US and China Clash over Clean Energy Subsidies (+ Intro)

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to briefly introduce myself (Michael Craig) and then share an interesting article from the NYTimes. I’m a 5th year Environmental Studies major specializing in Biology/Ecology (with a minor in Environmental Engineering) at Washington University. I’ve done independent research on both seed predation and renewable energy policies, and I’m hoping to begin work in the environmental advocacy field come January (although the job market doesn’t look so great right now…). I also love to read, mainly science fiction, fantasy, and history; run; and eat. I’ve traveled a fair bit, mostly in the Americas and Europe. The closest I’ve been to China was South Korea, where I traveled on an educational trip with Wash U’s engineering school last summer. I look forward to meeting and getting to know all of you in the coming weeks!

Now, on to more weighty manners: there has been a series of articles from the NYTimes discussing an ongoing spat between United States manufacturers and the Chinese government. Basically, many clean energy businesses in the United States have accused the Chinese government of violating World Trade Organization policies by giving clean energy uncompanies preferential treatment and subsidies. This feud is just another piece in the puzzle of ongoing tension between China and the United States, which includes the argument over the valuation of the Renminbi. I think Richard’s previous post is absolute right in that we need more trust, but I also think the ongoing fights between the United States and China over economic issues only serves to foment the distrust between our nations.

The article is available at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/16/business/16wind.html?hp and is titled “U.S. Plans Inquiry on China’s Subsidies of Clean Energy.”

-Michael Craig, Washington University in St. Louis