Z-06

[source: Wall Street Journal] EU Penalizes China Steel Bloc's Switch to Pre-Emptive Import Tariffs Signals Growing Protectionism By JOHN W. MILLER BRUSSELS -- European Union trade officials approved pre-emptive penalties on imports of steel pipe from China, a precedent-setting move that suggests the trading bloc is growing more protectionist in the face of the economic downturn. Tuesday's vote by trade officials from the EU's 27 member states is significant, say trade experts, because they accepted an argument from steel producers -- including the world's largest by volume, ArcelorMittal -- that punitive tariffs are needed to protect them from the threat of underpriced imports from China. Previously, complainants have had to prove the imports had already hurt their business. The case also concerns one of the steel sectors' most important finished products. Seamless steel pipes are key ingredients in housing construction, gas and oil plants and the automotive industry. The vote was close, according to EU officials familiar with the matter, although they declined to reveal the final tally. The duties, which will range from 17.7% to 39.2%, are expected to take effect in October and last five years, EU officials said. Temporary duties of up to 24.2% have been in place since April. Chinese officials say they are preparing a case at the WTO against the EU and U.S. over steel tariffs. On Monday, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce issued a statement saying it was "gravely concerned" about antidumping duties on Chinese imports in the U.S. and EU. "If they impose the tax, that means we will lose the EU market," says Tan Ling, a manager for Hengyang Valin Steel Tube Co, which exports to the EU. The EU currently accounts for 5% to 10% of the company's sales, says Ms. Tan, who has been to Brussels several times to plead her case with EU officials. The company will try to compensate by exporting more to the Middle East and Africa, she says. European consumers of Chinese steel imports are also upset at the new tariffs. "Consumers have to pay more because the market is protected," says Jan van Meever, the owner and CEO of Jan van Meever BV, a Dutch company that buys steel pipes from China and resells them in Europe. "It's just the way it is these days." Chinese exports have flooded the EU ever since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001. Total shipments to the EU from China were $357 billion last year, up from $67 billion in 2000. The EU's steel sector, a $250 billion-a-year business with 420,000 employees, has been vulnerable to imports because of Europe's high labor and environmental costs. Eurofer, the lobby group that represents European steelmakers, has lobbied hard for higher tariffs. In the U.S., the steel industry has also been on the front lines of demanding more protection from Chinese imports. China came into Europe's seamless pipe market only recently. In 2005, it exported only 35,000 tons to the EU. Last year, it shipped 552,368 tons. The surge came at the same time as EU imports of steel pipes from Russia and Ukraine were declining, following the imposition of antidumping duties on imports from those countries in 2006. But in those years the global economy was booming. The German export machine was firing on all cylinders, easily gobbling up the extra imports from China in 2007 and 2008. That made it difficult for European producers, when they filed their complaint in May 2008, to say they had been "injured" by dumped Chinese imports. An import is considered to have been "dumped" when it is sold in a foreign market at or below cost, in order to gain market share. Under WTO rules, the importing country may retaliate by applying "antidumping" duties. The country must demonstrate that goods have been dumped, and that its companies have lost substantial sales as a direct consequence. As the slowdown gathered steam last year, Europe's steel-pipe producers and their lawyers decided to try another tack. They argued that while they couldn't prove past losses, the threat of future injury, in an economic downturn, was so overwhelming that higher tariffs were essential. "It is likely that low-priced imports will become even more attractive in a market which is increasingly seeking out cost reductions," the EU trade commission wrote in its final report. Basing a claim on the threat of injury "is a perfectly legal strategy, but it has simply not, until now, been used as a matter of EU policy," says Nikolay Mizulin, a Brussels-based trade lawyer with Hogan & Hartson LLP. This case "is a sign of growing protectionism and could open the floodgates to many more industries who believe they deserve protection." Mr. Mizulin and other trade lawyers say they expect a host of industries to ask the EU for protective tariffs in August. The number of overall antidumping duties grew last year to 208 from 164 in 2007. Another increase is expected this year. —Sue Feng in Beijing and Bai Lin in Shanghai contributed to this article. Write to John W. Miller at [email protected]

What power generation rates are you talking about for the nuclear plant and the solar panels you are using in your example? The unit price consumption of a solar panel plant comes close to 15c/kilowatt hour, which is much more expensive than about 7c/kilowatt hour for a coal plant (9-10c/kilowatt hour for nukes) and that is after federal and local subsidies and not counting infrastructure.

Are you talking about smaller plants spread around the country or larger plants which yet dispersed can be "concentrated" because of being fewer in number? If former is the case, while true, due to economy of scales it is cheaper to concentrate having bigger power plants in fewer locations rather having smaller power plants in lot of locations. Because: The amount of engineering, design involved in small or big plants is almost the same. What is different is probably adding more drawings, designs for larger capacity. But overall the plan drawings will have same basic design effort. The regulatory process and time required for a small or a large plant is the same. In fact having smaller plants in different locations than a bigger one in one location would mean dealing with regulatory authorities from different areas, which may have different laws, thus causing different design and permit modifications. Having centralized plants helps making universal grid easy and cheap rather than creating a cluster of cables intersecting each other from smaller plants. Yes, infrastructure is a serious problem in this country, which has been constantly overlooked. Everything was almost pushed to threshold by the boom and this current situation gave infrastructure a breathing room.

More Fuel. As you are adding another loss mechanism (transmission lines) into the system which is already inefficient. Making electricity with hydro, nuke, etc is far more efficient than with petroleum liquids.

That was 50 years ago. You are more mature now, I guess?

By using internal codes, they display that they know better than common public, who probably do not give a rat's rear for those codes.

Press!?

It is not GM's but fricking dealerships' fault. Toyota and Honda dealerships are just as bad when they have hot (ho-hum appliances) in their hands. I hope the dealers who behave like this get some stick at the "new" GM.

GM-10 was the code name for W-body platform. It was conceptualized in 1982 and the first W-body came out in 1988.

:useless: +1. Try it. You never know. Be open minded. May be you need a companion, so does she, rather than a "significant other". It will work out still being friends and have someone's shoulder to put your head on after a busy day.

Good question. I am not planning to virtualize at this point, but eventually I will. My immediate needs are two: 1. 64 bits AutoCAD/ Civil 3D, which a single CPU can handle. 2. Chess!! That kills it. I wanted to use the processing power for game analysis. With new programs coming with multiprocessor capability, more the merrier. I have seen quite a difference when the programs use two instead of one processor.

I was a little surprised to see the tuner support the Cobalt SS has generated since its inception.

That car is spectacular. If you are like me thinking screw the bland interior and exterior the car will give you joy every corner you push it. It is a spectacular handling and performance.

Even in those eras Japanese design was a derivative. It had no styling trademarks like the German and Americans did.

In general. T-H-N have literally zero design which involves emotion. I love the old TL and TSX, but they are nothing to call spectacular like a 50's or 60's Caddy or Chevy. Nissan has been designing piles, Toyota just blandness and Honda went from ho hum to extremism lately. Mazda was generic and in recent past was decent till the new 3 came out !

Why?

There was never any design from Japan right since its industry's inception.

There are plans for the new family of 4 pots multiturbos to have power equivalent to current sixes. Which means a 2.0 odd twin turbo will have close to 300 hp of the 335i and a single turbo to have somewhere around 250hp along with the added fuel economy.

And it is a 350 with a 4-speed, which is rare. That is what got my attention, if you remember, I asked that question in the Oldsmobile Club thread.

Is there a significant different between Intel Xeon 55-- series processors and 54-- processors having almost same frequency? I was looking for dual quadcore system as my workstation at home and was wondering will the speed difference be significant enough to pay the higher price for the 55-- processors. 5570 Nelahem 5450 Harpertown

If you are taking it back, you will not have to pay for taxes. It will be all the price. As for me, I got thinking, I need a workstation-PC more than a car. I already have two cars and my new apartment people are already cringing for me having them. Imagine what they will do if I put a third one, which they will think to be a "clunker." If I take this one to my girl in MI and keep it in our condo - get ready for me being slaughtered. Besides that I do not have any time for restoration and I would hate to drive it like without any.

If you want, fly into Orlando, and I will take you up there.

No personal attacks please. Attack the premises and conclusions.