The Devolution of the United States Manufacturing Base

[Guest Ron_*]

Each day this country is losing business to manufacturers abroad. Each day American manufacturing companies are going out of business. I know some businesses that have folded myself. This country cannot survive on the service sector alone.

 

Why is this happenning?

 

The labor is cheaper abroad. That was the initial reason.

 

Little environment regulations. That was another.

 

No corporate tax. That was the big one.

 

If you do not believe me take a look at:

 

http://www.made-in-china.com/

 

Made-in-China.com is developed & operated by Focus Technology Co., Ltd. Focus Technology is a pioneer and leader in the field of electronic business in China. Founded in 1996, with the mission of enabling clients to drive cost down and increase sales and profits with effective web-based solutions, Focus Technology has helped many Chinese small-and-medium-sized enterprises compete in international trade, advance into new markets and meet the needs of their clients.

 

With the continuous growth of China export trade & internet users, Focus Technology decides to launch an online trade platform, Made-in-China.com. Made-in-China.com organizes and provides the most complete, accurate and valid information of China products & China suppliers. Nowadays, Made-in-China.com has already become a leading B2B portal especially in assisting global buyers and Chinese manufacturers to make contact and conduct international trade.

 

Now look at

 

http://www.census.gov/indicator/www/ustrade.html

 

U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services Highlights

January 11, 2008

 

Goods and Services Deficit Increases in November 2007

The Nation's international deficit in goods and services increased to $63.1 billion in November from $57.8 billion (revised) in October, as imports increased more than exports.

 

The Chinese government has declared textiles and apparel to be a "pillar industry of the nation" and has spent tens of billions of dollars to create an industrial sector that no nation on earth can compete in. This government intervention takes the form of currency undervaluation, handouts from government banks (loan forgiveness), subsidized utility, land and shipping costs, export tax rebates, tax holidays, direct industrial subsidization and many more etc.

 

The intense collaboration between the Chinese government and its textile and apparel sector enables Chinese exporters to underprice its other competitors, including countries like Bangladesh and India which have lower wage rates. According to United Nations data, China exports apparel products worldwide at average prices 58 percent below those of other countries. And in countries where quotas have not been used, China has taken between 60 and 85 percent of the apparel market. See the studies and analyses listed below for more information.

 

NCTO is a part of the Global Alliance for Fair Trade in Textiles (GAFTT), a coalition of 96 trade groups from 52 countries which are committed to ensuring that fair play and free markets govern world trade in textiles and apparel. GAFTT strongly opposes the Chinese government’s effort to monopolize world textile and apparel trade. Up to 30 million jobs around the world, mostly from developing and least developed countries, could be lost if China succeeds.

 

China’s mercantilist and predatory behavior also poses real questions for U.S. policymakers. These include:

 

1 ) Is it good for this country to tolerate an enormous economic power such as China that uses its government organs to undermine what we consider free market principles?

 

2 ) It is proper to let the Chinese government wreak havoc in our markets and our workers because its government has decided that it will do whatever its takes for its exporters to win the textile and apparel game?

 

3 ) Should millions of workers around the globe - and potentially hundreds of thousands in the US - be put out of their jobs because the Chinese government makes it impossible for their companies to thrive and prosper? Should Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, Turkey, Mexico and Caribbean nations lose billions of dollars in export earnings because their governments believe in free markets and China does not?

 

The long term consequences of the emergence of CHINA Inc - this intense collaboration of government and industry - should trouble anyone that believes in the free market and also that fair competition should be the ultimate arbiter of the marketplace.

 

Manufacturers made this country strong in the 20th century. Without manufacturers we will become what we define as a Third World Nation.

[Guest LAW_*]

I believe there is broad agreement that the economy is tipping into recession or rising unemployment.

[Luke_Wilbur]

Congress needs to make appropriate responses to this critical situation. To restore our country to normal economic health Congress and the President need to appropriate funds to rebuild our infrastructure. We need to repair our bridges, schools, roads, and the environment. Such investments would address existing needs that would otherwise go unmet during a downturn. Such investments would be less likely than other kinds of expenditures to "leak" to other countries through purchases of imports. They would generate jobs not only for those working directly on these projects but would also boost and expand the businesses that supply parts and materials.

[Guest Ron_*]

Congress definitely needs to do something. More than 1 million textile jobs have been lost in the United States since 1994. That's when NAFTA, which eliminated tariffs on goods flowing between Canada, Mexico and the United States, went into effect.

 

Americans aren't buying fewer bath towels and bed sheets. It is purely imports related to countries with government subsidies and low labor costs. Textile imports into the United States since 2001 have risen to $97 billion, from $70 billion.

 

An Example of the Death of America's Textile Industry

 

WestPoint has been around for 200 years. They are the nation's premier manufacturer and marketer of bed and bath home fashions...sheets, towels and bath accessories, comforters and down comforters, blankets and throws, decorative pillows and bedding accessories, mattress pads, feather and fiberbeds, and bed pillows. WestPoint brands are some of the most trusted and well-known in home fashions - Martex, Baby Martex, Grand Patrician, Utica, Chatham, Vellux, Lady Pepperell and several others.

 

If your kids are begging you for Scooby Doo or Little Missmatched bedding and bath products, or you covet the Lauren Ralph Lauren Home retail display - WestPoint Stevens too. WestPoint Home makes a range of popular products under license agreements. This includes Lauren Ralph Lauren, Charisma, Betsey Johnson and Harley Davidson among others. WestPoint also manufacturers the Martha Stewart bed and bath lines.

 

The company has 6,700 associates, 16 manufacturing facilities, 6 distribution centers and 30 outlet stores worldwide.

 

John Edwards knows WestPoint better than most Presidential Candidates. Edwards comes from a mill family. Edwards earned money in high school from a mill. John Edwards spent his first semester of college living in WestPoint Stevens' Utica Mill village in South Carolina.

 

WestPoint Stevens textile mills closes American Plants

 

LUMBERTON - After 32 years anchored alongside Interstate 95, the WestPoint Stevens Bed and Bath Linens mill outlet will close its doors for good on Dec. 31.

 

The 11 people employed by the local WestPoint Home store - WestPoint Stevens changed its name to WestPoint Home a few years ago - have all decided to stay until the end. Meanwhile, shoppers can find some good bargains to place under someone's Christmas tree.

 

WestPoint Home filed for bankruptcy protection in 2003 and has attempted to streamline the company ever since. The closing of this location, as well as the 31 other WestPoint Home retail locations nationwide, was announced on Oct. 19. The closures will put more than 300 people out of work.

 

"We are going to miss all customers who were loyal," said Sue Tillman, manager of the local store for the past 12 years. "It is going to be sad not seeing everyone, every day ... .

 

"I want to thank my staff ... we are like family."

 

http://www.robesonian.com/articles/2007/12...ews/story03.txt

 

Approximately 375 of the 575 employees who are being laid-off at WestPoint Stevens are living in Henry County. That means that an estimated 7. (Eufaula Tribune, AL)

 

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=...39676&rfi=6

 

Textile workers in east Alabama have gotten some tough holiday news this month, with the notice that nearly 1,300 of them are set to lose their jobs.

 

Plant closings at three big textile makers in Valley, Piedmont and Eufaula account for the job losses. One plant is already gone. The Wellstone Mills plant in Eufaula that employed 117 people closed earlier this month, according to notices given to the Alabama Office of Workforce Development.

 

http://www.al.com/birminghamnews/stories/i....xml&coll=2

 

Close to one thousand people at a textile factory in Valley are the latest to find out about pending layoffs. Westpoint Home will close a pair of factories, slashing 850 jobs. Mike Ragsdale is one of the hundreds who will lose his job. He's been working for the company for 47 years in the bleach and dye plant. Westpoint Home manufactures towels and wash clothes. "It came as a shock. We thought it would last a little longer. But all of a sudden they said it's closing.

 

http://www.wrbl.com/index.php/news/article...sing-down/4479/

 

American jobs went to Pakistan.

 

WestPoint Home, West Point, Ga., has established a joint venture with Pakistan-based Indus Dyeing & Manufacturing Co. Ltd. The joint venture facility, known as Indus Home Ltd., will produce towels in a newly expanded, vertical Indus plant outside Lahore, Pakistan. The plant already is supplying goods to WestPoint Home and will increase its production over the next few months.

 

“This joint venture is a vital step in restoring WestPoint Home as the industry’s low-cost vendor and advancing the company in the global market,” said Joseph Pennacchio, CEO, WestPoint Home. “For several years, WestPoint Home has purchased yarn from Indus Dyeing and Manufacturing, which has proved itself in reliability and product quality — two key factors in our decision to select Indus as a joint venture partner.”

 

Indus will produce WestPoint Home’s full range of branded and licensed label goods, as well as store brands made exclusively for WestPoint Home customers.

 

“Both Indus and WestPoint are acknowledged textiles leaders, and our combined experience and expertise will produce significant benefits and opportunities for future growth,” said Ifran Ahmed, director, Indus.

 

http://www.textileworldasia.com/News.htm?C...97&ID=10987

 

Bahrain : Westpoint to own three Manama textile plants

December 8, 2006

 

Westpoint Home Inc is going to enter into agreement with Manama Textile Mills as the Bahrain Company plans to focus on denim textiles.

According to agreement, three Manama Textile plants are going to be sold that deal in production of bedsheets.

 

This sale is direct reaction of Bahrain's Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US. Both the companies have agreed on price and agreement will be signed soon. Plants, which are going to be sold are all located in Askar.

 

End product of all these plants is bedsheets and Westpoint has strong market base than Manama textiles. Due to FTA, Westpoint will be able to export the products to US without paying duties.

Manama Textiles plans to reinvest sales proceeds for the expansion of its denim market.

 

http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/company-...x?news_id=27206

 

 

Are you getting the picture?

[BlingBling]

The real truth is that our white masters found new slaves. WestPoint Steven's 'Pepperell's Rock River' fabric brand was " was the brand of choice for Southern plantation owners before the Civil War. It was slaves that built this country. It was slaves that built our railroads, ships, and even Washington DC.

 

Now that the United States no longer tolerates slaves or sweatshops the big cats have to look someplace else. What they do not see is that their new slaves are smart and are starting to make their own branded products and selling them to customers that will pay a better price.

 

We should throw "Free Trade" out the window and replace it with "Fair Trade."

 

Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers.

 

http://www.fairtrade.net

[Guest human_*]

That's going to be kinda hard there blingbling, with all the Games your side HAS played with other countries in order just to make this administration look bad.

 

The Peru free trade agreement is but one example of many more examples to come.

 

Just because YOUR side "Democrats" played with the strategic long term Security Interests of the United States. ALL FOR GETTING BACK INTO POWER "NO MATTER WHAT".

 

Don't worry, Hillary WILL win the democrat nomination.

 

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The real truth is that our white masters found new slaves. WestPoint Steven's 'Pepperell's Rock River' fabric brand was " was the brand of choice for Southern plantation owners before the Civil War. It was slaves that built this country. It was slaves that built our railroads, ships, and even Washington DC.

 

Now that the United States no longer tolerates slaves or sweatshops the big cats have to look someplace else. What they do not see is that their new slaves are smart and are starting to make their own branded products and selling them to customers that will pay a better price.

 

We should throw "Free Trade" out the window and replace it with "Fair Trade."

 

Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers.

 

http://www.fairtrade.net

[BlingBling]

That's going to be kinda hard there blingbling, with all the Games your side HAS played with other countries in order just to make this administration look bad.

 

The Peru free trade agreement is but one example of many more examples to come.

 

Just because YOUR side "Democrats" played with the strategic long term Security Interests of the United States. ALL FOR GETTING BACK INTO POWER "NO MATTER WHAT".

 

Don't worry, Hillary WILL win the democrat nomination.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Human,

Your false appeal to bigotry and fear remind us of the infamous whispering campaign of eight years ago, when anonymous messages just before the South Carolina primary falsely accused Republican candidate John McCain of fathering an illegitimate child by a black woman. We may in fact have finally found that bridge to the 21st century that Bill Clinton told us about. Its name is Obama. Here is my candidates position on international trade.

 

Be a Tough Negotiator for Smart Trade Agreements: The process of globalization is bringing millions of people into the global economy, increasing the efficiency of resource allocation through stronger capital markets, raising productivity by putting new technologies to work, and exploiting efficiencies of integrated supply networks. But globalization also leaves some Americans behind as patterns of production change, jobs relocate, and wage pressures intensify. Barack Obama supports trade agreements that lower prices for American consumers while also opening up fair and competitive markets for the sale of American-made goods and services abroad. Obama will ensure that trade agreements include strong labor and environmental protections and that all Americans share the rewards of globalization. As president, he will lead a proactive strategy to make sure that those who lose their jobs to globalization have the tools and resources to find other work and share in the benefits of the global marketplace.

 

Promote American Businesses Abroad: Trade can create wealth and drive innovation through competition. Barack Obama supports a trade policy that ensures our goods and services are treated fairly in foreign markets. At the same time, trade policy must stay consistent with our commitment to promote improved labor and environmental practices. In its first six years, the Bush Administration has filed only 16 cases to enforce its rights under WTO agreements. This compares to 68 cases filed during the first six years of the Clinton Administration. President Bush has failed to address the fact that China has engaged in ongoing currency manipulation that undercuts US exports; that China fails to enforce US copyrights and trademarks and that some of our competitors create regulatory and tax barriers to the delivery and sale of technology goods and services abroad. Barack Obama will fight for fair treatment of our companies abroad.

 

Protect American Intellectual Property Abroad: The Motion Picture Association of America estimates that in 2005, more than nine of every 10 DVDs sold in China were illegal copies. The U.S. Trade Representative said 80 percent of all counterfeit products seized at U.S. borders still come from China. Barack Obama will work to ensure intellectual property is protected in foreign markets, and promote greater cooperation on international standards that allow our technologies to compete everywhere.

 

You can find more about Obama's positions on the economy.

 

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/economy/

 

“I believe that America’s free market has been the engine of America’s great progress. It’s created a prosperity that is the envy of the world. It’s led to a standard of living unmatched in history. And it has provided great rewards to the innovators and risk-takers who have made America a beacon for science, and technology, and discovery…We are all in this together. From CEOs to shareholders, from financiers to factory workers, we all have a stake in each other’s success because the more Americans prosper, the more America prospers.”

 

— Barack Obama, New York, NY, September 17, 2007

[Guest Always Red]

It was the Democrats who started this mess with China.

 

The China-WTO agreement is good for the United States, it's good for China, it's good for the world economy. Today, China embraces principles of economic openness, innovation and competition that will bolster China's economic reforms and advance the rule of law. President Jiang Zemin and Premiere Zhu Rongji have shown genuine leadership in committing China to open its markets and abide by global rules of fair trade. In opening the economy of China, the agreement will create unprecedented opportunities for American farmers, workers and companies to compete successfully in China's market, while bringing increased prosperity to the people of China.

 

I want to thank profusely our United States Trade Ambassador, Charlene Barshefsky; my National Economic Advisor, Gene Sperling; and the entire United States negotiating team, including USTR Officials Robert Novick and Robert Casssidy, for their hard work and dedication.

 

On the basis of this excellent agreement, I will do my best working with other countries to gain China's entry into the WTO and undertake an all out effort to work with our Congress to secure permanent, normal trade relations with China. This is a very good day for American diplomacy. - Bill Clinton, November 15, 1999 in Ankara Turkey.

[Guest human_*]

Blingbling, I got obama exactly for what I wanted him for? Illegal Immigration.

 

Three fourths of the African American Community IS against it. If your group wants to commit Economic as well as Political suicide? I won’t be against it.

 

 

I am Latino, I am for my group.

[Guest LAW_*]

Human I read Barack Obama's Plan. What part do you not agree with?

 

The Problem

 

Undocumented population is exploding: The number of undocumented immigrants in the country has increased more than 40 percent since 2000. Every year, more than a half-million people come illegally or illegally overstay their visas.

 

Immigration bureaucracy is broken: The immigration bureaucracy is broken and overwhelmed, forcing legal immigrants to wait years for applications.

 

Immigration raids are ineffective: Despite a sevenfold increase in recent years, immigration raids only netted 3,600 arrests in 2006 and have placed all the burdens of a broken system onto immigrant families.

 

Barack Obama's Plan

 

Create Secure Borders

Obama wants to preserve the integrity of our borders. He supports additional personnel, infrastructure and technology on the border and at our ports of entry.

 

Improve Our Immigration System

Obama believes we must fix the dysfunctional immigration bureaucracy and increase the number of legal immigrants to keep families together and meet the demand for jobs that employers cannot fill.

 

Remove Incentives to Enter Illegally

Obama will remove incentives to enter the country illegally by cracking down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants.

 

Bring People Out of the Shadows

Obama supports a system that allows undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens.

 

Work with Mexico

Obama believes we need to do more to promote economic development in Mexico to decrease illegal immigration.

 

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/immigration/

[Luke_Wilbur]

The intense collaboration between the Chinese government and its textile and apparel sector enables Chinese exporters to underprice its other competitors, including countries like Bangladesh and India which have lower wage rates. According to United Nations data, China exports apparel products worldwide at average prices 58 percent below those of other countries. And in countries where quotas have not been used, China has taken between 60 and 85 percent of the apparel market. See the studies and analyses listed below for more information.

 

Should millions of workers around the globe - and potentially hundreds of thousands in the US - be put out of their jobs because the Chinese government makes it impossible for their companies to thrive and prosper? Should Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, Turkey, Mexico and Caribbean nations lose billions of dollars in export earnings because their governments believe in free markets and China does not?

 

The long term consequences of the emergence of CHINA Inc - this intense collaboration of government and industry - should trouble anyone that believes in the free market and also that fair competition should be the ultimate arbiter of the marketplace.

 

Manufacturers made this country strong in the 20th century. Without manufacturers we will become what we define as a Third World Nation.

 

I think we need to focus on what Ron is stating. 1992 to 2003, the trade deficit with China grew from $18.3 billion to $124.0 billion, which is larger than the deficit with any other country. However, much of the increase in imports from China reflects a shift away from imports from other Asian countries rather than an increase in total imports. In fact, while U.S. imports attributable to China increased from 5 percent in 1992 to 12 percent in 2003, the share of imports from other Pacific Rim countries declined from 34 percent to 21 percent.

 

We also need to underderstand that during this same period the displacement of production cost Americans 1.5 million U.S. jobs.

 

Walmart China Strategy

 

No one will argue that Wal-Mart is a unique company in terms of its impact and its influence on changing corporate business and labor practices. As the largest retailer on Earth, Wal-Mart is most conspicuously unique in terms of its size. With nearly 3,550 stores visited by roughly 100 million people each week, Wal-Mart is a convenient shopping mecca for American consumers. Reporting $256 billion in revenues for the 2004 fiscal year, Wal-Mart ranks as the world's largest corporation by sales -- even pulling in $33 billion more than oil giant Exxon-Mobil, the world's second highest income-earner. As the largest retailer on Earth, Wal-Mart is most conspicuously unique in terms of its size. With nearly 3,550 stores visited by roughly 100 million people each week, Wal-Mart is a convenient shopping mecca for American consumers.

 

Did you know Wal-Mart is responsible for approximately 10 percent of the United States' trade deficit with China.

 

It is remarkable how easily the benefits of open trade can elude our nation in the absence of a true commitment to international cooperation. China has moved aggressively up the product ladder from labor-intensive non-durable products (e.g., clothes and shoes), to more sophisticated machinery and durable goods.China now accounts for the entire $32 billion U.S. trade deficit in Advanced Technology Products (ATP). China is also rapidly gaining advantage in more advanced industries such as autos and aerospace products.

 

Where Are the Jobs for America?

 

The claim that new trade agreements will create jobs and raise incomes in the United States has frequently been made by supporters of these agreements in both Republican and Democratic

administrations. President Bush called the Senate’s 2002 approval of fast-track trade negotiating authority (or Trade Promotion Authority, as it is now labeled) a "historic moment" that would lead to the creation of more jobs and more sales of American products abroad (Bush 2002a). Two weeks later, at his economic forum in Texas, he argued that “it is essential that we move aggressively [to negotiate new trade pacts], because trade means jobs. More trade means higher incomes for American workers.”

 

The Clinton administration confidently forecast that the huge U.S. trade deficit with China would improve if Congress ratified the agreement to bring China into the WTO. President Clinton called the

agreement “a win-win result for both countries”. He pointed to growing exports to China that “now support hundreds of thousands of American jobs,” and claimed, “these figures can grow substantially with the new access to the Chinese market the WTO agreement creates”.

 

I understand that our government leaders embrace varying issues at different times, reflecting, among other things, the relative standing of their economies in the international order, and the priorities imposed by their level of economic development. I challenge our leaders to adapt to this change before outside interests shape our country's future for us.

[Guest human_*]

This is part of Barack Obama's views

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Deal with street-level drug dealing as minimum-wage affair. (Oct 2006)

 

Support granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. (Nov 2007)

 

Pathway to citizenship, but people have to earn it. (Aug 2007)

 

Extend welfare and Medicaid to immigrants. (Jul 1998)

 

Voted NO on declaring English as the official language of the US government. (Jun 2007)

 

Voted YES on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security. (May 2006)

[Guest Rory Medcalf]

I just found this page. From what I am reading is the real truth is our government's failure to enforce China's unfair trade policies. Everyone knows "Letters of Understanding" mean nothing. The China US currency exchange rate is now 7.2566 yuan to one US dollar. I am worried because I planning to patent an idea of mine. I cannot find any U.S. manufacturer to develop it. I was reading the U.S. Department of Labor's web site and found this release.

 

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OPA News Release: [06/21/2004]

Contact Name: Lisa Kruska

Phone Number: (202) 693-4676

 

The U.S. Department of Labor and The People’s Republic of China Sign Four Joint Letters of Understanding

Four-Day Trip of High-Ranking U.S. Labor Officials Highlights Expanded Efforts to Strengthen Worker Protections

 

BEIJING—U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced the signing of four letters of understanding to broaden cooperation between the United States of America and China in the areas of labor, employment and workplace safety.

 

Officials from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security of the People’s Republic of China (MOLSS) and the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) participated in the signing ceremony. Secretary Chao’s visit and the four agreements represent the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) most comprehensive engagement with China on labor issues ever.

 

Observing the signing ceremonies with Secretary Chao today were Minister Zheng Silin, Minister of Labor and Social Security, People’s Republic of China and Administrator Wang Xianzheng, State Administration of Work Safety, People’s Republic of China.

 

“The U.S. Labor Department is committed to working with its Chinese counterparts to share information and practices that will help ensure that the development of labor standards in China keep pace with China’s rapid economic development,” said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. “These agreements are the next step in the department’s ongoing engagement with China and include collaboration on several important labor issues including mine safety, workplace safety, wages and pensions.”

 

Victoria A. Lipnic, Assistant Secretary for Employment Standards at U.S. DOL signed a letter of understanding with Liu Xu, Director General of Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Labor and Social Security, for the PRC. Under the agreement the agencies will broaden their cooperation in the areas of wage and hour regulations and enforcement, public awareness of wage and hour laws and the effective management and analysis of wage and hour enforcement data.

 

John L. Henshaw, Assistant Secretary for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration at U.S. DOL signed a letter of understanding with Lin Yisheng, Deputy Director General Department of Foreign Affairs, State Administration of Work Safety, for the PRC. Under the agreement the agencies will broaden their cooperation in the areas of occupational safety and health, the handling and distribution of hazardous chemicals; emergency response procedures in workplace accidents; private insurance programs that help promote workplace safety and health; and the effective collection and analysis of occupational safety and health data.

 

David D. Lauriski, Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health at U.S. DOL, signed a letter of understanding with Lin Yisheng, Deputy Director General, Department of Foreign Affairs, State Administration of Work Safety for the PRC. Under the agreement the agencies will broaden their cooperation in the areas of accident emergency response, the role of private insurance in the promotion of mine safety and health; and the effective collection and analysis of mine safety and health data.

 

Ann L. Combs, Assistant Secretary of the Employee Benefits Administration at U.S. DOL, signed a letter of understanding with Liu Xu, Director General of Department of International Cooperation, Minister of Labor and Social Security for the People’s Republic of China. Under the agreement the agencies will broaden their cooperation in the regulation, administration and oversight of pension programs.

 

These four agreements broaden the ongoing cooperation between the U.S. Department of Labor and its counterparts in the People’s Republic of China. Under these agreements, the agencies reaffirmed their common objectives to ensure economic growth, raise living standards and support greater shared prosperity, foster safe work environments and protect workers rights in accordance with relevant international labor principles while fully respecting the national laws of both the United States and China.

 

The department’s earlier cooperative agreements with China include a $4.1 million grant to support the rule of law and a $2.3 million mine safety and health project.

[Guest LEFT IN THE DUST]

I think you have to add my country India as well. Manmohan Singh has paid his first visit to China. The Singh visit marks a new high in relations between the world's two booming megastates. After decades of mistrust and indifference, they are building bonds of commerce at a clip that well outpaces any other relationship. Trade between China and India has grown tremendously in a decade, approaching $A45 billion a year. Soon China will supplant the United States as India's largest trading partner.

 

Americans think your country has a superior grasp of technology because foreign competitors will pay no attention to design and innovation. All the USA will be left with is tourism and entertainment.

We know how you couch taters love to watch Britney.

[Guest human_*]

Our greatest strength in this country is The melting pot of different cultures "mind you, not one, two, or three cultures". That is just the politics of taking the easy road instead of dealing with the deeper issues facing my own countrymen.

 

Your group can't think past it's own culture. You are NOT a melting pot of different cultures "Which is your greatest weakness", and my group's greatest strength.

 

As for this quote of yours "Americans think your country has a superior grasp of technology because foreign competitors will pay no attention to design and innovation."

 

Yeah you do, as well as other countries out there, and your new tool IS CALLED "THE INTERNET".

 

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I think you have to add my country India as well. Manmohan Singh has paid his first visit to China. The Singh visit marks a new high in relations between the world's two booming megastates. After decades of mistrust and indifference, they are building bonds of commerce at a clip that well outpaces any other relationship. Trade between China and India has grown tremendously in a decade, approaching $A45 billion a year. Soon China will supplant the United States as India's largest trading partner.

 

Americans think your country has a superior grasp of technology because foreign competitors will pay no attention to design and innovation. All the USA will be left with is tourism and entertainment.

We know how you couch taters love to watch Britney.

[Guest Steel Worker]

John McCain told Michigan voters that the lost manufacturing jobs are, regrettably, gone for good. What is this defeatest crap!

 

We should be thinking how we can change now. Not BS us with giving our own tax dollars back.

 

In way I like that idea.

 

Everytime the government fails us we get money back. Our country would go bankrupt on the first day.

 

Screw anyone that tells me that American Manufacturing is not the core activity that brings jobs and money into this country. Enough Said.

[Guest 331017]

John Edwards bid for the presidency would be a great victory for all working people. I hope that someone could change the debate on creating trade that isn't based on lowering wages. Even Las Vegas is feeling it.

[Guest Always Red]

John Edwards bid for the presidency would be a great victory for all working people. I hope that someone could change the debate on creating trade that isn't based on lowering wages. Even Las Vegas is feeling it.

 

FYI

 

U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 106th Congress - 2nd Session

 

as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate

 

 

Vote Summary

 

Question: On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 4444 )

Vote Number: 251 Vote Date: September 19, 2000, 02:21 PM

Required For Majority: 1/2 Vote Result: Bill Passed

Measure Number: H.R. 4444

Measure Title: To authorize extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to the People's Republic of China, and to establish a framework for relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China.

Vote Counts: YEAs 83

NAYs 15

Not Voting 2

 

Abraham (R-MI)

Allard (R-CO)

Ashcroft (R-MO)

Baucus (D-MT)

Bayh (D-IN)

Bennett (R-UT)

Biden (D-DE)

Bingaman (D-NM)

Bond (R-MO)

Boxer (D-CA)

Breaux (D-LA)

Brownback (R-KS)

Bryan (D-NV)

Burns (R-MT)

Chafee, L. (R-RI)

Cleland (D-GA)

Cochran (R-MS)

Collins (R-ME)

Conrad (D-ND)

Craig (R-ID)

Crapo (R-ID)

Daschle (D-SD)

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[Guest Always Red]

This got no media attention.

 

Senator Dorgan, along with Senators Lindsey Graham (R–SC) and Sherrod Brown (D–OH), has introduced S. 571, a bipartisan bill that would withdraw China’s permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status. As a result of PNTR, the U.S. has lost its leverage to annually review China’s trading practices to determine if China is following international commitments of fair trade. This bill would require China to once again obtain annual approval for normal trade relations with the United States.

 

To withdraw normal trade relations treatment from, and apply certain provisions of title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 to, the products of the People's Republic of China. (Introduced in Senate)

 

S 571 IS

 

 

110th CONGRESS

 

1st Session

 

S. 571

To withdraw normal trade relations treatment from, and apply certain provisions of title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 to, the products of the People's Republic of China.

 

 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 

February 13, 2007

Mr. DORGAN (for himself, Mr. GRAHAM, and Mr. BROWN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

 

A BILL

 

To withdraw normal trade relations treatment from, and apply certain provisions of title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 to, the products of the People's Republic of China.

 

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

 

SECTION 1. WITHDRAWAL OF NORMAL TRADE RELATIONS TREATMENT FROM THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA.

 

Notwithstanding the provisions of title I of the Act to authorize extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to the People's Republic of China, and to establish a framework for relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China (Public Law 106-286), or any other provision of law, effective on the date of the enactment of this Act--

 

(1) normal trade relations treatment shall not apply pursuant to section 101 of that Act to the products of the People's Republic of China;

 

(2) normal trade relations treatment may thereafter be extended to the products of the People's Republic of China only in accordance with the provisions of sections 401 through 409 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2431-2439) as in effect with respect to the products of the People's Republic of China on the day before the effective date of the accession of the People's Republic of China to the World Trade Organization; and

 

(3) the extension of waiver authority that was in effect with respect to the People's Republic of China under section 402(d)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974 on the day before the effective date of the accession of the People's Republic of China to the World Trade Organization shall, upon the enactment of this Act, be deemed not to have expired, and shall continue in effect until the date that is 90 days after the date of such enactment.

[Guest CONTACT: J.P. FIELDER]

President Bush authorization of significant new initiatives to modernize the U.S. export control system was praised by National Association of Manufacturers’ President John Engler as “a major step toward enhancing our national security while strengthening the global competitiveness of America’s manufacturers.

 

“In order to efficiently share technology with our allies, the Administration is updating a system that had not kept pace with globalization and rapid technological changes,” Engler said. “This decision will keep sensitive technologies out of the hands of those seeking to harm us without hampering the ability of high-tech industries to expand exports.

 

“This has been a top trade priority for the NAM over the past year, one we made a critical part of our agenda and worked extensively with the Administration to see through,” he said.

 

As a founding member of the Coalition for Security and Competitiveness, the NAM has advocated practical steps to modernize the system to make it more predictable, efficient and transparent. NAM President John Engler has met with top officials at the State, Commerce and Defense Departments and the National Security Council. In March 2007, the Coalition sent 19 recommendations to the President to make the current system work better for U.S. security and economic interests.

 

“Our high-tech companies play a vital role in maintaining our economic and military strength around the world,” Engler said. “To remain strong, we need a modern export control system that keeps pace with rapid technological change. Our recommendations will enhance the ability of American manufacturers of high technology products to compete in the global marketplace and improve our military’s ability to work with our allies.

[Guest The White House]

The President signed a package of directives that will ensure the United States' export control policies and practices support the National Security Strategy of 2006, while facilitating the United States' continued international economic and technological leadership. These new directives will advance a more efficient and transparent export licensing process and enhance dispute resolution mechanisms. They will also help ensure proper levels of control for continued U.S. economic competitiveness and innovation while protecting national security. The Directives are intended to clarify and strengthen the ability of the U.S. Government to monitor and deny U.S. controlled goods, services or technologies to a potential enemy.

[Guest Mark Knoffler]

Technological and economic competitiveness are key to the U.S.’s long- term national security. As such, the United States needs to ensure that export controls are constantly reassessed to ensure that the most sensitive items are controlled to sustain U.S. economic competitiveness and innovation.

 

The focus on U.S. competitiveness includes developing a regular process for systematic review of the list of controlled dual-use items (the Commerce Control List), revised controls on intra-company transfers, revised controls on encryption products, and a review of reexport controls.

[Guest Gus S.]

A big threat appears to be that some U.S. corporations are masquerading as foreign corporations to hide income from the IRS.

[Guest Ohio Steel Worker]

New business models are emerging, based on global supply chains in which multinational corporations organize production by sourcing parts and components from companies around the world, based either on high-quality leading-edge technology or low costs. American manufacturers can only compete with high-quality, leading-edge technologies.

 

Manufacturing does matter. It is easy to forget how pervasive manufactured products are in our lives. From food, clothing, shoes, furniture and building materials to pharmaceuticals, automobiles, aircraft, computers, TV sets, BlackBerries, chemicals, plastics and, for that matter, newspapers.

 

Today, many manufactured products have a high content of what we call intangibles – design, software, engineering, patents, marketing expertise, research and development. It is these activities that generate many of the good jobs in manufacturing. But for intangibles to have value, there ultimately has to be a manufactured product.

 

There's also a tendency to see manufacturing as increasingly a developing world activity. While it is true that many products can be made more cheaply in the developing world, about 75 per cent of global manufacturing still takes place in the advanced economies, compared to about 10 per cent in China. And much of what China exports consists of high-value parts and components made in more advanced economies but assembled in China into a final product.

 

So it's possible to have a healthy manufacturing industry in a high-cost country like America if it produces high-quality products.

[Guest UAW Member]

I think a good case study is American Axle & Manufacturing.

 

A world leader in the design, engineering, testing, validation and manufacturing of driveline, drivetrain and chassis systems, related components, and metal formed products. American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM) was founded in 1994, with manufacturing expertise rooted in 90 years of experience. Today, AAM is $3.2 billion company, one of the largest automotive suppliers in the world. Since our founding, AAM has grown from its original five North American manufacturing facilities to 27 facilities around the world.

 

global sales prospects are surging for American Axle, he said. The components maker has received $400 million in new orders over the past year for work to be completed over the next five years.

 

Most of the work will be performed abroad — mirroring a global shift throughout the parts-making sector.

 

“Seventy-five percent of new business backlog is sourced to non-U.S. facilities,” Dauch said during the conference call.

 

The new orders will go to plants in Guanajuato, Mexico; Changshu, China; Araucaria, Brazil; and Olawa, Poland, he said. The business may also lead to construction of other non-U.S. plants.

 

The company said that costs at U.S. plants remain high, despite a buyout that erased 1,500 production jobs nationally, about 600 of them from the East Delavan plant.

 

One worker who spent 44 years in the plant and took the $50,000 buyout in January, said the company has been building plants abroad for years and transferring the jobs.

 

“If you keep doing that, in America we’re going to be working for poverty wages,” said the man, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of some form of retribution.

 

The company confirmed that its foreign operations are more profitable than its domestic plants.

 

“Our profits are coming from overseas,” Chief Financial Officer Michael Simonte said during the conference call.

 

 

Changshu Manufacturing Facility

 

No.16, Tonglian Road

Changshu Economic Development Zone

Jiangsu Province, PRC

215537

China

 

Dedicated to precision engineered driveline systems, AAM’s 15,794 square meter, state-of-the-art Changshu manufacturing facility is situated on an industrial park near Shanghai. The city of Changshu features one of the 10 largest ports in China, providing excellent geographic access to all vehicle manufacturers throughout Asia.

 

India Business Office & Technical Service Center

 

AAM Services India Pvt. Ltd.

401-402 D Wing Weikfield Info Park

Pune Nagar Road

Pune 411014

India

 

Located in Pune, India, AAM's India Business Office & Technical Service Center, supports additional engineering, procurement and IT services. This office allows AAM to operate its engineering capabilities 24 hours a day and further expands AAM's global presence in the Asian Region.

 

Japan Business Office

 

AAM International Holdings, Inc.

Japan Business Office

3-6-1, Minato, am Building 2F

Chuo-Ku, Tokyo 104-0043

Japan

 

AAM's Japan Business Office is located in Tokyo, Japan, the center of the region's rich automotive industry. Operating for a decade, it extends our company into Japan, and brings AAM's Japan-based customers high levels of responsiveness and customer service. Staffed with full-service engineering, and sales associates, the Japan Business Office delivers AAM's world-class driveline & drivetrain systems, to the heart of the Japanese automotive community.

 

Korea Business Office & Engineering Center

 

307, Gungnae-dong,

Bundang-ku

Seongnam-City,

Gyunnggi-do 463-470

South Korea

 

Located in the South Korea's manufacturing center, AAM's Korea Business Office & Engineering Center in Seoul brings AAM's world-class design, technical processes and engineering to one of the fastest-growing automotive manufacturing centers in the world today. New engineering programs with a focus on variation reduction and robust engineering, will help us continue to meet and exceed our customer's quality expectations.