Vanuatu's Ambassador to China Nguk Yang Dennis Nai has expressed his gratitude to the Chinese government for its timely humanitarian aid, which he said will play a crucial role in helping the Pacific Island nation rebuild and recover from the devastating earthquake that struck last month.
On Dec 17 last year, Vanuatu was hit by a powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake which killed 14, injured more than 200, and severely damaged the country's urban infrastructures.
A Chinese cargo plane arrived in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila on Thursday, bringing much-needed relief supplies, including tents, folding beds, water purification systems, non-perishable instant food, and essential medical equipment.
In an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN), ambassador Nai extended his thanks to China for its support.
"We are very glad to have a friend like China. It was the first one to respond. On the very next day, they have donated to my country 10,000 U.S. dollars. Three days later, the Red Cross (Society of China) gave 100,000 U.S. dollars to our Red Cross. And also two days later, the Chinese government has helped us with another million dollars in USD. On top of that, there was a plane that arrived yesterday (Jan. 1) from Shenzhen. It comes with 35 tons of aid and very importantly, there are four engineers to help us evaluate the worthiness of the building. On top of that, we have medical supplies (from China), abundant medical supplies that in normal times is good for one year. So, this come in very needy times, it is a great help from the Chinese government and not only from government to government, even from people to people. There were lots of people that donated money to help us out through this disaster. Not only from companies, but even from the private sector too," he said.
In addition to the current disaster relief, Nai also said Vanuatu looks forward to deepening cooperation with China in disaster prevention and mitigation, particularly against the backdrop of intensifying climate change.
"Vanuatu is located in the South Pacific. Because of climate change, we have lots of challenges every year, earthquakes, typhoons, during the cyclone seasons, but whenever there are things like these, China is always there for us. This modern-day technology from China is very helpful to the people of the Pacific islands. It's not only helpful to Vanuatu, but the whole Pacific," he said.
Vanuatu ambassador hails China's earthquake relief efforts
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
