China's Xi calls for greater cooperation with Vietnam
BEIJING, April 14 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping called for stronger cooperation with Vietnam in industrial and supply chains and wider collaboration in emerging fields, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday.
Xi starts a three-nation tour of Southeast Asia this week, beginning his state visits with Vietnam from April 14 to 15.
Xi also urged strengthening coordination and cooperation through regional initiatives such as the East Asia Cooperation and the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, the ministry said, citing an article by the Chinese leader published in Vietnam media.
He called such efforts necessary to "inject more stability and positive energy into a chaotic and intertwined world".
"There are no winners in trade wars and tariff wars, and protectionism has no way out," Xi said, but did not mention the United States.
"We must firmly safeguard the multilateral trading system, maintain the stability of the global industrial and supply chains, and maintain the international environment for open cooperation," he said.
In the article, Xi said China welcomes more high-quality imports from Vietnam and encourages more Chinese enterprises to invest and start businesses in the Southeast Asian country.
Both countries should expand cooperation in emerging fields such as 5G, artificial intelligence and green development, the article said.
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The National
32 minutes ago
- The National
There can be no just transition without public ownership
As it was with Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos and his Chinese partners at Grangemouth, this is another case of local workforces and communities facing devastation at the hands of a multinational capitalist profiteer. These factories, a feature of the area since 1895, were bought by Canadian multinational New Flyer Industries in 2019. It has since devoured at least £90 million in Scottish Government subsidies – public funding to fatten their profits. There's no excuse for closure; this is not an ailing corner shop, but a global bus-building empire. It is wiping out 400 jobs directly, and at least 1400 in total, by shunting all production to Scarborough. READ MORE: Iran announces it has attacked US forces stationed at air base in Qatar The reliance of governments at both Westminster and Holyrood on inward investment by foreign capital is blown to smithereens as a strategy for prosperity with this one outrageous example. Why should the fate of our communities be dictated by faceless figures in company boardrooms thousands of miles away, as they maraud the planet in search of cheaper labour, lower overheads and centralised production to squeeze more profit out of fewer workers? But the significance of this devastating blow goes way beyond the horrendous attack on jobs, apprenticeships, and working-class families' livelihoods. The nature of work done, and far greater potential work these factories could do in building electric buses, casts a spotlight on how governments should tackle the climate catastrophe in a fashion that protects both jobs and the air we breathe. All mainstream capitalist parties have co-opted, demeaned, and bastardised the phrase originally coined by the trade union movement when they prattle on about a 'just transition'. Workers see neither justice nor any signs of a real transition to clean, green production. They are instead victims of multinationals which pollute the planet for profit and simultaneously wield the axe on jobs when it suits the one and only criterion they care about: maximisation of private profits. (Image: PA) Last week, I joined a team of Scottish Socialist Party members in Falkirk town centre, loudly campaigning for nationalisation of the two factories, to save all jobs and build fleets of green buses for a publicly owned People's Transport Service, free at the point of use for all to travel on. Queues of people came to sign our petition, making that demand on the Scottish and UK governments. The majority either had friends or relatives working at Alexander Dennis, or used to work there themselves. The large crowds, in the roasting sunshine, readily grasped our proposal of nationalisation – and government funding of councils to take ownership of all bus services – as a straightforward solution to the slaughter of jobs and the pollution caused by overuse of cars. As someone who has lived all his life in rainy climates, I have little patience with those who complain about sunny days! But we must face up to the existential threat that lies behind extreme weather conditions: the galloping climate catastrophe. Here's the rub. Transport is the single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Scotland, contributing over one-third of the total, helping to overheat the planet. The queues of cars clogging up Falkirk's one-way system were a reminder of the link between polluted air exacerbating health conditions including asthma, heart diseases and cancers, and the social pollutants of poverty, unemployment, and despair among sections of working-class communities lacking secure futures. Any government that is serious about tackling these twin catastrophes has a ready-made solution, as advocated by the SSP for more than 25 years: a vastly expanded, integrated, reliable, publicly-owned transport service, free at the point of use for all citizens, powered by clean energy. (Image: PA) The introduction of free public transport networks in more than 100 cities, regions and nations has successfully reduced car usage and put money in the pockets of working-class people. Why not Scotland? And for every £1 invested in such a pioneering plan, £1.70 would return to the local economy. Nearly one-third of Scottish households have no access to a car (46% in Glasgow and Dundee), and the cost of travel on buses and trains is prohibitive to low- and even middle-income families, creating deeper poverty and damaging social isolation. Research by consultancy Transition Economics demonstrates that 60,000 green jobs in public transport could be created with proper planning and a serious industrial strategy to operate buses, trains, subways and ferries, but also build the rolling stock and fleets of buses required. Studies show that 2900 skilled jobs could be created just to carry out a transition to electric buses alone. But what do we have instead? A multinational announcing imminent obliteration of 400 bus manufacturing jobs and three to four times that number in the supply chains – and bus services run for profit by private operators who cut routes and bus frequencies whilst ripping off passengers with ever-increasing fares. We believe public funding should be transformed into public ownership. Don't subsidise, nationalise! Without democratic public ownership of bus operators, train companies and the capitalist outfits that build buses and railway rolling stock, there is not a snowball's chance in a hellishly overheated planet of a genuinely just transition. Last week, Labour's Ed Miliband spouted rhetoric about 'a green industrial revolution', mere weeks after he told Grangemouth workers there was nothing Labour could or would do to save their jobs, despite their union advocating alternative plans of green production. The climate catastrophe is real; last year was the hottest year on record, and scientists insist there needs to be an immediate halt to fossil fuel production to avert irreversible, life-threatening damage to the planet. But there's no need to choose between skilled jobs and clean air; between poverty and pollution. On the contrary, tackling pollution and greenhouse gas emissions requires the creation of new skilled jobs. However, governments will remain incapable of implementing such an urgently required transition unless they own both the means of producing energy and of providing public transport. You can't plan what you don't control, and you can't control what you don't own. Democratic public ownership of Alexander Dennis, all bus and train companies, all forms of energy, the construction industry and banking are the foundations required to tackle the devastation of jobs and desecration of the planet. A Socialist Green New Deal would not only create at least 350,000 skilled, secure, unionised jobs in Scotland, but help reverse the climate catastrophe created by capitalist profiteering. Now wouldn't that be a real and just transition to a re-industrialised, sustainable economy – a socialist Scotland built for people, not profit?
Reuters
5 hours ago
- Reuters
Exclusive: Local Chinese governments promote 'zero mileage' used car exports, inflating sales, growth figures
BEIJING/SHANGHAI, June 24 (Reuters) - China's auto industry has inflated car sales for years through a burgeoning government-backed grey market that registers new cars right off the assembly line and then ships them overseas as "used" vehicles. These so-called "zero-mileage" cars have never been driven but they are being exported as used to markets like Russia, Central Asia and the Middle East, allowing Chinese automakers to show growth and to dispose of cars that it would be difficult to sell domestically, according to a Reuters review of government documents and interviews with five auto dealers and car traders. "This is the outcome of an almost-four-year price war that has made companies desperate to book any sales possible," said Tu Le, Michigan-based founder of consultancy Sino Auto Insights. The practice only gained national attention after the boss of Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor ( opens new tab criticized the sale of zero-mileage used cars within China in May. On June 10 the People's Daily newspaper condemned the sale of zero-mileage used cars domestically. The paper, which often signals the positions of China's top Communist Party leaders, blamed these fake used cars for driving down prices amid a withering domestic price war and called for "tough regulatory action" to restore order. But the export and sale of fake used cars is actively encouraged by regional governments in China, according to a Reuters review of state media reports and government documents. Local governments have embraced the practice as vital to meeting ambitious targets for economic growth set by Beijing, according to a Reuters review of local policy documents and state media articles. Reuters has identified 20 local governments in China - including major export hubs like Guangdong and Sichuan - that have described their support for the export of zero-mileage used cars in publicly available government documents. The tactics include creating extra licenses for the export of zero-mileage used cars, fast-tracking tax rebate claims, investing in export infrastructure, and funding networking events to encourage zero-mileage used-car exports, the government documents showed. The zero-mileage used car export market works like this: as a fresh car emerges from the assembly line, an exporter buys the car either directly from the automaker or from a dealer, registers it with a Chinese license plate, and then immediately marks it as a second-hand car for shipping abroad. Along the way, the automaker books the car as sold and logs the revenue. The show of support from local governments would make little sense anywhere outside China's centrally planned economy. But here, showing rapid growth in sales and employment can bring about promotion or unlock new funding while missing economic targets that trickle down from Beijing can lead to demotions of local officials. Because these export firms both purchase and sell a single car, the transaction value is double that of new or used-car purchases, so local governments court them to set up shop on their turf to quickly and artificially boost their GDP statistics, two Chinese auto industry executives said. The tactic is only one sign that China's car industry – the world's largest – is allowing production to outpace demand, driving a protracted domestic price war and spurring accusations of automotive "dumping" abroad. CuiDongshu, the secretary general of the China Passenger Car Association, praised the practice earlier this month during an online panel discussion hosted by Tencent's news portal, saying it was an alternative channel for automakers in China to access certain markets overseas that they may not be able to access due to rising trade barriers globally. He added that it also helped to satisfy overseas demand for China-made cars in countries where Chinese brands had yet to enter. Reuters contacted all the local governments mentioned in this article for comment but none responded. China's State Council and commerce ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Local government support has taken various forms, from simplifying paperwork, to allocating extra quotas for local vehicle registrations, to setting up free warehouses for zero-mileage used cars close to China's land and maritime borders, the Chinese documents showed. In February 2024, the planning commission of the southern city of Shenzhen, one of China's richest cities and a tech hub that is home to Huawei and Tencent, pledged to expand the export of zero-mileage used cars as part of efforts to reach an annual target to export 400,000 vehicles of all kinds. Nearby, the southern Chinese metropolis Guangzhou announced earlier this year it had created a mechanism to support and accelerate the export of zero-mileage gasoline vehicles by allocating extra quotas for local registrations that are otherwise capped to mitigate traffic congestion and air pollution in the city. Xinmi, a district of Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of China's third-most populous province of Henan, said in February that it helped local firm Xinjiasheng Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd to "promote zero-mileage used car exports, in order to use exports to drive domestic sales." Reuters found a dozen municipalities were boosting the export of zero-mileage used cars as part of their strategy or core to their plans for growth. Sichuan province, one of China's most important economic engines, said in October in a policy document it had supported the creation of an "online export ecosystem for zero-mileage used NEVs" by promoting e-commerce platforms like Alibaba International, where 100 Sichuan-based used-car sellers are now active. Xinjiasheng Supply Chain Management and Alibaba did not respond to requests for comment. The practice began sometime after 2019 when China allowed used cars to be exported to other countries. Now thousands of traders are involved in passing off new cars as used to qualify for the channel, according to Wang Meng, a consultant for the China Automobile Dealers Association. Of the 436,000 used passenger and commercial vehicles exported by China in 2024, 90% are estimated to be "zero-mileage," Wang said. China overtook Japan to become the world's largest exporter of new cars in 2023 and exported 6.41 million vehicles last year, according to the China Passenger Car Association. Of these, about 6% would have actually been zero-mileage used cars, according to Wang's estimates. Two dealers and two industry experts said the majority of zero-mileage used cars are gasoline powered and thus less desirable in the Chinese market. But electric vehicles, which are subject to generous government-funded purchase subsidies, also make up a significant portion. Huanyu Auto, a used-car seller in China's west metropolis of Chongqing, expanded to the zero-mileage used-car business in 2022. The returns were so good in 2022 and 2023 that they were able to earn 10,000 yuan ($1,400) in profit off an electric sedan that they had purchased in China for 40,000 yuan by selling it in Central Asia, said William Ng, director of the firm's international market division. Criticism has started to mount. On June 7, Zhu Huarong, chairman of Chinese automaker Changan called for a crackdown on exports of zero-mileage used cars at a Chinese auto conference, saying the practice could "enormously damage Chinese brands' image" abroad. Changan did not respond to a request for further comment. Xing Lei, the Massachusetts-based founder of consultancy AutoXing which provides insights on Chinese EV companies to foreign investors, said the practice could cause foreign investors to assess Chinese automakers' sales skeptically. "How many are real or inflated? No one knows," he said. The proliferation of new cars being shipped for sale with "used" tags is reinforcing fears that China is dumping subsidized vehicles overseas, at a time when Beijing is scrambling to find export markets outside the United States, now heavily protected by tariffs. Some countries, concerned that the influx of cars will crowd out local dealers and confuse consumers, are starting to push back. "We're definitely seeing friction and tension in markets where there are already manufacturers on the ground there," said Michael Dunne, a consultant who closely follows the China auto industry. Russia in 2023 issued a government decree effectively banning zero-mileage used cars from brands that already had official distributors in the country. The commerce bureau of Heihe, a Chinese city that sits on the China-Russia border, said last November on its website that this applied to Chinese brands such as Chery, Changan, and Geely. Geely declined to comment while Chery and Changan did not respond to requests for comment. Other countries' market regulators, including Jordan, are finetuning their definition of used cars by mandating a longer period after a vehicle's licensing or production before it is classified as used. Ng, of Huanyu Auto, said growing competition from new entrants such as mom-and-pop stores and even TikTokers selling zero-mileage used cars was causing the trade to become less lucrative. "They used to sell vases, wine and are now selling cars in the same way," he said of the new entrants. "This is chaos."
Powys County Times
7 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Lammy urges Reform's newest MP to ‘get some help' over ‘conspiracy theories'
David Lammy has urged a Reform UK MP to 'get some help' because she is 'swallowing conspiracy theories'. Sarah Pochin had asked the Foreign Secretary whether the US felt unable to use the UK-US airbase on Diego Garcia, following the Government's deal with Mauritius over the Chagos Islands. Responding during a statement on the Middle East, Mr Lammy said the MP for Runcorn and Helsby should 'get off social media'. The UK-operated base in the Chagos Islands was not used in the US strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty has said. He added that the US did not ask to use it, as he answered questions from the Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday. Speaking in the Commons, Ms Pochin said: 'Is he (Mr Lammy) able to explain to the House whether the United States felt unable to use the Diego Garcia base and have to refuel, in a highly dangerous operation three times because of that, because of your deal that you did with the with the Mauritians, that would then tell the Chinese, that would then tell the Iranians?' Mr Lammy replied: 'The honourable lady has got (to) get off social media, has got to get some help… because she is swallowing conspiracy theories that should not be repeated in this House.' The deal over the Chagos Islands follows a 2019 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice which says the islands should be handed over to Mauritius. As well as establishing a £40 million fund for Chagossians, the UK has agreed to pay Mauritius at least £120 million a year for 99 years in order to lease back the Diego Garcia base – a total cost of at least £13 billion in cash terms. During the statement on Monday, Mr Lammy was pressed by MPs on the UK's position following the US military action. Conservative MP Lincoln Jopp (Spelthorne) said: 'Does His Majesty's Government support or oppose US military action against Iran at the weekend?' Mr Lammy replied: 'His Majesty's Government will continue to work with our closest ally, as I was last week in Washington DC.' Liberal Democrat MP Mike Martin (Tunbridge Wells) said: 'What is UK Government policy on whether regime change should be pursued in Iran?' Mr Lammy replied: 'It is not our belief that it's for us to change the regime of any country, that it must be for the people themselves.' SNP MP Brendan O'Hara (Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber) said: 'We've been here for an hour, and still the Foreign Secretary appears incapable of saying whether he supports or condemns America's actions, or whether he regards them as being legal or not. 'And nowhere in this statement does the role of international law even merit a mention. So will the Foreign Secretary take this opportunity now to tell us whether he believes that America's unilateral action was compliant with international law?' Mr Lammy replied: 'I've got to tell (Mr O'Hara), I qualified and was called to the bar in 1995, I haven't practised for the last 25 years. 'It is not for me to comment on the United States' legal validity. I would refer him to article 51 and article two of the UN Charter, and he can seek his own advice.' In a later statement on UK military base protection, Liberal Democrat MP Cameron Thomas (Tewkesbury) accused Reform UK MP Richard Tice of demonstrating 'ignorance of RAF force protection by tweeting that Group Captain Louise Henton's background in human resources led to last week's infiltration of RAF Brize Norton'. Over the weekend, Mr Tice, MP for Boston and Skegness, had posted on X: 'RAF BRIZE NORTON. Kept safe and secure by an HR manager. Well done folks.' Labour's Louise Jones had also hit out at 'certain pathetic little people' for criticising women for doing their jobs. The MP for North East Derbyshire said: 'I would like to address one issue that reared its head over the weekend as one of the only female veterans in this Parliament. 'Unfortunately, certain pathetic little people took this incident and decided to come out of the woodwork and criticise people for doing their job whilst being female. 'I know, as a woman serving in the armed forces, every opportunity that has been given to women, we have earned through serving on operations and proving time and time again, we are worthy to be there. 'I was very conscious when I was serving that I had to be perfect, because any fault or flaw that I showed would not be held just against me, but against all the women that I was serving with. Could the minister stand up and say now to every woman serving in the armed forces that we respect and recognise their service?' Mr Pollard replied: 'It is outrageous the comments … that were made at the weekend about our serving military. I notice there is not a single Reform MP here for this statement. 'Let me be absolutely clear, I believe on a cross-party basis that all parties present in the chamber today back our forces. We don't take to Twitter to mock them. We respect service on a cross-party basis. We do not belittle senior officers based on their gender or experience. 'We need to be better than this, just as we ask our armed forces to address cultural concerns, we need to be alive for that in our politics as well – calling out misogyny wherever it rears its ugly head.'
