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German lawmaker calls for restart of Nord Stream pipeline

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      German lawmaker calls for restart of Nord Stream pipeline

      2025-01-05 11:56 Last Updated At:15:47

      A German lawmaker has called for restart of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline, as the halt of gas transit caused soaring energy prices in the European Union (EU) states.

      The halt in Russian gas transit through Ukraine has heightened fears over supply shortages and soaring energy costs in Europe.

      Both Ukraine and Russia announced the stoppage of Russian gas supplies through Ukraine's territory to Europe on Wednesday, pushing some EU countries to resort to costlier energy alternatives.

      Sevim Dagdelen, left-wing Member of German Bundestag, wrote on her social media platform on Thursday that the halt of the transit of Russian gas in Europe further drives the energy price up, complaining that "the German government and the EU are happily watching the destruction of European industry due to high energy prices."

      Dagdelen proposed that Germany should take immediate action to repair and restart the Nord Stream pipeline to alleviate the problem of natural gas shortages.

      Dagdelen is not the first German lawmaker to call for the restart of the Nord Stream pipeline. Last September, Tino Chrupalla, co-chairman of the right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany, said that this submarine pipeline is the lifeline of German industry and that the Nord Stream pipeline must be repaired, restarted and protected.

      On New Year's Day, European natural gas futures prices hit their highest level since October 2023 after Russia's natural gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine were stopped.

      In addition, the supply cut has begun to affect many European countries, including Slovakia and its neighbor Poland.

      Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Wednesday said that the halt will have "severe consequences for all of us in the European Union (EU), but will not harm Russia."

      Fico said that Slovakia stands to lose hundreds of millions of euros in gas transit fees, while its citizens will face higher gas and electricity bills. He criticized major EU nations for prioritizing geopolitical goals at the expense of smaller countries' interests and needs.

      On the same day, Slovakia's gas importer, SPP, announced that it has contingency plans in place to ensure gas supplies through alternative channels, such as utilizing pipelines from Germany and Hungary. However, this will incur additional transit fees.

      At present, Slovakia is considering taking retaliatory measures against Ukraine. The ruling coalition in Slovakia has reached a preliminary agreement to stop the supply of electricity to Ukraine and significantly reduce support for Ukrainian citizens in Slovakia. The government is expected to announce the decision next Tuesday.

      Meanwhile, in Slovakia's neighbor Poland, some officials have proposed that if Slovakia cuts off the power supply to Ukraine, Poland is willing to transport electricity from its own power plants to help Ukraine through the difficulties.

      In this regard, Lukasz Wojdyga, director of the Center for Strategic Studies of the Warsaw Enterprise Institute, pointed out that Poland's electricity production mainly relies on coal, and the additional emission costs it pays account for 60 percent of the energy price, making Poland one of the countries with the most expensive electricity prices in the European Union. If Poland is determined to help Ukraine fill the electricity gap, transmitting electricity to Ukraine will further increase costs, and ultimately the interests of its own consumers will be harmed, he noted.

      German lawmaker calls for restart of Nord Stream pipeline

      German lawmaker calls for restart of Nord Stream pipeline

      German lawmaker calls for restart of Nord Stream pipeline

      German lawmaker calls for restart of Nord Stream pipeline

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      China, SCO member states pledge deeper sustainable development cooperation

      2025-04-10 17:33 Last Updated At:18:07

      China and other member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), pledged to enhance sustainable development cooperation at a Thursday conference in Tianjin, ahead of this year's SCO summit.

      As the rotating chair for this year, China is to host the SCO summit in Tianjin this autumn. The China-SCO Conference on Industrial Cooperation for Sustainable Development is one of the activities organized during a promotion event from Wednesday to Friday. It aims to promote cooperation in fields like infrastructure, energy, mining and petrifaction.

      Nearly 400 guests, including government officials and enterprises from SCO member states attended the opening session.

      "In 2024, China's trade volume with SCO member states, observer states and dialogue partners reached a record high of 890 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for about 14.4 percent of China's total foreign trade volume, fully demonstrating the tremendous vitality and broad prospects of trade development within the region," said Ling Ji, vice minister of commerce and deputy China international trade representative, at the conference.

      As China has extensive experience in promoting sustainable development, attendees from SCO member states expressed hope to strengthen cooperation with China across various sectors, said SCO Deputy Secretary General Sohail Khan.

      "China plays a very, very important, significant role in sustainable development, as I said, so we are expecting that in the sustainable development context, all member states have lot to gain and learn from China on its achievements in various areas, like agricultural industries, energy, high tech, information technology, and robot AI," he said.

      By the end of 2024, China's investment stocks in SCO member states, observer states and dialogue partners have exceeded 140 billion U.S. dollars, with the total value of contracts signed by Chinese enterprises in these countries exceeding one trillion U.S. dollars and the completed turnover surpassing 680 billion U.S. dollars.

      In 2024, about 19,000 China-Europe freight train ran through the SCO region, marking a year-on-year increase of 10.7 percent and significantly promoting regional connectivity and economic development.

      China, SCO member states pledge deeper sustainable development cooperation

      China, SCO member states pledge deeper sustainable development cooperation

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