Zhejiang prepares for typhoon Bebinca

Local authorities along the coast in east China's Zhejiang Province are getting prepared for the approaching Typhoon Bebinca.

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) has upgraded its typhoon warning to the yellow or third class, saying that the eye of Bebinca, classified as a strong tropical storm, was located in the northwest Pacific Ocean about 1,090 kilometers southeast of Zhoushan City of Zhejiang, at 05:00 on Saturday.

Bebinca will move northwest at around 30 to 35 kilometers per hour, gradually intensifying, and is expected to make landfall from Taizhou of Zhejiang to Qidong of Jiangsu Province in the early morning of Monday, the NMC said.

The authority warned that affected by the typhoon, there will be heavy rains in southeast Zhejiang, east Fujian, and some areas of Taiwan island from 08:00 Saturday until 08:00 Sunday.

As a precaution against typhoon Bebinca, fishery officers in Fenghua District of Zhejiang's Ningbo City checked the safety of boats parked at docks on Friday.

"We are to patrol the anchorages and dissuade fishermen from working at sea. We are also to check if there are any risks such as dragging anchor. In case there's something wrong, we will contact special operators to handle it in advance," said Lin Haoyong, a staff member at the fishing vessel management service station of Tongzhao Village.

Many fishing boats that were originally moored along the pier have left the dock and anchored at designated anchorages.

In Wenling, a county-level city administered by Taizhou, a number of construction projects have taken measures to cope with the possible rains and winds brought by the typhoon.

At a seaside resort construction site, the contractor said they will remove some protective nets with large wind surfaces, transfer them to safe areas and bundle them together, and take measures to protect the tower crane.

More than ten of the 259 construction sites in Wenling City are by the sea. Their contractors are closely following the track of the typhoon and get prepared for it.

Authorities in Taizhou City have also suspended the operation of some island resorts and passenger ships since Friday afternoon, with tourists being moved to safe places.

Zhejiang prepares for typhoon Bebinca

European carmakers do not want additional tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) as the move is harmful to them, especially for those having plants in China, said a Spanish entrepreneur on Tuesday.

Spurred by the policy support and market demand in Spain, EV industry has developed rapidly in recent years in the country, which currently boasts an EV fleet of about 500,000 units.

The Spanish government has set a target of having 5 million EVs and installing 500,000 charging piles by 2030.

The EU's additional tariffs on Chinese EVs are a wrong course, which will not solve any problems but will only hinder the further development of its own EV industry, said Arturo Perez de Lucia, general manager of the Business Association for the Development and Promotion of Electric Mobility (AEDIVE), when talking to China Central Television (CCTV) on Tuesday.

"I don't think the EU is on the right track. Although the policy is aimed at protecting European industry, European industry itself does not want to increase tariffs. I think one thing the EU should do is to listen to the opinions of European carmakers. Carmakers do not want the additional tariffs because the move is harmful to them. The increase in tariffs is also a very serious problem for European companies with manufacturing plants in China, who will suffer as a result. I think the car market is global and the door should be open for exchange," said Perez.

Perez further noted that key areas for the future of the EV industry include battery technology and digitalization, where China plays a leading role in competition.

At present, many Spanish companies have joined hands with their Chinese peers to tap into the sector, which is the right way forward, according to Perez.

Only through cooperation can efficient solutions be worked out, he stressed.

"Now Europe has to learn from China. We need to learn how to improve our manufacturing processes and logistics systems, making them more competitive in the market. China has technologies in digitization, energy efficiency, and energy storage that we don't have in Europe, so we must seek cooperation," said Perez.

EU's additional tariffs on Chinese EVs harmful to local carmakers: Spanish entrepreneur