Americas biggest export to China: Trash

Discussion in 'Economics' started by peilthetraveler, Oct 19, 2010.

  1. We buy their trash and they buy ours. hmmm.

    http://politics.usnews.com/opinion/.../americas-biggest-trade-export-to-china-trash

    According to data provided by the U.S. International Trade Commission, Chinese imports of U.S. cast-offs (scrap metal, waste paper, and the like) surged by an eye-popping 916 percent over the 2000-2008 period, with most of that expansion occurring after 2004.

    Perhaps not many observers will judge this a suitably glamorous role for America to assume on the global stage. But one might take comfort in the thought that if there is one thing that Americans still excel at producing, it's trash
     
  2. Whats your point? Trash as a commodity isn't less significant than corn, wheat or soybeans. We receive refined products and we send them trash. Only a fool would be on the other side of the trade.
     
  3. Refined product processes always attempt to use less raw material as a cost savings measure, so it would be a advantagious to buy your consumers garbage and sell back less raw material on every inventory turn. Whomever holds the raw material would control the link in the demand supply chain.

    Akuma
     
  4. Frostie

    Frostie

    Would you rather mine nickel or produce computer motherboards to sell? Doing both would be great.