U.S.-China Trade War on the Horizon? I Sure Hope Not

October 22nd, 2010 by Guest Contributor

Jeremy Bloom of Red, Green and Blue wrote an excellent piece this week on a possible trade war between China and the U.S. (which our own Susan Kraemer also had a good story on this week), the complexity of rare-earth-metal mining and export, and the risk of a clean energy revolution relying on rare earth metals.

The beginning of Jeremy’s piece goes as follows:

Trade wars are never a good idea, because everyone loses. It’s widely known that it was a trade war that turned the 1929 crash into The Great Depression. Anyone with any sense has feared a trade war could do the same thing to The Great Recession.

Is one about to break out between the US and China, with the clean energy industry as the battlefield? It’s possible, but signals are very mixed. Here’s what’s going on.

Read the full story over on Red, Green and Blue.

Photo Credit: Magalie L’Abbé via flickr

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Tags: China, clean energy revolution, rare-earth metals, trade war, US

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Guest Contributor

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Chris V

Trade wars didn’t cause the Great Depression. It was mass unemployment. Paul Krugman noted that in his blog.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/hayek-trade-restrictions-and-the-great-depression/

Krugman also noted that with China manipulating its currency and us doing absolutely nothing about it, we’re effectively telling them to take our jobs and production. We have nothing to lose by starting a trade war with China.

Chris V
- Gee Rod
  
  Chris V? No one has relplied, because everyone knows thinks your post is absolutely ridiculous! So, your man “Krugman” can see the future? Let me get on my knees and kiss his…! Nothing to lose by a “trade war with China”? What are you on? Look around you! TV’s,shoes, your coat, your shirt, your sox, your hat! Buddy you are going to look pretty funny walking around naked! If we stopped trading now? It would be darn near suicide. Why do you think it has not been done? You think that you are the only one who ever thought those foolish thoughts? Grow up.