Beijing says EU imposed unfair trade barriers on Chinese firms

China said Thursday that an investigation had found the European Union imposed unfair “trade and investment barriers” on Beijing, marking the latest salvo in long-running commercial tensions between the two economic powers.Officials announced the probe in July after Brussels began looking into whether Chinese government subsidies were undermining European competition.Beijing has consistently denied its industrial policies are unfair and has threatened to take action against the EU to protect Chinese companies’ legal rights and interests.The commerce ministry said Thursday that the implementation of the EU’s Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) discriminated against Chinese firms and “constitutes trade and investment barriers”.However, it did not mention whether Beijing planned to take action in response.The two are major trade partners but are locked in a wide-ranging standoff, notably over Beijing’s support for its renewables and electric-vehicle sectors.EU actions against Chinese firms have come as the 27-nation bloc seeks to expand renewable energy use to meet its target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.But Brussels also wants to pivot away from what it views as an overreliance on Chinese technology at a time when many Western governments increasingly consider Beijing a potential national security threat.When announcing the probe, the ministry said its national chamber of commerce for importing and exporting machinery and electronics had filed a complaint over the FSR measures.The 20-page document detailing the ministry’s conclusions said their “selective enforcement” resulted in “Chinese products being treated more unfavourably during the process of export to the EU than products from third countries”.It added that the FSR had “vague” criteria for investigating foreign subsidies, placed a “severe burden” on the targeted companies and had opaque procedures that created “huge uncertainty”.EU measures such as surprise inspections “clearly exceeded the necessary limits”, while investigators were “subjective and arbitrary” on issues like market distortion, according to the ministry.Companies deemed not to have complied with probes also faced “severe penalties”, which placed “huge pressure” on Chinese firms, it said.The European Commission on Thursday defended the FSR, saying it was “fully compliant with all applicable EU and World Trade Organization rules”.”All companies, regardless of their seat or nationality, are subject to the rules,” a commission spokesperson said in a statement.”This is also the case when applying State aid or antitrust rules.” – Projects curtailed -The Chinese commerce ministry said FSR investigations had forced Chinese companies to abandon or curtail projects, causing losses of more than 15 billion yuan ($2.05 billion).The measures had “damaged the competitiveness of Chinese enterprises and products in the EU market”, it said, adding that they also hindered the development of European national economies and undermined trade cooperation between Beijing and Brussels.The EU’s first probe under the FSR in February targeted a subsidiary of Chinese rail giant CRRC, but closed after the company withdrew from a tender in Bulgaria to supply electric trains.A second probe targets Chinese-owned solar panel manufacturers seeking to build and operate a photovoltaic park in Romania, partly financed by European funds.In October, Brussels imposed extra tariffs on Chinese-made electric cars after an anti-subsidy investigation under a different set of rules concluded Beijing’s state support was unfairly undercutting European automakers.Beijing in response announced provisional tariffs on brandy imported from the EU, and later imposed “temporary anti-dumping measures” on the liquor.Last month, China said it would extend the brandy investigation, citing the case’s “complexity”.Separately, a report by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China warned that firms were being forced to drastically localise their operations to suit China’s regulations, driving up costs and reducing efficiency.Heightened trade tensions and Beijing’s “self-reliance policies” were causing many multinationals “to separate certain China-based functions, or even entire operations, from those in the rest of the world”, it said.It added that governance rules increasingly dominated by national security concerns had heightened uncertainties for local entities in engaging with European clients.Some customers are therefore choosing to “err on the side of caution and not take a risk by buying from a foreign service provider”, Chamber head Jens Eskelund said at a media event on Thursday.

French far-right’s Zemmour to attend Trump inauguration

French far-right politician Eric Zemmour will attend Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony, his party said on Thursday, with the pundit the only high-profile French politician to have been invited so far.The far-right prime ministers of Italy and Hungary, Giorgia Meloni and Viktor Orban, are also on the list of invitees, although French President Emmanuel Macron is not.Zemmour, head of the far-right Reconquest party, and his partner Sarah Knafo were invited to attend Trump’s inauguration ceremony in Washington on January 20, the party told AFP.Knafo, a 31-year-old member of the European Parliament, attended one of the US president-elect’s campaign rallies in Pennsylvania last year. She has praised Trump as a champion of “freedom of expression, alongside Elon Musk”. There has been no indication from the Elysee that Macron was planning to attend Trump’s inauguration, although it is not customary for foreign leaders to attend US inauguration ceremonies.Leaders of France’s main far-right party, the National Rally, have so far received no invitation to the ceremony, a member of Marine Le Pen’s team told AFP on Wednesday.On Wednesday, European leaders warned Trump against threatening “sovereign borders” after the US president-elect refused to rule out military action to seize Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of European Union member Denmark that itself has eyes on independence.Musk, who has secured unprecedented influence due to his proximity to Trump, is set for a role in the incoming president’s administration.He has provoked fury across Europe with a string of attacks on the continent’s leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Thousands welcome Mozambique opposition leader as he returns from exileThu, 09 Jan 2025 10:44:36 GMT

Thousands of people turned out to meet Mozambique’s main opposition leader after he returned home from more than two months in exile Thursday to push his claim that he won the October presidential election.Security forces barred supporters from going to Maputo’s international airport to meet Venancio Mondlane as he landed, with at least one person …

Thousands welcome Mozambique opposition leader as he returns from exileThu, 09 Jan 2025 10:44:36 GMT Read More »

US emissions stagnate in 2024, challenging climate goals: study

US greenhouse gas emissions barely decreased in 2024, leaving the world’s largest economy off track to achieve its climate goals, according to an analysis released Thursday, as the incoming Trump administration looks set to double down on fossil fuels.The preliminary estimate by the Rhodium Group, an independent research organization, found a net fall of just 0.2 percent in economy-wide emissions.Lower manufacturing output drove the modest decline, but it was undercut by increased air and road travel and higher electricity demand.Study co-author Ben King told AFP the small drop came despite the US economy expanding last year by 2.7 percent, “a continuation of a trend that we’ve seen where there’s a decoupling between economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions.”Overall, emissions remain below pre-pandemic levels and about 20 percent below 2005 levels, the benchmark year for US commitments under the Paris Agreement. The accord aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, to avert the worst catastrophes of planet-wide heating.But with 2024 effectively static, decarbonization must accelerate across all sectors. “To meet its Paris Agreement target of a 50-52 percent reduction in emissions by 2030, the US must sustain an ambitious 7.6 percent annual drop in emissions from 2025 to 2030,” the report said — an unprecedented pace outside of a recession.What’s more, Trump has signaled plans to roll back President Joe Biden’s green policies, including rules that require sweeping cuts from fossil fuel power plants and provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, which channels hundreds of billions of dollars into clean energy. Should these plans materialize, the US would likely achieve only a 24–40 percent emissions reduction by 2035, the report concluded.- Off track -Even under Biden, the US has logged more tepid reductions compared to some other major emitters.German greenhouse gas emissions fell by three percent in 2024, following a 10 percent year-on-year drop the previous year, according to Agora Energiewende. The European Union’s emissions are forecast to have dropped by 3.8 percent in 2024, according to Carbon Brief, a UK-based analysis site.Such predictions precede official government data and only represent estimates, meaning final figures can vary significantly. US emissions have been trending downward in bumpy fashion since they peaked in 2004. They fell 3.3 percent in 2023 but rose 1.3 percent in 2022 and 6.3 percent in 2021 amid a post-pandemic rebound.”When we looked at the Inflation Reduction Act a couple of years ago… we would have expected slightly lower emissions today than we’re seeing right now,” said King. Still, these investments may just need more time to pay off: with the report finding clean energy and transportation spending reached a record $71 billion in last year’s third quarter.”It’s kind of a mixed bag from my perspective,” King said.- Air conditioning demand -Positives in the report include a bigger share of green energy in the grid — solar and wind combined surpassed coal for the first time — and a drop in methane emissions from reduced coal use and cleaner oil and gas production.Climate scientist Michael Mann of the University of Pennsylvania told AFP he welcomed the continued decoupling of growth and emissions.But “emissions aren’t coming down anywhere near the rate they need to, yet at least,” he added.”Simply flatlining emissions puts the United States even farther off track from meeting its climate commitments,” warned Debbie Weyl, US Acting Director for the World Resources Institute.Rachel Cleetus, policy director with the climate and energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, called the findings “sobering,” noting the increased electricity demand came from residential buildings requiring more air conditioning.”Now that’s a reality, as we see year upon year of the temperature records being broken,” she told AFP, as 2024 is set to be named the hottest year on record.

China’s electric and hybrid vehicle sales jump 40.7% in 2024

Sales of electric and hybrid vehicles jumped more than 40 percent in China last year, as demand for new energy models continues to surge and the sector remains entrenched in a gruelling price war.The Chinese electric vehicle market has witnessed explosive growth in recent years, driven in part by generous subsidies from Beijing.But the world’s largest automotive market has also seen fierce competition among domestic car manufacturers as a consumption slowdown fuels a price war that is weighing on profitabilityIn 2024, almost 11 million new energy vehicles (NEVs) were sold, a year-on-year increase of 40.7 percent, the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) said Thursday. NEVs accounted for nearly half — 47.6 percent — of all retail sales last year, the association said.By comparison, such vehicles accounted for just 22.6 percent of sales in the European market in November, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.In China, NEV sales surpassed 1.3 million units in December, CPCA data showed, up 37.5 percent year-on-year and representing the fifth consecutive month of sales of more than one million.Beyond just NEVs, the total number of vehicles sold last year in the Chinese market swelled 5.5 percent, reaching nearly 22.9 million units, the CPCA said.For EV companies, the price war is likely to carry on in the new year, CPCA secretary general Cui Dongshu said during a Thursday press conference.More than 200 car models saw price cuts last year, compared to 148 in 2023, Cui added. BYD has emerged as a clear leader in the Chinese market — the Shenzhen-based firm sold more than four million vehicles globally in 2024.- Bleak overseas market -While BYD occupies roughly one third of the Chinese market, the situation is bleaker overseas, where various governments have hiked customs duties on vehicle imports from the country.In December, sales in foreign markets accounted for just 12 percent of BYD’s overall sales, according to the company’s figures.”We are now experiencing significant pressure on exports,” Cui said Thursday, adding that Chinese NEV sales are “currently being suppressed by the European Union”.The European Union has said that extensive state support by Beijing for its domestic carmakers has led to unfair competition, with an investigation by the bloc finding that subsidies were undercutting local competitors.Foreign automotive giants, on the other hand, are battling against slumping sales in the world’s second-largest economy.BYD’s quarterly revenue surpassed global rival Tesla’s for the first time during the third quarter last year.

UK FM Lammy refuses to condemn Trump comments on Greenland

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Thursday refused to condemn president-elect Donald Trump’s Greenland ambitions while insisting that the US acquiring the self-governing Danish territory is “not going to happen”.”I’m not in the business of condemning our closest ally,” Lammy told Sky News, adding that he was “in the business of interpreting what sits behind this and there are some very serious national economic security issues”.The comments contrast with the response of some European leaders on Wednesday to Trump refusing to rule out using economic or military force to acquire Greenland.Germany’s Olaf Scholz said the stance had sparked “notable incomprehension” and “uneasiness” among EU leaders, and later noted on social media that “borders must not be moved by force”.London, which prizes its so-called special relationship with Washington, is eager not to damage relations with Trump and his team under the UK’s new Labour government.It follows a number of Labour ministers previously making disparaging comments about the president-elect, including Lammy, who once described him as a “tyrant” and “xenophobic”.Trump has designs on the mineral- and oil-rich Arctic island, an autonomous territory of European Union member Denmark that itself has eyes on independence.He set alarm bells ringing on Tuesday at a news conference when he said the US needs Greenland “for national security purposes”.In a round of interviews on Thursday, Britain’s top diplomat branded the incoming US president’s remarks “classic Donald Trump” and said they were centred around “Americans’ national economic security”.”In the end, that is up to the people of Greenland and their own self-determination, and there is a discussion within Greenland about those very same issues,” he told Sky News.Asked by BBC radio how Britain would respond if Trump acted on his claim that the US might try to acquire Greenland by economic or military force, Lammy insisted that “it’s not going to happen”, noting that “no NATO allies have gone to war, since the birth of NATO”.But he was also careful not to criticise Trump, noting that while his “rhetoric” and “unpredictability” can be “destabilising”, the outcomes of that can be beneficial to Western allies.He cited Trump’s insistence on increased defence spending by NATO members as an example.Lammy added that Trump was addressing valid “concerns about Russia and China in the Arctic” as well as “national economic security” in his Greenland comments. “He recognises, I’m sure, that in the end, Greenland today is a (part of the) Kingdom of Denmark. There is a debate in Greenland about their own self-determination.”Lammy also noted that the US has troops and a military base on Greenland.”So it has got a stake in that Arctic theatre,” he added.

Zemmour et Knafo invités à l’investiture de Trump le 20 janvier

Le président de Reconquête!, Eric Zemmour, et l’eurodéputée Sarah Knafo, se rendront à la cérémonie d’investiture du républicain Donald Trump le 20 janvier à Washington, a indiqué jeudi le parti d’extrême droite à l’AFP.L’eurodéputée qui a suivi un séminaire l’été dernier au Claremont Institute, un groupe de réflexion conservateur proche de Donald Trump, a confirmé auprès de l’AFP l’invitation transmise aux dirigeants de Reconquête!Sarah Knafo, qui prend Donald Trump comme modèle pour la droite conservatrice française, a notamment assisté à l’un des derniers meetings de la campagne du président élu, en Pennsylvanie.Elle le présente comme le “candidat de l’identité nationale et de la paix”, celui qui “défend la liberté d’expression aux côtés d’Elon Musk contre tous les censeurs”.L’entourage de Marine Le Pen avait indiqué mercredi à l’AFP qu’aucune invitation à la cérémonie d’investiture n’avait pour l’instant été reçue par les dirigeants du Rassemblement national.