Gli Usa siglano accordi nel settore energia durante la visita di Hu
BOB DAVIS e TENNILLE TRACY
– Poco prima della visita negli Usa del presidente cinese, Hu Jintao, oltre una decina di gruppi americani e cinesi hanno comunicato la sigla di una serie accordi, anche per progetti di energia pulita, con sviluppo di tecnologia per eolico, solare e a basse emissioni di carbonio;
o American Electric Power Co. coopererà con il maggior gruppo cinese dell’energia, China Huaneng, da cui potrebbe acquistare tecnologia anti-emissioni;
o GE Energy ha siglato la creazione una joint venture con il cinese Shanshua Group Corp, per la vendita di tecnologie per il carbone pulito.
o altri gruppi interessa Alcoa Inc., Duke Energy Corp., China Power Investment Corp.
o Alcoa e China Power Investment Corp. coopereranno su una serie di progetti dall’alluminio all’energia, sia in Cina che all’estero; previsti investimenti per $7,5MD;
o i due gruppi prevedono di unire i capitali per gli investimenti al di fuori della Cina.
o Alcoa può entrare in un mercato in forte sviluppo come quello dell’alluminio, di cui la Cina produce 16 mn. di tonn./anno, ed è il maggior consumatore mondiale.
– A dicembre 2010, il sindacato del metallurgici USW contro i sussidi cinesi, accuse del governo Usa a Pechino per sussidi statali ai progetti eolici, in violazione delle regole WTO.
– La Casa Bianca ha annunciato accordi per l’export americano in Cina per $45MD, che equivarrebbero a 235 000 posti di lavoro;
o molti di questi accordi risalgono però a 3 anni fa’.
– Troppo presto per pensare ad un cambio di strategia del governo cinese.
– Il presidente cinese, Hu, ha fatto diverse concessioni, tra queste ridurre il protezionismo nel progetto di legge che i fornitori stranieri dal vendita di certi prodotti tecnologici ad enti statali.
– Sul renmimbi: Pechino continua a rifiutarsi di rivalutarlo,
o a causa dell’aumento dell’inflazione in Cina in termini reali il renmimbi si sta apprezzando ad un tasso del 10% l’anno, e questo facilita le esportazioni americane.
Nord Corea: la Cina, principale fornitrice di combustibile e alimentari del Nord Corea, promette di cooperare con gli Usa sulla questione nord-coreana, dopo che Obama ha minacciato di ri-dispiegare le sue forze in Asia; Hu ha espresso preoccupazione sull’impianto di arricchimento dell’uranio nordcoreano, ma non ha denunciato il lancio di missili contro la nave da guerra sudcoreana.
U.S. Seals Energy Deals as Hu Arrives for Visit
By BOB DAVIS And TENNILLE TRACY
– WASHINGTON—The Obama administration orchestrated a series of energy-related announcements Tuesday by more than a dozen U.S. and Chinese companies, bidding to set the tone ahead of Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to the White House.
– Shortly before President Hu touched down in Washington on Tuesday for meetings with President Barack Obama, U.S. and Chinese energy companies announced a variety of partnerships at a conference organized by the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. The companies included Alcoa Inc., Duke Energy Corp., China Power Investment Corp. and Shenhua Group Corp.
– Both sides have been sparring over clean-energy development. In December, the U.S. accused China of subsidizing wind-power projects and breaking World Trade Organization rules, after the United Steelworkers union[e] raised concerns over Chinese subsidies.
– The deals were meant to show the upside of working together. Alcoa and China Power Investment Corp. said they would collaborate on a broad range of aluminum and energy projects, both inside and outside China, which led to $7.5 billion in investments. Klaus Kleinfeld, Alcoa’s CEO, acknowledged the dollar value was a "very rough estimate," but said the two companies could pool resources on investments outside China and that Alcoa could help boost CPIC’s efficiency.
– "For Alcoa, the move provides entry and closer working relationship in a market that for a commodity like aluminum is just booming," said John Mothersole of IHS Global Insights, a consulting firm. China, the world’s largest aluminum consumer, produces about 16 million metric tons yearly. But it has shut down some smelters to cut pollution and energy consumption, reducing output by 1.3 million metric tons.
Chinese President Hu Jintao, center, was greeted by Vice President Joe Biden upon his arrival at Andrews Air Force Base.
Mr. Kleinfeld said the Hu-Obama summit helped push the deal forward. "Had the date not been set for the state visit, [the agreement] wouldn’t have happened in a speedy fashion," he said.
– U.S. and Chinese officials have sought to collaborate on clean-energy projects for years, given both countries’ thirst for energy and heightened concerns over pollution. Some of the companies announcing deals said they would develop wind, solar and low-carbon technologies; others said they would form partnerships to jointly sell and test those products.
– American Electric Power Co., a Columbus, Ohio, utility, said it would team with China Huaneng, China’s largest power-generation company, to evaluate carbon-capturing technology. The so-called validation process could be the first step toward AEP buying the technology from China Huaneng, AEP President Nick Akins said.
– GE Energy announced a joint venture with China’s Shenhua Group Corp. to sell clean-coal technologies.
—Jared A. Favole and Clare Ansberry contributed to this article.
– After months of rancor, China is suddenly talking up cooperation on North Korea, the economy, and other difficult issues. There are several possible explanations for the change in tone — and, we hope — substance.
– Beijing’s bullying has alienated pretty much everyone out there, and China’s leaders may have finally figured that out. The Obama administration’s recent tough talk, coupled with President Obama’s pomp-filled welcome this week of President Hu Jintao, were also clear reminders of the cost of alienating the United States and the benefits of getting along.
– Mr. Hu appeared eager to make his American hosts happy, pledging to work to resolve differences over market access and the protection of intellectual property. He also came bearing gifts.
o The White House announced $45 billion worth of American export deals to China, which it said would support 235,000 jobs. Many of these deals had been reached as far back as three years ago, but Mr. Hu and Mr. Obama were eager to claim credit.
– It is too early to know how far China is really prepared to go, but Mr. Hu made several potentially significant concessions. He said the country would now audit government agencies’ software purchases and publish their results in an attempt to end their widespread use of pirated software. And he signaled that his government is willing to temper the most controversial aspects of its “indigenous innovation” plan to favor domestic companies in government procurement deals.
– The plan, as initially conceived, only allowed Chinese state entities to buy certain technology products if their patents were developed and registered in China, excluding foreign suppliers. According to the White House, China dropped the registration requirement and agreed government procurement would not be based “on where the goods’ or services’ intellectual property is developed or maintained,” and that “there will be no discrimination against innovative products made by foreign suppliers operating in China.”
– If these policies change, it could defuse some of the biggest sources of tension in the growing economic relations between China and the United States.
– There’s even a modicum of good news on China’s artificially cheap currency, the renminbi. Beijing has made a lot of promises, but is still refusing to let the renminbi rise by much. But higher Chinese inflation means that — in real terms — it is appreciating at a rate of about 10 percent a year, which is helping American exports.
– President Hu was also more accommodating than usual on North Korea and publicly acknowledged that “a lot still needs to be done in China in terms of human rights.” On both those issues, we’ll take verify over trust. Mr. Hu could start by releasing Liu Xiaobo, the pro-democracy activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner.
– At Washington’s urging, China finally expressed concern over North Korea’s recently unveiled uranium enrichment plant. It still has not denounced North Korea’s torpedoing of a South Korean warship. As the North’s main supplier of fuel and food, China may be the only country that can rein in Pyongyang. American officials said that, in private talks, Mr. Hu agreed to try — but only after Mr. Obama warned that the United States may have to redeploy its military forces in Asia to protect itself from the North’s belligerence.
It is far too early to assume that the Chinese government has decided to turn a new strategic leaf. But it is clearly taking a second look at things. Regular contact is essential. Cajoling and flattery may also help. The lesson of the last few months is that they need to be backed up with regular, firm pushes in the right direction.