US and EU in pissing contest,China giggles with glee

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2003-11-11 07:13am

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/pol ... ory=462607

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-11-11 07:23am

Somebody, please, nuke us all.

Post by **Vympel** » 2003-11-11 07:25am

Good, maybe those steel tariffs will be dropped and those who can't compete will be forced to actually get their act together or be destroyed.

BoredShirtless · Post by **BoredShirtless** » 2003-11-11 07:39am

Practise what you preach, USA. Stop with the bullshit nation building; free your market!

Ace Pace · Post by **Ace Pace** » 2003-11-11 08:39am

I didnt notice China in there, also, I may not know alot about Economics, but a trade war betwen the 2 western markets, has got to be bad, right?

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2003-11-11 08:58am

Vympel wrote:Good, maybe those steel tariffs will be dropped and those who can't compete will be forced to actually get their act together or be destroyed.

While the steel tarriffs were wrong, it is also bullshit that many nations got away with dumping cheap, government subsidized steel into the US market.

Faram · Post by **Faram** » 2003-11-11 09:19am

Col. Crackpot wrote:While the steel tarriffs were wrong, it is also bullshit that many nations got away with dumping cheap, government subsidized steel into the US market.

What nations?

Post by **Vympel** » 2003-11-11 09:29am

Faram wrote:
Col. Crackpot wrote:While the steel tarriffs were wrong, it is also bullshit that many nations got away with dumping cheap, government subsidized steel into the US market.
What nations?

Last year the WTO upheld a US trade law in response to subsidized steel from Germany, so considering that the WTO has now ruled on this, I'd say it's in relation to other issues.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-11-11 09:43am

Shrubby, come on, drop those fucking tariffs and tell the unions to go fuck themselves. They're not going to vote for you, anyway.

Good, maybe those steel tariffs will be dropped and those who can't compete will be forced to actually get their act together or be destroyed.

This is America; never! I think you underestimate the power of the union fatcat vote.

On the other hand, the steel companies who caterwauled endlessly for the steel tariffs are now suffering from excess capacity. The Law of Unintended Consequences is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

While the steel tarriffs were wrong, it is also bullshit that many nations got away with dumping cheap, government subsidized steel into the US market.

Yes, they got away with selling cheap, quality steel to us that we wouldn't be able produce at a low costs ourselves. The scum.

Of course, none of this justifies a trade war (Europeans shooting themselves in the foot, again), but it would be nice if Shrubby would start practicing that "free trade" thing that America supposedly considers so important.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-11-11 01:49pm

Durran Korr wrote: Yes, they got away with selling cheap, quality steel to us that we wouldn't be able produce at a low costs ourselves. The scum.

You'd call east asian steel "quality"? That's the entire reason he put
tariffs onto the steel market, because of shithole countries that
were selling steel below scrap price how the fuck
can you compete with someone who is selling shit for less than it
costs to scrap it?

The chinese steel industry took a major hit from that cheep asian
steel business, and got hurt bad.

StarshipTitanic · Post by **StarshipTitanic** » 2003-11-11 01:52pm

Ace Pace wrote:I didnt notice China in there, also, I may not know alot about Economics, but a trade war betwen the 2 western markets, has got to be bad, right?

Right, which would let China get more money I assume.

Dahak · Post by **Dahak** » 2003-11-11 01:56pm

MKSheppard wrote:
Durran Korr wrote: Yes, they got away with selling cheap, quality steel to us that we wouldn't be able produce at a low costs ourselves. The scum.
You'd call east asian steel "quality"? That's the entire reason he put
tariffs onto the steel market, because of shithole countries that
were selling steel below scrap price how the fuck
can you compete with someone who is selling shit for less than it
costs to scrap it?

The chinese steel industry took a major hit from that cheep asian
steel business, and got hurt bad.

The fact that they produce cheap steel doesn't mean they produce bad steel. Otherwise they wouldn't sell it, anyway.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-11-11 02:01pm

Dahak wrote: The fact that they produce cheap steel doesn't mean they produce bad steel. Otherwise they wouldn't sell it, anyway.

AHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHA

Remind me to tell you about the aircraft bolt business a few decades ago.

See, these asian companies started making aircraft grade bolts for attaching
engines, etc, and they did it for much cheaper than Western bolt manufactuers.

Only problem is, when some of the bolts were tested later on, after
several failures, they were found to be very substandard, in that
they actually had a rating of about 5, but were marked for higher
ratings instead.

So no one no longer buys aircraft bolts from anyone else but western
manufacturers.

SirNitram · Post by **SirNitram** » 2003-11-11 02:03pm

You mean the European companies that were selling steel at rock-bottom prices, hence the tariffs? I've not seen any complaints about the quality of that stuff.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-11-11 02:07pm

SirNitram wrote:You mean the European companies that were selling steel at rock-bottom prices, hence the tariffs? I've not seen any complaints about the quality of that stuff.

I see you haven't followed the tariffs. Originally they were put into place
because east asian countires, after their economic collapse, had loads
and loads and loads of crappy steel laying around and no way to get rid
of it except by dumping it onto the rest of the world for below scrap price.

Post by **Colonel Olrik** » 2003-11-11 02:11pm

MKSheppard wrote:
SirNitram wrote:You mean the European companies that were selling steel at rock-bottom prices, hence the tariffs? I've not seen any complaints about the quality of that stuff.
I see you haven't followed the tariffs. Originally they were put into place
because east asian countires, after their economic collapse, had loads
and loads and loads of crappy steel laying around and no way to get rid
of it except by dumping it onto the rest of the world for below scrap price.

Then why tax E.U steel, which is both of better quality and cheaper than that of the U.S?

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-11-11 02:13pm

Colonel Olrik wrote: Then why tax E.U steel, which is both of better quality and cheaper than that of the U.S?

Fuck if I know. I don't have anything against legimitate competition from
other western countries.

Bill Door · Post by **Bill Door** » 2003-11-11 02:17pm

Col. Crackpot wrote:
Vympel wrote:Good, maybe those steel tariffs will be dropped and those who can't compete will be forced to actually get their act together or be destroyed.
While the steel tarriffs were wrong, it is also bullshit that many nations got away with dumping cheap, government subsidized steel into the US market.

Like the US got away with dumping cheap, government subsidised rice into 3rd world countries markets? And also prevented them putting tariffs on the imported rice?

See third down on this page, or this page

Post by **Coyote** » 2003-11-11 02:19pm

Colonel Olrik wrote:Then why tax E.U steel, which is both of better quality and cheaper than that of the U.S?

A universal tariff against all steel is just the US acting up; but to single out China for tariffs creates politics that we don't want to have to deal with right now. We remember-- the spy plane incident; the accidental bombing of the embassy in Yugoslavia; the Chinese attacks against Uighars in the west; and the fact that they have a veto vote in the Security Council...

It all adds up to 'don't pee in China's Cheerios right now'. So slap a tariff on everyone.

TheDarkling · Post by **TheDarkling** » 2003-11-11 02:51pm

Great, now if the EU will only up the other set of tariffs from the current 5% on the 4 Bn worth of goods to the 100% we have been allowed by the WTO we can really get this destructive trade war going

Sharp-kun · Post by **Sharp-kun** » 2003-11-11 03:45pm

MKSheppard wrote:
SirNitram wrote:You mean the European companies that were selling steel at rock-bottom prices, hence the tariffs? I've not seen any complaints about the quality of that stuff.
I see you haven't followed the tariffs. Originally they were put into place
because east asian countires, after their economic collapse, had loads
and loads and loads of crappy steel laying around and no way to get rid
of it except by dumping it onto the rest of the world for below scrap price.

Which your companies happily bought.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-11-11 06:05pm

Sharp-kun wrote: Which your companies happily bought.

It didn't do much damage to us...because we put the tariffs in...now, the
chinese steel industry was bent over and assfucked repeatedly without
lube by those below scrap price imports

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-11-11 06:28pm

MKSheppard wrote:
Sharp-kun wrote: Which your companies happily bought.
It didn't do much damage to us...because we put the tariffs in...now, the
chinese steel industry was bent over and assfucked repeatedly without
lube by those below scrap price imports

So were American consumers. But the steel industry is suffering from excess capacity now, so it all worked out for the best, right?

Tribun · Post by **Tribun** » 2003-11-11 06:31pm

Whew.

It seems that more and more goes bad for America.
Now they have lost the "Stahlstreit". Let's see if the US is willing to risk EU countermeasures which now were declared legal by the WTO.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-11-11 06:42pm

Durran Korr wrote: So were American consumers. But the steel industry is suffering from excess capacity now, so it all worked out for the best, right?

Would you rather have NO steel industry at all, and be a service
economy like Britain?