MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
China fears a US/EU free trade area could become protectionist; looks to Latinamerica
China has raised concerns about European Union plans to negotiate an ambitious free trade deal with the United States, fearing it is a protectionist move and at the same time Beijing new administration is doubling efforts towards Latinamerica and Africa. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesI hope Mujica manages to get the Atlantic Seaport agreed during this visit.
May 08th, 2013 - 05:20 pm - Link - Report abuse 0China´s one of the most protectionist and nationalist nations in the world. Free trade agreements among nations are poison to China because they rely on dirty trade practices like artificial manipulation of their currency to maintain it undervalued and make their exports more competitive, lack of labor unions that would otherwise cause labor costs to increase, heavy polluting factories that don´t need to invest on environmental controls, thereby being able to offer more “competitive” prices for their products.
May 08th, 2013 - 11:46 pm - Link - Report abuse 0A free-trade agreement between Europe and North America it´s the right way to respond to malpractice and dishonest players such as China.
Mercosur etc had the opportunity to break into the EU/US trade blocs, but blocked it at every turn.
May 09th, 2013 - 02:10 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Becoming in the thrall of China will do massively more damage to the development of South America than the vast potential and stability of the three-way bloc trade with the US and the EU.
Technology transfer and training of well educated South American nationals is the way to go.
Playing off the EU against the USA is the only way it will be done; China will never make it happen for South America.
Geoff
May 09th, 2013 - 02:25 pm - Link - Report abuse 0USA and Europe had their chance to offer SA what you are talking about.
They chose to profit from cheap natural resources instead and effectively supported military dictatorships.
We might not know what China brings to the table.
But we know far too well what you lot have to offer...
Technology transfer and training of well educated South American nationals is the ONLY way to go.
May 09th, 2013 - 03:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Playing off the EU against the USA is the only way it will be done
... but any South American country strong enough to play hard-ball with the Chinese 'public/private conglomerates would be well advised to take counter-bids from the USA and the EU so the ante can be upped, rather than have the belly ripped out of their nation ... its now done massively more effectively than it ever was in 'colonial' days.
Geoff
May 09th, 2013 - 07:48 pm - Link - Report abuse 0And all is forgotten, you say?
Give us Kissinger and we can talk about it...
Neither North America nor Europe can be blamed for Latin American dictators, military juntas, poverty and other calamities. Our countries need to grow up a little, if you want to develop technologies and compete vs US, Europe or Japan in high tech products, then you need create the conditions for innovation, invest on education, on more universities, develop enterprising and business friendly policies that promote growth and not the opposite. That´s why Europe, Japan and the US are better off than the rest of the world.
May 10th, 2013 - 01:34 am - Link - Report abuse 0Instead, populism, demagoguery and irresponsibility are the rule every day in Latin America.
@2
May 10th, 2013 - 02:25 am - Link - Report abuse 0You are living a daydream in your own dream while sleeping in a fake Disneyland, if you belive the EU and USA are not protectionist pieces of shit.
7
May 10th, 2013 - 04:20 am - Link - Report abuse 0Nobody is blaming USA and EU, although we do disagree in responsabilitoes. SA nations are indeed responsable though, lets leave it at that.
Still I prefer doing business with China.
They actually pay for the stuff they need...
Stevie,
May 10th, 2013 - 09:17 am - Link - Report abuse 0there are spiders and wasps that specialise in reeling in their prey and then sucking it dry, sometimes with anaesthetic, sometimes not. They exist all over the world, in the USA, in the EU and Japan ... and in China.
Those that 'smile most gently' whilst sucking a nation dry are usually called '........... sinensis'.
And should we blame them?
They have billions (that's thousands of millions) of Chinese people who want national and personal advancement.
They want advanced domestic and luxury goods and food products. That needs the trawling of the whole world to bring them to each and every Chinese family.
Some nations let these (inter)national corporations trawl their countries dry, willing to sell all their raw materials, minerals, forests, land, food, etc., FAST.
The present generation of national traders who sell off EVERYTHING at once leave their nation a wasteland for their future generations .. they themselves move to the first world (or remain as the region's 'warlords'), leaving starving populations, disease and disorder in their wake.
The countries of South America are the prey of the world's 'insects and arachnids', but their plague is more like the locust.
I REALLY want my adopted continent to pull through, husbanding its resources, and developing its nations and peoples at optimal rates. This is 'human macro-ecology' .. something I know something about.
It is incredibly difficult, and some leaders just operate a failing paradigm, others just skimming their country's 'trade' for their own benefit.
You often hear me rail against these leaders.
But you also hear me supporting those who would normally be distanced from my politics such as Dilma. Strange bed-fellows with the better macro-solutions CAN pull themselves into a better world for their peoples.
I am less afraid of 'The Chinese' .. I am more afraid of the (South American) leaders who do not know how to conjointly Protect & Develop in a globalised world of insects and arachnids.
@8,
May 10th, 2013 - 09:28 am - Link - Report abuse 0The North American markets are the most opened in the world. The US has had huge trade deficits with Japan and China for decades. Check your facts.
You might be right Geoff.
May 10th, 2013 - 11:14 am - Link - Report abuse 0Still, give us Kissinger and we can talk about it.
That's laughable stephen that you prefer Chian because...“they actually pay for stuff they need”. Where does that leave Argentina that borrows money and NEVER pays it back.................DEADBEAT!
May 12th, 2013 - 05:01 pm - Link - Report abuse 0#11....#8 is Toby, an indoctrinated la campora youth. It is either 13ish and ignorant of the because he has never left the squalors of Mendoza.....or he is an immature, 30ish year old living in mommy's basement, lacks formal education because he lives in Mendoza and still sucking mom's lactatious liquid because he cannot support himself.......and again never traveled out of Mendoza. My point is.....don't confuse chico with facts.......lol
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