Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, inspected cities in northwest China's Shaanxi Province and Gansu Province from Tuesday to Friday, and convened a symposium on ecological conservation and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin.
While inspecting Shaanxi's Baoji City on Tuesday afternoon, Xi visited the Baoji Bronze Ware Museum, the first bronze-themed museum in China for the collection, preservation, exhibition, and research of ancient Chinese bronze ware, to learn about the local efforts to enhance the protection and use of cultural relics.
He also visited a riverside ecological park in the city to learn about the ecological conservation of the Weihe River, the largest tributary of the Yellow River.
Xi then traveled to Tianshui City in neighboring Gansu Province, where he went to the Fuxi Temple, a site dedicated to the mythical ancestor of the Chinese nation Fuxi, and called for efforts to protect and pass on the valuable cultural heritage.
On Wednesday morning, the president went to a local apple production base to learn about a local water supply project and the modern specialty fruit industry in mountainous areas.
He also visited the Maijishan Grottoes, one of China's four largest Buddhist cave complexes, to understand local efforts in protecting and passing on cultural heritages.
In the afternoon, Xi visited a residential community in Gansu's provincial capital Lanzhou, where he learned about the local government's measures to improve public services, enhance the well-being of the people, and strengthen comprehensive public security maintenance.
In Lanzhou, Xi also visited the Yellow River section near the Zhongshan Bridge and was briefed on the efforts made by local authorities to promote ecological conservation in the Yellow River basin.
On Thursday morning, Xi, also chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), met with senior officers and representatives of soldiers and civilian staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army troops stationed in Lanzhou.
At the symposium on Thursday afternoon, Xi called for efforts to further deepen reform in a comprehensive way, and use it as a driving force to break new ground in the ecological conservation and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin. On Friday morning, Xi listened to the work reports from the CPC Gansu Provincial Committee and the provincial government, and urged the provincial authorities to deepen reform, make innovation, and do solid work to improve the people's well-being and the province's prosperity.
Xi makes inspections in northwest China's Shaanxi, Gansu provinces
Xi makes inspections in northwest China's Shaanxi, Gansu provinces
A 25 percent import tariff on all foreign-built vehicles entering the United States has raised serious concerns for manufacturers in South Africa.
Automotive giants like Mercedes and BMW have long used South Africa as a base for global exports -- but those plans may be shifting into reverse gear after the U.S. announced the punitive measures.
"If you take, for example, BMW, 97 percent of the X3 that we are producing in Rosslyn is exported out of the country. We only sell 3 percent in South Africa, and there's a huge number of those vehicles that also go into the U.S. So there are companies in South Africa that are purely here not because they are selling vehicles in South Africa; they are here to produce vehicles for the global market, and it's important for them to remain globally competitive," said Mike Mabasa, CEO of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa.
U.S. automaker Ford, which has deep roots in South Africa, is also in the crosshairs.
The company recently invested over 300 million U.S. dollars to upgrade its Silverton plant in Pretoria, South Africa, for the production of the world's only plug-in hybrid Ranger, which has just entered production but could face delays or restrictions.
"If an American citizen wants to buy specifically a Ford Ranger that is a plug-in hybrid, they can only place an order in South Africa, nowhere else in the world. So, that means, obviously, the capacity of Ford to be able to produce those vehicles in big volumes is going to be constrained, because Americans are going be looking at another Ford that is produced in another country, or even in the United States," said Mabasa.
South Africa has long enjoyed duty-free automotive exports to the U.S. under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, but that relationship now hangs in the balance.
A sharp shift in U.S. foreign policy threatens to derail an industry that employs thousands and contributes around 5 percent to the country's economy.
"We produce less than 1 percent of global automotive vehicles, so to say. So, in reality, the impact on us is likely to be more disproportionate than those of our peers that produce at the same level. And the risk is actually created -- a concentration risk -- in countries that have greater capacity and are building more; in those countries will be able to absorb some of this," said Parks Tau, South Africa's minister of trade and industry.
Amid growing concerns about overreliance on the U.S. market, Amith Singh, national manager for manufacturing at Nedbank Commercial Bank, emphasized the importance of tapping into regional trade opportunities.
"I think we need to make better use of some of our local agreements, our African continental agreements. How do we leverage that? How do we partner with the government and private sector to start benefiting the countries and the economies aside from the United States? So, those could be the catalyst to drive our localization projects; it could be what we need to drive the African economy as opposed to being completely reliant on the States (United States)," he said.
South Africa is for now standing firm in its decision not to retaliate against steep U.S. import tariffs, set to take effect in just a few days.
Officials in Pretoria acknowledge the challenges posed by the current U.S. administration but are pursuing a diplomatic approach in hopes of maintaining stable relations and preserving the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
US tariffs rock South Africa’s auto industry
