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EU duties unwarranted
The European Union (EU) imposed anti-dumping duties on Chinese footwear in December 2009. Responding to the move in February, China requested WTO consultations with the EU. If discussions do not result in any agreement between the two sides, China can request a panel to be established to rule on whether the anti-dumping duties are unlawful.
Big question marks hang over the EU’s actions in this matter, including the calculation of dumping margins, assessment of alleged injury caused to EU manufacturers and the general evidence base for the duties. More generally, the anti-dumping duties are in conflict with the spirit of free trade. Therefore we can hope the WTO process would result in the repeal of these measures.
Rickard Granberg via e-mail
Practical tips for students
Your “cover story” on university students and unemployment (March 5, 2010) was very interesting. The report says one of the problems with Chinese universities is that they enroll students for subjects they think the country needs “rather than letting students choose (their) majors”.
I come from North America where students are free to choose their major, and I’ve found they often commit the same error in choosing their subjects as universities do in setting quotas. The main problem is lack of foresight to accurately assess the needs. This is a problem without a real solution.
The second problem the report addresses is the lack of practical job experience. I suggest that all initiatives consider building some kind of cooperative educational element among students so that they gain experience of the field they are going to work in. It would be a more positive encounter with reality than graduation followed by un- or under-employment.
Ann timonin via e-mail
