November 20, 2019 | Written By - Bridget O'Shea '20
After 3 years of negotiations between the New Zealand and Chinese governments, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced updates to the New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement on November 4th. The free trade deal, which was initially signed by both governments in 2008, previously made 98% of New Zealand’s exports to China tariff-free. With this update, the deal will also give 99% of New Zealand’s $2.8 billion paper and wood trade prioritized access to China’s markets. In general, the agreement will make trade easier between both countries by speeding up the customs process for perishable products and removing the need for extra certification paperwork.
On October 25, the Solomon Islands government declared that a deal signed by one of its provinces with a Chinese company is “unlawful.” The deal, agreed upon by Solomons’ Central Province and China Sam Enterprise Group soon after the islands shifted allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing, would lease the entire island of Tulagi to the Chinese company. This agreement, which was likely driven by the company’s motivation for a foothold in the Pacific - an area which has long had ties with the United States - and the province’s desire for a powerful ally, has been criticized by both the U.S. and the Solomon Islands government. Solomon’s Attorney-General, John Muria, stated that the company and the province cannot make such a deal without the involvement of the government and, therefore “must be terminated with immediate effect.” As U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper says, the Solomon’s decision to invalidate the agreement is important to reinforcing “sovereignty, transparency, and the rule of law.”
After a series of bushfires on the New South Wales mid-north coast, seven koalas have been brought into the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital to be treated for burns. The first koala that was found and brought into the hospital was treated by doctors for dehydration and given fluids overnight in the ICU unit of the hospital. Out of the 7 that have been brought in, 4 suffered more serious burns. Hospital President Sue Ashton has stated that the recovery time for the koalas varies, but should last about 6-9 months. These koalas are expected to make a full recovery. However, others are not so lucky; as many as 350 koalas are thought to have died in the fires and many others have not yet been found. The search for other animals living in the burnt bushland will continue until November 16. Despite the grim appearance of the situation, rescue teams and volunteers believe that the koala population will recover from the fires.
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