 China watching Trump policies, will defend trade rights Washington (AFP) Nov 23, 2016 - China will pay close attention to trade policies implemented by US President-elect Donald Trump, and will defend its rights in the World Trade Organization, a senior Chinese official said Wednesday. In a campaign punctuated by incendiary accusations, Trump promised to declare China a currency manipulator on his first day in office, and threatened to slap 45 percent punitive tariffs on Chinese imports to protect jobs. The Chinese official meeting in Washington, however, said the US has obligations as a member of the WTO. "Definitely we have paid close attention to the remarks made by Mr. Trump during his presidential campaign," China's Deputy International Trade Minister Zhang Xiangchen told reporters through a translator. "And we will also (be) closely observing what he will do after he takes office." But he seemed to cast doubt on whether Trump would follow through on his threats. "I think after Mr. Trump takes office he will be reminded that (the) United States should honor its obligations as a member of the World Trade Organization," Zhang said. When asked if China would retaliate, he said that "as a member of the WTO, China also has the right to ensure its rights." As for the currency issue, Zhang said economists and government officials agree China is not manipulating its currency, and "significant progress has been made" toward establishing a market-based exchange-rate regime. US and Chinese officials meeting this week for the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, a forum to promote trade and investment and resolve disputes, feel strongly that the bilateral trade relationship will continue to be important "no matter how the leadership changes," Zhang said. US Trade Representative Michael Froman told reporters following the final JCCT meeting of the Obama administration that the relationship with China is key, but acknowledged there are "headwinds around the world about the benefits of trade and skepticism on the US-China relationship in particular." He stressed that "the American public expects the relationship be based on a fair and level playing field, and greater reciprocity." Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker noted that 11.5 million Americans have jobs that depend on exports, making engagement with trading partners critical. She said there are differences with China that President Barack Obama's administration has fought to resolve. "What we work on is where we face an unlevel playing field."
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A flesh-and-blood figure of Barbie's beau Ken stood in a giant pink box on a Lausanne street on Wednesday to highlight dire working conditions in Chinese toy factories.
Passers by were invited to pose for photographs next to the model dressed in a dark jacket worn over a white shirt with a stiff collar.
Charity Solidar Switzerland set up the stunt to raise awareness about the conditions in factories in China.
Solidar has also launched an online petition called "Fair Toys Now" in which American toy manufacturer Mattel, the maker of Barbie, is singled out and urged to "take responsibility for the working conditions in the supply chain".
Solidar calls for an end to "80-hour work weeks" and the provision of "wages that are sufficient for a decent living".
"This petition, which has already garnered 3,000 signatures, will be delivered on December 15 to Mattel's European headquarters in Amsterdam," Solidar spokesman Lionel Frei said.
Last week, Solidar had pulled the same stunt with a flesh-and-blood Barbie in Zurich.
Solidar claims that the doubling of salaries in China would result in a price increase of just two cents on a 30-euro toy sold in Europe.
"More than half of the toys that arrive under a Christmas tree in Switzerland were made by factory employees working up to 11-hour days," Frei said.
Solidar, which referred to an investigation by China Labor Watch, said factory workers can also be exposed to toxic solvents.
The Fair Toys Now campaign will continue in Paris on December 7 with an event organised by ActionAid France.
In an email sent to AFP, Mattel said it was "committed to ensuring that everyone making our toys and our products is treated fairly and with respect and is able to work in a safe and healthy environment."
The company added: "Our practices in terms of work, health, safety and environment, as well as our monitoring procedures, reflect this commitment."
China power plant collapse kills at least 22: Xinhua
Beijing (AFP) Nov 24, 2016 -
At least 22 people were killed when part of a power station under construction in China collapsed Thursday, the official Xinhua news agency reported, the latest industrial accident in a country with a dismal safety record.
A cooling tower platform plunged to the ground in the early hours, trapping an unknown number of people beneath it, Xinhua said. Rescue efforts were under way.
Pictures of the scene in Fengcheng, in the central province of Jiangxi, showed a grey mass of concrete slabs and steel girders splayed in a heap on the ground, with a row of red fire engines standing at the ready.
Industrial accidents are common in China, where safety standards are often laxly enforced.
In August a pipeline explosion at a coal-fired power plant in the neighbouring province of Hubei killed 21.
Earlier this summer more than 130 people were taken to hospital after chemicals leaked from a plant in eastern China.
In April a chemical fire burned for 16 hours in the coastal province of Jiangsu after an explosion at a facility storing chemicals and fuel, requiring 400 firefighters to quell the flames.
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