Sun, Nov 13, 2011
China, EU Continue Playing 'Chicken' Over ETS
As January 1 comes into view, neither side in the stand-off over
a controversial new European carbon tax shows any sign of backing
down. Europe's new Emissions Trading System, or ETS, would charge
flights arriving in the EU's jurisdiction a fee for their carbon
dioxide emissions, even for portions of the flights outside Europe.
The US, China and two dozen other nations say that violates a 1944
treaty which gives all nations exclusive authority over their
domestic airspace.
Reuters reports that Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China
Southern Airlines and Hainan Airlines announced Wednesday that they
will jointly sue the EU over the tax. The move follows a joint
action taken by the Air Transport Association of America, American
Airlines and United/Continental to block ETS from taking effect,
which was rebuffed in the High Court in London last year.
In comments to Reuters, Cai Haibo, deputy secretary general of
the China Air Transportation Association, commented, "It's unfair.
We are buying Airbus planes. If anyone is to blame for the emission
problem, it should be the manufacturer not the customers." (China
Eastern A300 pictured.)
The Chinese government has previously warned Europe it might
cancel orders from Airbus, in which some EU nations are
stakeholders, if the Europeans tried to impose ETS on Chinese
flights.
Airbus's own forecasts suggest it plans to sell China about
2,000 new airliners over the next 20 years, but so far it's not
backing down on the new tax.
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