Trump signed a memorandum that directs U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to determine whether an investigation is needed into alleged unfair Chinese trade practices. Shortly after Trump signed the directive, Lighthizer said his office will launch a probe and, "if needed, take action to preserve the future of U.S. industry."
The move represents the first step in a process that could allow Trump to impose tariffs on Chinese imports or other punishing trade actions.
The US will make every effort to prevent China from gaining access to American technologies in semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI), as Bloomberg writes.
"We cannot afford to let China use our most advanced technologies, including semiconductors and AI, to develop its military-industrial complex. We will do everything we can to protect our people, including expanding export controls on the PRC," said U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
American businessman and former President of the United States Donald Trump discussed with his advisers the possibility of imposing duties of 60 percent on imports of goods from China in case of his re-election as head of state in 2024. This was reported by the Washington Post newspaper, citing its own sources.
The U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday to regulate certain U.S. investments in China in the three areas of, semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies, and artificial intelligence, or AI.
The Biden administration said it was committed to taking narrowly targeted actions to protect national security while maintaining its longstanding commitment to open investment.
"This program will seek to prevent foreign countries of concern from exploiting U.S. investment in this narrow set of technologies that are critical to support their development of military, intelligence, surveillance, and cyber-enabled capabilities that risk U.S. national security," said a press release from the White House.
The President identified the People’s Republic of China, or PRC, including the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong and the Special Administrative Region of Macau, as a country of concern.
Materialism rules!
Yes I agree.
Don't forget, China has the Worlds largest population so in a way it's fair if they "create" the most.
Telecommunications and video surveillance equipment manufactured by Huawei, ZTE, Hytera and several other Chinese companies are banned from import and sale in the US due to "unacceptable risk" to national security. This was announced by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on its website.
The ban includes products of subsidiaries and affiliated companies mentioned in the list of companies. FCC member Brendan Carr called the decision "unprecedented and unanimously supported by both parties of Congress." This is the first time in the agency's history, he noted, that the distribution of communications and electronic equipment has been banned due to national security.
US and EU officials are discussing the possibility of introducing export restrictions against China.
This is reported by Bloomberg, citing sources.
"The Allies are cooperating to restrict exports to Moscow, and the Biden administration is exploring the possibility of using some of the same information-sharing and enforcement coordination techniques to enforce its own bilateral restrictions on exports to China," the statement said.
It is noted that a number of EU members have proposed to review the unification policy towards China, as Beijing "becomes less of a partner or competitor and more of a rival."
US President Joe Biden signed legislation to combat human rights abuses in Xinjiang, China. It imposes a ban on imports from the region and sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for the forced labor and mistreatment of Uighurs in the region, CNBC reports.
Earlier in December, the Senate passed the human rights law in Xinjiang unanimously, and the House of Representatives passed an overwhelming majority from both parliamentary parties. Beijing denies mistreatment of religious and ethnic minorities; the US describes it as forced labor and massive repression.
The Biden administration has already warned companies with supply chains and investment ties in Xinjiang that they may face legal repercussions from such activities. The White House has announced a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, citing "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights violations."
Slowly but surely going in the same direction.
Home Depot and Best Buy have pulled the products of Chinese tech surveillance makers linked to human rights abuses from their shelves,
Both US retail giants have stopped selling products from Lorex and Ezviz.
Germany is de facto pursuing a policy of neutrality towards China. The logic is as simple as it is depressing: in order to sell more cars to Beijing and Shanghai, Berlin is willing to disastrously weaken the alliance of free nations, which offers the only real containment of the mighty totalitarian power's ambitions. In this regard, can Germans call Angela Merkel an honest leader, firmly upholding a rule-based order?
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo made the revelation on Tuesday, according to Reuters, stating that Chinese airlines were being prevented from buying "tens of billions of dollars" in U.S. made airplanes.
Raimondo also pointed out that China wasn't living up to its promises made in 2020 to buy U.S. goods.
The government of the Russian Federation, at the suggestion of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, decided to prohibit the purchase of certain types of imported products in state purchases of electronics, the ministry said. "The ban is imposed on imported integrated circuits, smart cards, laptops, tablets, computers, servers and lighting products," the statement said.
The list includes, in particular, integrated electronic circuits, smart cards, laptop computers weighing no more than 10 kg, a number of digital electronic computers, lamps and other lighting devices not included in other groups.
With regard to the rest of electronics and electronic medical equipment, government customers will be required to apply the "second extra" rule. This rule implies that the customer is obliged to reject all bids for participation in the purchase, in which imported products are offered, if at least one bid is submitted with a proposal to supply domestic electronics, the ministry explains.
Nice, such way for any contract we will have domestic intermediary who will put their own badge and screw the case.
Nikkei research shows that Chinese companies control over 30% of the market for smart speakers, smartphones, CCTV cameras, personal computers, air conditioners and washing machines. In a group of 15 goods and services, Chinese companies occupy the leading positions in the world market in 13 cases.
The head of the Minsk City Executive Committee Vladimir Kukharev said that on July 27 a meeting was held with representatives of trade networks represented in Minsk, the state newspaper SB. Belarus Segodnya reported earlier.
"We openly put the question to them: what is happening? Today, a number of countries have imposed sanctions against us - Ukraine, Lithuania, Poland, and their products - sweets, pastries, teas, cookies - are in stores on the best shelves! Therefore, we have toughly put the question to the networks: either the situation is changing, or we will take measures from our side, "the mayor of Minsk said.
Nice.
Apple is widening usage of Chinese companies
Rumors are that it had been forced to do this in exchange to stay on Chinese market.
Industrial sources indicated that the Indian government is blocking China's solar modules from coming to India, in an attempt to reduce dependence on China.
India released a list of approved models and manufacturers (ALMM) for solar cells and modules, which went effective in May. According to India's news outlet Livemint citing knowledgeable sources, no Chinese suppliers were listed.
China is laying siege to the USA by slowing down production and delivery of goods. It doesn't take much to hang up US production, just one missing item can do it. So much stuff is sourced through China they can affect all supply chains. Semiconductors are just the canary--because the chains are so long and complex, and specialized materials are required, etc. But it is happening everywhere.
I have a little manufacturing company and I am seeing this in supply lines. I sent an order to China for printed circuit boards (US prices are astronomical because of various factors). They don't get back for a week, then they quote, then I send money, then they sit on it, then I call and they say they are having problems with some process... etc. But all the suppliers are like this, it is not an isolated incident. They are sandbagging.
So just as in laying siege, the attackers have the food outside the castle and wait for the people inside to starve.
As prices rise the Chinese manufacturers take bigger profits so the slowdown effects on that end are mitigated. For products they do not have a monopoly on, like PC boards, they slow down. for things like LCD displays and NFeB magnets, the items become unavailable (try buying magnets on Amazon).
I have to say this is a brilliant idea on China's part, and no one on this side has realized the situation yet. This plan is straight out of Sun-Tzu. implications? inflation and shortages will continue for a long time... maybe forever. The only long-term solution is repatriation of manufacturing to the US. But it is going to cause some serious hurt, vastly more than the sanctioning of Chinese tech companies.
I just sent a request for quote for some radio chips I use to Alibaba. they are $1 each and there are many vendors. I sent notes to 2 vendors i used before and after 4 or 5 days got a ping back that my requests were cancelled. i wound up getting the parts--for 2x the price-- from Hong Kong, which at the moment seems to be something of a channel to the mainland. But I expect they will close that leak pretty soon.
Well, isn't it US who started Huawei blockade and they started stockpiling stuff?
TSMC has plans to expand its wafer fab in Nanjing, China, but the US government reportedly has raised concerns about the expansion project over its implications in China's push to improve IC self-sufficiency.
The government of France has opened an investigation into several fashion giants suspected of profiting off of Muslim Uyghur labor in China's Xinjiang region, including specific efforts of concealing "crimes against humanity."
French prosecutors are probing four companies, identified by French media website Mediapart as Uniqlo France, a unit of Japan's Fast Retailing, Zara owner Inditex, France's SMCP and Skechers.
Suddenly they care so much. No, they don't care about labor in Bangladesh or anywhere else that is exploited to death, nope.
The US has prohibited imports of PV modules and polysilicon produced by some companies in Xinjiang, northern China, over forced labor concerns there.
Western Digital Corporation CEO David Goeckeler said in an interview with the Japanese Nikkei Asian Review that any geographic restrictions on market access harm the semiconductor segment, as the huge investment required is better justified in the global market.
Attempts by individual countries to isolate themselves in a technological sense, according to the CEO of Western Digital, lead to a decrease in investment efficiency, and therefore can slow down the technological progress itself.
Guy just did not mention that WD is part of greedy cartel and they also now sponsoring Chia crypto scam.
Apple
In EU new anti monopoly process opens in few days. It is expected that fines can reach as much a 5 billions and Apple can be ordered to lower cut to as much as 5% only for smaller EU authors.
In Mordor Apple is fined 12 millions USD, fines rose 50 times in last 3 months and can reach 150 millions around September.
The world will not agree to live by the rules established only by some Western countries, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a video conference with representatives of the US Council on Foreign Relations.
"The US claims that China is" the only country capable of throwing down a comprehensive challenge to the international system. "We cannot agree with this. China has developed within the current international system. Why should we challenge the system of international relations that is in our own interests ? Is there a reason to start over? " - said Wang I.
What really worries him, he said, is the fact that multilateralism has faced opposition recently, and the world has faced the threat of splitting.
"The previous US administration violated treaties in every possible way, withdrew from various groups, abandoned international obligations and became the largest violator of the current international order. We welcome that the administration of President Joe Biden has returned to multilateralism," he added.
The Chinese Foreign Minister noted that “some people in the United States have repeatedly expressed their desire to strengthen“ an international order based on rules. ”“ But the question is what are the rules, who established them, ”he said.
"If these are only rules defined only by a number of Western countries, in this case, these rules are established by only 12% of people in the world, they cannot become universal rules for all countries," Wang Yi stressed.
The diplomat stressed that China's philosophy is very simple, it lies in adherence to the system of international relations with the central role of the UN and a world order based on international law.
"This alone represents the common will of all countries and is the implementation of true multilateralism," Wang Yi stressed.
Either Chinese elites are utterly stupid idealists or they are totally nuts.
But what if they are both?
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!