Chinese firm barred from Vanuatu log exports after landowner complaints

A Chinese company began logging in Vanuatu during recent political turmoil, residents said, raising concern over the environment and workers in military uniforms in a Pacific Island nation where Beijing and Washington vie for influence. Vanuatu forest authorities last week banned Vanuatu Forest Industry Ltd (VFIL) from exporting logs while they investigate landowners' complaints that trees were cleared without permission on the island of Santo. The export of round logs is banned in Vanuatu, although a government inquiry in 2021 found endangered rosewood being illegally exported to China, where it is prized for furniture.