US Criticism of China May Backfire + Solar Panel + Sarkozy Precarious

choi

(1) Mark Landler, Republicans and Obama Can Agree on Criticizing China's Trade Practice; Tough talk plays well on the campaign trail, but it may backfire. New York Times, Nov 22, 2011.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/2 ... %20obama&st=cse
("Mr Obama avoided going after China when he ran in 2008, and he has sought to balance criticism of Beijing’s economic policies with pledges of global partnership" until now)

(2) Keith Bradsher, China Bends to US Complaint on Solar Panels, but Weighs Retaliation; Polysilicon takes center stage, but so do subsidies, very low prices and lawyers. New York Times, Nov 22, 2011.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/2 ... ysilicon&st=cse

Quote:

"the Chinese [solar panel] industry is considering retaliating by filing a trade case of its own with China’s Commerce Ministry. The most likely target would be American exports to China of polysilicon — a prime ingredient in solar panels — Chinese industry executives and officials said on Monday. American manufacturers exported about $873 million of polysilicon to China last year, nearly as much in dollar terms as the value of the solar panels that China shipped to the United States."

"The manufacture of polysilicon requires enormous amounts of energy * * * The United States is one of the world’s largest producers of polysilicon, in states like Tennessee and Washington, because it has access to a lot of inexpensive hydroelectric power. And most of that polysilicon is exported. China’s own polysilicon industry is controversial because it relies heavily on electricity generated by coal-fired power plants

"American solar panel makers, though, have had trouble competing with the Chinese, whose export industry has helped push wholesale solar panel prices down sharply — to $1 to $1.20 a watt of capacity today, from $1.80 in January and $3.30 in 2008.

Note: Grape Solar
http://www.grapesolar.com/

No Chinese characters in this web site.


(3) Steven Erlanger and Nicholas Kulish, France, and Sarkozy, Look Vulnerable as Euro Crisis Persists. New York Times, Nov 22, 2011.

My comment:
(a) There is no need to read the rest.
(b) A panel of eight politicians accompanies the report, with a heading "European Leaders Ousted":
IRELAND Brian Cowen  Feb 26; Defeated in eelctions over failure to address crisis.

FINLAND Mari Kiviniemi April 17; Left governing coalition after poor election showing.

PORTUGAL Jose Socrates June 5; Defeated in early elections called after he resigned.

DENMARK Lars Loekke Rasmussen Sept 15; Lost in general elections to center-left bloc.

SLOVAKIA Iveta Radicova Oct 12; Forced to call elections over bailout vote, but staying in the interim.

GREECE George A Papandreou Nov 11; Resigned and replaced by technocrat.

ITALY Silvio Berlusconi Nov 12; Resigned to let technocrat form government.

SPAIN Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero Nov 20; Lost in elections to conservatives