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I'm not convinced that the US approach with heavy protectionism is a good idea in the specific case of solar panels. It's a pretty standardized product and if a
by jcfrei 3y ago
I'm not convinced that the US approach with heavy protectionism is a good idea in the specific case of solar panels. It's a pretty standardized product and if another country is willing to subsidize the European consumer with cheap panels - where's the harm? It's not an incredibly sophisticated product like chips manufacturing - where if we suddenly needed to manufacture entirely on our own we would be completely unable to for more than a decade. As some of the interviewed people in the article allude: We're probably better off investing the money saved on those solar panels into other parts of the economy.
- nradov 3y agoIf you're trading with an ally over secure routes then sure, that makes a lot of sense. But Pax Americana is breaking down and that threatens the stability of the whole global trading system. And China is growing increasingly expansionist as they attempt to secure their own sea lines of communication. A war over Taiwan isn't impossible within the next decade, and if that happens then all bulk trade between Germany and China could be cut off for years.