New Caledonia’s Virginie Ruffenach, a leading member of pro-French party Rassemblement. Photo: NC la Premiere
New Caledonia politician warns against China
New Caledonia's Virginie Ruffenach, a leading member of pro-French party Rassemblement, has warned against Chinese interests potentially taking over the 49 percent shares in the embattled mining plant in Koniambo, north of New Caledonia's main island.
Last month, after years of losses, Anglo-Swiss mining giant Glencore placed Koniambo in sleep mode, and started to search for an entity to take over its 49 percent of shares.
Virginie Ruffenach said it's a difficult matter.
"As we know, China is engaged in pursuing economic colonisation in the whole (Pacific) region," she told Nouvelle-Calédonie La Première.
"In some neighbouring countries, it manages to take over infrastructures through development assistance loans and when this country cannot pay, it just appropriates ports, airports.
"So the Chinese system is not a development system I would wish for New Caledonia."
Women make up over half of New Caledonia's workforce
Women represented 57 percent of New Caledonia's workforce in 2019, according to statistics released by the local institute ISEE, which released the figure to mark International Women's Day on March 8.
ISEE said the proportion of employed women was only 38 percent in 1994, and the increase was a "major social mutation".
ISEE said in the 1956-2019 bracket, the number of employed women was multiplied by eight, compared to working men, which "only tripled".
The institute analysed that a major contributing factor to a larger representation of women on the job market was better access to education for girls.
In 2022, 76 percent of young female students passed the Baccalauréat - which is equivalent to the A level - as opposed to 60 percent for male students.
New Caledonia's 2023 tourism arrivals by air totalled some 125,895 visitors. Photo: RNZ Walter Zweifel
New Caledonia's tourism arrivals
New Caledonia's 2023 tourism arrivals by air totalled some 125,895 visitors, according to latest figures announced this week by tourism minister Mickaël Forrest.
He told a press conference the 2023 statistics were "satisfactory" because it brought the level of visitors back to pre-Covid levels.
Compared to 2019, the number of visitors from the regional source markets increased significantly (Australians, over 30,000, up 19 percent; and New Zealanders, about 13,000, up 15 percent).
New Caledonia’s tourism minister Mickaël Forrest and Nouvelle-Calédonie Tourisme Director Julie Laronde present 2023 tourism arrivals statistics during a press conference 12 March 2024. Photo: Government of New Caledonia
Forrest also recalled the tourism industry was generating about US$265 million per year and employed over 5,000 persons working for about 2,300 companies of all sizes.
French Polynesia's Brotherson in Singapore
French Polynesia's President Moetai Brotherson has embarked on a two-week trip to Singapore, where he is planning to work on tourism, digital and economic developments.
Brotherson has several times cited Singapore as a development model.
He held bilateral talks with Singapore's prime minister Vivian Balakrishnan on the margins of last November's Pacific Islands forum leaders' summit in Rarotonga, Brotherson's office said in a release.
On tourism, French Polynesia's president is also seeking potential investors for French Polynesia's resorts, as well as new airline agreements which, he said, would make Singapore an "entry hub" for French Polynesia into the Asian market, and further to European destinations.
On digital matters, a portfolio he also holds, Brotherson is said to be planning a visit to Singapore's Google subsidiary.
Google is planning to make significant investments in French Polynesia, both on the laying of new undersea cables as well as local data centres.
French Polynesia’s President Moetai Brotherson held bilateral talks with Singapore’s Prime Minister Vivian Balakrishnan at last November’s Pacific Islands Forum leaders summit in Rarotonga. Photo: Office of the Presidency