Bottom line: Washington’s raising of Beijing’s foreign technology restrictions to the WTO and London’s acceptance of Huawei equipment could add to pressure on all parties to soften their restrictive actions over use of foreign technology.
US takes nat’l security dispute to WTO
A pair of stories in the headlines today show a growing divergence in how China’s major trading partners are treating their cyber security clashes with Beijing. The larger of the 2 stories has Washington formally posing questions at the WTO over Beijing’s recent restrictions that limit the sale of foreign technology to Chinese banks. The other has seen Britian issue a report saying products from leading Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei pose no threat to the nation’s security, or at least that the threat is controllable. Read Full Post…
Bottom line: China’s new rules for technology manufacturers over cybersecurity concerns will erupt into a war of words between Beijing and the west this year, and could result in one or more formal complaints to the WTO.
Western firms respond to tough cybersecurity restrictions
After clashing for much of 2014 over a series of antitrust probes that seemed to target big multinationals, China and the west look set for a new showdown in 2015 over broadening rules by Beijing aimed at protecting national security. The growing clash saw the foreign companies, many from the US, take the unusual step of formally complaining last week over new Beijing rules that they complain are increasingly intrusive and opaque. Beijing fired back by saying the rights of foreign technology firms would be protected in accordance with Chinese law. Read Full Post…
After saying little or nothing about its wave of anti-competitive probes against some of the world’s top firms, China is finally breaking the silence with its justification for actions that have targeted everyone from software giant Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) to leading US car maker General Motors (NYSE: GM). The justification is coming via the state-owned English-language newspaper the China Daily, and argues that such investigations are common in the west and aren’t targeted against foreign firms. This long-overdue explanation also hints that Beijing may be worried about a potential action by the US and European Union, who may be preparing to complain to the World Trade Organization (WTO) that Beijing discriminates against western companies. Read Full Post…
In a quirk of timing, 2 completely unrelated rulings are boosting the outlook for Chinese new energy firms from the wind and solar sectors in their complex relationship with the US. The 2 cases are quite different, but each reflects the wariness Washington feels towards these Chinese firms due to their government ties. In the bigger of the 2 cases, a World Trade Organization panel has ruled that US anti-dumping tariffs against Chinese solar panel makers violate WTO rules. In the second case, a US judge’s ruling has given a boost to a Chinese firm that planned to build a wind farm in the state of Oregon, only to get vetoed by Washington over national security concerns. Read Full Post…
