Looking at Sino-US Trash Trade from Imported Waste Paper

According to data from the US Department of Commerce, the value of the waste and waste that the United States exported to China last year was estimated at US$1.2 billion, which was only US$194 million five years ago. In this way, rubbish has now become the third largest U.S. export product to China, ranking behind only aircraft and semiconductors, and surpassing soybeans and computers.

When people mention "foreign garbage," they will resist. In particular, some foreign wastes cause serious environmental pollution. This is only one aspect of the problem. The same can not be ignored, in the Sino-US trade, the proportion of garbage trade is increasingly difficult to ignore. Waste paper imports are only a microcosm of the market.

The reporter recently learned from several domestic paper mills that the current price of imported waste paper has soared to the highest point in recent years due to the impact of the Iraq war. For example, the price of old newspapers imported from the United States is close to 160 US dollars per ton, and under normal circumstances, as long as more than 100 US dollars on the line. As the war came to an end, the price of waste paper also dropped.

It is understood that waste paper has become the main raw material for domestic paper mills, and most of them are imported from the United States. According to the “China Paper Industry Annual Report” issued by the China Paper Association, in 2002, China imported 18,748,800 tons of pulp and paper products, and the import value reached US$7,034 million, including 6,872,600 tons of imported waste paper, and the import amount was US$732 million. If it is converted into waste paper, more than half of the raw materials in the domestic paper industry are waste paper, especially in coastal areas such as Zhejiang, where the proportion of waste paper in the province's papermaking fiber raw materials exceeds 76%.

"Do not underestimate foreign waste. It has a certain role in promoting the domestic economy." A professor who has engaged in international trade research for many years believes that the huge garbage trade between China and the United States is coming to the table step by step. It can be seen as An illustration of the efficient operation of the global economy.