Spelling out its initial bargaining position for the upcoming climate change negotiations, China adopted a hard line. Most notably, Beijing called for developed countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels. Beyond that, China also required rich countries to help pay for reduction schemes in poorer countries–including itself. The Chinese move was not welcomed in Washington and Brussels, indicating tough negotiations in the meetings leading up to the final climate change summit in Copenhagen in December. While concerned that other developing nations might get encouraged by China’s tough stand, analysts and diplomats pointed out that Beijing’s demands were just an initial negotiations position. There was still enough room for movement and negotiations.
U.S. manufacturers and retailers that source from China see the country’s products as more risky than three months ago, according to a study published on Thursday. Concerns about product quality, intellectual property and labor costs were among the most cited risks when sourcing from China. The study was conducted by AMR Research Inc., a Boston based market research firm, surveying 133 U.S. companies that source products from China, including Boeing, Cisco Systems and Intel. 26 percent of surveyed companies considered China as a risk to their supply chain, up from 21 percent three months ago. 51 percent cited concerns about product quality, up from 45 percent in the first quarter. Intellectual property protection in China was seen as a risk by 59 percent, compared with 8 percent who said so about India.
