The two biggest advantages China has over any western manufacturer are cheap labor and lack of regulations. Not going to beat them with cheap labor, but couldn't they take a page out of Trudeau's pipeline playbook, and beat them with their own regulations? The current Liberal administration put the nail in the coffin of energy east by essentially making them responsible for downstream carbon emissions. Can't the US/western world apply the same tactic to any manufacturing in China? If you want to export to our markets, then the entire process must meet our environmental and regulator standards. Including some of our most debilitating regulations such as labour laws, and CO2 emissions.
Unlike Tariffs where they can just apply counter tariffs, there is no logical counter measure to regulations which are already strictly enforced in one jurisdiction and not in the other. Would probably pass a WTO challenge. The left and the right should both be in favour, (assuming the left actually cares about the environment world over, and not just about destroying wealth here).
Much of the reason why so many nasty products originate overseas is the lack of environmental regulations which make it cost prohibitive to do correctly here. We have outsourced our actual pollution, and dangerous jobs, they are still polluting and killing workers, but not in our backyard anymore, however, the consequences to earth's soil, water and air will still haunt us for generations to come. We could be the self righteous ones in this fight. It may not fit the Trump administration's agenda to do so, but perhaps the following administration could solve both problems in one shot?
Unlike Tariffs where they can just apply counter tariffs, there is no logical counter measure to regulations which are already strictly enforced in one jurisdiction and not in the other. Would probably pass a WTO challenge. The left and the right should both be in favour, (assuming the left actually cares about the environment world over, and not just about destroying wealth here).
Much of the reason why so many nasty products originate overseas is the lack of environmental regulations which make it cost prohibitive to do correctly here. We have outsourced our actual pollution, and dangerous jobs, they are still polluting and killing workers, but not in our backyard anymore, however, the consequences to earth's soil, water and air will still haunt us for generations to come. We could be the self righteous ones in this fight. It may not fit the Trump administration's agenda to do so, but perhaps the following administration could solve both problems in one shot?
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