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EsadeGeo Daily Digest, 03/09/2024

EsadeGeo | 3 Sep, 2024

Al-Jazeera / China announces anti-dumping probe into Canadian canola, chemicals

China has announced anti-dumping investigations into Canadian canola and chemical products after Ottawa imposed tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs), steel and aluminium.
Last month, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a 100 percent tariff on Chinese EVs and a 25 percent tariff on Chinese steel and aluminium, while accusing Beijing of “not playing by the same rules” of international trade as other countries.
China’s Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday that “unfair competition by the Canadian side” had inflicted losses on domestic canola producers.
Ottawa’s move followed similar actions by the United States and the European Union, which have imposed tariffs of 100 percent and 36 percent, respectively, on Chinese EVs.

Half of respondents in OECD nations are dissatisfied with the availability of affordable housing, according to Gallup Analytics figures, a sharp rise since central banks hiked interest rates to deal with the worst bout of inflation in a generation.
While higher rates have helped bring down property prices in several European countries, housing remains more expensive than before the pandemic — even before factoring in higher borrowing costs.
“Basically we haven’t built enough,” said Willem Adema, a senior economist in the social policy division of the OECD, adding that developers were often targeting wealthier households, exacerbating the strain on those on lower incomes.
Discontent over housing is set to play an important role in elections this year, notably in the US, where voters head to the polls in November.

Britain will immediately suspend 30 of its 350 arms export licences with Israel because there was a risk such equipment might be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law, foreign minister David Lammy said on Monday.
"It is with regret that I inform the House (of Commons, lower house of parliament) today the assessment I have received leaves me unable to conclude anything other than that for certain UK arms exports to Israel, there does exist a clear risk that they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law," Lammy said.
British exports amount to less than 1% of the total arms Israel receives, and the minister said the suspension would not have a material impact on Israel's security, and Britain continued to support its right to self-defence.
According to information provided by government officials to Reuters and data from the Department for Business and Trade's Export Control unit, the value of permits granted for the sale of military equipment to its ally fell by more than 95% to a 13-year low after the start of the war in Gaza.

Dozens of African leaders are converging on the Chinese capital for a three-day summit that begins on Wednesday, aiming to secure funding for infrastructure projects and trade deals.
For its part, host Beijing is likely to use the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit to seek African support and strengthen ties amid its growing geopolitical rivalry with the United States and Europe.
China’s foreign ministry has said four meetings will be held during the summit – on state governance, industrialisation and agricultural modernisation, peace and security, and the Belt and Road Initiative.
China has been Africa’s largest trading partner for more than a decade. It has also extended loans of more than US$182 billion to African nations between 2000 and 2023 that have gone towards building mega projects such as ports, railways, highways and hydroelectric dams.

Our opinion reads for today:

Haaretz / Israelis Must Talk to Their Government in the Only Language It Understands: Force
Foreign Affairs - Peter Schroeder / Putin Will Never Give Up in Ukraine

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