BRUSSELS: China last year overtook the United States as the EU’s biggest trading partner, the EU statistics agency Eurostat said on Monday.
Britain meanwhile, which is no longer part of the European Union, was the third-largest trading partner for the bloc, behind China and the United States, the agency said.
The supremacy of China came after it suffered from the coronavirus pandemic during the first quarter but recovered vigorously with consumption even exceeding its level of a year ago at the end of 2020.
This helped drive sales of European products, particularly in the automobile and luxury goods sectors, while China’s exports to Europe benefited from strong demand for medical equipment and electronics.
The dethroning of the US comes as the EU and China are seeking to ratify a long-negotiated investment deal that would give European companies better access to the Chinese market.
Eurostat said the trade volume with China reached 586 billion euros ($711bn) in 2020, compared to 555bn euros ($673bn) for the US.
The agency said EU exports rose by 2.2pc to 202.5bn euros while at the same time, imports from the People’s Republic of China increased by 5.6pc to 383.5bn euros.
EU exports to the United States fell by 13.2pc in the same period and imports by 8.2pc.
In addition to the Covid-19 crisis, transatlantic trade has been impaired by a series of tit-for-tat feuds that have resulted with tariffs being on steel and products such as French champagne or Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
Eurostat said trade with the UK plummeted in 2020, the year Britain officially left the bloc, though it was in a transition period to blunt the effects of Brexit until Dec 31.
EU exports to the UK fell by 13.2pc, while imports from across the channel dropped by 13.9pc, Eurostat said.
The memoir chronicles Lynch’s struggle with an eating disorder, recovery and commitment to her dreams.
Actor Evanna Lynch, best known for portraying the role of Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter film series, is coming out with a memoir on September 14.
The 29-year-old actor-activist took to Instagram to share the announcement on Sunday.
(Stay up to date on new book releases, reviews, and more with The Hindu On Books newsletter. Subscribe here.)
Lynch said she had been meaning to write a book for quite some time and the year gone by allowed her the “silence and stillness to unravel the story” she wanted to tell.
Published by Headline Books, the memoir chronicles her struggle with an eating disorder, recovery and commitment to her dreams.
“In one way, this book is a memoir about my struggle with an eating disorder. However, it’s not really a book about thinness and eating; it’s about rebuilding yourself after, literally recovering yourself. At its essence, it’s about the ongoing negotiation between the voices of our fears and our creativity and all the crazy, interesting, wild things that happen when you keep committing to your dreams,” Lynch wrote in the caption.
The Irish actor also said she is grateful to her team who empowered her to share “my light and darkness alike in this story”.
The cover and title of the book are still in development, she added.
Nongluck Asavasakulchai, president of the Community Enterprise Rice Processing Tambon Ban Phueng (Khaowsook). Karnjana Karnjanatawe
Seven years ago, Nongluck Asavasakulchai, now 53, left her job as a nurse in the capital to become a farmer in her hometown in Nakhon Phanom, about 715km northeast of Bangkok. There, in 2014, she founded Community Enterprise Rice Processing Tambon Ban Phueng (Khaowsook) after the price of rice hit record lows. Her goal was to find alternative options and the solution she turned to was organic rice.
Starting from 19 members in the first year, the group now has 2,400 members who produce about 4,000 tonnes of organic rice every year. Over 70% of their produce is for export with major customers located in Europe, Canada, the United States and Hong Kong.
“Being a nurse for 13 years, I saw all kinds of sicknesses. One of the common cause of these illnesses is the fact that we eat food contaminated with chemical hazards,” said Nongluck, president of the community enterprise, better known as Khaowsook group.
“I thought about my parents. I wanted us to be safe and healthy, so I quit my secure job and came back home to become a farmer. I wanted to produce rice that was different so that we could sell it at a higher price.”
Before embarking on her new career path, she prepared herself for work on farms. She attended numerous organic farming courses and visited organic fields in various places in Thailand as well as Australia and New Zealand. Equipped with new knowledge, she persuaded her relatives and neighbours to stop using artificial fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides and instead turn to a natural way of farming. At that time, the popularity of organic farming was still in its infancy, so it was difficult to convince farmers to change.
A staff member packs polished jasmine rice for an order to a local hospital. Karnjana Karnjanatawe
“They did not buy my idea. They believed that without chemicals, the quantity of rice would drop and it would make their lives harder during a time they were already suffering from reduced income,” she said.
However, Nongluck decided to live by example. She worked on her mother’s farm, a total of 70 rai, along with some relatives. Here, she applied all the knowledge she had gained and began to look for an agency to certify the farmlands and their products for food safety.
Within one year, her group received the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) label as a guarantee of food safety from the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives. The group branded their product as “Khaowsook”, meaning happy rice. The decision to give it this name was because they wanted people who eat their rice to be healthy and happy. Also, the term referred to the name of Ban Sook Charoen Community where they live and it also is a reference to the name of the first village leader, ta (uncle) Sook.
Since then, Khaowsook has become recognised as the organic brand of Nakhon Phanom.
“At that time, I was happy that people bought our rice at 50 baht per kilogramme. It was much a higher rate than the 10-15 baht per kilogramme we received from the rice mills,” she said.
The rise in price was an invitation to other farmers to turn to organic farming. Hence, they became members of the Khaowsook group as well and one year after starting, the number of members in the group increased from 19 to 60 while the total of farmland area expanded from 70 rai to over 400 rai.
Crispy rice crackers are one of the group’s exported products. Karnjana Karnjanatawe
However, Nongluck knew that the group needed more than just a GAP certification. Therefore, she applied for international organic certifications from the European Union (EU) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2015. Soon after, she received the green light to use EU and USDA organic certifications and these stamps opened up opportunities for the group to export their products.
The group began producing a variety of jasmine rice, including khao hang or germinated jasmine rice (100-150 baht per kilogramme) and khao nam nom or green jasmine rice (almost ripe jasmine rice), which is priced at 200-300 baht per kilogramme.
Yet another unexpected opportunity came when the group was invited to participate in the World’s Jasmine Rice Fair in Surat Thani in 2015.
“Our group was selected to represent organic jasmine rice of Nakhon Phanom. We were told to prepare 200kg of jasmine rice for sale in the fair, however, I thought the amount was too little to cope with our expenses, so we prepared another two tonnes and gradually transported them every day via public bus to a co-op in Surat Thani before the fair started,” she said.
Nongluck’s vision proved to be right. Having international organic certifications made customers’ decisions easier and all of their product sold out before the fair came to a close.
“We earned almost a million baht from the fair. I flew back to our community and called for a meeting immediately. I told the members that we did not have to do anything else and that our sole focus must be on producing high-quality organic rice,” she said.
A parabola dome for drying banana. Karnjana Karnjanatawe
After the event, Nongluck realised that there was a demand for healthy food, especially in the high GDP cities in the South like Surat Thani, Krabi and Hat Yai. As the group needed to find more supply, Nongluck decided to join hands with other organic farmers in the neighbouring provinces of Sakon Nakhon and Mukdahan. They formed a cluster of Sanuk organic rice farmers in 2016 (The term sanuk refers to the initial letters of the three provinces).
The network selected Nongluck as the leader. Today, it has 69 groups of farmers. While some groups are cooperatives, others are community enterprises. Each group has a large number of members.
“Our cluster is the largest jasmine organic rice producer in the Northeast,” she said.
After establishing the cluster, Nongluck wanted each province to have an organic rice mill to assure customers their product was 100% organic and that it began its journey on the farm before reaching a rice processing facility. Based on research, only two of the 69 groups could build a facility for operating a rice milling machine that can produce at least 30 tonnes per day. One of these groups was Khaowsook.
“We offer our members 2-5 baht on top of market price when they sell us their rice grain for milling. Our members have two options. They can either receive their money right away or keep the rice in our stock and sell to us when they need money or when they think the price is right for them,” she said.
The group also provides a quality control service. They also have a team to audit and cross-check the organic farming process of the members. Today, the Khaowsook group produces organic jasmine rice and organic processed food. The group produces 38 products, including several kinds of jasmine and glutinous rice, rice bran oil, rice flour, instant rice drink, rice cookies and rice crackers. Moreover, members also produce other products on their organic farms such as sun-dried bananas and herbal tea. Each product is certified and guaranteed by the Food and Drug Administration to be safe.
An almond cookie made of imported organic almond (59%), mixed germinated organic rice flour (11%) and caramel (30%). The value-added product is based on organic rice. Karnjana Karnjanatawe
Additionally, the group’s milling facility has received the ISO9001:2015 standard and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) certification for quality and safety in food management. To meet international standards, the group has received major international organic certifications from the USDA, EU, Canada, China, Japan and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM).
“Being certified is very important for our products as it guarantees our quality. I am lucky that I was once a nurse. The job taught me about the importance of having a standard. It shaped my thinking and instilled a sense of caring for details, which are skills I have applied to manage our group,” she said.
Khaowsook also makes use of technology to manage its database and stock. It uses a Quick Response (QR) system for tracing products. The group recently integrated Global Positioning System (GPS) technology through the support of Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Gistda) to let customers know where their rice was grown when they scan a QR code on the package.
This strategy encourages farmers to improve their product quality and be proud of their work. This tracing system so far only covers 51 farmers but there are plans to expand it to reach every farmer in the future.
Nongluck has an ambitious plan to eliminate the use of plastic bags. The group plans to work with a team at the Ubon Ratchathani University Science Park to find a sustainable solution.
“If we can use leftover materials such as rice straws or rice husks to produce biodegradable packaging, we will achieve the goal of ensuring our products are 100% environmentally-friendly from start to finish,” she said.
Today, these materials are sold to livestock farms in the Northeast.
“While it might appear things are smooth, we face problems daily, mostly about managing people. For me, it is not a big issue though. We live and learn.”
When looking back over the past seven years, Nongluck has managed to achieve so much more than what she expected when she started.
“I’ve worked hard not for myself, but for our members also. This has motivated me to do more to make us succeed. However, what we have achieved so far always makes me proud,” she added.
Wine vendors battling to survive the coronavirus pandemic are now also getting slammed by the U.S.’s fight with the European Union over aircraft subsidies.
div class=”paywall”>
“This is going to put some people out of business for sure,” said David Bowler, owner of Bowler Wine of Manhattan, an importer and distributor. “It’s like getting kicked when you’re already down.”
The family-owned company was forced to pay $28,000 in tariffs earlier this month — $16,000 more than it would have paid had two shipments from Europe arrived when they were supposed to on Jan. 11.
The slight delay of the 1,987 cases containing 23,844 bottles from mostly France to New York City were immediately subject to tariffs that became effective on Jan. 12 — despite the fact that the wines were ordered and shipped before the tariffs were put in place. “Overnight a $12,000 bill turned into $28,000,” Bowler lamented.
Things got worse on Dec. 30 when the USTR extended the tariffs to cover wines containing more than 14% alcohol — delivering a crushing blow to the industry.
U.S. importers, who had never paid anything more than pennies on the bottle in import duties, are now forking out 25% taxes on some of the wines they import from the U.K. and Spain — and on all of the wines they import from Germany and France, which is arguably the most important wine exporter in the world.
Premium cognacs that cost $38 or more per liter were also added to the latest round of costly import taxes.
Bowler’s company, which employs 37 people, including his wife and two sons, took a 10% hit to revenues in 2020 — only the second decline in its 17 years in business, he said.
Bowler already cut his and his wife’s salaries by 20% and senior executives’ pay by 10%. The sales reps, whose commissions plummeted last year due to restaurant closures, were paid 90% of their 2019 income with the help of a Payroll Protection Program loan, Bowler said.
“We were expecting to be up by 5% last year before the tariffs,” he said.
Manhattan-based Vintus Wines, a family-owned importer and distributor to restaurants and wine stores, is facing a $540,000 tax bill for orders scheduled to arrive in just the first two months of 2021.
And that’s on top of the extra $1.8 million in tariffs Vintus paid over the past 14 months during the first round of taxes, President Alexander Michas reportedly told the New York Post.
“It’s so frustrating,” Michas said. “We feel like we have no control over our business.”
The tariffs are meant to pressure the EU over its subsidies to Airbus AIR, +1.58%
<a data-track-hover="QuotePeek" data-charting-symbol="STOCK/UK/XLON/0KVV" class="qt-chip positive" href="/investing/stock/0KVV?countryCode=UK&mod=MW_story_quote" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">0KVV,
<bg-quote field="percentchange" format="0,000.00%" channel="/zigman2/quotes/210553709/delayed" class="positive">+2.11%</bg-quote></a>
<a data-track-hover="QuotePeek" data-charting-symbol="STOCK/XE/XETR/AIR" class="qt-chip positive" href="/investing/stock/AIR?countryCode=XE&mod=MW_story_quote" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">AIR,
<bg-quote field="percentchange" format="0,000.00%" channel="/zigman2/quotes/203006799/delayed" class="positive">+1.77%</bg-quote></a><span>,</span>
which competes with U.S.-based Boeing
<a data-track-hover="QuotePeek" data-charting-symbol="STOCK/US/XNYS/BA" class="qt-chip positive" href="/investing/stock/BA?mod=MW_story_quote" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">BA,
<bg-quote field="percentchange" format="0,000.00%" channel="/zigman2/quotes/208579720/composite" class="positive">+0.15%</bg-quote></a>
and is politically backed by France, Germany, Spain and the U.K.
But American wine importers say they are the ones being punished instead.
“We weren’t the point of the argument,” Michas said. “We’ve just been dragged along, and everyone feels sorry for us.”
To afford the extra cash outlay, Vintus has eliminated its marketing expenses, and it will not fill three new positions it had hoped to add to the family-owned business early this year.
“They are kicking U.S. businesses in the gut in the middle of a pandemic,” added Ben Aneff, president of the U.S. Wine Trade Alliance.
Aneff, who is appealing to the Biden administration to lower the tariffs, said Bordeaux labels with higher alcohol content are going to be hit particularly hard.
“The honeymoon is over for Bordeaux,” sad Aneff, adding that Bordeaux from France’s Right Bank region and wines from its Rhône Valley will now see a spike in prices.
It’s not just Bordeaux. A Karine Lauverjat Sancerre that sells for about $22 at retail will soon go up to about $28, according to Bowler, which might dissuade some consumers from purchasing it. Still, demand for less expensive wines from other parts of the world or even for American wines has not increased, say importers.
“If someone wants a Sancerre, that’s what they want,” Bowler said. “Wine is not one of these things that people are willing to compromise on.” This is especially true for restaurants, which like to hold a robust selection of French wines, Michas said. “They need to have products that consumers know and trust,” he added.
“Consumers who pay on average $15 for a bottle are paying closer to $20 now, or a $15 glass of Sancerre at a restaurant is likely $17 now,” Michas said.
Among the wines Vintas is receiving this month and next are those from E. Guigal of the Rhône Valley, which range in price from less than $20 a bottle to hundreds of dollars.
A 2018 vintage of Château Troplong Mondot of the Right Bank, which sells for about $110 a bottle, will soon cost about $140 as they reach retailers, Daniel Posner owner of Grapes: the Wine Co. in White Plains, N.Y., reportedly told the New York Post.
Even though 50% of his sales are French wines, Posner is holding back on bringing in some of these highly tariffed wines.
Posner scaled back on the number of Sancerre labels he carries from 10 to four and on everyday wines from the Côtes du Rhône region that might have cost $12 but are now $15 due to the tariff.
One of his wealthy customers recently asked for a case of 2018 Château Lafite Rothschild, which typically goes for about $1,000 a bottle, but now it’ll cost $1,250 a bottle, Posner said.
“I don’t want my customers to pay $3,000 in tariffs, so I asked him to wait at least until the fall, when the tariff will be re-evaluated,” Posner said, referring to the cost of the tariffs on a case of 12 bottles.
“Last week saw the lowest number of reported weekly cases since October”, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) told journalists at a regular press briefing in Geneva.
Noting a nearly 50 per cent drop this year, he stressed that “how we respond to this trend” is what matters now.
While acknowledging that there is more reason for hope of bringing the pandemic under control, the WHO chief warned, “the fire is not out, but we have reduced its size”.
“If we stop fighting it on any front, it will come roaring back”.
WHO gave the green light for two versions of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to be rolled out globally under an emergency listing, which assesses and assures the quality, safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and is also a distribution prerequisite under the UN-led vaccine initiative COVAX.
One of the vaccines was produced by SKBio in Korea, the other by the Serum Institute of India.
Following the Pfizer-BioNTech inoculations, these are the second and third vaccines to receive emergency use listing.
“We now have all the pieces in place for the rapid distribution of vaccines”, said Tedros.
However, he reiterated the need to scale-up production along with his call for vaccine developers to send their dossiers to WHO for review when they submit them to regulators in high-income countries.
Upcoming G7 meeting
Ensuring the rapid and equitable rollout of vaccines globally is essential for saving lives, stabilizing health systems, protecting livelihoods and steadying economies, according to the WHO chief.
“Fully funding COVAX represents the greatest possible stimulus and is a rounding error compared with the trillions of dollars that have been mobilized in G7 countries to support their economies’, he said.
The WHO chief looked forward to an upcoming meeting of the G7 industrialized countries on Friday to discuss vaccine equity.
And he underscored the need to continue building the demand for vaccines by ensuring people have the right information, recalling that a year ago, “we were not only fighting a pandemic, we were fighting an infodemic”.
The solution is to fight misinformation, delete false or misleading statements, listen to concerns and questions and provide answers with good information, Tedros upheld.
Combatting Ebola
Drawing attention to last week’s spate of Ebola cases in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the WHO chief emphasized that having the right information is “essential in every outbreak situation”.
“Four cases have now been reported, and two people have died”, he updated, adding that yesterday, authorities in Guinea declared a separate Ebola outbreak in the town of Gouéké, in the country’s southeast.
“So far, three cases have been confirmed, among six people who reported Ebola like-symptoms after attending a funeral in late January”, he said. “Two have since died, while the other four are being treated in hospital”.
He informed the journalists that although both outbreaks are in hard-to-reach, insecure areas with mistrust of outsiders, WHO is working closely with health authorities to engage affected communities to enhance trust and acceptance in both countries.
While Ebola and COVID-19 are “two very different diseases”, Tedros said that “both thrive on misinformation and mistrust” and can both be stopped with proven public health measures, engaged communities, accurate information and vaccines.
The Ministry of Religion sent a letter to Prof. Nachman Ash asking his opinion of a plan to entirely encircle Meron with police, including off-road areas, to prevent large crowds from traveling to the tomb of R. Shimon bar Yochai.
A decade ago, the Dalai Lama set himself a significant deadline.
The best-known living Buddhist figure in the world said that when he turned 90 years old, he would decide whether he should be reincarnated potentially ending a role that has been key to Tibetan Buddhism for more than 600 years, but in recent decades has become a political lightning rod in China.
While the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is reportedly still in good health, he is now 85 and questions over his succession are growing, along with fears that his death could spark a religious crisis in Asia.
After an unsuccessful revolt against the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959, the Dalai Lama fled to India where he established a government-in-exile in Dharamsala, leading thousands of Tibetans who have followed him there. While the Dalai Lama had originally hoped his exile would only be temporary, Beijing’s control of Tibet has only tightened, making a return unlikely anytime soon.
Today, Beijing views him as a separatist with the aim of breaking Tibet away from China, and is therefore keen for the next reincarnation of his role to fall in line with its own political aims.
Since 1974, the Dalai Lama has said he does not seek independence from China for Tibet, but a “meaningful autonomy” that would allow Tibet to preserve its culture and heritage.
Over the years, the Dalai Lama has floated a number of options for his reincarnation, including picking a new successor himself in India, rather than in Tibet — and has even toyed with the idea of a woman taking on the role.
Experts, however, have said that, regardless of what he chooses, the Chinese government will almost certainly move to pick a new Dalai Lama in Tibet — one who is expected to support the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) control of the region.
That could lead to two separate Dalai Lamas being chosen — one in China and one in India.
Tenzin Tseten, a research fellow at the Dharamsala-based Tibet Policy Institute, said the Dalai Lama was of great significance to the Tibetan people and a symbol of their “nationalism and identity.” “The Tibetan people will never accept a CCP-appointed Dalai Lama,” Tenzin said.
History of the Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama has been reincarnated 13 times since 1391, when the first of his incarnates was born, and normally a centuries-old method is used to find the new leader.
The search begins when the previous Dalai Lama passes away. Sometimes it is based on signs that the former incarnation gave before he died, at other times top lamas — a monk or priest of varying seniority who teaches Buddhism — will go to a sacred lake in Tibet, Lhamo Lhatso, and meditate until they have a vision of where to search for his successor.
Then they send out search parties across Tibet, looking for children who are “special” and born within a year of the Dalai Lama’s death, according to Ruth Gamble, an expert in Tibetan religion at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia.
“There’s a heavy responsibility on these people to get it right,” she said.
Once they find a number of candidates, the children are tested to determine whether they are the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Some of the methods include showing the children items which belong to the previous incarnation.
According to the 14th Dalai Lama’s official biography, he was discovered when he was two years old. The son of a farmer, the Dalai Lama was born in a small hamlet in northeastern Tibet, where just 20 families struggled to make a living from the land.
As a child, he recognized a senior lama who had disguised himself to observe the local children, and successfully identified a number of items belonging to the 13th Dalai Lama.
In his autobiography, “My Land and My People,” the Dalai Lama wrote that he was handed sets of identical or similar items — including rosaries, walking sticks and drums — one of which had belonged to the previous incarnation and one which was ordinary. In every case, he chose the correct one.
But the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation hasn’t always been found in Tibet. The fourth Dalai Lama was found in Mongolia, while the sixth Dalai Lama was discovered in what is currently Arunachal Pradesh, India.
“The most important thing is the centuries old Tibetan reincarnation system is built on people’s faith in rebirth,” said Tenzin, from the Tibet Policy Institute.
What the Tibetan government-in-exile might do
At the moment, there are no official instructions laying out how the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation will take place, if he dies before returning to Tibet.
But in that significant 2011 statement, the 14th Dalai Lama said that “the person who reincarnates has sole legitimate authority over where and how he or she takes rebirth and how that reincarnation is to be recognized.”
The Dalai Lama added that if he chose to reincarnate, the responsibility for finding the 15th Dalai Lama will rest on the Gaden Phodrang Trust, a Switzerland-based group he founded after going into exile to preserve and promote Tibetan culture and support the Tibetan people.
The Dalai Lama said that his reincarnation should be carried out “in accordance with past tradition.” “I shall leave clear written instructions about this,” he said in 2011. CNN reached out to the Gaden Phodrang Trust to see if new instructions had been issued but did not receive a reply.
One thing that has become increasingly clear is that the reincarnation is unlikely to take place in Tibet, an area the Gaden Phodrang Trust cannot even access — especially after the contested reincarnation of the Panchen Lama in the 1990s.
Following the 1989 death of the 10th Panchen Lama, the second most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama named Tibetan child Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as his colleague’s reincarnation.
Gamble, from La Trobe University, said that during the selection process, the Tibetan government-in-exile was secretly in contact with people in Tibet which allowed it to find the reincarnation in a traditional manner.
But three days after he was chosen, according to the US government, Gedhun and his family were disappeared by the CCP, which then appointed an alternative Panchen Lama. Gedhun hasn’t been seen in public since.
What the Tibetans-in-exile learned from that experience, said Gamble, is “if you recognize someone inside the PRC and they’re really high level, they won’t be able to get them out.”
What the Chinese government will do
The Chinese government has very publicly telegraphed its intentions for the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation it will take place in Tibet and it will be in accordance with Beijing’s wishes.
In 2007, the Chinese government’s State Religious Affairs Bureau published a document which laid out “management measures” for the reincarnation of living Tibetan Buddhas.
The document said that the reincarnations of Tibetan religious figures must be approved by Chinese government authorities, and those with “particularly great impact” must be approved by the State Council, China’s top civil administration body currently led by Premier Li Keqiang.
“(Beijing) asserts control over the searches, testing, recognition, education, and training of religious figures,” said Tseten, from the Tibet Policy Institute.
There are few specifics about the process of reincarnation in the Chinese government’s document, except to recognize the so-called “golden urn” process, which was introduced into Tibet by the Qing Dynasty in the 1790s and sees the names of potential child candidates put into a small golden urn and selected at random.
According to Chinese state-run media, it was put in place to help “eliminate corrupt practices” in the choice of reincarnations.
However, in his 2011 statement, the Dalai Lama said the golden urn was only used to “humor” the Qing emperors, and the reincarnations were already chosen before the names were drawn. The urn was not used in the 14th Dalai Lama’s reincarnation.
“Bear in mind that, apart from the reincarnation recognized through such legitimate methods, no recognition or acceptance should be given to a candidate chosen for political ends by anyone, including those in the People’s Republic of China,” said the Dalai Lama in his statement in 2011.
An authoritative circle
In an update of its Tibetan Policy and Support Act in December 2020, the US threatened to sanction any Chinese government officials who chose a reincarnation of the Dalai Lama over the wishes of the Tibetan people.
But experts said that the CCP has been using a far more insidious method to prepare for the selection of the next Dalai Lama. In recent years, Beijing has been selecting and grooming a group of senior lamas who are friendly to Beijing, according to experts.
When the time comes to select the Dalai Lama’s successor, they might make it appear that the Dalai Lama was chosen by Tibetan Buddhist religious leaders, rather than CCP officials.
La Trobe University’s Gamble said the reincarnation process has been based on the steady building of religious authority over generations, as one lama recognized another’s reincarnation, and then that lama in turn recognized his patron when they returned as a child.
“Their authority lends authority to the next Dalai Lama and then that Dalai Lama gives them back authority by finding them when they’re kids and that’s what the Chinese government are trying to get themselves involved in, to destabilize that authoritative circle,” she said.
Tenzin, from the Tibet Policy Institute, said that Beijing had been slowly raising the profile of their chosen Panchen Lama, who has recently appeared at senior CCP meetings and went on an international visit to Thailand in 2019, to try and build his authority when he selects the 15th Dalai Lama. The Panchan Lama is part of the group of senior lamas who will do the selecting — another example of this group being groomed and selected by Beijing.
What geopolitical impact the Dalai Lama’s death might have on the Tibetans-in-exile is unclear. India has increasingly viewed the community in Dharamsala as a political vulnerability, and some worry that without the Dalai Lama there may be pressure put on the group to leave.
But neither Gamble nor Tenzin, from the Tibet Policy Institute, believed that having two Dalai Lamas would have a huge impact on the legacy of Tenzin Gyatso. “People still keep the photos of the 10th Panchen Lama around as a way of getting around (his reincarnation). They send his teachings and read his books,” Gamble said. “I don’t think the Dalai Lama’s death will end the devotion to him in the way that the CCP thinks it will.”
Both experts said they believed that while protests against the CCP’s chosen Dalai Lama would be difficult to carry out in Tibet with Beijing keeping a tight grip over the Himalayan region, he would have very little influence over Tibetans compared to his predecessor.
Tenzin said the CCP’s treatment of the new Panchen Lama, the second most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism, gives an indication of the pressure the party could apply to any future Dalai Lama — whether Beijing selects him or not.
According to the international advocacy group Human Rights Watch, the current Panchen Lama effectively lives under house arrest in Beijing.
“He is not even able to live in his own monastery,” Tenzin said.
Midnapore: Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh accused Trinamool Congress of pitting Goddess Durga against Lord Ram in an attempt to divide believers. “They (Trinamool) are trying to drive a wedge between people by mixing politics with religion. Lord Ram was a worshipper of Ma Durga. The don’t know that Lord Ram had invoked Goddess Durga to take on Ravana. Let goddesses Durga and Kali stay in temples. If you want to create a political narrative, fight over political ideologies,” Ghosh said on Saturday on Chandrakona Road, turning the tables on Trinamool. This is the first time religious slogans such ‘Jai Shri Ram’ or Trinamool’s new ‘Jai Siya Ram’ have gained traction in Bengal politics ahead of assembly polls. The state BJP president was addressing a rally as the BJP rath yatra, flagged off by party president J P Nadda in Jhargram, was passing through Midnapore. Ghosh slammed the Trinamool government, holding it responsible for Bengal’s downslide. “People in Jangalmahal do not have access to drinking water. There are hospitals here but no doctors. Here, democracy is at stake. People are witnessing political violence,” he said. Addressing supporters at Bhadutala, the BJP leader cited how the Trinamool government threw a spanner in the welfare measures PM Narendra Modi took for Bengal. “People here are not getting the annual Rs 5 lakh benefit under Ayushman Bharat health scheme. Poor farmers have been denied Rs 6,000 under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi for the last two years. Young people are moving out of the state,” Ghosh said. He added that only a “double engine” government — Modi government at the Centre and a BJP regime in the state — can pull Bengal out of its morass and put it on growth path. PM Narendra Modi is likely to visit Bengal on February 22 for the second time this month. Sources close to the development said Modi might inaugurate the Metro service from Noapara to Dakshineswar if things go according to plan. Bengal BJP leaders indicated that the PM would address a public rally on Dunlop Maidan in Hooghly. The state BJP is also planning a rally on Brigade Parade Grounds in March after the party’s yatras are over. “PM Modi will address the rally to bring an end to the misrule in Bengal,” Ghosh said.
The EIB is providing €50 million to Forsee Power to help create a European battery champion.
This second loan – following an initial €20 million granted in late 2017 under the Juncker Plan – will finance the expansion of the company’s range of products for 100% battery-powered, hydrogen hybrid and thermal hybrid vehicles.
It will facilitate product development for new markets and strengthen Forsee Power’s manufacturing capacity.
Forsee Power – the smart battery systems for the electromobility markets expert – has announced the conclusion of €105 million in financing to support its expansion into new electromobility markets and regions. This includes a €50 million loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB).
Confidence in electromobility to mitigate climate change
The signature of this loan confirms the European Union’s determination to act via the EIB to help create a European battery champion and develop the market helping to cut CO2 emissions to benefit the climate. It comes in addition to significant financing secured by Forsee Power shareholders and banks in 2020. This substantial total contribution of €105 million has already made it possible to launch the development of new ultra-thin batteries and to increase the industrial performance of its plant near Poitiers in France. It will also enable the long-term development of commercial activities in new market segments and the continuation of the Group’s research and development efforts.
Forsee Power CEO Christophe Gurtner was proud to highlight that the company “has the transport market’s most complete range of batteries and has already signed major battery supply contracts with leading bus manufacturers including CNHI (Iveco, Heuliez), Alstom (Aptis), CaetanoBus in Portugal and Wrightbus in the United Kingdom.” The Group is also establishing a presence in the rail (Alstom/TER Regiolis and SOCOFER) and industrial vehicle (Kubota) markets.
“This financing is a great opportunity for the Group to consolidate its expertise and expand its smart and sustainable battery system ranges. Electric transport shouldn’t just be the future when it can be a reality today. It is the only way to achieve the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement.”
“Climate and innovation investments were at the heart of our strategy in 2020 and we are pleased to once again support Forsee Power’s development after initial financing in late 2017 under the Juncker plan,” said EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle. “We are convinced that the electromobility sector can constantly reinvent itself and become ever more efficient, and we want to support this extremely buoyant European market.”
Supporting Forsee Power’s growth
The Group supplies sustainable, high-performance batteries for original equipment manufacturers around the world, to equip light electric vehicles (LEVs), commercial vehicles, buses, non-road vehicles, rail vehicles and marine vessels (excluding cars – automobile manufacturers generally make their own battery systems). With its longstanding Industrial Tech operations, Forsee Power also designs battery systems for portable industrial technologies including medical and well-being technologies, robotics, household appliances and safety devices.
The €50 million EIB loan will finance the strategic development of the Forsee Power Group through the expansion of its range of products for 100% battery-powered, hydrogen hybrid and thermal hybrid vehicles. The Group will therefore be able to strengthen its range of battery systems in the market segments already covered and develop products for new markets, such as non-road vehicles (construction and agricultural vehicles) and light urban utility vehicles.
It will also make it possible to increase manufacturing capacity and provide working capital to meet existing orders, and will provide greater market scope via increased marketing and sales spending. With an installed production capacity of 1 GWh expandable to 4 GWh, Forsee Power is well-positioned to support the electrification of all modes of transport.
Forsee Power is a French industrial group specialising in smart battery systems for sustainable electric transport (LEVs, trucks, buses, trains and marine vessels).
A major player in Europe, Asia, and North America, the Group designs, assembles and supplies energy management systems based on the most robust cells available on the market, as well as providing installation, commissioning and on-site or remote maintenance.
Forsee Power also offers financing solutions (battery rental) and second life solutions for transport batteries.
