Trouble in Paradise?

[piece-itpete]

China's growing pains continue:

"the nation’s state-owned utility companies are defying government economic planners by deliberately reducing the amount of electricity they produce."

...

"The utilities’ go-slow tactics include curtailing the planned expansion and construction of power plants, and running plants for fewer hours a day. And in a notable act of passive defiance, the power companies have scheduled an unusually large number of plants to close for maintenance this summer — right when air-conditioning season will reach its peak."

....

"The government has put pressure on China’s coal mines, also largely state-owned, to continue supplying power companies with coal at below-market prices under long-term contracts. But the mines, which are also profit-oriented operations, have responded with their own form of passive resistance — by sending their cheapest, lowest-quality coal with the most polluting sulfur."




Fascinating, a nice peek. China VS evil godless companies?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/25/bu...nt/25coal.html

Pete

[Dondilion]

I am of the opinion that we do not have a clue how China functions. Like...who is in charge?

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by Dondilion

I am of the opinion that we do not have a clue how China functions. Like...who is in charge?

Hu's in charge.

Despite their escalating power use, they still only use 25% of what we do per capita. Wait until they start buying a bunch of the same electronics crap they send here.

[whell]

Originally Posted by finnbow

Hu's in charge.

Despite their escalating power use, they still only use 25% of what we do per capita. Wait until they start buying a bunch of the same electronics crap they send here.

Or they start buying and using their own tube audio gear...

[flacaltenn]

Rim-Shot FinnBow:::

You deserve this belly laugh..

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/op...harge-of-China

Fud: What do you mean, that's right. I said who is the president of China.

YHS: And I said you were right. Hu is the president of China.

Fud: So, give me his official Chinese name.

YHS: The newspapers and TV are all saying it's Hu.

Fud: And I'm saying who?

YHS: And I'm saying you're right.

Fud: (After taking a deep breath.) Look, even in China the president gets paid for the job, right?

YHS: I assume he does, yes.

Fud: So, when they mail the president's check, who will get it?

YHS: Exactly.

Fud: Why X. Zack Lee? How did he get in here?

YHS: Didn't you say Hu will get the president's check?

Fud: Yes, I said who will get the president's check?

YHS: Exactly.

Fud: (After another deep breath.) Now wait a minute. Does the president of China have a vice president?

YHS: That would be Yu.

Actually, central economic planning for things like energy policy gets dictated (pretty much) by PolitBuro members who act as "board members" of the State. The formal Committee for economic planning is also heavily influenced by the PLA (the defense guys). You'll meet them if you want to open a "foreign owned" venture in China..

Pete: The worrisome chart is the coal import shift. I actually believe that if you can build biomass generation, co-generating incinerators in a clean way as the greenies insist -- that you can burn coal cleanly. But they may be saving domestic coal for the future by importing so much today.. I WISH that was our oil strategy. But I doubt it..

CLEARLY -- these dudes are building a huge fleet of clean, reliable, nuclear plants. About 28 of them or 40% of the world's planned nuclear development..

[BlueStreak]

Originally Posted by whell

Or they start buying and using their own tube audio gear...

I've heard the Little Dot headphone amps are decent. Thought about getting a MKIII myself. To drive my Beyer 880s.

Dave

[BlueStreak]

Originally Posted by flacaltenn

APete: The worrisome chart is the coal import shift. I actually believe that if you can build biomass generation, co-generating incinerators in a clean way as the greenies insist -- that you can burn coal cleanly. But they may be saving domestic coal for the future by importing so much today.. I WISH that was our oil strategy. But I doubt it..

CLEARLY -- these dudes are building a huge fleet of clean, reliable, nuclear plants. About 28 of them or 40% of the world's planned nuclear development..

That SHOULD be our oil strategy, and I believe was our oil strategy for a while. But I fear we will only go further in the wrong direction with all of this 'Drill baby, drill!" stupidity.

Dave

[BlueStreak]

P.s.

I can't help but wonder when their labor troubles will boil over?
They've been absolutely brutal in their suppression of labor uprisings.
Totalitarian dictatorial political parties usually aren't tolerant of organized labor at all.

Just look at what the GOP is doing in Wisconsin and Ohio, for an excellent example.

Dave

[whell]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

P.s.

I can't help but wonder when their labor troubles will boil over?
They've been absolutely brutal in their suppression of labor uprisings.
Totalitarian dictatorial political parties usually aren't tolerant of organized labor at all.

Just look at what the GOP is doing in Wisconsin and Ohio, for an excellent example.

Dave

Its interesting how we think that uprisings can happen elsewhere, but can't happen here. I'm not suggesting that its time for a popular uprising here in the states, though the pendulum appears to be swinging in a manner that is not favorable to the status quo of "big government."

More on the unrest in China here, and how the government is reacting. If true, it sounds like a "gasoline on the fire" recipe.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...047903862.html

[piece-itpete]

Finn, LMAO! But succession is near/at the top of their trouble list imo.

Flac, agreed on the second graph. I'm considering moving more 401k funds into natural resources, as the population explosion continues worldwide ...

China has different problems than we do. The vast majority of Chinese are still very poor. I heard once that they need 7-8% growth just to keep up with population increase! There's the succession. There's the maturing manufacturing internally, the increasing and unstoppable pressure to revalue the Yuan, the increase of a middle class (that brings its' own demands)...

Whell I'd like to read more of that article without paying for it. It's the American way? But holding together what amounts to a far flung empire can be difficult. There isn't much of a tradition of democratic values in that part of the world.

I still hope China works it out and continues its' move as one of the rightful players on the world stage. We could sure use a partner.

Pete