China's Haier has undercut Western competitors in a wide range of products, from air conditioners and washing machines to wine coolers.

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There are, however, some impediments to growing further in Asia, and especially to catching up with Western competitors such as HSBC and Citigroup.

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He claimed that there was a risk it could assume an international identity very similar to its main Western competitors, pointing out that al-Jazeera's English-language website relied heavily on Western news agencies.

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For now, at least, the criticism has done little to aid Western Union's competitors.

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Its sales may be enjoying a multi-year boost as emerging market smokers trade up from cheaper local competitors to premium Western cigarettes, but worldwide demand for their products is shrinking, and fast.

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Critically, First Solar executive vice-president T K Kallenbach insists the company will not have to share its cutting-edge PV technology with domestic competitors, as many Western renewables players seeking to enter the vast Chinese market have been forced to do .

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Western Digital did not suffer a less severe disaster than its competitors who also have facilities in Bangkok.

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Although production costs at our Devens facility have steadily decreased, and are now below originally planned levels and lower than most western manufacturers, they are still much higher than those of our low cost competitors in China.

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Other competitors in the energy sector include: Marathon Oil (MRO), Western Refining (WNR), and Sunoco (SUN).

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Other competitors in the energy sector include: Alon USA Energy (ALJ), Western Refining, Inc. (WNR), and Sunoco (SUN).

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