The US imposition of an additional 10 percent duty on imported Chinese goods seriously violates WTO rules and not only fails to solve its own problems, but also disrupts normal economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Sunday.
“China will file a lawsuit at the WTO against the US for its abusive practices and take appropriate countermeasures to resolutely safeguard its rights and interests,” the statement said.
According to it, China hopes the U.S. side will objectively and rationally consider and solve its own fentanyl and other problems, rather than threatening other countries with tariffs at every turn.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry also issued a statement in connection with the imposition of a 10% duty on imports of Chinese goods, calling on the U.S. to correct its erroneous approach and work with the Chinese side to engage in frank dialog, strengthen cooperation and resolve differences on the basis of equality, mutual benefit and mutual respect.
The Foreign Ministry emphasized that China is one of the countries in the world with the most strict and thorough drug control policies, and fentanyl is America’s problem, and China, in the spirit of humanism, has supported the U.S. in dealing with this problem, being the first country among other countries to put fentanyl-like substances in a separate category.
US President Donald Trump has signed a decree imposing duties on goods from Canada, China and Mexico. The rates for products from Canada and Mexico will be up to 25%, and for Chinese goods – 10%.
Trump explained this decision by the need to combat illegal migration and drug smuggling.
Previously, the US, Canada, and Mexico had a free trade agreement, the USMCA, signed by Trump in his first term in office. The new duties could have a negative impact on the economies of Canada and Mexico, which could lose up to 2% of GDP. For the United States, the consequences will be less severe, with a 0.3% decline in GDP projected.
Canada and Mexico have already expressed disappointment with Washington’s decision. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said that Canada would be forced to respond with tough measures. Mexico, which is the largest trading partner of the United States, may also suffer significant losses, as more than 80% of its exports go to the United States.
The new duties will also affect German automotive companies such as Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, which use Mexico as a production base for supplies to the US market. Experts fear that Chinese manufacturers, faced with barriers in the US, will increase pressure on European markets, which could lead to price wars.
The United Steelworkers trade union called on the White House to reconsider the decision, emphasizing that the duties harm both Canada and the United States. At the same time, Canada is considering diversifying its trade ties to reduce its dependence on the United States.
Source: https://amp.dw.com/ru/prezident-ssa-vvel-posliny-na-tovary-iz-kanady-kitaa-i-meksiki/a-71484154
Export revenues of the Ukrainian IT sector last year amounted to $6.45 billion, which is 4.2% less than in 2023 and 12.3% less than in 2022, according to statistics from the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).
The largest inflows in terms of this year were recorded in the fourth quarter – $1.67 billion, while for the same period in 2023 and 2022, this figure was $1.70 billion and $1.87 billion, respectively.
According to statistics, the United States of America was the most active importer of Ukrainian IT last year, with $2.39 billion worth of goods, although its share in the total volume decreased by 2.6 percentage points (p.p.) to 37.2%.
The second place was taken by the UK, which increased its share by 0.8 p.p. to 8.8% and imported $565 million worth of Ukrainian IT services.
It was followed by Malta, whose share among importers decreased by almost 0.7 percentage points to 7.8%: in 2024, the country purchased $565 million worth of IT services from Ukraine.
The top five countries in terms of consumption of Ukrainian IT exports are Cyprus and Israel, whose shares slightly increased in 2024 to 6.1% and 4.6%, respectively. Cyprus imported $394 million worth of Ukrainian IT, while Israel imported $297 million.
Last year, Nova Poshta, the leader of express shipments in Ukraine, doubled the number of processed shipments in Moldova to almost 4 million, the company’s press service reports.
“4 million delivered shipments, 695,000 customers and 28.6 million lei ($5.8 million) in taxes are the results of Nova Poshta’s work in Moldova in 2024,” the press service said in a statement on Friday.
It is reported that in 2024, the company showed growth in all operational and financial indicators, increasing tax payments by 87% compared to 2023.
The number of shipments in Moldova increased by 26% to 778 thousand. The number of international shipments quadrupled compared to 2023 to 3 million.
The top countries from which most parcels arrived in Moldova are China, the USA, Romania and Ukraine. The top stores from which Nova Poshta customers made orders are Temu, Joom, Aliexpress, iHerb, Zapatos and MakeUp.
The press service reminded that last year, Nova Poshta was the first in Moldova to offer its customers a new format of service points – delivery points and still remains the only postal operator that provides such a service in the country. Thanks to this service, it can quickly deliver parcels to the most remote corners of the country, even to settlements without post offices or postal facilities.
The operation of the delivery points creates additional convenience for customers, as the parcel can be picked up near their homes or on the way to the office in a cafe. In 2024, 600 thousand parcels were delivered through delivery points, according to Nova Poshta. In total, there are 61 delivery points in Moldova.
For cooperation with Nova Poshta in the format of delivery points, its local partners received 3.3 million lei ($668.6 thousand) from the company in 2024.
Nova Poshta’s presence with a network of post offices in Moldova covers 20 cities in the country, including Briceni, Edinet, Ungheni, Balti, Comrat, Cahul, Orhei, Taraclia, Chadyr Lunga, Ialoveni, Hincesti, Caşani, Stefan Voda, Falesti, Soroca, Guma, Nisporeni, Leova, Novi Aneni. A number of them are located in the stores of the largest supermarket chains – Kaufland, Linella, Merci and Local. In total, there are 260 post offices.
The number of Nova Poshta stationary offices in Moldova has reached 31. The number of sorting terminals is three.
“Nova Poshta” has set a goal to ensure the accessibility of customers in Moldova. It also seeks to increase the speed of processing shipments and customer convenience, the press service emphasized.
“Nova Poshta has become a part of the everyday life of the people of Moldova. In 2024, we invested 26.8 million lei ($5.8 million) in the development of logistics and our own network, and created 228 new jobs in the country. Our services were used by 695,000 customers, compared to 424,000 last year,” the press service quoted the CEO of Nova Poshta in Moldova, Sergey Shapran, as saying.
According to him, the company plans to continue expanding its network and range of services in 2025. In particular, Nova Poshta will open a new sorting hub in Chisinau, where business customers will be able to use fulfillment services.
The number of service points is planned to double.
The delivery time for Nova Poshta parcels in Moldova is 1 day. Delivery to Ukraine and Romania is carried out within 3 days.
Mortality in Ukraine in 2024 exceeded the birth rate in 2.8 times, the leader in newborns was Kiev, the most deaths were registered in Dnipropetrovsk region.
This follows from the report of the Ministry of justice, published on the website.
In total last year was born 176679 children, registered death 495090 people.
The birth rate in Ukraine in 2024 is 5.8% less than in 2023 – then 187.3 thousand children were born.
The leaders in the number of newborns were: Kyiv – 19.7 thousand; Lviv region – 15.6 thousand; Dnipropetrovsk region – 14 thousand; Odessa region – 12.5 thousand; Kyiv region – 10.2 thousand.
Most deaths were registered in Dnipropetrovsk region (53268), followed by Kyiv (35528), Kharkiv region (34883), Odessa region (32147) and Kyiv region (29339).
Ukrainian restaurant chain Lviv Croissants has opened its first establishment in France in the city of Cannes, the franchise was acquired by local entrepreneurs who own a Michelin-starred French cuisine restaurant, according to its press release.
“For six months, our team did not just work on creating a good establishment, but thoroughly researched the French market and the food culture of the region to win the hearts of French foodies. We believe that our croissants will be a new gastronomic discovery for them. Everything else remains unchanged: traditional Lviv atmosphere, delicious quality coffee and high standards of service”, – noted Lviv Croissants franchising managers.
The first Lviv Croissants in France is located in the center of Cannes, on Rue d’Antibes. The establishment has 13 seats inside and another 24 on the summer terrace. The area of the venue is 70 m². The interior combines natural wooden elements, vegetal decoration and comfortable places for rest. The kitchen was made open so that visitors could see the process of croissants preparation.
The basis of Lviv Croissants menu in Cannes, as well as in the whole chain, is freshly baked croissants. Some fillings are developed taking into account preferences of French guests – local chefs were specially invited for this purpose. In total, there are more than 35 different fillings in the menu.
Lviv Croissants added that in time they plan to introduce croissant delivery from the new establishment in Cannes.
France has become the fifth country outside Ukraine, where Lviv Croissants operates. The chain also has facilities in Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and the USA. Lviv Croissants is planning to open new establishments of the chain.
Lviv Croissants is a Ukrainian international franchise restaurant chain founded in 2015. It specializes in making croissants. The brand entered the European market in September 2022. The first establishment opened in the Polish city of Zgorzelec. Now the chain has 180 establishments throughout Ukraine, 11 in Poland and 1 each in Slovakia, Czech Republic, France and USA.
It is a part of Fast Food Franchising Group. Fast Food Franchising Group LLC was founded in 2015 in Lviv.
The company’s net loss in 2023 amounted to UAH 598.3 thousand, compared to UAH 483 thousand net profit a year earlier. Last year’s income increased by 55.1%, to UAH 6.939 mln, debt obligations – by 9.7 times, to UAH 188.9 th, while assets decreased by 19%, to UAH 1.89 mln.
Beneficiaries of the company are PE Firma Infobud, which owns 50% of shares, Eugene and Andrei Galitsky (20% each), as well as Yuriy Zagrodsky (10%).
