I’m not that interested, cos I think they’ll get it by hook or by crook anyway — so there might as well be a quid pro quo in it for those handing the tech over.
What does concern me is that in 50 years Wikipedia will be stating that the Chinese *invented *Electric Car Technology first, either in 2000, or the year 200 BC.
It’s never free trade until all the countries in the “economic system” agree to the same rules.
Politics is for politicians and the great unwashed. Where business is concerned Japan and China are in bed like newlyweds.
Not this month.
You referring to the boating accident? But that’s my point, it doesn’t effect business at all.
See Point no.2:
I don’t have a whole lot of faith in western businessmen being able to look past immediate financial incentives to see the risk of long term destruction.
And why should they? Their motive is profit. If Western civilization dies in their pursuit of such, they sincerely believe that can just move elsewhere with their wealth to live in secluded opulence.
A virus does not always care if it kills its host…
I think this is the first time I’ve heard this adage used to argue against a company sharing environmentally friendly technologies.
Except for the ban on the export of rare earth elements to Japan and the new customs requirements. They’re going farther than they have in the past.
Any company that shares ANYTHING with China is going to be bled dry if China gets its way. It will cost America more jobs, and while these companies are rightfully crying foul, the fact is the executives on top will walk away rich while those American workers below them will be put out of a job. These future unemployed Americans will be looking to the American Government for bailouts (unemployment insurance, welfare, job training, etc.) while said rich execs will be screaming “TAXED ENOUGH ALREADY!!!” in opposition to said Main Street bailouts.
So, yeah, they are like a virus.
Wait a minute, did that ban turn out to be real?? Last I heard, China denied it, Japan had heard rumors but also denied it. I thought it was a ploy to drive prices up for a term.
Let’s step back a moment here.
American business will bleed you dry, too. At least Chinese business is ruthless for the sake of the Chinese economy. When American business does ruthless stuff, it doesn’t even have the scanty cover of patriotism.
Let’s also remember that America is not all “Rah rah free trade!” because we are better people. We support free trade, to the point of bullying other countries to adopt our economic values, because it benefits us.
Countries have the right to whatever economic system they feel works for them. China, quite obviously, has chosen something different. Despite the hype, they are still a structurally Communist country, and they do not subscribe to our economic theories. China sees the free market as just one of many tools to achieve economic growth. They don’t feel compelled to subscribe to economic ideologies that America evangelizes for it’s own benefit.
China feels that they are a big country, with lots of problems, and still a great deal of poverty. They feel that their number one priority, above all, needs to be eliminating this crushing poverty as soon as possible, and their plan for doing so centers around economic growth at all costs. They have been enormously successful so far, and China is an example of the single greatest alleviation in poverty the world has ever seen.
They argue that protectionist strategies like this were popular when America was in the process of industrializing, and that America’s protection of it’s budding industries are a part of how it became enough of an economic power to benefit from free trade. Why shouldn’t China have the same economic policies America had at that point in it’s industrialization? Why are they now supposed to have economic policies that benefit America more than itself?
That said, it does get a bit annoying that China can be a superpower when it is convenient, and a poor downtrodden country when it is convenient. They are eager to join the big-boys club, but they will dodge global responsibilities with the “but we are so poor” line whenever they get the chance.
Anyway, like I said, this probably isn’t going to happen. I think China just wants to do a bit show-boating. I think what will happen is businesses will quietly do the negotiations they need to do and everyone will be happy. But when China does build it’s green industries, countries will remember ballsy moves like this and conclude that China’s system does work.
I think of China as an 14 year old who desperately wants to be seen as a grown up, but doesn’t have the maturity to demonstrate this by taking responsibility, instead relying on a mix of insecure bravado and petty “your not my mom, you can’t tell me what to do” defiance.
Which is why my statement that they’re like viruses, applies in all circumstances. I was staying on-topic with the implied question when I posted that, but it does apply to almost all corporations that have ever existed.
You have a solid point there. Right wingers scream about patriotism all day long and then when it comes to the economy, they throw that right out of the window. Love your country, hate your countrymen if they’re workers, and all that. You’d be amazed at how quiet the Right becomes when you point out this hole in their reasoning.
Who’s “us”? 
America’s own benefit, or Corporate America’s own benefit?
I am a staunch defender of protectionism. I point to the near total lack of protectionism and the economic mess it has brought upon us, as an object lesson.
I’m with you on that, for sure. I had heard about aid going to China but I did not believe such insanity until now. Just goes to show, there is no limit to human insanity.
It gets worse than that.
China is also proving that an economy can rocket off into the stratosphere and bleed other nations dry of jobs if you ditch annoying industrial shackles like workplace safety, livable wages and pollution controls. Worse than that, they’re also proving to the world that economic growth happens best in a country with fewer basic freedoms. Capitalism, decoupled from (representative or otherwise) democracy, worst combo EVER.
They are by far the smartest and meanest 14 year old I have ever seen. China is one temper tantrum away from driving a whole bunch of nations into bankruptcy, including the United States. Meanwhile they’re working at a feverish pitch to make their economy independent of exports so they won’t suffer when their products become too expensive to ship here (due to the sudden drop in the value of the dollar).
The day China feels confident they’ve achieved that goal is the day that 14 year old kid will go on an economic shooting spree.
Edited to add: This goes FAR beyond the petty issue of China demanding the handing over of one or two technological industry innovations. This is a part of their plan to take Western culture DOWN, hard. The only solution the West has to China is to end ALL trade with China and get themselves re-familiar with Western values and only trade with nations that adhere to said values. And no, this will not happen. Because the West lacks the vision, much less the courage.
Sharing is a good way to make friends. I shared a candy bar with China once. They took the whole thing, then sold me back a smaller copy of the candy bar, made from low quality ingredients, and some rat poison. I went to get another candy bar like the original, but the stores didn’t carry them anymore. The shelves were filled with candy bars from China. They weren’t selling though, because all the people who worked for the candy bar company had lost their jobs. But the owners of the candy bar companies were happy. Now they could just import candy bars from China and sell them without all the overhead of factories and employees and stuff. If we cut their taxes, it would create even more jobs, in China.
Chinese officials are still denying it, but everyone else seems to have accepted it as being in place. China also seems to have massively stepped up spot inspections of Japanese goods.
If that’s the case, then it’s all showboats and ponies for the people who read newspapers.