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Foreign visitor entry, Go To Travel suspensions begin in Japan

Dec 29. 2020Few travelers are seen at the international terminal lobby of Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Monday morning. (The Yomiuri Shimbun)

By The Japan News/ANN

The suspensions of the entry of foreign visitors and the Go To Travel campaign began Monday.

The government is hoping to prevent the spread of infections with a new variant of the novel coronavirus from overseas by putting the entry ban into force through the end of January.

Furthermore, the government is asking people to refrain from travel during the year-end and New Year holidays by temporarily halting the tourism promotion campaign through Jan. 11.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga emphasized that the entry ban was an action he had taken at an early stage.

“I gave instructions on the policy on Saturday in order to deal with the situation ahead of time,” he said on Monday morning responding to questions from reporters at the Prime Minister’s Office. “I would like to ask the public to take thorough measures against infection such as washing their hands and wearing masks. I hope they have quiet year-end and New Year holidays.”

The government had allowed foreign students and expatriates to enter since October on an exceptional basis. After the spread of the new variant, the government had suspended entries from Britain and South Africa, and on Monday it extended the suspension to all countries.

Business personnel traffic with 11 countries and regions, including China and South Korea, will continue according with bilateral agreements. However, if the variant of the virus spreads, the government will consider suspending it.

On the other hand, the return of Japanese nationals from overseas and the reentry of foreign nationals with resident status will continue to be permitted. But travelers returning or reentering Japan from a short-term business trip are again being required to quarantine at home or elsewhere for 14 days again.

■ Domestic flight bookings

Due to the surge in domestic infection numbers, the Go To Travel campaign has been suspended for the first time since it started in July.

The suspension is scheduled to last for 15 days, until Jan. 11, but may be extended depending on the future infection situation.

There were few passengers returning to their hometowns or going on trips at the domestic terminal of Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Monday morning, despite the year-end holiday season. The electronic board was lined with announcements of flight cancellations.

The number of bookings for domestic flights from Dec. 25 to Jan. 3 fell sharply to 801,113 for All Nippon Airways, down 42.4% from the previous year, and 511,965 for Japan Airlines Group, down 51.5%, it was announced on Dec. 18.

There was no noticeable congestion on the Shinkansen bullet trains departing from Tokyo. As of 10 a.m. Monday, the occupancy rate of unreserved seats on the Tohoku, Yamagata, Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen lines was between 10-30%, while that of the Tokaido Shinkansen was up to 30%.

The government will discuss what to do with the travel campaign after Jan. 12 at a meeting of the subcommittee on coronavirus countermeasures, which it plans to hold on or after Jan. 4. Depending on the infection situation, the suspension may be continued or only partially lifted.

■ Special measures law

In addition, the ruling and opposition parties will enact amendments to the special measures law for pandemic influenza prior to the enactment of the fiscal budget in the Diet session to be convened in January.

Hiroshi Moriyama, chairperson of the Liberal Democratic Party Diet Affairs Committee, and Jun Azumi, his counterpart of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, talked in the Diet building and agreed on doing so Monday morning.

In order to strengthen measures against the novel coronavirus, the government is considering that the proposed amendment will include specified support measures for stores and other businesses that close or shorten their hours in response to requests, as well as penalties for those that do not.

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Bosses in S’pore unlikely to mandate Covid-19 vaccination for staff: Experts

Dec 29. 2020The planned vaccination programme is voluntary and free for all Singaporeans and long-term residents here. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

By Michelle Ng and Ang Qing
The Straits Times/ANN

SINGAPORE – When the Covid-19 vaccines are rolled out from next year for most residents in Singapore, interior design firm Design 4 Space plans to dangle a trip to Japan to encourage its staff to get the shots.

Although the vaccination programme here is voluntary, the company’s chief executive Richard Yea is encouraging his more than 70 employees to get vaccinated.

“In this trade, we have to meet with home owners frequently. If our staff are vaccinated, home owners will feel more comfortable engaging and interacting with us,” he said, adding that company trips overseas were previously reserved only for the top performers.

Medical experts, human resource practitioners and business associations The Straits Times approached said employers in Singapore are unlikely to enforce the Covid-19 vaccine on their workforce.

But many will strongly encourage their staff to get the shots.

For some companies, this means offering incentives. It can include giving staff time off as well as support for flexible work arrangement, said Mr Ang Yuit, vice-president of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME).

However, he added: “Most companies will unlikely be too forceful in having their staff receive vaccination unless there are some specific operational reasons internally.”

Singapore Business Federation chief executive Ho Meng Kit agreed, and said the management of the company can lead by example and be the first to take the shots.

The first batch of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine arrived in Singapore on Dec 21, the first step in vaccinating the population.

The planned vaccination programme is voluntary and free for all Singaporeans and long-term residents here, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had made clear on Dec 14.

Medical experts said there is no need for employers to push their staff to get the shots.

“At the moment, case numbers in Singapore are very low so there isn’t a pressing need to make vaccination compulsory,” said Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, an infectious diseases expert at the National University of Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.

Dr Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious diseases specialist from Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, said the risk of infection is “extremely low in public”.

“It will be unfair to force individuals to trade a low risk of infection with uncertainty about the long-term side effects of Covid-19 vaccines that are yet to be fully understood,” he added.

However, he said employees should still vaccinate since the risk of doing so is low.

“Vaccination is putting up defences against the virus. It’s not just the government’s role, but everyone plays a part.

“It’s only as strong as the participation from everyone… It allows us to be safe individually and for the country to have herd immunity, and for the country to open up economically,” added Dr Leong.

Singapore entered phase three of its reopening on Monday (Dec 28), with plans to loosen some restrictions on workers returning to office.

Mr Calvin Lim, general manager of CDPL (Tuas) Dormitory, said the company will follow the Government’s directive on vaccinations and will let staff make their own decisions.

“But given that our jobs should be defined as front-liners, we are likely to get the vaccination regardless,” he said. The firm has around 30 staff.

PeopleWorldwide Consulting managing director David Leong said employees have the right to raise concerns about possible risks if they have colleagues who choose not to be vaccinated. But firms should not forbid those who do not receive the shots from entering the office.

“Technically, the risk of exposure is low when safe distancing practices are observed. It’s no different from today’s reality,” he said.

Mr David Calkins, regional managing principal of Asia- Pacific and Middle East at global architecture firm Gensler, believes that the majority of the 54 staff in the Singapore office are open to getting vaccinated.

“We suspect that we won’t have to provide much encouragement to those of us who are in client-facing roles and those who are hoping to be going on business travel in the future to take the vaccination,” he said.

“But even as the vaccine becomes more widely available around the globe, we are anticipating to continue a flexible work mode for much of next year,” he added.

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Moderna to supply vaccines for 20m to S. Korea from Q2 2021: Cheong Wa Dae

Dec 29. 2020President Moon Jae-in (R) talks with Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel (on the monitor) via video conference at the presidential office in Seoul on Monday. (Presidential office)

By The Korea Herald/ANN

US biotech company Moderna will supply new coronavirus vaccine doses for 20 million people to South Korea starting in the second quarter of next year, Cheong Wa Dae announced Tuesday.

The deal was reached in a video conference between President Moon Jae-in and Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel held Monday, according to the South Korean presidential office. (Yonhap)

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[China] Officials slam US sanctions on Xinjiang products

Dec 29. 2020Workers make down-filled coats at a factory in Jiashi county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, last month. WANG ZHUANGFEI/CHINA DAILY

By CUI JIA and MAO WEIHUA
CHINA DAILY/ANN

The United States’ sanctions on the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in the name of “forced labor” are groundless and won’t affect the healthy development of the corps, officials said.

“More than 70 percent of the XPCC’s cotton and 95 percent of its textile products have been sold domestically in the past two years,” Sun Huantao, deputy director of the XPCC’s Commerce Bureau, told China Daily in an exclusive interview at its headquarters in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

“We don’t have much direct trade volume with the US. The US’ latest sanctions on cotton and cotton products produced by the XPCC indeed have affected our businesses, but they have only had a limited impact,” Sun said.

The XPCC, also known as Bingtuan, is a special provincial-level entity entrusted by the State to cultivate and guard China’s border areas in Xinjiang. It has administrative control of several cities as well as farms and industrial facilities.

In 2020, China produced 5.91 million metric tons of cotton, of which 87.3 percent came from Xinjiang, according to figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics in December. In 2019, the XPCC produced more than 2 million tons of cotton, making it the key cotton producer in China.

On Dec 2, US Customs and Border Protection issued a withhold release, or detention, order that applies to all cotton and cotton products produced by the XPCC and its subordinate and affiliated entities, along with all products made in whole or in part from XPCC cotton, such as apparel, garments and textiles, because of concerns about “the risks of forced labor”, the agency said.

In the days leading up to the withhold release order, Customs and Border Protection sent detailed questionnaires to US importers of apparel to obtain information on supply chains in Xinjiang.

“The sanctions have affected the exports of cotton and cotton products from the XPCC,” Sun said. “It means that many foreign businesses will be unable to use good－quality cotton from the XPCC.

“Global businesses and consumers, particularly those in the US, are the real victims of the sanctions. It’s a move of extreme trade protectionism and not in line with principles of a market－oriented economy. It will surely damage the international supply chain,” Sun added.

To cope with the sanctions, the XPCC will further explore the domestic market, which is strong enough to support the healthy development of the corps’ cotton industry, she said.

Han Yongjiang, a spokesman for the XPCC’s Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, said all workers’ rights are fully protected in accordance with the law, and not a single complaint about forced labor has been received in recent years.

About 46 percent of employees in the corps’ textile and apparel enterprises in 2020 are from ethnic minorities such as Uygurs.

It also employees many seasonal workers in the agricultural sector.

These seasonal workers can make an average of 6,000 yuan ($915) in two months, which is very competitive in Xinjiang, Han said, and such employment is at the free will of employers and workers.

“We have stepped up the inspections to ensure any action that violates the rights of employees of the XPCC is punished in a timely manner. Also, employees from all ethnic groups can complain about possible misconduct via multiple channels, such as online, social media and by phone,” he added.

“If we don’t treat our employees with a better attitude or pay them well, they will quit. Their absence will severely affect the enterprises’ operations. So accusing the XPCC of using forced labor doesn’t stand, either factually or logically.”

The US Customs and Border Protection’s order follows the announcement in July by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control that it had designated the XPCC as a “specially designated national”. This designation essentially prohibits people in the US from engaging in any transactions with the XPCC or any companies of which the XPCC owns more than 50 percent.

Xiao, the manager of a tomato sauce company in which the XPCC holds shares, felt the bite of the sanctions as early as mid-August, although the company doesn’t directly export to the US, but mainly to European markets.

“Because we are on the sanctions list, we started to experience problems in international bank transfers. Also, one of our international shipping partners clearly told us they will no longer provide services to us for fear of being sanctioned by the US for doing business with us,” said Xiao, who wished to give only her surname.

The company, established in 2008, is currently appealing the US decision because the XPCC owns only about 45 percent of the shares of the company.

Because of the quality of tomatoes grown in Xinjiang, more than 90 percent of tomato sauce exported to other countries from China is produced there. In September, US Customs and Border Protection considered a much broader import ban on all cotton and tomato products from Xinjiang.

Xiao said, “Our business partners in Europe have asked us about the sanctions. If the situation deteriorates, the business ties that we’ve built over the years may be cut and will be difficult to reestablish. If we lose our contracts, it’s the growers and employees who will suffer in the end.”

Of the more than 300 tomato growers for the company based in southern Xinjiang, about 40 percent are locals from ethnic minorities, including Uygurs. During the harvest season, the company also annually employs about 200 seasonal workers, mainly Uygurs.

“Many of them keep coming back to work for us, year after year, because we can provide them with a good working environment and good pay, as stated in their contracts. They even ask their families and friends to come along, so we have never had recruitment problems. I don’t think they will introduce us to their loved ones if the seasonal workers are ever forced to work,” Xiao said. “They will lose their income if the company cannot survive the sanctions.”

“All we can do is to continue to improve the quality of our products and make them irreplaceable in the global market,” she added.

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Vietmam in top five markets globally for cost efficiency

Dec 28. 2020Total Workforce Index 2020 has identified the top five markets globally for cost efficiency: the Philippines, Croatia, Morocco, Việt Nam and Thailand. Photo ManpowerGroup

By The Viet Nam News/ANN

HCM CITY — The US, New Zealand and Canada are the most attractive countries for employer investment based on 200 factors that evaluated skills availability, cost efficiency, regulation and productivity, while Việt Nam is among the top five in cost efficiency, according to ManpowerGroup Talent Solutions’ Total Workforce Index (TWI).

The annual TWI report combined Big Data with expert analysis to identify the workforce engagement potential of 76 markets.

New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and South Korea were ranked as the top markets in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the report. Singapore and Hong Kong ranked highly for workforce productivity.

The TWI also identified the top five markets globally for cost efficiency: the Philippines, Croatia, Morocco, Việt Nam and Thailand. These markets are driven by favorable country dynamics, such as cost of labour and regulations.

The average Vietnamese monthly wage was US$321 a month in 2020, up by 32.6 per cent compared to the year earlier, while the regional average was US$1,835 a month.

In an increasingly complex global market, access to skilled talent is a top priority for organisations looking to build or grow their business.

For this year’s analysis, ManpowerGroup Talent Solutions took a deeper look at talent availability, comparing the percentage of remote-ready workforces in different markets and exploring the availability of cybersecurity resources.

IT skills, particularly those that support remote work such as cybersecurity, continue to be in demand, along with an ongoing need for medical, operations and logistics skills and roles that are deemed essential. —VNS

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[Singapore] Healthcare workers to receive Covid-19 vaccine from Dec 30, S’pore residents aged 70 and older from Feb ’21: MOH

Dec 28. 2020The committee has also assessed that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is suitable for use in people aged 16 and above. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

By Lim Min Zhang
The Straits Times/ANN

SINGAPORE – Singapore’s Covid-19 vaccination exercise will begin on Dec 30 with healthcare workers at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, followed by the elderly aged 70 and older next February. 

Vaccinations will roll out to more healthcare institutions in the coming weeks, with public healthcare institutions and private hospitals to arrange for their staff to be vaccinated at their respective premises. 

This is in line with recommendations by an expert committee that front-line and healthcare workers and those most vulnerable to severe complications if they contract Covid-19 should be vaccinated first, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Sunday (Dec 27). 

The elderly will be vaccinated from February next year, followed by other Singaporeans and long-term residents who are medically eligible, said the MOH.

This follows the Government’s full acceptance of a 14-member expert committee’s recommendations that were submitted last Thursday.

“Vaccination is not a silver bullet that can end the pandemic immediately, but it is a key enabler to getting us back to a safer state of affairs,” the ministry said.

The MOH said vaccination will complement other “key enablers”, such as safe management measures, testing and contact tracing, to mitigate any spread and to keep community transmission low.

In its statement, the committee noted that Covid-19 patients aged 70 and older have worse health outcomes than those aged 60 to 69, and so it is recommended to start vaccination for the older group first.

Protecting older people minimises Covid-19-related mortality and morbidity, as well as the potential strain on the healthcare system.

The committee has also assessed that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which arrived in Singapore earlier this month, is suitable for use in people aged 16 and older for the prevention of Covid-19, it said, although taking the vaccine is still not recommended for pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals until more information is available.

This was after it conducted an independent review of the clinical data on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, which has been approved by the Health Sciences Authority.

The committee said the vaccine has demonstrated a high efficacy of 95 per cent, and its safety profile is consistent with the high standards set for other registered vaccines used in immunisation against other diseases.

The recommendations follow Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s announcement on Dec 14 that Covid-19 vaccines will be free for all Singaporeans and long-term residents who are currently here, with plans to cover everyone who wants one by the end of next year.

Other recommendations by the expert committee include:

– Everyone living in Singapore who is medically eligible for vaccination should be vaccinated when vaccines become more widely available, although it should remain voluntary.

Achieving as high a level of population coverage for Covid-19 vaccination as possible can markedly reduce the overall proportion of the population that is susceptible to the disease and the likelihood of uncontrolled chains of transmission, said the committee.

A high vaccination coverage also indirectly protects others who may not be suitable for vaccination yet, it added.

– Set aside about 5 per cent of available vaccine stocks at any point in time for specific groups of people who are of critical importance to the functioning of Singapore. These could include people involved in ensuring the country’s water, utilities and other “nationally essential services” are not disrupted.

This is separate from public health considerations to prioritise certain population subgroups, so as to ensure Singapore would be able to continue functioning effectively amid a local outbreak, said the committee.

But the detailed identification of these groups is beyond the remit of the expert committee, it said, and will be left to the Government.

– Ongoing public health measures such as safe distancing, mask wearing and good hand hygiene should continue to be practised, until a significant proportion of the population is vaccinated and more data is available on the vaccine’s duration of protection and its ability to prevent infections.

The committee was convened in October by the MOH to recommend a vaccination strategy for Singapore.

Chairman of the expert committee, Associate Professor Benjamin Ong, said that while Singapore currently has a low rate of local transmission of Covid-19, it remains vulnerable to the threat of a surge in cases.

“As such, it is important that we achieve as comprehensive a coverage of Covid-19 vaccination as possible across the entire population. We strongly encourage all persons who are medically eligible to be vaccinated when the vaccine is made available to them,” he added.

Other members of the committee include MOH chief health scientist, Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, Associate Professor David Lye from the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, and Dr Anuradha Poonepalli from the HSA’s Health Products Regulation Group.

The committee’s report to the Singapore Government was based on information available as at last Wednesday.

It also said that while public health measures have been shown to be effective in containing outbreaks, the “fundamental challenge” is that the vast majority of people in Singapore and the world do not have any immunity to the novel virus.

“The development and availability of effective Covid-19 vaccines is a critically important milestone, providing the means to fundamentally contain the pandemic, diminish its impact in terms of morbidity and deaths from infection, and eventually allow societies to return to normalcy,” the report added.

Singapore currently has a low rate of transmission, it noted, but the threat of an outbreak persists as the global pandemic intensifies and as the country resumes more activities.

It remains vulnerable to the disease and its spread, with the country’s high population density and a significant proportion of older people, said the report, adding that there is great value in vaccinating the population widely to pre-emptively protect against the risk of Covid-19.

The committee said it considered four key criteria in assessing the suitability of vaccine candidates: Vaccine safety, efficacy, tolerability, and data adequacy of clinical trials.

It noted that the HSA’s clinical assessment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine includes how it has high efficacy of 95 per cent, with no significant safety concerns detected so far.

But continued monitoring for long-term efficacy of the vaccine will be needed to determine the duration of protection, as well as for rare and serious adverse effects.

As more vaccines become available, the committee will make further recommendations on other groups to be prioritised, it said, such as those who live or work in settings where there is potential for rapid transmission and large outbreaks.

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S. Korea investigating new suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu

Dec 28. 2020Officials control the entry of automobiles into a chicken farm in Gyeongju, 371 kilometers south of Seoul, on Sunday. (Yonhap)

By The Korea Herald/ANN

South Korea’s agricultural ministry said Monday it has identified a new suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu, amid the growing concerns over the disease further straining the local poultry industry.

The new suspected case was reported from a duck farm in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The country has so far reported 29 farm-related avian influenza cases since late November, including an infection from a guest ranch.

South Jeolla Province accounted for eight cases, and Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds the capital city, took up seven.

The latest case was confirmed from a duck farm in Gurye, 422 kilometers south of Seoul, on Sunday.

To prevent the further spread of the disease, South Korea has been speeding up the process to destroy birds from infected farms and their surrounding areas.

As of Monday, local authorities have culled around 9.6 million birds. All poultry within a 3-kilometer radius of infected farms are culled.

Meanwhile, 42 cases in wild birds have been confirmed since late October.

Authorities are investigating seven more suspected cases from wild bird habitats as well. (Yonhap)

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Births in Japan expected to fall below 800,000 in 2021

Dec 28. 2020(The Yomiuri Shimbun)

By The Japan News/ANN

Births in Japan are expected to fall below 800,000, according to estimates released by several private research institutes, partly due to delays in having children as a result of uncertainty over the future amid the novel coronavirus crisis.

Some in the government have pointed out the possibility of the number falling below 800,000, and there is growing concern that the coronavirus disaster will accelerate the decline in the birthrate.

If the estimates are correct, the number of births will fall below 800,000 in just two years, after falling below 900,000 to about 865,000 in 2019. The number of births in Japan peaked during the first baby boom in 1947-1949, making the new estimates less than one-third of the about 2.7 million births recorded in 1949.

According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, the number of pregnancy notifications received by local governments nationwide from women between January and October decreased by 5.1% from the same period last year.

The Dai-ichi Life Research Institute Inc. estimated that the number of births in 2021 will drop to 776,000 if the decline in pregnancy notifications continues. The Japan Research Institute Ltd., which conducted a similar estimate, put the figure at 792,000.

If the birthrate continues to decline at a faster pace than expected and the impact is prolonged, it could shake the structure of the social security system, in which the working-age population mainly supports the elderly.

Virus risks at forefront　

“I don’t recommend proceeding with treatment at this time,” a doctor told a 35-year-old female company employee living in Kanagawa Prefecture, influencing her decision to suspend fertility treatments, citing a risk of contracting the novel coronavirus.

Although she plans to resume treatment next year, the woman said: “I had sorted out my feelings and made up my mind to ‘take the first step,’ but I lost my determination. It’s hard to turn my mind to treatment again.”

The virus outbreak is causing people to hold off on childbearing due to uncertainty about the future, and is also changing demographic trends, such as the number of births between 2020 and 2021.

According to the health ministry, the preliminary number of births for the period from January to October was 733,907, down about 17,000 from the same period last year. The annual number of births is expected to fall below last year’s figure of 865,239, the lowest on record.

Impact on employment, security

The number of marriages, which are strongly linked to childbirth rates in Japan, was 424,343 in the preliminary figures for January to October, down about 65,000 from the same period last year.

In addition, the number of reported pregnancies in January to October decreased by 5.1% from the same period last year. If the figures are as estimated by the Dai-ichi Life Research Institute and the Japan Research Institute, it will become a reality 12 years earlier than the estimate by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research that the number will fall below 800,000 in 2033.

Takumi Fujinami, senior chief researcher at the Japan Research Institute, has concluded that the decline in the number of births is largely due to the economic insecurity of the younger generation, rather than concerns about infectious diseases. Many young people work in the restaurant and tourism industries, which have been hit hard by the coronavirus disaster.

Takuya Hoshino, deputy chief economist at the Dai-ichi Life Research Institute, said: “There are concerns about the impact of telecommuting, online classes and other activities that will reduce personal interactions and decrease marriages. Even if the virus is contained, we don’t know if the number of births will return to normal.”

Hoshino also predicts that the increasingly low birthrate will accelerate the pace of Japan’s population decline and that the population will fall below 100 million by 2049, four years earlier than the estimate of 2053 assumed by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research.

The national institute publishes population projections every five years, based on the results of the national census and other data. If the current trend continues for a prolonged period, a review of future projections will be inevitable.

If the number of working-age people in the future decreases due to the declining birthrate, it will affect the design of social security systems such as pensions, medical care and nursing care. Currently, one elderly person at the age of 65 or older is supported by two working-age people between the ages of 15 and 64.

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Chinese automakers sailing ahead on route to go global

Dec 28. 2020A cargo ship loads up vehicles for export at the Lianyungang Port in East China’s Jiangsu province on Dec 14. [Photo by WANG CHUN/FOR CHINA DAILY]

By ZHANG DANDAN
China Daily/ANN

But insiders warn improvements are needed in foreign marketing, aftersales service networks

Chinese automakers are ramping up efforts to enter overseas markets with some recent successes this year. However, insiders claim there is a long way to go to achieving a solid foothold.

SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile is to make inroads into North America, with the export of vehicles to Mexico starting from January.

The Sino-US joint venture said 500 Baojun-branded compact SUVs, the first shipment, have rolled off the assembly line.

“Considering the presale orders, Mexico can become the largest overseas market for the model,” said the carmaker in a statement.

The SUV, called Baojun 530, is the first model the carmaker has specifically developed for global markets.

Since its launch in 2019, it has been sold in 21 countries and regions, with deliveries totaling 96,584 units.

On Dec 12, SAIC-GM shipped the first batch of more than 290 Chevrolet Trax to Uzbekistan.

Since 2001, the joint venture has exported its products to markets in North America, South America, Europe and Asia.

According to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, SAIC ranked first in terms of exports during the first 11 months this year, followed by Chery, Changan and Great Wall Motors.

From January to November, Chery exported a total of 100,126 vehicles, up 15 percent year-on-year. The automaker’s high-end brand Exeed has entered the Russian market.

According to Chery, it is expected to export 500,000 vehicles with a value of $5 billion annually by 2025.

Besides traditional automakers, Chinese new energy vehicle startups are poised to enter overseas markets.

Last week, NEV startup WM Motor reached cooperation with two foreign companies to explore more opportunities in overseas markets.

On Wednesday, WM Motor joined hands with South Korea’s Myoung Shin Group. The cooperation between the two focuses on fields including vehicle exports, production, retail and smart mobility.

WM Motor, as a leading Chinese NEV maker, has strength in NEV technologies and products, which is very much in line with the needs of South Korean electric vehicle consumers, according to a senior executive with Myoung Shin Group.

The day before, on Tuesday, the startup inked an agreement with Enel X, a subsidiary of Italian energy giant Enel.

Based on the strategic cooperation agreement reached by the two sides, WM Motor will take advantage of Enel X’s network covering more than 80 countries and regions, to promote its export of electric vehicles.

As scheduled, WM Motor’s products will arrive in the Southeast Asian market in the first quarter of 2021.

Nio founder and CEO William Li said: “We hope to enter some countries that are more welcoming to electric cars in the second half of 2020.”

It is reported that Nio’s first foray into the foreign market will be in Europe, with no specific country disclosed.

Statistics show that China exported 36,900 NEVs in total in the first six months this year, up 140.7 percent from the same period of 2019.

However, insiders said that Chinese NEV makers’ exporting vehicles to Europe may have gained more publicity significance than practical. In order to gain a foothold in overseas markets, they should first solve the problems of the lack of overseas marketing and aftersales service networks.

Chinese NEV companies should pay attention to not only improving their products, but also developing related industries like charging and battery swapping, to make solid strides in overseas markets, insiders said.

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Indonesia to send back hazardous materials to Australia, NZ, UK, US

Dec 26. 2020Batam Customs Office officers oversee the transfer of one of seven containers containing toxic and hazardous waste (B3 waste) to the Capricorn 97.210 Barge, on July 29, 2019 at the Batu Ampar Container Port, Batam, Riau Islands. (JP/Fadli)

By Dian Septiari
The Jakarta Post/ANN

Indonesia is set to send 79 containers of hazardous materials back to Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States beginning in January, the government recently revealed.

The Foreign Ministry summoned the envoys of the four countries to notify them about the plan on Wednesday, according to the ministry’s statement published on Thursday.

The ministry’s director general of American and European affairs, Ngurah Swajaya, said the measure was in accordance with international law, namely the Basel Convention on the Control of the Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal.

The treaty was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous materials between nations, specifically to prevent the transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries. “In accordance with the Basel Convention […], cross-country imports containing toxic waste are not allowed.

The Indonesian government must return it to the origin country,” he told the ambassadors.

Ngurah said the containers had been verified by various government agencies including the Environment and Forestry Ministry, Trade Ministry, Industry Ministry, Finance Ministry and the National Police.

“The 79 containers to be re-exported are part of the total 107 containers that had been confiscated by the Indonesian government because they contained hazardous waste, while the remaining 28 containers will be re-examined,” he added.

The containers were confiscated in 2019, during which Indonesia, together with other Southeast Asian nations faced a sharp increase in shipments of plastic waste from developed countries to developing nations following China’s decision to ban imports of 24 types of waste materials.

Nonhazardous waste, mostly consisting of clean scrap paper, was intended to be used by paper-recycling companies in Indonesia. However, most of the cargo was found to be contaminated by hazardous waste such as old diapers and plastics, which the businesses reject and ends up in landfills.