Unexpected Consequences: China Will Bury America in Mountains of Trash Over Trade War
Gold is on the rise, the dollar is dropping, and experts predict a global economic contraction. All because of a trade war between the US and China. In response to a protective ultimatum by Washington, Beijing has raised tariffs on 128 US products. Among the victims is the agricultural industry, which employs hundreds of thousands of Americans. However, Western media calls this 'a soft measure' considering China's significant capabilities. Beijing has already shown some of them by closing its borders to foreign garbage.
Anastasia Sakhovskaya has estimated who will lose more in this game.
'Apples of discord': US-grown fruits on Chinese markets run the risk of becoming gold. Their prices might increase by 15%, pork prices might go up by 25%. Potential losses in this case alone are over $1 billion The US used to be the top meat supplier to China. The US has shot themselves in the foot, trade-wise. China has tried to persuade them 'not to open Pandora's box, not to dig their own grave', but the US is acting in such way that even the extremely diplomatic Chinese are left speechless.
Gāo Fēng, the official representative for China's Ministry of Commerce: "The US is creating a horrible precedent since the prices for Chinese products openly violate World Trade Organization norms. The US's vile behavior may cause a chain reaction in trade protection, and cast a shadow over the revived global economy".
The US has estimated potential China's losses at $60 billion However, they didn't account for their own trade ambitions. The economic boomerang will strike the US, from technology giants to humble farmers. Soy producers will be left high and dry if their customers decide to buy the product somewhere else. About 20 million tons of harvest is at stake. The US has already made a mistake, and it's not an easy fix.
On the streets of Beijing, you can often find these mobile stations, where you can throw away your plastic bottles. The capital has 160,000 garbage men who transport trash to processing stations. Considering the large volumes, it's an entire industry. China produces 250 million tons of garbage per year. Recently, they were the greatest trash importer, but they now refuse to take others' trash. Deal with it yourselves. Waste metal, polyethylene, cotton, equipment, waste paper, and plastic are now contraband. 1.5 million tons of plastic and over 13 million tons of waste paper per year were delivered to China from the US. Prices for recyclables have decreased by half there. In Portland, for instance, they simply sit in landfills, Oregon also has mountains of trash. China's decision is a disaster for the US garbage industry and the US job market. 155,000 people are employed in waste management. However, the US keeps blaming others, which causes China to get more aggravated.
Hua Chunin, CPR's MFA's official rep: "The US freely interprets China's actions. They claim that China violates their duties within the WTO norms. This is absolute hypocrisy. Are US restriction on export of hi-tech products to China really justified? And is China's lawful restriction on waste import unlawful?"
For over 30 years, everyone had benefited from this garbage conveyor. Two-thirds of all waste paper from Japan was taken to China, along with over half of post-consumer plastics. 1.5 million tons of plastic were from the EU countries. For instance, the UK had delivered so much waste to China that it would be enough to fill 10,000 Olympic pools.
"There's no plan or infrastructure. Plastics cannot be burnt. The Environmental Minister has admitted that he simply didn't think about it".
There's plenty of panic in the British media. The island will simply suffocate with all of this plastic. The Germans are looking for emergency alternatives in Southeast Asia. Japan and Canada are also trying to move their waste there. According to the statistics, one person produces 220 pounds of plastic per year in Europe. That's five times higher than in Asia. With just this one restriction, China can drown Europe and the US in trash.
The problem is that when the two main economic heavyweights are fighting in the ring, the entire world suffers from the aftershocks.
Anastasia Sakhovskaya, Mikhail Artyukhin, Peking Vesti Bureau