U.S. asks China not to implement ban on
foreign garbage
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[March 26, 2018]
GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States
asked China on Friday not to implement a ban on imports of scrap
materials, after the world's top scrap buyer abruptly shut the door to
many types of waste, throwing the global recycling industry into
turmoil.
Reuters broke the news last July that China had told the World Trade
Organization that it would stop accepting shipments of rubbish such as
waste plastic and paper as part of a campaign against "foreign garbage".
The U.S. Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries said at the time that
the ban would devastate an industry that supported 155,000 jobs and had
exported scrap worth $5.6 billion to China in 2016.
The United States raised concerns about the ban, and a subsequent
revision of standards for a variety of scrap metals, at the WTO's
Council for Trade in Goods on Friday.
"China's import restrictions on recycled commodities have caused a
fundamental disruption in global supply chains for scrap materials,
directing them away from productive reuse and toward disposal," a U.S.
representative told the meeting, according to a trade official in
Geneva.
The United States recognized China's environmental concerns but
Beijing's approach seemed to be having the opposite effect to what was
intended, and its rules had changed far too quickly for industry to
adjust, the U.S. representative told the meeting.
WTO OBLIGATIONS
China seemed to be breaching its WTO obligations by treating domestic
and foreign waste differently and employing an overly trade-restrictive
policy, the U.S. official said.
"We request that China immediately halt implementation and revise these
measures in a manner consistent with existing international standards
for trade in scrap materials, which provide a global framework for
transparent and environmentally sound trade in recycled commodities."
The European Union's representative at the meeting said China's policy
would force scrap to be rerouted to third countries which may not have
facilities for safe recycling, or to landfill or incineration, causing
environmental damage.
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A worker cuts metal at a scrap metal stall at a recycling yard at
the edge of Beijing, China, October 20, 2016. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
The EU also questioned the science behind China's ban, while several
countries said they appreciated China's goal but were not convinced
about how it was trying to get there.
China's representative agreed to take the comments into account but
said that every country had a responsibility to dispose of its
waste, and with its large population China was obliged to restrict
imports of waste while cleaning up at home.
"China is seeking a path toward harmonization of man and nature,"
the trade official quoted China's delegate as saying.
The dispute over scrap comes amid increased concerns of a full-blown
trade war between the United States and China.
U.S. President Donald Trump this week signed a memorandum targeting
up to $60 billion in Chinese goods with tariffs over what his
administration says is misappropriation of U.S. intellectual
property but only after a 30-day consultation period that starts
once a list is published.
Trump has also announced steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports
to the United States.
(Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Gareth Jones)
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