Latest News
-
German Engineers are Building Future-Proof Forests
Forest engineers use biodiversity for future-proofing forests Plantations of Spruce are vulnerable to pests and climate change Long-term forest restoration is hindered by financial challenges Joanna Gill From the 35-metre tower, all that is visible now is a flattened plateau. The trees are gone after being wiped out by a bark beetle infestation in 2018. Experts call this "calamity" that happened so quickly, 60-year-old oak trees fell in a matter of weeks in this forest in North Rhine-Westphalia along Germany's border to the Netherlands and Belgium. Petra Trompeter of Arnsberg's city forestry department said, "It is shocking for me, and for every forester." She was squinting in the low winter sunlight from the base the tower. Over many years, storms and droughts created conditions that allowed bark beetles the opportunity to consume rows upon rows of spruce. According to the World Meteorological Organization, 2024 will be the first year that global warming exceeds 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit). Climate change disasters will increase in intensity and frequency in a warmer world. They could also threaten the ability of forests to absorb carbon and thousands of jobs in the tourism and wood sectors. The independent Expert Council on Climate Issues in Germany warned that the country may miss its climate targets after 2030 as forests and wetlands, which were previously carbon sinks, are now becoming sources of emissions as a result of forest degradation. Forest engineers in North Rhine-Westphalia are now working to create resilient forests by combining tree species. This is part of a European Union-funded program. Trompeter said that even before the disaster we had been working to make the forest more diverse and structurally rich. The calamity forced us to act more quickly. Future Forests After World War Two, Germany planted spruce trees to harvest timber to pay reparations owed by the Allies. The species is favored by timber producers for its rapid uniform growth. These single-species plantations make?North Rhine-Westphalia’s forests vulnerable to heat, pests and drought. When everything is going well, the returns are positive, but when extreme weather causes mass tree losses, these are seen as "inevitable". Monoculture plantations may also be partly responsible for Germany's forests being unable to absorb carbon. He said that "natural forests can hold a lot more carbon." Diversification has been identified as a possible solution and is currently being tested across Europe. The 20 million-euro SUPERB Project, led by the European Forest Institute, and funded through the EU Green Deal, has seen forestry experts from Sweden to Spain set up twelve demonstration sites, including Arnsberg, in order to restore habitats, and transform monocultures. The Arnsberg area is 34 hectares and includes both public and private land. Forestry experts carefully selected four conifers and broad-leaf trees they believed could adapt to altitude and climate, and withstand hotter and dryer conditions in the future. Marcus Lindner is the head of resilience at the European Forest Institute. While the majority of forestry experts agree that variety is important, there are differing opinions on how to achieve it. Others prefer curated plantings of local species while others want to experiment with nonnative trees. Trompeter explained that this is not possible because nature protection laws in North Rhine-Westphalia only allow for local species. "And there we reached our limit." Banning on Biodiversity According to the German Agriculture Ministry, trees?play a critical role in the economic system, providing 76 million cubic meters of timber each year, 750,000 employment opportunities in forestry and wood, as well as boosting the rural economy through eco-tourism. Rouven Soyka is the press officer of the Sauerland Tourism Board. The Sauerland region in?North Rhine-Westphalia has a hilly terrain that's a popular hiking destination. However, the massive dieback caused the area to be unrecognisable to some visitors. Nature tourism is affected by all means. It's very important that nature is preserved in our classic outdoor region. Many forest owners cannot afford to reforest without state subsidies that do not cover the entire cost. Peter Jungermann says that he must think twice about investing in high-maintenance broad leaf varieties, rather than market-friendly conifers. This is especially true given the financial pressures on forest owners. It can be a "existential threat" to the nursery if he makes the wrong decision about which tree he should plant. The shifting political winds can also complicate planning for the future. Due to the backlash of businesses and farmers, key laws that were meant to be part the EU's Green Deal have been watered-down in the last year. It is still unclear how much money the EU budget for 2028-2034, which amounts to 2 trillion euros (2.35 trillion dollars), will allocate to forest restoration. Negotiations are expected to take place over the next two-year period. The German budget for 2026 prioritizes defence and infrastructure as the government tries to revive a sluggish economic. Trompeter said that forests are essential to human life and the health of the planet. "Where else can we spend it than on preserving nature and making it climate resilient?"
-
Bonds and world stocks are tumbling, but the yen is not helping.
Wall Street opened higher, while the yen fell to near-all-time lows versus the euro. Higher interest rates put pressure on Japanese government bonds. S&P 500 futures rose 0.4%. Nasdaq futures gained 0.1%. MSCI's broadest world share index added 0.2%. Due to the fact that the?U.S. The?U.S. Investors are primarily focused on closing the year before January's inflation and labour market releases," he said. Even though it was a holiday-shortened weekend for most of the world, momentum funds continued to flow to equities and precious metals ahead of delayed data which is expected to show that the U.S. economic growth has been strong in the third quarter. Median estimates predict an annualised increase of 3.2%. This is due to a steep drop in imports following a surge earlier in the year in anticipation of tariffs. Analysts at BofA cautioned that their measure of investor confidence had moved to extreme bullish territory, at 8.5. This is often the prelude to an eventual reversal. The Fund Manager Survey reveals the most positive sentiment in three-and-a half years. This is due to expectations of tariff and tax cuts, as well as rate reductions. European shares dithered 0.2% lower Monday in thin markets as investors began a week shortened by holidays on a tepid tone following the previous session’s record high close. The Nikkei 225 index of Japan closed up 1.8%. This was a continuation of Friday's gains, as the sharp decline in yen is expected to boost Japanese export earnings. Chinese blue-chip stocks closed almost 1% higher. The Bank of Japan increased rates to a 30 year high of 0.75 percent and warned that more would be raised, which would have a devastating effect on government debt. The yields on 10-year government bonds soared another 6 basis points, to 2.08%. This is the highest level since 1999. The minutes of the BOJ's meeting are due Wednesday. On Christmas Day, the head is scheduled to speak at a Japanese business group. On Interception Watch The yen reached a new record low against the euro of 184.92. The dollar gained 0.3% to 157.37. Investors were wary about testing the November high of 157.90, in case Tokyo intervened. Japanese officials have expressed their concern about the one-way movement and warned against excessive decline. Analysts at TD Securities reported that equity markets saw their largest weekly inflows ever at $98 billion, with U.S. equity fund leading the way. Chinese equity funds recorded their third-largest weekly inflow since 2025. Emerging markets also saw their biggest inflow since April. The fourth consecutive week saw a slowdown in the flow of?tobonds. The yields on U.S. 10 year bonds increased by 2 basis points, to about 4.169%. On Monday, gold jumped above the $4,400 per ounce mark for the first-time, fueled by a combination of growing expectations about further U.S. interest rate cuts, and strong demand from safe-haven investors. Silver has also reached a new record high of $69.44. This brings the gains for this year up to nearly 140%. Oil prices rose after the U.S. intercepted an oil tanker from Venezuela over the weekend and were pursuing another in what would have been the third such operation within two weeks. Brent crude oil jumped $1.13 cents, to $61.60 per barrel. U.S. crude oil rose $0.06 cents, to $57.56 a barrel. (Reporting and editing by Stephen Coates, Toby Chopra and Wayne Cole)
-
After a zero-fee processing deal, copper reaches new highs
The copper price reached a new record high on Monday. This was largely due to speculation and news of a Chinese smelter's zero-fees processing agreement. Benchmark - three-month copper at the London Metal Exchange rose 0.6% to $11,955 per metric tonne by 1100 GMT after touching a record high of $11,996. LME copper prices have risen 36% in the past year. This is largely due to fears of mine problems causing deficits for next year. Sources said that the supply concerns were highlighted 'on Friday, when Antofagasta Chilean miner and a Chinese Smelter agreed to a 'zero processing fee in 2026 for copper concentrate. This was the lowest amount ever agreed upon during annual negotiations. When supply is restricted, processing fees will decline. Commodity Market Analytics' managing director, Dan Smith, said that the markets are generally buoyant. This shows there is a lot of liquid in the system. Gold and silver reached record levels, as oil prices soared. Smith said that although copper prices were still high, the demand for it was waning. "It seems like the demand is slowing down." "EV sales have slowed down and the consumer economy in China is showing signs of weakness." The most active copper contract at the Shanghai Futures Exchange ended daytime trading with a 1.7% increase to?94320 yuan (about $13,397.92 per ton). Nickel, the top performer at the LME, rose 1.6% to $15.040 per ton following reports last week that the country would reduce its mine production in 2026. SHFE nickel climbed for the fourth session in a row, reaching a record high of more than 121 360 yuan, which is the highest level seen in over a month. ($1 = 7.0399 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Eric Onstad; Additional reporting by Lewis Jackson and Dylan Duan in China; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise) $1 = 7.0399 Chinese Yuan Renminbi (Reporting and editing by Emelia Sithole Matarise; Additional reporting in China by Lewis Jackson, Dylan Duan and Emelia Sithole Matarise).
-
Swiss court admits Indonesian Islanders climate case against Holcim
A Swiss court said Monday that it would accept a lawsuit against Holcim, a Swiss cement manufacturer. The complaint alleged the company was doing too little in order to reduce carbon emissions. Four residents from the low-lying Indonesian Island of Pari who have been repeatedly flooded by warmer temperatures?pushing up sea levels?, filed a legal complaint to the cantonal Court in?Zug in Switzerland in January 2023. The court admitted the case, but said that it could be reversed in a subsequent appeal if it found that the procedural requirements were not met. Holcim has announced that it will appeal the ruling and that the issue of "who can emit how much CO2?" should be decided by lawmakers, not a civil court. Swiss Church Aid, a non-profit organization that is supporting the Pari case, stated in a press release that this was the first time a Swiss court had admitted climate litigation against a large company. We are delighted. This decision gives me the strength to fight on," Ibu Asmania said in a statement by Swiss Church Aid. Ibu is one of four Pari residents who are pursuing this case. This is great news for our family and us. The NGOs that backed the complainants said they chose Holcim as it is one of the largest carbon dioxide emitters in the world and "a so-called Carbon Major" in Switzerland. Holcim has stated that it is committed to achieving net zero by the year 2050, and follows a 'rigorous, science-based' approach to reach this goal. The company also claims to have reduced CO2 emissions directly from its operations more than 50% in the last five years. The plaintiffs want compensation from Holcim, for the climate damage that they have experienced. They also want financial support in flood prevention measures and a reduction in CO2 emissions. Global Cement and Concrete Association reports that cement production is responsible for about 7% CO2 emissions worldwide. (Reporting and editing by Dave Graham, Denis Balibouse)
-
EU investigates Czech State Support for Two New Nuclear Units
The European Commission announced on Monday that it had opened an investigation to determine whether the public support that Czech Republic plans to provide for?the construction and operation of two new nucleonic units is in compliance with EU State Aid rules. After EDF France's appeals were rejected, the Czech Republic's Competition Authority in April cleared the path for the signing of contracts with South Korea for two units in Dukovany worth at least $400 billion Czech crowns ($19.30billion) after they?rejected their appeals. In a press release, the Commission stated that it had "doubts" about the 'appropriateness' and 'proportionality? of the aid package provided by the Czech government. The Commission also questioned the impact on the market of the aid package and whether it was in compliance with EU law. According to the Commission, The Czech Republic intends to provide a low interest repayable state loan with an initial amount between $26.99 billion and $30 billion, as well as two-way contract of difference for a duration of up to 40 years. The Commission also plans to create a mechanism that will protect?the beneficiary of the EDU II support, which is owned 80% by the Czech government?, from any policy changes or adverse effects.
-
Dalian Iron Ore continues to gain on tight BHP supplies and firmer hot metal production
On Monday, Dalian iron ore futures gained for a fifth session due to the tight supply of BHP’s?Jimblebar fines and Jingbao's fines. The May contract for iron ore on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange(DCE) rose 0.58%, to 781.5 Yuan ($111.01) per metric ton. As of 0710 GMT, the benchmark January iron ore price on the Singapore Exchange had fallen 0.05% to $104.65 per ton. Atilla Widnell, managing Director at Navigate Commodities, Singapore, stated that prices rose due to a limited supply of BHP's Jimblebar & Jingbao Fines. This left most Chinese mills represented state-owned China Mineral Resources Group with no choice but to purchase larger volumes of Rio Tinto’s Pilbara Fines. Widnell stated that the Pilbara fines were a key component of the underlying index for iron ore futures, which is used to benchmark them. This pushed up prices across the board, Widnell added. Navigate Commodities data showed that hot metal production in China, which is a measure of iron ore consumption, has been increasing since mid-September, 2025. Everbright Futures, a Chinese broker, reported that steel mill profitability had gradually recovered, with some mills having resumed production. According to Mysteel, the increased iron ore price in recent years has accelerated investment?into new mining capacities, pushing global iron ore markets into a?decisive expansion phase, according to Mysteel. SteelHome data shows that total iron ore stocks across Chinese ports increased by 1.19% week-on-week, to 145.5 million tonnes as of December 19. Coking coal and coke, which are used to make steel, have gained in popularity. The benchmarks for steel on the Shanghai Futures Exchange have risen. Rebar climbed 0.39%; hot-rolled coil 0.28%; wire rod 2.94%; and stainless steel 1.82%. ($1 = 7.0400 Chinese yuan) (Reporting by Lucas Liew; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
-
Candidates of the opposition in Guinea's presidential election after coup
Here's a list of the candidates who will be challenging Guinea junta chief Mamady Doumbouya at Sunday's first presidential election since his coup in 2021. ABDOULAYE YERO BALDDE Balde, 60 years old, is the leader of?Democratic Front of Guinea(FRONDEG). He is an economist who holds degrees from Columbia University and the Sorbonne. In 2020, he left?Alpha Conde’s party to oppose Conde's bid for a second term. Conde won the election in 2010 but was overthrown in a coup in 2021. He now lives in exile. Balde was a former vice-governor of the central bank and minister for higher education. He is a Fulani, the largest ethnic group in Guinea, just like the exiled opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo who is not running for election and is also living in exile. Balde is a strong candidate who could capture an important share of the opposition vote. FAYA LANSANA MILLIMONO Millimono (63), the standard-bearer of the Liberal Bloc, initially backed Doumbouya’s junta. This led to strained ties with other parties, such as Diallo’s Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea and Conde’s Rally of the Guinean People. Later, he became a critic and reacted with a more aggressive stance after Doumbouya announced that he would not run for election. Millimono was a candidate in the 2015 presidential elections, and won around 1,4% of the votes against Conde. He holds a PhD from the University of Montreal in Educational Administration. IBRAHIMA ABE SYLLA Sylla was a 74-year-old member of the?parliament prior to the coup in 2021, which led to the dissolution of the?National Assembly. He was appointed energy minister by Doumbouya. However, he no longer holds that position. Sylla's New Generation for the Republic party (NGR) has a large following among the young people of the Basse-Guinee coast region, including the capital Conakry. He studied and lived in the United States. HADJA MAKALE CAMARA Camara is the sole woman running for the presidency. She is the president of Front for National Alliance and served as Foreign Affairs Minister under Conde between 2016 and 2017. Camara, a lawyer by profession, is running for the presidency for a second time. In 2020, Camara won 0.7% of the votes. ABDOULAYE - KOUROUMA Kourouma is the youngest candidate, at 42 years old, and is an economist from Russia. He was a member of parliament before the coup. He was close to Conde despite winning only 0.5% of the votes in the 2020 election. MOHAMED NABE Nabe is a relative newcomer to politics. He was trained as an economics at the London School of Economics, and he previously worked as a sales director for a large cement production company in Guinea. He is the leader of Alliance for Renewal and Progress. BOUNA KEITA Keita is a self-made 'diamond merchant' and leader of Rally for a Prosperous Guinea. He has run for the second time after gaining 0.8% in 2010. Keita is not considered a serious candidate. MOHAMED CHERIF HAIDARA Haidara is the only independent candidate besides Doumbouya. He is virtually unknown during this campaign. Reporting by Guinea Newsroom; Editing done by Portia, Crowe and Russell.
-
Andy Home: The ROI-EV Revolution continues, but the battery metals are losing their charge.
The third year has been tough for battery metals like lithium, nickel, and cobalt. All three markets are struggling to absorb the supply wave that followed the price boom of 2022. The electric vehicle revolution continues. The demand for batteries, and the metals needed to make them work, is still rising at an accelerated pace. It is only a matter time before the current glut of supply is absorbed by demand. This was at least the hope. Chinese companies are undergoing a technological revolution at the same time, as they work to create ever-more powerful batteries for ever-lower costs. Battery chemistry is evolving fast and it is already apparent that not all battery metals will be winners in the fierce competition between materials. CHINA POWERS UP Electrification is currently a bumpy road. The U.S. president Donald Trump has reversed the Biden administration’s EV subsidies, and the European Union deferred the phase-out of combustion engine vehicles beyond 2035. The momentum remains unabated. According to Rho Motion, global EV sales grew by 21% on an annual basis to reach 18.5 million cars in the first eleven months of 2025. China continues to be the driving force behind the global technological shift. This year, the world's biggest EV market grew by 19% and accounted for 62% global sales. No one should be surprised that Chinese companies are leading the charge in the battery chemistry revolution. The Chinese EV market is now dominated by batteries using lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) chemistry. These batteries are cheaper and safer than those that use a combination nickel, cobalt, and manganese. LFP was responsible for 48% global EV batteries in 2017. Macquarie Bank has revised its forecast to expect that this share will rise to 65% in 2029. This is a significant increase from the previous 49%. Nickel and Cobalt in the Slow Lane It is clear that this news is not good for Indonesia or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are the two largest nickel and cobalt producers in the world. Indonesia has not tempered its production growth in order to reflect the reality of new batteries, creating a tsunami surplus metal. The country's nickel is increasingly being shipped to a London Metal Exchange warehouse (LME), rather than a battery-precursor plant. LME warehouse stock - registered or off-warrantee - has exploded to 338.900 tons. This is only the second month since 2021 that the LME nickel price has fallen below its long-term support of $15,000 per ton. It puts more pressure on Indonesian policymakers to curb the nickel boom in the country. Cobalt prices are also in a similar situation of chronic oversupply. Congo stopped exports in February, and then introduced a quota-based system in October. The slow implementation of new rules led to the complete stoppage of shipments of cobalt-based intermediates to Chinese refineries. Congo's supply discipline could become a supply shock. This could be costly for a nickel-based metal that already struggles to maintain its share in battery chemistry. The price volatility of cobalt and ethical issues associated with the artisanal mining industry in Congo are a concern for automakers. The events of this year will only confirm these concerns and could accelerate attempts to remove cobalt from the equation for batteries. LITHIUM DOMINANT ... FOR NOW China's shift to?LFP (Lithium-Fluid-Phase) chemistry has reinforced its importance. Adamas Intelligence, a consultancy, estimates that 60,900 tonnes of lithium was deployed on roads worldwide in September. This is a 25% increase year-on-year, which matches the growth of total battery deployment. Nickel and cobalt lagged behind with deployment growth rates of 10% and 15% respectively. But lithium is also facing a new challenge. The Chinese battery giant CATL is a pioneer in the development of sodium-ion cells. The latest version, Naxtra will almost match efficiency of LFP batteries, which are replacing NCM chemistries, and do so at a much lower cost. Robin Zeng, the billionaire founder of CATL, believes that sodium-ion battery could replace?upto half of the market for LFP Batteries. The metal is chosen by lithium producers for the power grid storage batteries. This market is growing rapidly. According to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, global installations of battery-based energy storage systems increased by 38% in the first ten months of 2025. Ford Motors has announced a charge of $19.5 billion on EV investments. At the same time, it is committing to invest $2 billion in batteries for energy storage system. HARD WIRED The landscape of EV battery materials has changed dramatically since 2022 when the prices for lithium, cobalt, and nickel were all surging, on the assumption that these three metals would be at core of electric mobility. This is no longer true. The battery chemistry continues to evolve at a breakneck pace, thanks to 'unprecedented' research and development. In 10 years, it is impossible to know what will power electric vehicles. It is certain that copper will remain essential for wiring vehicles and charging infrastructure. Aluminium is likely to remain a popular choice for body frames due to its lightweight. The ultimate winners of the EV revolution may not be the metals that directly power the car, but those who enable it. Andy Home is an author and columnist. Andy Home is a columnist. You like this column? Check out Open Interest for data-driven, thought-provoking commentary on the markets and finance. Follow ROI on LinkedIn, X and X.
QUOTES-Biden walkings US tariffs on Chinese imports
U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday unveiled steep tariff boosts on a range of Chinese imports, including electrical automobile (EV) batteries, computer chips and medical items.
Following are responses to the relocation.
AMERICANS FREE OF CHARGE TRADE, A UNION OF BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS THAT OPPOSE TARIFFS
Throughout this procedure, USTR received numerous remarks from services big and little that have actually been adversely impacted by the tariffs. It is regrettable that these comments were overlooked. Maintaining the tariffs, and even increasing them in some categories, will cause increased rates and nullify any progress the United States has actually made to combat inflation.
ELISSA PIERCE, RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, WOOD MACKENZIE
U.S. solar producers are still reasonably depending on China for other module components, such as glass and wafers. While these products are also based on the Area 301 tariffs, it does not look like the tariff rate on these will be increased.
However, there is one important change to the tariff that will benefit U.S. solar makers. President Biden has directed Ambassador Tai to establish an exemption process for some solar production equipment. This is something that domestic module manufacturers have actually been advocating for, since it is difficult to source this machinery from outside of China. This ought to reduce the expenses of structure solar factories in the U.S.
MARIUS MORDAL BAKKE, SENIOR ANALYST OF SOLAR SUPPLIER RESEARCH, RYSTAD ENERGY
The doubling on tariffs from 25% to 50% for microchips in 2025 might stimulate inverter producers seeking to broaden in the U.S. to look outside of China for providers of these elements.
A brand-new round of AD/CVD tariffs on the top exporters of solar PV parts to the U.S. is most likely to have a much larger impact on U.S. rates and company margins than any more task boosts to Chinese solar PV cells and modules.
ESWAR PRASAD, CORNELL UNIVERSITY TRADE POLICY PROFESSOR AND FORMER IMF CHINA DEPARTMENT HEAD
In spite of the modest volume of imports directly affected, these tariffs clearly draw the fight lines for sell items that the two countries are pinning their manufacturing sectors' futures on.
It is almost particular that Beijing will counter versus these tariffs with its own procedures, although the question is whether these will be calibrated to seem proportional rather than triggering an escalating trade war. Offered the high stakes involved, this round of tariffs could ratchet up the trade tensions between the 2 countries in such a way that is tough to draw back from.
Some U.S. industries and makers will experience expense increases and supply-chain disturbances as a result of these tariffs but the Biden administration is clearly taking the view that these will be modest and can be managed.
UNITED AUTOMOBILE EMPLOYEES
The UAW applauds today's decisive action from the White House on guaranteeing that the shift to electric automobiles is a. simply transition. We have actually warned for lots of months that, delegated. the forces of business greed, the EV future was threatened by a. race to the bottom, from China to Mexico to right here in the. United States. Ensuring that major corporations have to pay a. cost for pitting employee versus employee, pressing incomes lower and. lower, is a key part of a pro-worker trade policy. America's. autoworkers, our households, and working class communities throughout. this nation want a trade policy that puts employees first. Today's statement is a major action in the right instructions.
TOBIN MARCUS, HEAD OF U.S. POLICY AND POLITICS, WOLFE. RESEARCH
Overall we view this as more protective/symbolic than. presently disruptive. Chinese overcapacity and subsidized. production of products like EVs is rightly viewed as a future. hazard, but existing volumes in the highest-risk sectors are very. modest ... We anticipate there will be some Chinese response, however. that Beijing will go for proportionality, which indicates the U.S. fallout ought to be restricted. The U.S. relocation here may also make it. much easier for Europe to impose new tasks on Chinese EVs, as they. are considering.
JASON OXMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. INDUSTRY COUNCIL
Today's announcement from the Biden Administration. neglects significant stakeholder input and stops working to address. the top concerns raised by affected industries, consisting of tech. Business neighborhood has consistently recorded how Area 301. tariffs disproportionately hurt U.S. services, producers,. workers, and consumers, and have actually failed to inspire China's. leaders to change their unreasonable trade practices. The expansion. and substantial boost of Section 301 tariffs will continue to. pressure Americans' wallets, intensify the effects of global. inflation by raising the cost of items, and harm U.S. worldwide. leadership.
BRIAN BRYANT, INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT OF THE 600,000-MEMBER. INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS AND AEROSPACE EMPLOYEES
As International President of one of the biggest. making unions in The United States and Canada, I have actually seen first-hand the. negative impacts of the Chinese federal government's anti-competitive. trade practices, such as discarding heavily subsidized imports ... The IAM has actually been a leader over the years in sounding the alarm. on unfair trade practices that cost North American tasks. Tariffs. aren't an objective but a very important tool to end trade. practices that eliminate great American jobs and drive down American. pay.
MIKE CARR, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SOLAR ENERGY MANUFACTURERS. FOR AMERICA COALITION
The Administration made the best decision to strengthen. protections for solar components we seek to integrate in the U.S . While no one action can loosen up the years of a collective effort. to dominate this market, consisting of in making devices. and greatly subsidized production by Chinese-headquartered firms. in Southeast Asia, we are motivated by this indication of the. Biden administration's dedication to use all the tools at their. disposal in a targeted and tactical way.
(source: Reuters)