Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza rises to 43,391

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza had risen to 43,391, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Tuesday.

In the past 24 hours, Israeli military operations in Gaza killed 17 people and wounded 86 others, bringing the total number of injuries to 102,347, according to the statement.

Rik Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization's representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, announced on Tuesday that over 100 patients, including children, are scheduled to be evacuated from Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing on Wednesday to receive medical treatment in the United Arab Emirates and Romania.

The CEO of auto giant Volkswagen emphasized the German carmaker's commitment to the Chinese market, and highlighted its strategic direction on Tuesday, the first day of the seventh China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai.

Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, outlined how the firm remains strategically committed to the Chinese market, with this year also marking the Volkswagen Group's seventh consecutive participation in CIIE since the event's inauguration in 2018.

This year's expo, which will through run Sunday, has attracted participants from 152 countries, regions and international organizations, and achieved a new record with 297 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders attending.

In an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN), Blume said that the CIIE, the world's first national-level exposition dedicated to imports, provides a great opportunity to gain insights into what's happening in China.

"That's a great opportunity to have everything here together and getting a good overview of what's going on in the country. For us as a group, it is also important to define clearly our strategy, and also to define with which partners do we want to work together. We defined a clear path towards the future, which is called 'in China for China'. And therefore, our partnerships are already very successful, and we are aiming for firmer partnerships in terms of technology and innovation," he said.

Noting that this year marks 40 years since Volkswagen Group entered the Chinese market, Blume said that the company has established a significant presence in China with over 50 million customers, 90,000 employees across more than 30 plants, and 9,000 partners in its supply chain.

"The Volkswagen business with all our brands is very closely linked to the Chinese community. And therefore, we have a very strong base toward the future and, with our new strategy 'in China for China', it's very promising for us. We call China the 'fitness center' for the automotive industry, which also can help us in other regions of the world," he said.

Talking about the European Union's (EU) decision to impose additional tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs), Blume expressed his opposition, saying that the rapid pace of innovation should be embraced rather than hindered by tariffs, as competition ultimately benefits consumers.

"We are very clear against the current proposal for the tariffs. That's my position. I have announced in Germany, and also to the EU commission. The first aspect is that innovation speed is very positive. At the end, the customers are benefiting from innovations. And therefore, I think competition is very positive, and that drives the whole industry, and in terms of tariffs, I've got the same opinion," he said.

He also called for a more supportive environment to aid collaboration between Chinese and European companies and investors, in order to allow the industry to better develop and reach its full potential.

"We should think more in opportunities and for those who invest in the regions like we are investing in China or Chinese companies investing in Europe -- in technologies, in the value chain, in plants, in employment --should benefit from lower tariffs. Therefore, for me, I'm aiming and standing [up] for free world trade. I hope that it will come to a common and fair conclusion between China and Europe to have a fair model between both regions of tariffs for those who are benefiting [from] investing in the regions," he said.