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China Criticizes U.S. Actions on Unocal Bid
washingtonpost.com ^ | Monday, July 4, 2005 | Peter S. Goodman

Posted on 07/04/2005 6:01:48 PM PDT by crushelits

SHANGHAI, July 4 -- The Chinese government on Monday sharply criticized the United States for threatening to erect barriers aimed at preventing the attempted takeover of the American oil company Unocal by one of China's three largest energy firms, CNOOC Ltd.

Four days after the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a resolution urging the Bush administration to block the proposed transaction as a threat to national security, China's Foreign Ministry excoriated Congress for injecting politics into what it characterized as a standard business matter.

"We demand that the U.S. Congress correct its mistaken ways of politicizing economic and trade issues and stop interfering in the normal commercial exchanges between enterprises of the two countries," the foreign ministry said in a written statement. "CNOOC's bid to take over the U.S. Unocal company is a normal commercial activity between enterprises and should not fall victim to political interference. The development of economic and trade cooperation between China and the United States conforms to the interests of both sides."

Those words, the latest rhetorical volley in an escalating trade battle, officially elevated the takeover battle for Unocal into a bilateral issue involving Washington and Beijing, raising the stakes hinging on the outcome.

CNOOC's bid comes as China's emerging force in the global economy continues to sow international tensions over competition for natural resources, impacts to the environment, trade balances and security relationships. The deal would be the latest in a string of Chinese purchases of foreign companies as Beijing encourages domestic firms to seek new markets abroad and secure raw materials for China's aggressive industrialization. The Chinese government has urged energy companies in particular to buy foreign oil fields as China's consumption soars, deepening worries about the country's access to supplies.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News
KEYWORDS: 109th; actions; china; criticizes; oil; unocal; unocalbid; us

1 posted on 07/04/2005 6:01:51 PM PDT by crushelits
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To: crushelits

Bump the price up a bit, and we'll reconsider.


2 posted on 07/04/2005 6:04:22 PM PDT by Brilliant
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To: crushelits

Piss on China.


3 posted on 07/04/2005 6:12:02 PM PDT by satchmodog9 (Murder and weather are our only news)
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I guess national security doesn't matter? How the hell can we even think for a moment that this is a good idea?


4 posted on 07/04/2005 6:16:18 PM PDT by digitalbrownshirt (http://digitalbrownshirt.blogspot.com)
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To: digitalbrownshirt

I heard that Chevron is actually the winning bidder, even though the Chinese company offered more. Hopefully this is true and hopefully, Bush realizes what a huge threat the Chinese are and won't let them get Unocal.


5 posted on 07/04/2005 6:23:01 PM PDT by DrGunsforHands
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To: crushelits; familyop; MeekOneGOP; GOP_1900AD; Tailgunner Joe; GSlob

The Solution: Keep Communists Out of American Boardrooms! (Forbes)

...America's policymakers have long encouraged China to privatize its state-owned and state-controlled companies. To allow these entities to gain control of U.S. private companies while still in state hands sends the wrong message.

Also, allowing a foreign government to gain control of U.S. companies is clearly not in our national interest and is contrary to America's free enterprise tradition.

Lastly, state-controlled companies can easily access concessionary funding from their government and the transparency regarding the origins of capital flows is poor and can be easily manipulated...

Link to full article:

http://www.forbes.com/investmentnewsletters/2005/06/28/cnooc-unocal-maytag-cx_cd_0628soapbox_inl.html?partner=rss


6 posted on 07/04/2005 6:39:15 PM PDT by TheBigPicture
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To: TigerLikesRooster

See post #6


7 posted on 07/04/2005 6:40:02 PM PDT by TheBigPicture
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To: crushelits
lemme get this straight. a dictatorship is criticizing the regulatory oversight of a free republic?

this clearly pushes the limits of "double standard."

F*ck them.

8 posted on 07/04/2005 6:42:19 PM PDT by the invisib1e hand (In Honor of Terri Schiavo. *check my FReeppage for the link* Let it load and have the sound on.)
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To: crushelits; Brilliant

Why on earth would we let China take over UNOCAL when they show brazen hostility towards the USA. Take this joint declaration for example (talk about Cold War language!);

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1436001/posts


9 posted on 07/04/2005 7:01:00 PM PDT by TheBigPicture
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To: TheBigPicture

China is already number 2 in foreign nations' holdings of our debt. China buys U.S. Treasury securities like they're going out of style, holding $119.4 billion of them at the end of April.

China's holdings were second only to those of Japan ($389.2 billion). In addition, Hong Kong held $52.5 billion in U.S. Treasuries. Not too long ago, Japan was our arch enemy and China was our ally against the Japanese.

Asian central banks alone own more than 20 percent of the U.S. Treasury market, some $936 billion as of early June.


10 posted on 07/04/2005 7:13:32 PM PDT by jamese777
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To: TheBigPicture

China is already number 2 in foreign nations' holdings of our debt. China buys U.S. Treasury securities like they're going out of style, holding $119.4 billion of them at the end of April.

China's holdings were second only to those of Japan ($389.2 billion). In addition, Hong Kong held $52.5 billion in U.S. Treasuries. Not too long ago, Japan was our arch enemy and China was our ally against the Japanese.

Asian central banks alone own more than 20 percent of the U.S. Treasury market, some $936 billion as of early June.


11 posted on 07/04/2005 7:15:28 PM PDT by jamese777
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To: jamese777
There are no permanent allies, just permanent interests.
12 posted on 07/04/2005 7:18:59 PM PDT by investigateworld ( God bless Poland for giving the world JP II & a Protestant bump for his Sainthood!)
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To: jamese777

What's that phrase??? When you owe someone a little money you are a debtor. When you owe someone a lot of money you become a partner. Is this what you are getting at? If so, we agree. Unfortunately, things get pretty sticky when your new partner also happens to be you biggest strategic enemy.


13 posted on 07/04/2005 7:24:46 PM PDT by TheBigPicture
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To: TheBigPicture
Has anyone connected the dots between China's global pursuit of transportation and energy properties, its Taiwan irredentism, and its apparent failure even to attempt to rein in North Korea on its pursuit of nuclear bombs?

When China can squeeze Taiwan out of world trade it can control that nation economically and then politically. And when China can use the threat of a nuclear North Korea to launch a war at the time most favorable to both nations (i.e., when China invades Taiwan, if the US tries to aid Taiwan), it can freely launch its new Anschluss with little fear of effective opposition from Taiwan, the US or a cowed Japan.

14 posted on 07/04/2005 8:43:28 PM PDT by DWPittelli
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To: crushelits
You got to love this spin in the Washington Post article: The United States is nominally pledged to come to Taiwan's aid in event of war.
15 posted on 07/04/2005 11:00:08 PM PDT by hh007
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To: TheBigPicture

Get a good price for it. It's just oil. If you sell 18 billion dollars worth of oil for more than 18 billion dollars, then you can use the money to buy even more oil than you had in the first place.


16 posted on 07/05/2005 4:41:57 AM PDT by Brilliant
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To: DWPittelli
Related: Italian History

irredentism , originally, the Italian nationalist movement for the annexation to Italy of territories— Italia irredenta [unredeemed Italy]—inhabited by an Italian majority but retained by Austria after 1866. These included the Trentino, Trieste, Istria, Fiume, and parts of Dalmatia. Agitation took place both inside Austria-Hungary and in Italy itself. The liberation of Italia irredenta was perhaps the strongest motive for the entry of Italy into World War I. The Treaty of Versailles (1919) satisfied most of the irredentist claims.

The term irredentism has, by extension, been applied to nationalist agitation in other countries, based on historical, ethnic, and geographical reasons, for the incorporation of territories under foreign rule. Irredentism is thus closely connected with nationalism and with minority problems.

17 posted on 07/05/2005 5:29:42 AM PDT by crushelits
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To: Brilliant
It's just oil.

It's been pointed out to you several times already it's more than just oil.

18 posted on 07/05/2005 8:04:24 AM PDT by Golden Eagle
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To: crushelits
"We demand that the U.S. Congress correct its mistaken ways of politicizing economic and trade issues..

Yeah, and we demand you stop forced low paying communistic labor. You cheat....we cheat. Get over it China.

19 posted on 07/05/2005 12:25:43 PM PDT by m1-lightning (God, Guns, and Country!)
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