The reasons the Canadian government cited to impose additional import tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) are weak, said Canadian economist Mark Kruger on Friday.
Kruger noted that the latest tariff announcement would do no good to the Canadian people or meeting Canada's carbon emissions targets.
On Aug 26, Canada said it would impose a 100 percent tariff on imports of Chinese electric vehicles and announced a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and aluminum from China.
The Canadian government claimed that this move is to protect Canadian jobs, but the argument is far from convincing, said Kruger.
"Clearly, by putting 100 percent tariff on those electric vehicles, they're not helping Canadian consumers, because they're making those vehicles more expensive. So I think that this policy, it doesn't help either Canadian workers or Canadian consumers. Canada has its own carbon emissions targets and goals, and by maintaining a high price for electric vehicles, they're pushing the achievement of those goals farther into the future," said Kruger.
China deplores and firmly opposes the Canadian government's act, which has blatantly violated WTO rules, blindly followed certain countries and taken unilateral tariff measures against Chinese products, as a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said, describing such practices as "typical trade protectionism."
Canadian economist criticizes Canada's latest tariff against Chinese EVs
Canadian economist criticizes Canada's latest tariff against Chinese EVs
Canadian economist criticizes Canada's latest tariff against Chinese Evs
An official from a United Nations (UN) humanitarian agency emphasized on Sunday that there is a long way to go to rebuild Gaza physically, mentally, and culturally after the conflict.
Georgios Petropoulos, head of the Sub-office in Gaza for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that reconstruction of Gazan society will take far more than erecting new buildings.
"It's a mathematical equation of time and money, as it usually is. But to rebuild a society and an economy and a culture, that takes a little bit longer, as we all know. And the rebuilding is not just the physical aspects of schools, hospitals, universities and and homes, but it's to rebuild and to plan for and to repair the damage that's going to be done to children that may be out of school for almost two years, to families that have been completely decimated, they had loved ones killed. An agricultural system which used to be lively, which is on its knees, fisheries that are destroyed, unemployment that is almost complete now, you know you have to understand that at this point we don't even have the ability to bring cash into Gaza. So whatever you have can't really move around in the market," he said.
"Thousands of children will not be able to rebuild their lives because they don't have any legs or arms. They've been blown off there. They're the most significant and tragic victims of this war," the UN official added.
Although the UN is working on an early recovery plan, a ceasefire -- which is essential for Gaza's reconstruction -- must first be achieved, Petropoulos said.
"So rebuilding Gaza, I think, is an easy question with a very complicated answer. I can tell you that the United Nations and partners, as we do, are already working with donors in member states on an early recovery plan and the development process. But that's all going to have to be in the air until we understand exactly what the intentions and the political will is around not just a ceasefire, but stopping the daily tragedy of the people in Gaza and seeing how long it's going to take for them to stop being under fire, and how long it's going to take for the hostages to be sent back to their families. They have now also spent a year waiting with no word for hundreds of people that should be in the safe arms of their family," he said.
"So until those two things come to play, we're not going to have an answer of how long it's going to take to rebuild Gaza. And I think the last thing that I'll say on that is that my hope, and our hope is that whatever that rebuilding takes, the planning includes the people of Gaza -- how they want to see their land look and how they want it to be run, and what they want their future to look like," Petropoulos continued.
Long way to go to rebuild society Gaza after conflict: UN official
Long way to go to rebuild society Gaza after conflict: UN official
