Beijing showing signs of compromise in trade talks with US

Associated Press ^ | May 18, 2018 5:26 PM | Paul Wiseman and Kelvin Chan

[Olog-hai]

China is sending conciliatory signals as U.S. and Chinese negotiators meet in Washington to try to head off a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.

Beijing has dropped an anti-dumping investigation into imported U.S. sorghum, which it had accused the United States of unfairly subsiding. It has also given approval for a U.S. private equity firm to buy Toshiba’s memory chip business.

Those gestures could suggest a thaw with the U.S. as trade talks went on for a second day Friday in Washington.

“China has come to trade,” Larry Kudlow, the top White House economic adviser, told reporters. “They are meeting many of our demands. No deal yet, to be sure, and it’s probably going to take a while — it’s a process.”

China’s Commerce Ministry said Friday that it was ending its inquiry into whether the U.S. was dumping sorghum in the Chinese market at artificially low prices, saying the investigation was not in the public interest. A day earlier, Beijing had cleared the way for a group led by the U.S. private equity firm Bain Capital to buy Toshiba’s computer memory chip business.

The moves signaled at least a willingness by Beijing to work toward a deal with Washington. …

[Zhang Fei]

“China’s Commerce Ministry said Friday that it was ending its inquiry into whether the U.S. was dumping sorghum in the Chinese market at artificially low prices, saying the investigation was not in the public interest.”

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It’s a BS case anyway. We don’t compete with China internationally in the sorghum market, and China doesn’t grow enough sorghum (or other grains) because it’s depleting their fresh* water. Whereas the Chinese are stiffing us on technology transfer and on tariffs in areas where US and Chinese companies do compete.

* It’s possible to make drinking water of out sea water, but water to grow crops has to be essentially free. They’re running out of water that requires only minimal processing - those ancient aquifers are running dry. So China really doesn’t have the ability to grow all the grain it needs today without having to severely curtail grain farming in the future. They can pay the piper today or they can pay the piper later, but the bill for fresh water depletion eventually comes due.

[cba123]

I don’t know.

The Chinese have terribly taken advantage of America.

Badly.

I do not see them actually compromising. I think President Trump really, really needs to reindustrialise America.

Not ‘negotiate’. We need to reindustrialize.

[TigerLikesRooster]

On top of that, overgrazing in grassland, and soil exhaustion in arable land. They may have to institute 'half-child' policy instead of one-child policy. That is, they may have to mandate that every other couple should be childless.

Realistically though, what can happen is that there will be mass uprising and civil wars, causing mass deaths.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Funny how effective a president who doesn’t bow and scrape to foreign leaders can be in winning concessions. Reagan was the last president we had who was respected and feared by foreign leaders, and he ended the Cold War. Trump is following the model of foreign policy success through strength, but it’ll take a lot to make up for decades of Democrat and Bush misrule.

[cba123]

Sorry but China negated the one child policy now, quite some time ago.

[mrsmith]

IIRC sorghum is the basis of Chinese liquor. Seems it causes communist countries problems to mess with their people’s drink...

Seen an intelligent analysis that China will meet Trump’s trade deficit reduction- by buying from us instead of our allies. Causing friction for us with our allies.
Well, we’ll worry about that if/when it happens.

[Mr. Jeeves]

We need to reindustrialize.

The prerequisite for that is the difficult task of smashing our domestic enemies. The Communist leanings of our political class are the real obstacles.

[Zhang Fei]

“On top of that, overgrazing in grassland, and soil exhaustion in arable land. They may have to institute ‘half-child’ policy instead of one-child policy. That is, they may have to mandate that every other couple should be childless.

Realistically though, what can happen is that there will be mass uprising and civil wars, causing mass deaths. “

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They can import all the grain they need. Plenty of countries willing to sell to them for prices lower than it costs to grow the grain domestically. They claim to grow it for food security reasons. In reality, who’s gonna invade China? It’s a BS excuse. A more likely reason is they grow this grain domestically so their leaders can make a name for themselves by adding new provinces to the realm. Those conquests will result in international grain embargoes.

[cba123]

The communist leanings of the alternative, is very clear for everyone to see.

Yet we go on, selling out to the biggest communist country in world history.

China.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Desertification and Land Degradation in China

[Zhang Fei]

“Desertification and Land Degradation in China”

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What’s a little amusing is that the band of corrupt and incompetent morons running the country really thinks they’re geniuses. And a good bit of the country actually agrees. Meanwhile, the dregs of China - people who can’t hack it in China itself, are establishing themselves as elites in the West. These Party hacks are people who were born on a veritable gold mine of human resources, but think they’re geniuses that China has grown rapidly from a low base that they created with their idiotic economic policies.

[TigerLikesRooster]

For the most part, China's game has been a number's game. Vast numerical advantage has always been the foundation of their strategy. Throw virtually limitless manpower and resources to anything they want: military conquest, and massive building projects.

As for efficient management, they don't have pressing need for it. Once they reach a level where things can't just improve by pouring more people and other resources into it, they start to experience problems. China's resource is mostly its limitless manpower, and in ancient times, huge agricultural output.

China is close to reaching the level where vast numerical advantage alone won't do wonders.

It should be also noted that this time they are going against other rivals(major civilizations) who also have vast resources. Perhaps not as many people, but still they do have sizable population. Their enemies have superior technology, too. This is probably the first China gets into this kind of game: head-on match-up with another big power with vast resources. Except their ancient encounter with a Muslim empire in a remote Central Asian outpost.

[DAC21]

It must pain the AP to have to report this.

[JimRed]

News flash: Compromising with bad policy is like adding a little sewage to your drinking water.