Energy

  Beijing’s trade policies once again came under fire in Washington on Tuesday evening, as US President Barack Obama pledged in his annual State of the Union address to “do more” to ensure a level playing field for US products. With the November presidential election in his sights, clean energy is also set to be high on the White House agenda, with Obama asking Congress to “double-down on a clean energy industry that’s never been more promising.” “We need to do more” on China, Obama says The US President, addressing a joint session of Congress in his speech on Tuesday 24 January, promised to “go anywhere in the world to open markets for American products,” adding that he would be sure to hold the US’ trading partners to international trade laws. “I will not stand by when our competitors don’t play by the rules,” Obama said. The US and China have seen trade tensions escalate over the past year, with Washington and Beijing engaging in a tit-for-tat row that has covered a broad range of issues, from China’s valuation of its currency, to antidumping claims at the WTO, to both countries’ support of their respective renewable energy sectors. “Over a thousand Americans are working today because we stopped a surge in Chinese tyres,” Obama said, referring to a WTO dispute in which China had unsuccessfully challenged safeguard measures levelled by Washington on Chinese tyre imports (see Bridges Weekly, 7 September 2011). “But we need to do more. It’s not right when another country lets our movies, music, and software be pirated. It’s not fair when foreign manufacturers have a leg up on ours only because they’re heavily subsidised,” he added. In his address, Obama confirmed earlier reports that he would be establishing a Trade Enforcement Unit that would be tasked […]