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Post by buccaneer on Nov 12, 2022 23:07:29 GMT
The EU do seem to pick some odd bedfellows: We will hear lots of rhetoric from the main European powers about how the West needs a united front, about how it should stand up to China’s growing political influence and unite behind shared values with the US. The trouble is, at the same time Europe is also deepening its economic ties with China at an accelerating rate.
Just take a look at a handful of decisions over the last few months. Last week, the giant French auto conglomerate Renault re-organised itself into new units. One of them, making engines, will be a joint venture with ambitious Chinese business Geely (which already owns Sweden’s Volvo and its electric vehicle unit Polestar, as well as 51pc of the UK’s Lotus).
Nothing happens at Renault without the approval of the French government, which holds 15pc of its stock and is by far the dominant shareholder.
Germany has just allowed China’s Cosco to take a major stake in Hamburg’s port, one of the continent’s most important terminals, while Chancellor Scholz flew to Beijing this month to drum up trade.
And even though it is a strategic industry, China is massively increasing production of batteries across Europe.
So far this year, China’s Svolt Energy has expanded a big new factory in Germany, manufacturer CATL announced plans for a second big plant in Hungary alongside an existing one in Germany, while three more Chinese manufacturers have unveiled plans for plants in Spain, Germany and Portugal.
There may be lots of talk about creating a European battery industry, but in reality all the major investments right now are Chinese-owned. We see the occasional attempt to limit China’s growing influence over the continent - such as the German
decision last week to block the takeover of two domestic semiconductor manufacturers - but these are very limited. In all the major decisions, the main European powers are doing more business with China than ever, and working as hard as they
possibly can to increase it.
In contrast, trade frictions with the US are as tense as ever. Only this month, the EU hit out at the subsidies offered to American companies in President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, complaining that it was protecting its own industries at the
expense of European rivals. At the same time, it has complained to the US about subsidies on electric vehicles discriminating against rivals from the EU.
The hypocrisy is breathtaking, given that the EU is pouring huge subsidies into its own green energies and recently passed a “Chips Act” to make itself as self-reliant as possible in semiconductors.
www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/11/12/europe-has-picked-side-new-cold-war-china/What will China do? Will they do what Russia did knowing the EU was hooked on cheap gas and oil. Will they wait until the EU is hooked on their need for batteries and partly controlling important ports like Hamburg before they unleash hell-fire on Taiwan or Hong-Kong maybe? ... Leaving countries like Germany initially sending the Taiwanese 5000 helmets in passive support. They do make some baffling decisions do the talking head in Brussels and their rubber stamping councils, and they seem to reap what they sow further down the line making them geopolitically impotent in the process. |
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Post by Einhorn on Nov 12, 2022 23:14:56 GMT
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Post by buccaneer on Nov 12, 2022 23:17:34 GMT
This thread is about the EU. If you want to talk about the UK start it in the relevant section, there's a good chap.
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Post by Einhorn on Nov 12, 2022 23:22:37 GMT
This thread is about the EU. If you want to talk about the UK start it in the relevant section, there's a good chap. You mentioned EU connections with Russia. If EU dependence on Russian gas is the reason for high inflation rates in the EU, why is UK inflation approximately the same the EU's? That is, if gas dependence is the cause of high prices in the EU, what is the cause in the UK? |
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Post by buccaneer on Nov 12, 2022 23:30:33 GMT
What's the reason for high inflation rates in the US, Australia, Singapore, South Africa, India and Turkey then?
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roots
Full Member
Posts: 116
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Post by roots on Nov 12, 2022 23:37:42 GMT
Covid kneejerkery.
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Post by Einhorn on Nov 12, 2022 23:46:57 GMT
What's the reason for high inflation rates in the US, Australia, Singapore, South Africa, India and Turkey then? Don't you think it's odd that the UK doesn't have lower inflation than the EU ,given that the UK is not dependent on Russian gas? If Russian gas is the reason for the EU's high inflation, what's the reason for the UK's? There's no point saying it's Covid, because the EU had Covid too. |
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Post by totheleft3 on Nov 12, 2022 23:48:12 GMT
The EU do seem to pick some odd bedfellows: We will hear lots of rhetoric from the main European powers about how the West needs investmentted front, about how it should stand up to China’s growing political influence and unite behind shared values with the US. The trouble is, at the same time Europe is also deepening its economic ties with China at an accelerating rate.
Just take a look at a handful of decisions over the last few months. Last week, the giant French auto conglomerate Renault re-organised itself into new units. One of them, making engines, will be a joint venture with ambitious Chinese business Geely (which already owns Sweden’s Volvo and its electric vehicle unit Polestar, as well as 51pc of the UK’s Lotus).
Nothing happens at Renault without the approval of the French government, which holds 15pc of its stock and is by far the dominant shareholder.
Germany has just allowed China’s Cosco to take a major stake in Hamburg’s port, one of the continent’s most important terminals, while Chancellor Scholz flew to Beijing this month to drum up trade.
And even though it is a strategic industry, China is massively increasing production of batteries across Europe.
So far this year, China’s Svolt Energy has expanded a big new factory in Germany, manufacturer CATL announced plans for a second big plant in Hungary alongside an existing one in Germany, while three more Chinese manufacturers have unveiled plans for plants in Spain, Germany and Portugal.
There may be lots of talk about creating a European battery industry, but in reality all the major investments right now are Chinese-owned. We see the occasional attempt to limit China’s growing influence over the continent - such as the German
decision last week to block the takeover of two domestic semiconductor manufacturers - but these are very limited. In all the major decisions, the main European powers are doing more business with China than ever, and working as hard as they
possibly can to increase it.
In contrast, trade frictions with the US are as tense as ever. Only this month, the EU hit out at the subsidies offered to American companies in President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, complaining that it was protecting its own industries at the
expense of European rivals. At the same time, it has complained to the US about subsidies on electric vehicles discriminating against rivals from the EU.
The hypocrisy is breathtaking, given that the EU is pouring huge subsidies into its own green energies and recently passed a “Chips Act” to make itself as self-reliant as possible in semiconductors.
www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/11/12/europe-has-picked-side-new-cold-war-china/What will China do? Will they do what Russia did knowing the EU was hooked on cheap gas and oil. Will they wait until the EU is hooked on their need for batteries and partly controlling important ports like Hamburg before they unleash hell-fire on Taiwan or Hong-Kong maybe? ... Leaving countries like Germany initially sending the Taiwanese 5000 helmets in passive support. They do make some baffling decisions do the talking head in Brussels and their rubber stamping councils, and they seem to reap what they sow further down the line making them geopolitically impotent in the process. It shows the EU states are receiving Forgine investment what must be a good thing under the present econmic crisis im sure a lot of countries wish they were receiving that sort of investment |
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Post by Einhorn on Nov 13, 2022 0:03:36 GMT
'Not only is the UK the only major economy to be shrinking in the three months to September, but it is the only one not to have recovered in full the chunk of the economy lost during the pandemic. That is not the case for the US (+4.2%), Canada, Italy or France, by some margin, and for Japan and Germany too. If forecasts are right about a prolonged recession, it could be half a decade without growth encompassing the whole of this Parliament, and the whole of the period since actual Brexit. So yes there are many pressures that are global, from Covid to the European energy squeeze. But there are real questions now as to why the UK has been hit more than most.' www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-63596773 |
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Post by buccaneer on Nov 13, 2022 3:01:36 GMT
The EU do seem to pick some odd bedfellows: We will hear lots of rhetoric from the main European powers about how the West needs investmentted front, about how it should stand up to China’s growing political influence and unite behind shared values with the US. The trouble is, at the same time Europe is also deepening its economic ties with China at an accelerating rate.
Just take a look at a handful of decisions over the last few months. Last week, the giant French auto conglomerate Renault re-organised itself into new units. One of them, making engines, will be a joint venture with ambitious Chinese business Geely (which already owns Sweden’s Volvo and its electric vehicle unit Polestar, as well as 51pc of the UK’s Lotus).
Nothing happens at Renault without the approval of the French government, which holds 15pc of its stock and is by far the dominant shareholder.
Germany has just allowed China’s Cosco to take a major stake in Hamburg’s port, one of the continent’s most important terminals, while Chancellor Scholz flew to Beijing this month to drum up trade.
And even though it is a strategic industry, China is massively increasing production of batteries across Europe.
So far this year, China’s Svolt Energy has expanded a big new factory in Germany, manufacturer CATL announced plans for a second big plant in Hungary alongside an existing one in Germany, while three more Chinese manufacturers have unveiled plans for plants in Spain, Germany and Portugal.
There may be lots of talk about creating a European battery industry, but in reality all the major investments right now are Chinese-owned. We see the occasional attempt to limit China’s growing influence over the continent - such as the German
decision last week to block the takeover of two domestic semiconductor manufacturers - but these are very limited. In all the major decisions, the main European powers are doing more business with China than ever, and working as hard as they
possibly can to increase it.
In contrast, trade frictions with the US are as tense as ever. Only this month, the EU hit out at the subsidies offered to American companies in President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, complaining that it was protecting its own industries at the
expense of European rivals. At the same time, it has complained to the US about subsidies on electric vehicles discriminating against rivals from the EU.
The hypocrisy is breathtaking, given that the EU is pouring huge subsidies into its own green energies and recently passed a “Chips Act” to make itself as self-reliant as possible in semiconductors.
www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/11/12/europe-has-picked-side-new-cold-war-china/What will China do? Will they do what Russia did knowing the EU was hooked on cheap gas and oil. Will they wait until the EU is hooked on their need for batteries and partly controlling important ports like Hamburg before they unleash hell-fire on Taiwan or Hong-Kong maybe? ... Leaving countries like Germany initially sending the Taiwanese 5000 helmets in passive support. They do make some baffling decisions do the talking head in Brussels and their rubber stamping councils, and they seem to reap what they sow further down the line making them geopolitically impotent in the process. It shows the EU states are receiving Forgine investment what must be a good thing under the present econmic crisis im sure a lot of countries wish they were receiving that sort of investment And they will be reticent to bite the hand that feeds them. 5000 helmets for Taiwan please! www.ft.com/content/c0b815f3-fd3e-4807-8de7-6b5f72ea8ae5 |
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Post by Pacifico on Nov 13, 2022 7:57:34 GMT
This thread is about the EU. If you want to talk about the UK start it in the relevant section, there's a good chap. You mentioned EU connections with Russia. If EU dependence on Russian gas is the reason for high inflation rates in the EU, why is UK inflation approximately the same the EU's? That is, if gas dependence is the cause of high prices in the EU, what is the cause in the UK? Brexit...  |
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Post by Einhorn on Nov 13, 2022 10:32:56 GMT
You mentioned EU connections with Russia. If EU dependence on Russian gas is the reason for high inflation rates in the EU, why is UK inflation approximately the same the EU's? That is, if gas dependence is the cause of high prices in the EU, what is the cause in the UK? Brexit... Indeed. |
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Post by Pacifico on Nov 13, 2022 12:00:54 GMT
Brexit... Indeed. quite - if we were still in the EU we would have no inflation...after all, if we are not affected by world wide high energy prices..  |
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Post by Einhorn on Nov 13, 2022 12:14:10 GMT
quite - if we were still in the EU we would have no inflation...after all, if we are not affected by world wide high energy prices.. Despite all the criticism of the EU's shortsightedness in failing to foresee the perils of relying on Russian gas, the UK hasn't fared any better. It kind of takes the sting out of the Brexiters' criticism of the EU. |
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Post by Pacifico on Nov 13, 2022 17:37:27 GMT
quite - if we were still in the EU we would have no inflation...after all, if we are not affected by world wide high energy prices.. Despite all the criticism of the EU's shortsightedness in failing to foresee the perils of relying on Russian gas, the UK hasn't fared any better. It kind of takes the sting out of the Brexiters' criticism of the EU. So is our inflation down to Brexit or not - or is our inflation down to exactly the same reasons that countries around the globe are suffering from inflation? |
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