Classic China. In this government controlled Chinese press is this report:
Shandong Baoya Vehicle Co., Ltd. received orders from the US this year for the purchase of 4,800 electric cars.
Baoya electric car possesses its own core technologies including driveline technology for the chassis of electric cars, as well as adaptation and optimization technologies for drive motors, according to Zhang Haibo, Baoya's General Manager.
"At present, all our products are for export. In 2008, 500 cars were exported to the US, and orders from the US this year have already reached 4,800 units." Zhang said.
Supposedly today the USTR office of the Obama administration is releasing a new trade policy agenda. Bloomberg is reporting:
President Barack Obama plans to ask Congress to approve a long-delayed free-trade agreement with Panama and establish “benchmarks” so that accords with South Korea and Colombia can be ratified in the future, a report said.
In its first annual report on trade policy, the Obama administration also said that it plans to ask Mexico and Canada to rework provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
“If we work together, free and fair trade with a proper regard for social and environmental goals and appropriate political accountability will be a powerful contributor to the national and global well being,” said the report, which was released by the U.S. Trade Representative’s office.
Well today Obama went to Canada and of course said nothing about our massive trade deficits with Canada or Mexico, instead saying we don't want to be that canard protectionist word.
"Now is a time where we have to be very careful about any signals of protectionism," Obama told a joint news conference after several hours of talks with Harper on his one-day visit to Ottawa.
"And as obviously one of the largest economies in the world, it's important for us to make sure that we are showing leadership in the belief that trade ultimately is beneficial to all countries," he said.
He stressed the United States would meet its international trade obligations and told Harper he wanted to "grow trade not contract it."
Robert Cassidy, the Clinton USTR has confessed before on his doubts about the promise of the WTO and the China PNTR, but now he as given more details during a talk at the Economic Policy Institute.
Yes this is an incredible title but an incredible pattern is emerging. First we had the notorious we want to be a Chinese company offshore outsourcer CISCO CTO, Padmasree Warrior being considered for our Government CTO.
Now we have reports of another notorious offshore outsourcer and promoter of labor arbitrage of engineers, Symantec CEO, John W. Thompson, being considered for Commerce Secretary, the slot vacated by Bill Richardson.
Boy, I'm not impressed. Obama has chosen Ron Kirk as the U.S. trade representative.
As a past supporter of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and China Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR), Kirk will face close scrutiny as he assumes the responsibility for delivering on Obama’s pledges to fix existing trade agreements and create a new trade policy that benefits more people
We now see reports that any trade reforms around NAFTA will be delayed by an Obama administration, due to the Economy.
After he becomes president in January, Obama will order a study on the world's largest trade agreement, then seek longer- term negotiations with Mexico and Canada on how to change it, according to three advisers, who spoke on condition that they not be identified. The recession, the collapsing auto industry, a record trade deficit with China and other issues are pushing Nafta aside, analysts and industry representatives said.
Here's some good news. According to Public Citizen, the American now has 30 more Representatives on renegotiating and reforming United States trade policy. We picked up 26 fair trade representatives in the House and 4 in the Senate.
Oh yeah, the too close to call races, some of them ran on reforming trade in working America's and the national interest.
The minute I hear the word Protectionism being denounced, odds are policy for the American people is being fought against by Corporate lobbyists.
Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson is now pronouncing the evils of any international regulation or anything geared to reduce the United States trade deficit:
Although we in the United States are taking many extraordinary measures to ease the crisis, we are not pursuing policies that would limit the flow of goods, services or capital, as such measures would only intensify the risks of a prolonged crisis
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