Thermoplastics coming from the US, the EU, Taiwan and Japan are sold at prices below fair market value, says Beijing.

Thermoplastics coming from the US, the EU, Taiwan and Japan are sold at prices below fair market value, says Beijing.

China has launched an “anti-dumping” investigation into chemical imports, in what appears to be a response to trade barriers introduced by the EU, the US and other countries.

Polyoxymethylene copolymer, a plastic widely used in electronics and cars, is being sold at an unfairly low cost in China, therefore causing damage to domestic companies, said China’s Ministry of Commerce.

The investigation will focus on imports from the US, the EU, Taiwan and Japan, and could take up to 18 months to complete.

  • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1313·
    6 months ago

    And just like when Trump did it, this bullshit tariff war is going to hurt consumers of the products, not the demagogues conducting the war.

    The big difference is that this time, the EU and other countries have joined in so more regular citizens also get to suffer for the chest thumping of powerful jerks 😮‍💨🤬

    • Somethingcheezie@lemmy.worldEnglish
      142·
      6 months ago

      If countries dump things on the open market (electric cars or steel) then industries get destroyed in those countries . When industries get destroyed a lot more people get affected.

      • zephyreks@lemmy.mlEnglish
        57·
        6 months ago

        What do you call the $80 billion bailout of US automakers following the 2008 recession?

        “Fair, open market activities”?

        • Buffalox@lemmy.worldEnglish
          10·
          6 months ago

          That was a very successful bailout, government got all its money back, lots of jobs were saved, and competition was maintained to the benefit of consumers.

          • zephyreks@lemmy.mlEnglish
            16·
            6 months ago

            I agree, but it’s by no means adherence to free market anti-subsidization principles.

            • Buffalox@lemmy.worldEnglish
              2·
              6 months ago

              The bank bailouts is where they went wrong. The car industry didn’t cause the financial crisis, the financial institutes did, those are the ones that should have been allowed to crash IMO.
              It’s a misunderstanding that it would have been damaging to the economy to allow them to crash. Iceland did just that, they were among the hardest hit, but they were first to recover.
              The amount of money to keep the system going, is NOT dependent on the existence of irresponsible money losing financial institutions.
              Whoever came up with that argument to save the banks, is a straight up con man.

              Saving an industry or company under extraordinary circumstances they didn’t cause, is patching an imperfect free market to minimize harm is fair, and we all know that free markets are never perfect. Claiming otherwise is delusional.
              Saving the ones that caused the harm by acting extremely irresponsibly is idiotic and unjust.

              • zephyreks@lemmy.mlEnglish
                1·
                6 months ago

                An “imperfect free market” saved by $80 billion in bailouts.

                For fucks sake

                • Buffalox@lemmy.worldEnglish
                  1·
                  6 months ago

                  Free market economy is inherently imperfect, and needs to be both regulated and adjusted by government.

                  • zephyreks@lemmy.mlEnglish
                    11·
                    6 months ago

                    Then stop complaining about subsidies designed to protect domestic industries 🤷