office and those of 'several others' on Capitol Hill have been targeted by hackers in China.

Wolf, a champion for human rights in China and elsewhere, said in a news conference today that authorities investigated the attacks on four of his computers in August 2006 and traced them to a computer in China. The hackers, he said, gained access to sensitive information about the identities and locations of Chinese dissidents, among other data.

'That kind of information as well as everything else on my office computer -- e-mails, memos, correspondence, district case work -- was open to outside [eyes],' he said.

Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-N.J.), another vocal critic of China's human rights record who appeared with Wolf to announce the breach and some companion legislation, said he was targeted by Chinese hackers twice and that the sophistication of the attacks and the kind of information retrieved suggests that the government may have been behind them."

CNN sued for $1.3 bil over Cafferty remarks

So now the Chinese will sue us into submission. Considering the morality of American trial lawyers, it might work.

CNN sued for $1.3 bil over Cafferty remarks:
"HONG KONG -- A Chinese primary school teacher and a beautician have filed a suit against CNN in New York over remarks they say insulted the Chinese people and are seeking $1.3 billion in compensation -- $1 per person in China, a Hong Kong newspaper reported.

The case against the Atlanta-based cable channel, its parent company Turner Broadcasting and Jack Cafferty, the offending commentator, comes after 14 lawyers launched a similar suit in Beijing alleging that Cafferty's remarks earlier this month violated the dignity and reputation of the Chinese people.

Cafferty said the United States imported Chinese-made 'junk with the lead paint on them and the poisoned pet food' and added: 'They're basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years'."

New Data Link Heparin Deaths to Chinese Batches, FDA Says - washingtonpost.com

New Data Link Heparin Deaths to Chinese Batches, FDA Says - washingtonpost.com: "Food and Drug Administration officials said yesterday they have new evidence that links hundreds of serious adverse reactions and scores of deaths among patients given the blood thinner heparin to a man-made contaminant introduced during production in China.

Janet Woodcock, director of the agency's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said that the contaminant has been traced to 12 different Chinese companies and has been found in heparin batches shipped to 11 nations, all of it from China."

Taking the easy way out when it comes to China | Coop's Corner : A Blog from Charlie Cooper - CNET News.com

Taking the easy way out when it comes to China | Coop's Corner : A Blog from Charlie Cooper - CNET News.com:
"Looking more than a decade over the horizon, the Pentagon expects the Chinese to try and gain expertise which would allow them to strike foreign communications and logistics nodes, financial infrastructure and information operations in case of a conflict.
What's more, French and German government officials in the past year have accused the Chinese of sponsoring computer network intrusions. The Director-General of Britain's MI 5 also weighed in with a warning to 300 financial institutions that the PRC was targeting their computer networks."

Techdirt: Shocker: China Censors Report On China Censorship

Techdirt: Shocker: China Censors Report On China Censorship

When Reporters Without Borders came out with a report on how China censors the internet, China ordered that the report be censored.

Techdirt: China Can Access Mobile Phone Data To Spy On People

Techdirt: China Can Access Mobile Phone Data To Spy On People:
"Given China's mentality towards its citizens, it probably won't surprise many people to find out that the head of the country's biggest mobile phone operator gleefully acknowledges that it can spy on anyone's location and has no qualms about handing that info over to authorities."

Weak Dollar Fuels China's Buying Spree Of U.S. Firms - washingtonpost.com

Weak Dollar Fuels China's Buying Spree Of U.S. Firms - washingtonpost.com:
"SHANGHAI -- From his posh office in a coastal city in eastern China, millionaire Zhou Jiaru oversees more than 100 workers at an auto parts refurbishing factory he purchased in a struggling manufacturing town on the other side of the world.

Zhou's new company is in Spartanburg, S.C.

The Chinese entrepreneur bought it from Richard Lovely, a 56-year-old industrial engineer and mechanic who says his business was in dire straits because of competition from abroad.

Zhou's 85 percent stake in the company now known as GSP North America is one example of how the weak dollar and weakening U.S. economy have made the United States a bargain for overseas companies shopping for investments."

Republicans debate economy, attack Clinton | Reuters

Republicans debate economy, attack Clinton | Reuters:

"Most of the Republicans backed a $150 billion fiscal stimulus plan agreed on by Bush and leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday but said it should be only the beginning, that more tax cuts are needed to help re-energize the ailing U.S. economy.

Huckabee tried to raise some questions about the stimulus.

'One of the concerns that I have is that we'll probably end up borrowing $150 billion from the Chinese,' he said. 'And when we get those rebate checks most people are going to go out and buy stuff that's been imported from China. I have to wonder whose economy will be stimulated the most by the package.'"

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide:
"Dec. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Belluna Co. fell the most in a week after the Japanese mail-order company said a four-year-old boy was suffocated by a Chinese-made electric bed it sold."

AFP: Chinese-made 'supplements' contain Viagra drug, US regulator warns

The Chinese problems continue. I wonder how many Chinese-made drugs pollute our pharmacies?

AFP: Chinese-made 'supplements' contain Viagra drug, US regulator warns:

"WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US drug safety watchdog warned Monday on its website that several Chinese-made 'dietary supplements' contain the active ingredient found in Viagra, and could be harmful to consumers.

'The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising consumers not to buy or use Super Shangai, Strong Testis, Shangai Ultra, Shangai Ultra X, Lady Shangai, and Shangai Regular, also marketed as Shangai Chaojimengnan, products,' the FDA said in a statement.

'These products, which originate in China, are being marketed for the treatment of erectile dysfunction and for sexual enhancement,' the statement said.

None of the product labels mention that they contain sildenafil, the active drug in Viagra, or a similar compound, it said.

'The undeclared ingredients in these products may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs and can lower blood pressure to dangerous levels,' the statement warned.

Particularly at risk are sufferers of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease."