Latest news with #ChineseFirm
CTV News
10 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Premier grilled over BC Ferries contract with China
Premier grilled over BC Ferries contract with China Back from a trade mission to Asia that did not include a stop in China, Premier David Eby was questioned about BC Ferries warding a massive contract to a Chinese firm.
ABC News
26-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Chinese ambassador blasts Darwin Port lease plan as 'ethically questionable'
Australia's ambassador to China has fired a warning shot to the Albanese government over its plans to take back the port of Darwin, describing the move as "ethically questionable". The strategically important northern Australian port has been a hotly debated national security issue since it was leased to Chinese firm Landbridge by the NT government for 99-years in 2015. During this year's federal election campaign, both Labor and the Coalition made duelling pledges to get the port "back into Australian hands". Federal Labor has not given a firm indication of exactly how it will do that, but has repeatedly said it has been speaking with Australian firms to possibly take over the lease. Ambassador Xiao Qian published a statement on his website on Sunday, days after making a trip to Darwin where he said he visited the port and met with staff at Landbridge. "A decade ago, the Landbridge Group secured the lease for the port of Darwin through an open and transparent bidding process, fully compliant with Australian laws and market principles," he said. "Over the past 10 years, Landbridge Group has made significant investments in maintaining and building Darwin Port's infrastructure, optimising its operations and management, and expanding its customer sources. "These efforts have brought remarkable improvements to the port, turning its financial situation from losses to profits and contributing positively to local economic and social development." Ambassador Qian also called on the Northern Territory and federal governments to "honour its binding commitments" under the contract and "respect the autonomous decisions made by businesses made by development needs". "Such an enterprise and project deserves encouragement, not punishment. "It is ethically questionable to lease the port when it was unprofitable and then seek to reclaim it once it becomes profitable." Members of the previous NT government that leased the port to Landbridge have said the decision was made to lease it after the federal government of the day failed to fund needed infrastructure upgrades. Federal Labor has not yet given any firm indication when it will move on its election commitment regarding changing ownership of the port. Last week, MP and special envoy for defence and northern Australia Luke Gosling said he had been meeting with potential buyers. "We want to make sure that there's a good return on investment for the Chinese owners Landbridge as well," he said. "We've no interest in blowing this up into anything, or putting a time limit on negotiations. "The port needs infrastructure development in order to make it more efficient and more effective." NT Treasurer Bill Yan said his government would work with the Commonwealth in planning for the port's future. "That will be a federal government matter between them of course and the Chinese Ambassador," he said. Landbridge has repeatedly said that the port is not for sale. The company has been contacted for comment.
Malay Mail
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Oil vs Eden: Iraqis fight to save fabled Mesopotamian Marshes from drilling and drought
HUWAIZAH MARSHES (Iraq), May 20 — Plans to drill for oil in the protected Mesopotamian Marshes of southern Iraq have galvanised villagers and activists determined to save the mythical wetlands already battered by years of drought. 'We will never accept it,' marshes activist Murtada al-Janubi told a meeting, seeking to reassure anxious residents gathered in a traditional hall made of woven reeds from the wetlands, to discuss the government's plans for the Unesco-listed area that is their home. Everyone nodded in approval. If they fail to save the Huwaizah Marshes, 'a historical era... with its heritage and southern identity will vanish for ever', Janubi, 33, told AFP during a tour of the wetlands that straddle the Iraq-Iran border. The millennia-old history of the marshes — the reputed home of the biblical Garden of Eden — 'would end with this oilfield', said the moustached, tanned activist. In 2023, as China became a major player across various sectors in Iraq, the oil-rich country awarded a Chinese firm the rights to explore the Huwaizah field. Several residents of Abu Khsaf, the village in Missan province where the meeting with activist Janubi was held, said that at the time they did not fully grasp the implications. Only this year, when heavy machinery was brought in to conduct seismic studies and open a new road, did the residents say they recognised a 'threat' to the swamplands that have sustained their traditional way of life. The government says that the oil and environment ministries are collaborating closely to avoid endangering the wetlands, and that any activity would occur near, not inside, the marshes. Satellite images of the area from March, which AFP obtained from Planet Labs, show tracks left by heavy vehicles. Wim Zwijnenburg of Dutch peace organisation PAX said the images point to the 'rapid' construction of 'a 1.3-kilometre-long dirt road in the vegetation of the marshes'. A fisherman shows his catch on Iraq's receding marshes of Hawizeh. — AFP pic 'All we want is water' Missan province already has several oilfields, including one just kilometres from the marshes. Its emissions fill the sky with heavy grey smoke, and its gas flares can be seen from the fishing boats that roam the depleted marshes, suffering after years of harsh drought and dwindling water supplies. Nestled between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the Mesopotamian Marshes depend on rivers and tributaries originating in neighbouring Turkey and Iran. Sparse rainfall and reduced water flows blamed on climate change, upstream dams and government rationing have created shortages with severe impacts on the marsh ecosystem. Residents expect the marshes to dry up in summer, hoping for a long-absent good rainy season to revive them. The current water level in many areas is less than a metre (three feet) deep. Um al-Naaj lake, once teeming with fish, is now just three metres deep, compared with at least six before the drought. Rowing his boat on the lake, fisherman Kazem Ali, 80, said that while the new project may create some jobs, 'we, the average people, will not benefit'. 'All we want is water,' he said. Rasul al-Ghurabi, a 28-year-old buffalo farmer, said he would never quit 'the marshes and the freedom that comes with them' even if the oil company offered him a job. Protected core One cool March morning, as he led his buffaloes to the marshes to graze, Ghurabi was surprised to see workers laying cables and drilling holes. A cable caused one of his animals to stumble, he said. The marshes contain a core area that serves as a habitat for numerous species, including migratory waterbirds, surrounded by a buffer zone for protection. Environmental activist Ahmed Neema uses a stick to measure the depth of the waters during a visit to Iraq's receding marshes of Hawizeh. — AFP pic Activists have accused authorities of conducting seismic studies within the core, which the state-owned Missan Oil Company denies, saying that the vehicles spotted in the area were carrying out work for a separate field nearby and had since left. The Huwaizah oilfield was discovered in the 1970s, and Iraq shares it with Iran, which has been extracting oil for a long time. The Missan Oil Company says that 300 square kilometres of the field's area overlap with the marshes' buffer zone, but that the oilfield does not encroach on the core. An environmental impact assessment concluded in 2024 would provide 'the baseline for work in the field', the company said, adding that exploration would take place 'without harming the natural habitat'. According to environment ministry official Jassem Falahi, the protected status of the marshes does not bar development projects. 'But investment is subject to specific conditions and standards that must not disturb the core area... or affect the site and its biodiversity,' he told AFP. Balance Iraqi activist Ahmed Saleh Neema, a vocal advocate for the protection of the marshes, expressed concerns that oil companies might not adhere to regulations and further drain the marshes. A Unesco spokesperson told AFP that 'concerns have been raised in recent years' over the potential impact of oil-related activities on the marshes. Across the border in Iran, local media have long warned against the environmental impact of oil projects. Gas flares at an oil refinery near Iraq's receding marshes of Hawizeh. — AFP pic In a report earlier this year, two decades into oil activities in the wetlands known in Iran as Hoor al-Azim, the Tasnim news agency said energy companies had obstructed water flows and drained areas to build infrastructure. Tasnim also said that oilfields have polluted water resources. Environmental activist Neema said authorities should strike 'a balance between two great resources: the oil and the marshes'. Iraq is one of the world's largest oil producers, and crude sales account for 90 per cent of state revenues. But while oil is financially vital, the marshes represent the livelihood of its people and 'the heritage, the folklore, and the reputation of Iraq', Neema said. Back in the village of Abu Khsaf, Janubi said: 'Our region is already teeming with oilfields. Isn't that enough?' 'Leave our marshes alone.' — AFP
