Filimone Jitoko, Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Fiji, has praised China for its leadership role in addressing global challenges, particularly in the fight against climate change.
Jitoko led a delegation to visit China from March 16 to 22 at the invitation of Zhao Leji, Chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee.
In an interview with China Media Group in Beijing on March 21, Jitoko highlighted the importance of technological assistance in helping Pacific island nations like Fiji to tackle the climate crisis while expressing gratitude to China for understanding the problems faced by them.
"I think it's important for technological assistance to help us overcome the nature of the climate that affects our well-being in the islands. How we can survive and be able to sustain our development as well as our livelihoods? The role that China has in the world, in leadership in various factors, in various areas, and various initiatives, including climate change, and we are particularly grateful to China in understanding the nature of our problems -- the small island countries of the Pacific -- and understanding and being sympathetic to our needs in terms of climate change," said Jitoko.
The speaker also expressed support for China's visionary Global Development Initiative (GDI), which aims to promote global cooperation in achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He noted that Fiji has joined the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative, a diplomatic coalition committed to supporting the GDI.
"We recognize the initiatives and the leadership role that China plays in all those areas. We look to China as a leader in these areas for guidance and also for support for the future, not only of Fiji but of the planet," said Jitoko.
Fiji Parliament speaker hails China's leadership role in addressing climate change
Los Angeles is grappling with rising costs and delays in its wildfire recovery process, as tariffs on construction materials imposed during the Trump administration compound the challenges.
The devastating wildfires recently destroyed over 17,000 homes and businesses, leaving communities urgently pushing forward with reconstruction.
The Trump administration has recently rolled out new tariffs on a wide range of construction materials, including steel and aluminum, from the main trading partners of the United States, such as Canada, Mexico, and China. This has significantly driven up costs, further complicating the recovery efforts
"As the city and county of Los Angeles move aggressively to rebuild the wildfire areas in Malibu, Pacific Palisades, and up in Altadena, to build those houses, we need softwood lumber, aluminum, and steel from Canada," said Gene Soroka, executive director of Port of Los Angeles.
While the tariffs aim to boost domestic production, the transition will take time. In the interim, the shortage of materials is creating ripple effects across the construction sector.
"We are still handling a lot of imported steel, despite the tariffs because there's not enough American manufacturing of steel right now. So, one of the unintended consequences that this has done the wrong way is you don't have enough steel. That impacts construction, that impacts economic growth across the board," said Weston Labar, chief strategy office of Waterfront Logistics.
According to the Associated General Contractors of America, housing costs could skyrocket by almost 50 percent, widening the gap between insurance payouts and actual rebuilding expenses. It may force many homeowners to delay or even abandon their reconstruction plans, prolonging the housing shortage in Los Angeles.
Tariffs are also driving up prices for other products, impacting recovery efforts.
"We need appliances from Mexico, furniture from China, and all of those prices are going up, whether anticipatory, or real as these imports are coming across our port complex. So, we've got to have some pretty detailed discussions about this because families who want to rebuild, businesses who want to get back into the office are going to be impacted by these tariffs one way or another," said Soroka.
As Los Angeles strives to recover, the economic uncertainty caused by tariffs presents a formidable obstacle.
Tariffs add strain to Los Angeles wildfire recovery efforts
