STORY: U.S. tariff hikes on Chinese-made EVs hurt global climate agenda: Ethiopian expert
SHOOTING TIME: May 17, 2024
DATELINE: May 20, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:58
LOCATION: Addis Ababa
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. exterior of the White House
2. various of Chinese EVs and China's clean energy
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): COSTANTINOS BT. COSTANTINOS, Professor of public policy at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia
4. various of EVs in Addis Ababa
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): COSTANTINOS BT. COSTANTINOS, Professor of public policy at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia

STORYLINE:

The U.S. has unveiled new tariffs on a variety of imports from China, including electric vehicles (EVs), lithium batteries, photovoltaic cells, critical minerals, semiconductors, steel and aluminum.

Among the more than a dozen categories of newly-targeted Chinese goods, tariffs on Chinese EV imports will rise to 100 percent this year.

An Ethiopian scholar said the U.S. move will have a far-reaching impact on the global climate agenda.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): COSTANTINOS BT. COSTANTINOS, Professor of public policy at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia
"In the short term, it's going to hurt the climate agenda very seriously. We generate huge amounts of polluting gases. And, therefore, there will be an impact. This is a wrong start for the climate agenda globally. Because if countries are going to start doing this, then it's not just electric vehicles, look at solar panels and other new technologies that China is bringing up in terms of using green energy."

The expert also stressed that collaborative efforts should be made to ensure products will be affordable for everyone through technological advancement.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): COSTANTINOS BT. COSTANTINOS, Professor of public policy at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia
"The collaboration between these different nations that are holders of this technology advancement would be important for the whole world, if they can work together to make this technology available to every human being, at this cheaper price, at an affordable price, especially when it comes to Africa, where everybody is talking about closing down the digital divide. So China is doing a lot of work in this line. The government is proactively supporting such an evolution from fossil fuels into clean energy. And also at the same time creating a situation, in which every person in the globe would be able to afford these products."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Addis Ababa.
(XHTV)