Category: World

At a vegetable cultivation facility in Deqing county, Zhejiang province, clusters of tomatoes hang from branches like red and green Christmas ornaments, while workers shuttle back and forth, busily harvesting, sorting and packaging the fresh produce for distribution nationwide.

Spanning nearly 40 mu (2.67 hectares), Shuimu Vegetable Factory is the first agricultural complex in the country to possess national independent intellectual property rights. In contrast to traditional agricultural bases, the digital vegetable factory requires only 10 staffers.

The facility said its advanced agricultural facilities and equipment have employed techniques such as soilless cultivation and water-saving irrigation, along with an intelligent automated control system, thus breaking the seasonal constraints of traditional planting and enabling uninterrupted year-round production.

For instance, tomato cultivation at the factory has achieved full-life-cycle digital management, ensuring not only controlled product quality, but also reduced waste. With an annual output of 1.25 million kilograms of tomatoes, it can meet annual consumption demand of nearly 50,000 people, it said.

“At present, during the critical period of vegetable sales, we are employing soilless cultivation and full-scale digital management. Stable electricity supply enables us to achieve uninterrupted planting and cultivation,” said Alfa, the factory’s director.

The local power supplier has helped inspect distribution transformers and lines in the factory, conducted in-depth inspections of smart greenhouses, and checked facilities such as self-service fertilization machines and heat pump systems to ensure seamless electricity usage, he said.

“Following their suggestions, we replaced the old natural gas boiler heating equipment with geothermal or photovoltaic equipment to reduce energy costs. Now, energy consumption of heating equipment has been reduced by about 50 percent, saving a considerable amount of power costs,” said the factory director.

To serve the digital transformation of the local agricultural industry and boost rural vitalization, Deqing has ramped up efforts to construct its village-level grid network, providing one-on-one electricity services and actively promoting smart energy management actions.

The move aims to enhance the reliability of farms’ electrical equipment, reduce their annual operating and maintenance costs, reduce emissions of pollutants and contribute to green and prosperous rural development, said State Grid Deqing County Power Supply Co.

Zhou Mi, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said the rapid development of smart farming will inevitably result in surging power demand. Therefore, it is of great significance to ensure a stable and safe power supply to relevant entities.

“The power supplier should take full account of the rural areas’ different characteristics, as well as the different intelligent technologies they have adopted, so as to customize service plans that suit them most. A good match between the power supplier and the power consumer can help reduce energy loss and thereby increase the efficiency of energy utilization,” said Zhou.

He added that the distributed generation of electricity should be further promoted in smart farming, which not only relieves stress on the main grid, but also strengthens the stability of the power supply for urban areas and industrial production.

Similarly, at a greenhouse in Zhendong village, Santang town, Anhui province, a dozen workers are busy harvesting Shanghai bok choy vegetables.

Currently, production and sales of bok choy in the area have entered the peak season. After weighing and packing, the vegetables are transported to the storage facility before being shipped in bulk to the Yangtze River Delta region such as Shanghai and Nanjing, Jiangsu province.

Santang is one of the major bok choy planting bases in the country. In recent years, some local growers have increased their yields and income by adopting new technologies and new equipment for large-scale cultivation.

“I have planted 60 mu of bok choy this year. All the watering equipment has been upgraded to be digitally automated, and by simply pressing a button, the irrigation process begins. New technologies and equipment have increased both efficiency and income,” said Wang Wenpeng, owner of the greenhouse in Zhendong village.

With help from cutting-edge technologies, data points such as temperature, humidity, soil fertility and light intensity can be monitored in real-time, ensuring suitable conditions for vegetable cultivation, Wang said.

“With stable and sufficient electricity connected to the greenhouse, the intelligent management system achieves higher production and saves a significant amount in costs,” Wang said, adding that improved conditions lead to shortened growing periods of about 20 days, and with seven to eight harvests per year, local incomes have been significantly increased, thus encouraging more farmers to engage in greenhouse-based vegetable cultivation.

Vegetable planting area in Santang town has now reached 800 mu, with an annual output of over 100,000 metric tons. Greenhouse vegetable cultivation has become a signature industry in the area.

“Smart farming lays a solid foundation for the country’s rural vitalization,” said Cui Ningbo, a professor at the college of economics and management of Northeast Agricultural University.

Cui said smart farming enables rural areas to efficiently allocate local resources and develop a series of new industries, including drones for crop protection, self-driving tractors and rural e-commerce.

Such smart technologies also help reduce uncertainty in agricultural production, thereby lowering production costs and ensuring sustainable growth of farming income, Cui added.

In rural areas of Wulian county, Shandong province, intelligent natural environment-simulative equipment allows mushroom greenhouses to operate year-round.

Integrating research and development, production, processing and sales of edible fungi yields, the edible and medicinal mushroom science and technology demonstration park in Wulian has a total investment of 50 million yuan ($6.9 million) and covers an area of more than 30,000 square meters. It mainly grows high-end edible fungi such as Dictyophora indusiata and Cordyceps militaris, which are sold to first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, driving the development of high-end fungi industries in more than a dozen surrounding villages and facilitating employment of local farmers.

Since the growth of mushrooms involves high requirements related to temperature, humidity, light and other environmental conditions, cultivation requires a complete set of electrified bionic cultivation system technologies.

Therefore, each greenhouse is equipped with temperature and humidity sensors, which can complete automated monitoring and control, realizing the transformation from traditional planting methods to digitalized and technology-driven modalities.

However, such smart systems also require stable and reliable power support. “Recently, the temperature in the greenhouses was relatively high, and irrigation was needed every day. With the electrical equipment guaranteed, we feel more at ease,” said a manager surnamed Gao, who is in charge of the park.

“We have set up a special power supply service team to provide door-to-door services and solve power problems on-site according to the needs of each stage in order to ensure the steady development of the local mushroom industry,” said State Grid Wulian County Power Supply Co.

“Changes in rural populations and development of rural industries will lead to a series of far-reaching impacts on the planning, construction and operation of rural power infrastructure and services,” said Yan Hu, a researcher with the State Grid Energy Research Institute, in an earlier interview.

In recent years, China has issued a series of policies to advance the digitalization of agriculture, stressing further efforts to utilize information technologies — such as the internet of things, big data, blockchain and artificial intelligence — in agricultural production.

For instance, according to an action plan published by the central authorities in December, agricultural entities and relevant service enterprises in China will strive to develop precision farming based on key data concerning weather, soil and pests in the next three years, thereby continuously improving agricultural production efficiency.

China on Tuesday voiced serious concern over the arrest and prosecution of the Chinese citizens and strongly urge the UK to earnestly protect the lawful rights and interests of Chinese citizens in the UK.

Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry made the remarks during a routine press conference on Tuesday on reports about three men who were charged with allegedly “assisting Hong Kong’s foreign intelligence service in Britain.”

The Chinese Embassy in the UK, the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the HKSAR government all voiced the strong opposition and condemnation against the UK’s act.

Zheng Zeguang, Chinese Ambassador to the UK, met with officials from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on Tuesday, lodging stern representations against the UK’s unfounded accusations against Chinese citizens. Zheng rejected the UK’s explanations on the spot and warned the UK to cease its political manipulation and not to proceed further down the dangerous path of damaging China-UK relations, according to the Chinese Embassy.

Zheng urged the UK side to immediately correct its mistakes, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, stop spreading the so-called “China threat” lies, cease its anti-China political provocations, and stop arbitrary law enforcement against Chinese citizens in the UK.

The UK must ensure the safety and legitimate rights of all Chinese institutions and personnel in the UK. China warns the UK that any actions interfering in China’s internal affairs or harming China’s interests will be firmly countered, the Chinese envoy said.

Some experts said the UK’s latest move shows that the UK government seems addicted to hyping up the so-called Chinese espionage, and its arrest of three people, including Chinese citizens, under the pretext of monitoring “pro-democracy” activities, aimed to warn against harassing individuals “protected by the UK.” Such acts will cause a further deterioration in China-UK relations, warned experts, who also noted that if the local court ultimately convicts the three individuals, it could lead to a diplomatic incident.

The three men are charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service between December 2023 and May 2024 by “agreeing to undertake information gathering, surveillance and acts of deception” in Britain, according to the charges brought in court, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

Bill Yuen Chung-biu is listed as the office manager of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in London.

Another man, Peter Wai, 38, a dual British and Chinese national, is a UK Border Force officer and ran his own private security firm, according to the media report. And the third defendant, Matthew Trickett, is a former Royal Marine commando who works as a Home Office enforcement officer and also runs a private security firm.

For quite some time, the UK has repeatedly hyped up “China spies” and “China’s cyberattacks.” All these accusations are groundless and unacceptable vilification. China firmly opposes such despicable, politically-driven ploys in the name of legal justice and national security, Wang said

British politicians have recently started a fresh round of “China threat” hype with the focus on cybersecurity and “Chinese spying,” which serves as smear campaign in line with their long-term anti-China stance but intensified by the upcoming general election, experts said.

“These events reflect that the British government seems somewhat addicted now to hyping up the so-called Chinese espionage,” Gao Jian, director of the Center for British Studies at Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

In fact, the UK’s entire stance on issues related to Hong Kong is still influenced by a lingering colonial-era mentality, Gao said. Within the UK’s political atmosphere, the political class continues to hold an inexplicable and undeniable sense of regulatory responsibility toward Hong Kong, even after its return to the motherland, which reflects a deep-seated cultural attachment to the UK’s colonial past, Gao noted.

In a press conference on Tuesday, the HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee said the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices established abroad by the HKSAR government strive to fulfill their duties, and any interference with the work of these offices is a violation of the principles of free trade and a free economy.

“If a country attempts to interfere with the operations of these offices, it will ultimately harm the local economy,” Lee said.

What the UK refers to as information gathering may just be seen as normal information collection for Hong Kong and not threatening to the UK’s national security, Lau Siu-kai, a consultant from the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies who is also a senior policy advisor, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Accusing a government of another country or region of committing espionage within one country’s own borders is a serious allegation, and it is difficult to convince the other party and will inevitably trigger diplomatic tensions between the two countries, particularly between China and the UK, Lau noted.

The South China Morning Post said it is not clear whom the trio were allegedly spying on. But it is understood that Nathan Law Kwun-chung, an infamous fugitive, who has lived in the UK since 2020, could have been among their alleged targets.

Since the enactment of the National Security Law for Hong Kong and the improvement of Hong Kong’s local security law, along with the more comprehensive anti-espionage law, loopholes in the management system have been effectively closed, eliminating certain channels through which the UK interfered in China’s internal affairs and Hong Kong’s affairs, Gao noted. “This has significantly curbed the arrogance of anti-China forces in the UK.”

“The UK arrested Hong Kong government employees under the pretext of monitoring ‘pro-democracy’ activists, aiming to warn against harassing individuals protected by the UK,” Lau said.

“This is anticipated to cause a further deterioration in China-UK relations, and if the court ultimately convicts the three individuals, it could lead to a diplomatic incident,” the expert said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise trip to Kyiv on Tuesday, meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky as Russian forces make significant gains on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Blinken’s visit was the first by a Biden administration official since the long-delayed passage of US supplemental funding to the war-torn country.

“I have come to Ukraine with a message: You are not alone,” he said during a speech at the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.

In their meeting Zelensky urged Blinken to provide more military support to the Ukrainian military, including additional air defense support. “We want to get it as soon as possible, and the second point is air defense, the biggest deficit for us. I think the biggest problem is that we really need today two patriots for the Kharkiv region, because there are people – they are under attack, civilians, warriors, everybody – they are under Russian missiles,” he told reporters.

Russia is pushing ahead with its new advance into northeastern Ukraine after making several major advances there over the past week – Moscow’s most significant gains since Kyiv’s forces recaptured Kharkiv in late summer 2022.

Blinken and Zelensky “discussed recent battlefield updates and the importance of newly-arrived U.S. security assistance to helping repel Russian attacks,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a read-out following the meeting.

In a Monday evening address, hours before he met Blinken, Zelensky said: “We understand how the enemy is acting and we see the plan to draw our forces back.”

US President Joe Biden signed a $95 billion foreign aid package last month that includes nearly $61 billion for Ukraine, following a successful six-month campaign by the White House to build support in a House GOP conference increasingly resistant to sending more money overseas.

Blinken previously admitted that there was a “cost” to the delayed funding for Ukraine. But he focused his speech on what he said was support for Ukraine from “a significant majority of Americans.”

“After the delay in approving the latest US assistance package to Ukraine, a delay that left you more vulnerable to Russia’s attacks, some Ukrainians may be wondering whether you can count on America to sustain its commitment,” Blinken said in his speech. “The $60 billion aid package that was approved by our Congress, with overwhelming support across both political parties in both houses of Congress, I think demonstrates that you can.”

Before he met Zelensky, Blinken said that US weapons from that recent assistance package had started arriving in Ukraine, and more were on the way to help it succeed on the battlefield with Russia.

“We know this is a challenging time,” Blinken said. “But we also know that in the near term, the assistance is now on the way. Some of it already arrived, and more of it will be arriving, and that’s going to make a real difference against the Russian aggression on the battlefield.”

He also praised the “extraordinary courage of the Ukrainian people” and said that “we are equally determined that Ukraine stands strongly on its own feet, militarily, economically, democratically, a strong, successful, thriving, free Ukraine is the best possible rebuke to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin.”

Amid Ukrainian setbacks on the battlefield, Blinken praised the country’s resiliance.

“There’s one thing that Putin has always underestimated, but that Ukrainians understand to their core, and that’s the fierceness with which free people will defend their right to shape their own destiny,” Blinken said in his speech.

Blinken committed to helping Ukraine build its “force of the future” and reiterated that the US intends to make use of seized Russian assets to provide funding to Ukraine for their reconstruction.

“Our Congress has given us the power to seize Russian assets in the United States. We intend to use it,” said Blinken during the speech. “What Putin destroyed, Russia should and must pay to rebuild.”

Blinken said the US is working with other G7 countries to do the same with “Russia’s immobilized sovereign assets.”

“The G7 can unlock billions of dollars and send a powerful message to Putin that time is not on his side,” said Blinken without giving a timeline for when these efforts might be realized.

Western leaders have reacted with concern to Russia’s new and unexpected assault in Kharkiv. UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron acknowledged it was an “extremely dangerous” moment in the war, telling Sky News that Russia had effectively “invaded [Ukraine] again.”

During his fourth visit to Ukraine since the 2022 Russian invasion, Blinken also met Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba as well as with civil society and private sector partners.

Blinken also used his visit to highlight the need for Ukraine to continue making democratic reforms to maintain its global coalition of support.

“Winning on the battlefield will prevent Ukraine from becoming part of Russia; winning the war against corruption will keep Ukraine from becoming like Russia,” he said.

It is “important that Ukraine keeps taking the difficult steps to strengthen and consolidate your democracy. Because the choices that you make, the kind of democracy that you build, will determine the strength and the staying power of the coalition by Ukraine’s side,” Blinken said.

He called on Ukraine to “root out the scourge of corruption once and for all” and said the US will continue supporting Kyiv’s efforts.

“Ukraine’s security is eroded if the resources for its military are siphoned off by individuals looking to enrich themselves. Ukraine’s economic potential is undercut if investors and innovators cannot count on a level playing field. Ukraine’s democracy is weakened if citizens stop believing that they can hold their government accountable and fix the flaws in their system from within,” Blinken said.

Just days before Blinken’s arrival, Ukraine’s top general said the situation in the northeastern Kharkiv region has “significantly worsened” after Russia claimed to have captured four more villages as it expanded its surprise cross-border offensive.

US officials acknowledge that the slowdown in US support, due to congressional infighting, has exacerbated a challenging situation for Ukraine.

“There is no doubt there has been a cost,” Blinken said over the weekend on CBS. “We’re doing everything we can to rush this assistance out there,” he said. “But it’s a challenging moment.”

Some of the supplemental support is already on the front lines, Blinken said. Specifically the US has started to flow in ATACMS missile systems “particularly with an eye towards Russia’s activities right now in Kharkiv,” a senior US official added.

“It’s a tough fight. There is no question. But we have a lot of confidence that the Ukrainians will increasingly be effective in pushing the Russians back as our assistance flows in both from the United States and other allies and partners,” the official said.

Russian forces have made advances south into Ukrainian villages in the Kharkiv region, after launching their surprise cross-border assault four days ago.

One of the main Russian efforts appears targeted on Lyptsi, described by one Ukrainian military blogger as “a very important village” due to its position on Ukraine’s second defensive line.

The intention behind Russia’s new push, which began in the early hours of Friday morning, is unclear; it may be to create a buffer zone designed to reduce Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory, or possibly even a renewed assault on the city of Kharkiv, 30 kilometers (18 miles) to the south.

Equally, it could be an attempt to draw Ukrainian forces away from other key Russian objectives further south – a rationale Zelensky offered in a Sunday evening address.

Officials have told CNN there will be a lag time between the approval of the billions earmarked for Ukraine in the aid bill and the arrival of the majority of the assistance that will make a significant difference on the front lines.

Those officials said Western intelligence believes Russia is seeking to exploit that gap in delivery time to further step-up air and ground attacks on Ukraine in what it sees as a “window of opportunity.”

State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told a news briefing Monday the US anticipates Russia will “press forward” in Kharkiv, and that while Russia may “make further advances in the coming weeks,” the US does not “anticipate any major breakthroughs.”

“Over time, the additional influx of US assistance and continued support from partners will enable Ukraine to continue to withstand this kind of aggression,” Patel said.

US officials have looked to find ways to quickly provide vital military supplies to Ukraine from the aid package, utilizing the presidential drawdown authority (PDA), which pulls equipment from existing US stocks.

Just moments after Biden signed the aid bill last month, the US announced a $1 billion PDA package, with the president saying at the time that shipments of the equipment to Ukraine would begin “in the next few hours.”

And on Friday, the US announced another PDA package worth $400 million and a $30 million sale of HIMARS, a rocket launcher that Kyiv’s military has used to great effect against Russian forces.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Monday that the administration would announce a third PDA package in the coming days, “to really accelerate the tempo of the deliveries.”

“The delay put Ukraine in a hole and we’re trying to help them to get out of that hole as rapidly as possible,” Sullivan said.

A loophole in the House of Commons’ spending rules has allowed MPs travelling to party conventions to bill taxpayers for more than half a million dollars over the past year — even though House of Commons rules normally prohibit MPs from charging expenses linked to partisan political activity.

Since May 2023, MPs have charged to the House of Commons $538,314 in travel, accommodation, meals and incidental costs associated with attending caucus meetings held in connection with party conventions — including more than $84,000 for travel by “designated travellers,” often MPs’ spouses.

Expense claims filed to the Senate by seven Conservative senators for travel, accommodation and per diems added another $26,293 to the total.

Conservative MPs racked up 79 per cent of the spending by MPs. They billed the House of Commons $426,283 to attend a caucus meeting associated with the Conservative Party’s policy convention in Quebec City in September 2023, including $331,699 for travel, $71,408 for accommodations and $21,053 for meals and incidentals.

Conservative MPs were the only ones to bill Parliament for spouses’ travel to a caucus meeting.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre did not file an expense claim to the House of Commons from his MP’s budget for travel to Quebec City.

New Democratic Party MPs collectively filed the second highest total in expenses; they billed Parliament $83,087 to send MPs and a dozen of their employees to a caucus meeting associated with the party’s convention in Hamilton in October 2023.

One of NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s employees charged an expense claim to Singh’s House of Commons MP’s budget, but Singh himself did not.

The Bloc Québécois, whose MPs are all located in Quebec, billed the House of Commons $28,943 for travel to a caucus meeting linked to the party’s convention in Drummondville, Que., in May 2023. Leader Yves-François Blanchet was among five Bloc MPs who didn’t file claims for travel to Drummondville.

In a small number of cases, the expense claims filed by MPs from different parties included stops in Ottawa and other cities, or tacked on other activities like language training.

The Liberal Party is the only party recognized in the House whose MPs did not file expenses for attending a caucus meeting connected to a convention in the past year.

Liberal House leader says loophole should be closed

While a handful of Liberal MPs’ staffers billed the House of Commons for travel from the riding to Ottawa at the same time the party was holding its convention in Ottawa, the party did not hold a caucus meeting in connection with the convention. Most MPs were already in Ottawa at the time because the House of Commons sat the week before and after the May convention.

Liberal MPs have billed the House of Commons over the years for travel to caucus meetings outside Ottawa that were not associated with a party convention.

Government House leader Steven MacKinnon said the Liberal Party decided in the leadup to its 2014 party convention in Montreal not to take advantage of the clause in the House of Commons spending rules that effectively allows MPs to bill Parliament for travel to party conventions.

“We knew that that loophole existed, that caucuses were fine, conventions not fine and that Liberals wouldn’t play that game of conveniently scheduling a caucus meeting around a party convention,” MacKinnon told CBC News.

“This is a loophole. I would welcome a discussion around tightening or closing that loophole and I hope that that’s what can occur.”

The clause that basically allows MPs to bill the House of Commons for travel to party conventions dates back to November 2011, when the Board of Internal Economy — which oversees the management of the House of Commons and its spending — added a clarification to the rules that govern MPs’ expenses.

Under House of Commons rules, MPs generally cannot charge expenses related to partisan political activity, such as party conventions or fundraising events. MPs who have used House of Commons resources for partisan purposes, such as filming political videos in their Parliament Hill offices, have been fined.

MPs can, however, claim expenses related to national caucus meetings, which are considered part of their parliamentary duties.

If a party holds a national caucus meeting at the same time and place as its party convention, MPs, their employees and designated travellers can charge travel, two nights of accommodation, meals and incidentals to attend the caucus meeting — effectively subsidizing their travel to the convention at the same time.

Conservative Party says its people followed the rules

The Senate prohibits senators from using Senate resources for a variety of political party events, including leadership events, but makes an exception for national conventions. The 13 Conservative Party senators are the only ones in the now largely independent 105-seat Senate who belong to a political party that holds national conventions.

Sebastian Skamski, director of media relations for Poilievre, said Conservative MPs followed the House of Commons rules in Quebec City. He said factors like the size of a party’s caucus and where an MP lives can influence the cost.

“There is an unavoidable difference for an MP that needs to fly from rural Alberta to Quebec City to attend a caucus meeting than an MP that drives from Toronto to London to do the same,” he said.

Skamski said that, unlike the Liberals, the Conservatives have often held their caucus retreats in Ottawa, resulting in no additional costs to taxpayers.

“The Trudeau government is in no position to lecture anyone and pontificate on the subject after expensing over $1.3 million on so-called ‘affordability retreats,’ which resulted in life becoming less affordable for Canadians,” he said.

Skamski said the Liberal Party’s caucus retreat in New Brunswick in 2022 cost taxpayers $428,258, some of it billed to the House of Commons and some expenses for staffers in ministers’ offices and the Prime Minister’s Office billed to those offices. Skamski said the figures include $43,292 in expenses for MPs’ designated travellers.

The New Brunswick caucus meeting was not connected to a party convention.

Skamski said the Conservatives are not aware of any proposal to change the House of Commons expense rules for caucus meetings.

“If one were to be brought forward, we would of course consider it and additionally propose changes that would ban taxpayer funding for luxurious Liberal cabinet retreats outside of those held in government offices in Ottawa,” he said.

NDP House leader Peter Julian said holding caucus meetings in other parts of the country is a common practice for political parties.

“We had caucus events in Hamilton so that we could continue to do the planning work needed for the coming weeks,” Julian wrote in an e-mail. “All of the House of Commons travel guidelines were followed and we’ll adhere to any changes to the rules made moving forward.”

Bloc Québécois press secretary Joanie Riopel said the Bloc uses caucus meetings outside Ottawa to learn more about regional issues.

“Bloc Québécois MPs reunite in caucus outside of Ottawa, on the sidelines of conventions and other activities of the same type, and often organize tours to meet local actors and notably to discuss regional realities,” she said. “It all has the goal that elected officials be the [most] efficient possible in their work as spokespeople in the House of Commons.”

MacKinnon, however, was sharply critical of the practice and said it wouldn’t pass a smell test.

“Let’s state the obvious here. They’re not travelling to attend a caucus meeting. They’re travelling to attend a national convention of the party, an intensely partisan event,” he said.

“They get caught red-handed, not only creating some bogus caucus opportunity but also in bringing their spouses and others along with them for the ride and charging it up to taxpayers.”

Political scientist calls on MPs to set ‘example’

MacKinnon, who sits on the Board of Internal Economy (BOIE), said the board should consider closing the loophole and Conservative MPs should consider repaying the House of Commons.

Geneviève Tellier, professor of political studies at the University of Ottawa, said Parliament makes a distinction between the parliamentary and the political activities of MPs for a reason, but the House of Commons is also free to adopt its own rules.

“The decision is a bit surprising for me because I would have thought that there are maybe other priorities, other needs within Parliament that need funding, but they don’t have the funding to do so,” she said.

Tellier also questioned why Conservative MPs are billing the House of Commons for travel to a party convention, including by designated travellers, when the party’s coffers are well stocked.

“Probably it would be better for them to set the example and say we don’t go that way, we don’t authorize that type of spending,” she said. “They have the money anyway to pay for the travel of people that they want for their convention from the party funds.”

The U.S. government’s latest move to slap heavy tariffs on Chinese imports, including electric vehicles and solar cells, shows protectionism and industrial policy is the new consensus approach to economic challenges, which is an “unfortunate shift” in U.S. policy, a senior economist said on Tuesday.

The United States is increasing tariffs on $18 billion worth of Chinese imports, targeting electric vehicles (EVs), advanced batteries, steel and critical minerals, the White House said on Tuesday.

The fresh levies come on top of the already massive tariffs imposed on more than $300 billion worth of Chinese goods, which were introduced during the Trump administration, according to the result of a four-year review of the China Section 301 tariffs, released by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on Tuesday.

The review was undertaken under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which Trump invoked to first launch the China tariffs in 2018.

The centerpiece of the new tariffs is a quadrupling of levies on Chinese EVs to 100 percent starting this year, an attempt analysts said would likely result in thwarting the Biden administration’s own efforts to fight climate change by speeding up EV adoption.

Erica York, a senior economist and research director with the Tax Foundation’s Center for Federal Tax Policy, said that at present, consumers are not likely to see an immediate increase in costs because Chinese EVs are already locked out of the U.S. market.

“Longer term though, it means American consumers will lack choices, including competitively priced and innovative Chinese EVs and face higher prices for green tech and green energy at home,” York told China Daily on Tuesday.

York’s organization has estimated that the current tariffs and retaliation will reduce long-run U.S. output by about 0.25 percent, costing thousands of jobs and reducing incomes.

Maintaining the current tariffs, which have been costly to American consumers and the manufacturing sector, and doubling or quadrupling down on the approach, will further increase costs, insulate U.S. businesses from competitive pressures that lead to long-run improvements, and put U.S. manufacturers at a competitive disadvantage abroad, according to York.

“Protectionism and industrial policy are not a recipe for success; instead, policymakers should pursue reforms that encourage investment, innovation and competition,” she added.

The tariffs that take effect this year also cover solar cells, syringes, needles, steel and aluminum products, according to a statement from the USTR.

The tariff rate on semiconductors will surge from 25 percent to 50 percent by next year, while levies on Chinese EV batteries and battery parts will more than triple to 25 percent by 2026.

Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow and trade expert at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, noted that as some tariffs are to be phased in over a couple of years, they won’t have an “immediate” effect.

“But for sure they will delay the rate of EV adoption and hurt the clean-air agenda,” Hufbauer said of Biden’s climate agenda, which includes ramping up the adoption of EVs to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

The expert said that the tariffs are a “definite negative” for U.S.-China relations.

China’s Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday that the U.S. tariff hike goes against the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and the promises of President Joe Biden, and will “seriously affect the atmosphere of bilateral cooperation”.

“I expect China to retaliate in a measured way against iconic U.S. exports,” Hufbauer said. “I’m sure Beijing is studying the menu.”

The Commerce Ministry said China will take “resolute” measures to safeguard its own rights and interests, according to a statement.

U.S. media reports on Tuesday pointed to the fact that the tariffs in an election year come in the middle of a heated campaign between Biden and his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, where they both resort to China-bashing tactics.

A new set of polls show that Trump leads Biden in five of six crucial election battleground states, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and Pennsylvania.

“The timing is specifically aimed at voters in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan — auto and steel states,” Hufbauer said.

“Since Trump promises equal or higher tariffs, I doubt the announcement will shift many votes toward Biden, but it may avoid further losses to voters who welcome protection,” he added.

Douglas H. Paal, distinguished fellow of the Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said Tuesday’s announcement of fresh tariffs constituted one form of the U.S. response to the “serious trade issues” with China.

“When leaders are weak in election years, they resort to popular measures that may be less effective in reality than in rhetoric. That is where we are,” Paal told China Daily.

Trade bodies ‘disappointed’

Hours after the release of the results of the review of the China Section 301 tariffs, U.S. trade organizations said they were highly disappointed by the outcome.

“The decision to extend Section 301 tariffs on a wide range of apparel, footwear, accessories, and textiles — while not unexpected — is a real blow to American consumers and manufacturers alike,” said Steve Lamar, president and chief executive officer of the American Apparel %26Footwear Association.

“The Biden Administration has had two years to get it right. Unfortunately, they doubled down on a flawed tariff policy, despite the Biden Administration’s own acknowledgment that this policy has failed in its goals, and overwhelming public input that supported a different outcome,” he said in a statement.

The National Retail Federation also said it was “extremely disappointed” that the USTR and the Biden administration had chosen “to double down on a failed and inflationary strategy by sustaining and expanding the Section 301 China tariffs”.

“Maintaining these tariffs on consumer goods will increase costs that consumers pay on everyday products imported from China,”said David French, executive vice-president of government relations.

The U.S.-China Business Council, a nongovernmental organization representing many of the world’s largest brands doing business in China, also noted that maintenance of the prior tariffs — with no reductions — and imposition of additional tariffs ultimately make it harder for American companies to compete in the U.S. and abroad, cost American jobs, and increase prices for U.S. manufacturers and consumers during a time of ongoing inflation.

“Additionally, levying new tariffs invites retaliation from China, which combined could further disadvantage U.S. companies selling goods and services in China’s market compared to their foreign competitors,” USCBC President Craig Allen said.

China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on Tuesday urged the U.S. to immediately cancel the additional tariffs on Chinese products and vowed to take resolute measures to defend its rights over U.S.’ announcement to increase tariffs on Chinese products including electric vehicles (EVs)

The plan to impose additional tariffs will mark another significant escalation in Washington’s multi-year, ill-conceived campaign to crack down on emerging Chinese industries that are gaining global prominence, experts said, noting that the politically motivated move won’t stop the rise of relevant Chinese industries, due to their small presence in the U.S. market.

The Biden administration announced new tariff rates Tuesday on several Chinese products, including a major hike in levies on Chinese EVs.

Starting this year, President Joe Biden will quadruple tariffs on imported Chinese electric vehicles, from 25 percent to 100 percent. The tariff rate on lithium-ion EV batteries will more than triple to 25 percent.

The announcement also added new tariffs on solar equipment and semiconductors.

The import tax on Chinese solar cells will double, from 25 percent to 50 percent in 2024. Starting in 2025, tariffs on imported Chinese semiconductors will jump from 25 percent to 50 percent.

Chinese medical supplies such as syringes and needles will also face additional tariffs of 50 percent.

The MOFCOM slammed the U.S. move, saying that it is a politicization and weaponization of trade issues and a typical case of political manipulation that will seriously impact the atmosphere for bilateral cooperation.

The U.S. decision to increase the tariffs goes against President Biden’s commitment of not seeking to suppress China’s development, and not seeking to decouple with China. It is also not in line with the spirit of consensus reached between the two heads of state, the MOFCOM said.

China’s Foreign Ministry vowed earlier on Tuesday to take “all necessary measures” to safeguard the nation’s legitimate rights and interests.

The move is part of the Biden administration’s plan to revise the Trump era tariffs, known as “Section 301 tariffs,” so as to target China’s strategic industries. The Chinese EV industry, which has been rising rapidly to global prominence, has become a top target for the U.S. crackdown, experts said.

“The development of China’s new energy industry, including new-energy vehicles, photovoltaic and lithium battery products, is causing increasing anxiety for the U.S., so now they are suppressing our emerging industries,” Wei Fulei, a research fellow with China Development Institute, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The new plan comes after U.S. officials have in recent weeks been hyping accusations of “overcapacity” in Chinese new-energy industries, which they say poses risks to U.S. industries and jobs. Chinese officials have repeatedly slammed such accusations as an attempt to create a pretext for Washington to take protectionist, bullying actions against China’s emerging industries.

Commenting on the U.S. tariff plan at a press briefing on Tuesday, Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that China has always opposed violating WTO rules and unilaterally imposing tariffs. “China will take all necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” Wang said.

Wang also slammed U.S. officials’ “overcapacity” claims, saying that the U.S. is engaging in protectionism, trampling on market economy principles and international economic and trade rules, and engaging in blatant bullying, and Wang warned the U.S. against repeating the mistake of protectionism.

Countermeasures

Chinese auto association on Monday blasts U.S. plan to impose higher tariffs on Chinese EVs, calling it typical protectionism.

China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) on Monday slammed the U.S.’ imposing higher import tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, saying the industry’s development needs global cooperation.

Experts said that any bullying actions by the U.S. will be countered.

“China will firmly oppose such moves, because this is absurd and extraordinarily unreasonable,” He Weiwen, a senior fellow from the Center for China and Globalization, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

He noted that China has different options to counter Washington’s moves that won’t necessarily involve U.S. cars, but other areas. “How China responds specifically depends on what would be the most favorable opportunity and the most beneficial option for us.”

As China responded firmly to previous U.S. bullying acts, including punitive tariffs, some U.S. officials expect a firm response from China on the new tariffs. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said this week that the U.S. could see a “significant” response from China, according to Reuters.

Chinese officials and experts slammed the U.S. move as politically motived amid toxic politics during an election cycle, since the U.S. administration’s accusation that relevant Chinese products pose threats to the U.S. is baseless, given their minimal presence in the U.S. market. Also for the same reason, additional U.S. tariffs will not stop the rise of relevant Chinese industries, they said.

“[The U.S. move] will not have a major impact on relevant Chinese industries, because China exports a very small number of EVs to the U.S.,” He said, adding that the U.S. plan is not based on economic considerations, but political optics that aim to show a tough stance on China.

China exports very few EVs to the U.S., with Geely being the only Chinese EV maker that exported to the U.S. in the first quarter, according to industry data. In terms of solar cells, exports to the U.S. only accounted for less than 0.1 percent of China’s total exports in 2023, according to media reports.

In terms of the solar industry, over the years, the export of solar panels from China to the U.S. has significantly decreased due to U.S.’ protectionism, Wei said.

Moreover, the move could also backfire on the U.S., as it will not help build its domestic capacity, experts said.

“It seems that U.S. politicians woke up from a hangover after decades of consumerism, during which they cared for consumption and not production. Now, they want to rebuild their manufacturing capacity, but the horse has already bolted. The solution would be exactly the opposite of what they are doing, that is, they should rebuild their capacity with the help of – and not against – Chinese industrial power,” Claudio Celani, economic editor of news magazine Executive Intelligence Review, told the Global Times.

Zhang Xiang, Director of the Digital Automotive International Cooperation Research Center of the World Digital Economy Forum, told the Global Times that as China has already taken the lead in the new-energy sector, with the largest industry chain globally, any attempt by the U.S. to boycott Chinese products and components would also result in losses for the U.S..

“The automotive industry is now highly internationalized and interconnected, and it is not feasible for any country to produce vehicles in isolation,” Zhang said.

A small city nestled in southern Ontario’s Niagara Region will be home to a new $1.6-billion electric vehicle (EV) battery plant that was officially announced Tuesday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford were among politicians in Port Colborne, Ont., to speak about the investment by Japanese company Asahi Kasei Corp.

Mayor Bill Steele said Asahi Kasei’s investment is the biggest in the city in the past century.

“You’re going to see the resurgence of all kinds of new industry that will tie in, not just with EV battery trade,” he said. “It’s going to give a whole boost to the city.”

The facility will be Canada’s first lithium ion battery separator plant.

Asahi Kasei Corp., in partnership with Honda, will build battery separators, which prevent the anode and cathode from coming into contact and causing a short circuit, but still allow the lithium ions to move back and forth.

Honda recently said it’s building an EV battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles as part of a $15-billion project to create a supply chain in the province for the automaker.

Steele said Asahi Kasei has already been taking orders and the plant should be operational in 2027. It’ll take up half of a 162-hectare parcel of land along Highway 140 that’s owned by BMI Group.

The company will invest more money as the plant’s construction progresses, he added.

Why the company chose Port Colborne

Asahi Kasei president Koshiro Kudo told reporters Tuesday the company has been aiming to build a separator plant abroad for the past few years, looking in Europe and the United States before settling in Canada. 

“We have learned that there is a huge enthusiasm coming from the federal government, provincial government and the local municipal government,” he said through a translator. “Also, we have [found] that there are plenty of great quality human resources available here.”

Steele said the city has been in talks with the company for nine months.

He said Port Colborne’s “welcoming people” and access to rail, water, highways and the Canada-U.S. border as reasons Asahi Kasei chose the city.

Trudeau said Canada’s natural resources are the driver behind EV investments.

“We have clean energy and we take climate action seriously. We have stable democratic institutions and strong communities, and all those things are what the international community investors look for when they come.”

Number of jobs, who will fill them still unclear

Trudeau and Ford also emphasized how the plant will create jobs for generations to come.

But there’s no word on how many jobs the plant will produce and who will get them.

Innovation, Science and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne did not directly answer a media question about any guarantees the government received about Canadian jobs at the plant, but said it is always top of mind.

“I can assure you that, in all our discussions with partners like Asahi Kasei and all the others, we’ve always made sure that we maximize the number of jobs for Canadians, not only during the plant and the construction phase, but certainly making sure that all the suppliers will be involved in that.”

Steele said there will be some workers taking flights from Japan to Port Colborne to help train workers, but also said almost all jobs will go to Canadians.

Union leaders, federal Conservatives and the NDP have been demanding assurances from Trudeau that he will ensure jobs are going to Canadians as he rolls out successive announcements on EV and parts plants.

The announcement is “very good news,” especially since Niagara has seen “too many factories disappear in the last 20 years,” Trevor Longpre, chair of General Motors St. Catharines Unifor Local 199 in the Niagara Region, said in an email to CBC News.

He also said he hopes all autoworkers receive the benefits of working with a union. 

Jim Bradley, Niagara Region’s chair, said the plant will create jobs directly and indirectly, with local businesses servicing the factory when it opens.

Steele added the investment will spur more home construction in the area and increase the city’s tax base.

Local First Nation says there was no consultation

When asked if there had been any consultation with local Indigenous communities regarding the plant, Steele said BMI Group, which owns the land, has done “consultation.” He did not provide specifics. 

CBC Hamilton contacted BMI Group for more details but didn’t immediately receive a response.

At least one First Nation said it’s waiting for consultation.

Mark LaForme, director of Mississauga of the Credit First Nation’s Department of Consultation and Accommodation, said there’s been no consultation from anyone about the project. 

“Our reaction is one of deep disappointment … the absence of consultation is contrary to the spirit of reconciliation and this must be addressed,” LaForme said.

Port Colborne is “situated in the Treaty Lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation,” he added. 

“This is compounded by the fact that this project is in close proximity to Lake Erie, a significant water body that the Mississaugas of the Credit people have historically relied on to sustain life.”

CBC Hamilton contacted Six Nations of the Grand River and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council to confirm if they have had any consultation but didn’t immediately receive a response.

The U.S. plans to slap new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, advanced batteries, solar cells, steel, aluminum and medical equipment — an election-year move that’s likely to increase friction between the world’s two largest economies.

The tariffs are unlikely to have much of an inflationary impact because of how they’re structured. Administration officials said they think the tariffs won’t escalate tensions with China, yet they expect that China will explore ways to respond to the new taxes on their products. But the tariffs could contribute to a wider trade dispute, potentially leading to higher prices for consumers.

The tariffs are to be phased in over the next three years, with those that take effect in 2024 covering EVs, solar cells, syringes, needles, steel and aluminum and more. There are currently very few EVs from China in the U.S., but American officials worry that low-priced models made possible by Chinese government subsidies could soon start flooding the U.S. market.

Under the findings of a four-year review on trade with China, the tax rate on imported Chinese EVs is to rise to 102.5 per cent this year, up from total levels of 27.5 per cent. The review was undertaken under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the government to retaliate against trade practices deemed in violation of global standards.

The Biden administration views China, with subsidies of its own manufacturing, as trying to globally control the EV and clean energy sectors, whereas it says its own industrial support is geared toward ensuring domestic supplies to help meet U.S. demand.

“We do not seek to have global domination of manufacturing in these sectors, but we believe because these are strategic industries and for the sake of resilience of our supply chains, that we want to make sure that we have healthy and active firms,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told reporters Monday.

The new tariffs, at least initially, are largely symbolic since they will apply to only about $18 billion US in imports. A new analysis by Oxford Economics estimates that the tariffs — which would be implemented over time — will have a barely noticeable impact on inflation by pushing up inflation by just 0.01 per cent.

China’s response

For it’s part, China maintains that the tariffs are in violation of the global trade rules that the United States originally helped establish through the World Trade Organization.

The Chinese economy has been slowed by the collapse of the country’s real estate market and past pandemic lockdowns, prompting Chinese President Xi Jinping to try to jump-start growth by ramping up production of EVs and other products, making more than the Chinese market can absorb.

Chinese embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu rejected U.S. claims that Beijing has encouraged excess factory capacity in order to dominate global trade in these goods. He also said that more expensive EVs and solar panels will make it more difficult to transition away from fossil fuels.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Friday that the planned new tariffs compounded the problems caused by tariffs that the Donald Trump administration had previously put on Chinese goods.

“Instead of ending those wrong practices, the U.S. continues to politicize trade issues, abuse the so-called review process of Section 301 tariffs and plan tariff hikes,” he said. 

It’s an election year

The tariffs come in the middle of a heated campaign between President Joe Biden and his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, in which both candidates are vying to show who’s tougher on China.

Biden and Trump have overlapping but different strategies.

Biden sees targeted tariffs as needed to defend key industries and workers, while Trump has threatened broad 10 per cent tariffs against all imports from rivals and allies alike.

Biden has staked his presidential legacy on the U.S. pulling ahead of China with its own government investments in factories to make EVs, computer chips and other advanced technologies.

Trump tells his supporters that America is falling further behind China by not betting on oil to keep powering the economy, despite its climate change risks.

Biden administration officials have stressed that the decision on tariffs was made independently of November’s presidential election. But Lael Brainard, director of the National Economic Council, told reporters Monday that the tariffs would help workers in Pennsylvania and Michigan, two key battleground states.

What are some of the specific tariffs?

Under the Trade Act guidelines, the tariff rate is to double to 50 per cent on solar cell imports this year. Tariffs on certain Chinese steel and aluminum products will climb to 25 per cent this year. Computer chip tariffs will double to 50 per cent by 2025.

For lithium-ion EV batteries, tariffs will rise from 7.5 per cent to 25 per cent in 2024. But for non-EV batteries of the same type, the tariff increase will be implemented in 2026. There are also higher tariffs on ship-to-shore cranes (used for loading and unloading container ships), critical minerals and medical products.

The tariffs on ship-to-shore cranes will rise to 25 per cent from zero, those on syringes and needles will rise to 50 per cent from nothing now and some personal protective equipment (PPE) used in medical facilities will rise to 25 per cent from as little as zero per cent now. Shortages in PPE made largely in China hampered the U.S.’s COVID-19 response.

More tariffs will follow in 2025 and 2026 on semiconductors, whose tariff rate will double to 50 per cent, as well as lithium-ion batteries that are not used in elective vehicles, graphite and permanent magnets as well as rubber medical and surgical gloves.