china

Germany is trying to stop its electricity dependence on China. The question is whether that is even possible.

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Almost four years ago, Germany learned a painful lesson: your industry cannot depend on the energy of a geopolitical rival. The Russian gas crisis after the invasion of Ukraine forced the Germans to make more than one sacrifice while the country’s energy model was transformed. Now, at the gates of 2026, Friedrich Merz’s government faces a déjà vu disturbing. The same stone twice. Germany may have become independent of Gazprom’s gas pipelines, but its solar panels and grid technology bear, directly or indirectly, China’s stamp. Good: Berlin has just hit the brakes. The collapse of a seemingly innocuous financial operation last week has revealed that Germany is carefully reviewing every watt that enters its system to avoid repeating the historic Russian gas mistake. The trigger. The Italian company Snam SpA intended to acquire a minority stake in Open Grid Europe (OGE), one of the largest gas network operators in Germany. On paper, it was an investment between European partners. In practice, the German Economy Ministry saw the shadow of Beijing. The problem was not Snam, but its shareholders. The state-owned State Grid Corporation of China owns 35% of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, which in turn owns a third of Snam. For the Merz government, that was risk enough. Given Berlin’s refusal to accept the proposed solutions, Snam withdrew its offer last week. A clear message. Berlin does not want companies with Chinese state participation to have access to the country’s energy arteries, even indirectly, which marks a change in doctrine compared to the era of Olaf Scholz, who at the time allowed the Chinese shipping company Cosco to enter the port of Hamburg. The current executive is much more defensive: national security takes precedence over capital. The question is… Too late? If blocking the purchase of a gas network is relatively simple, unraveling technological dependence on China is a logistical and economic nightmare. 95% of the photovoltaic cells installed in Germany come from Chinese manufacturers. And almost the entire wind industry, especially offshore, depends on rare earths controlled by China. The German energy transition is based on Asian hardware. Germany needs Chinese technology to meet its climate goals. And he doesn’t hide it. The German government has already raised this concern in international forums, denouncing the Chinese overcapacity in sectors such as electric mobility and solar energy. Technology that is needed but now considered a “systemic risk.” Is decoupling possible? In 2018, the German government already had to intervene so that the state bank KfW bought a stake in the network operator 50Hertz, preventing it from falling into the hands, again, of the Chinese State Grid. Seven years later, the strategy of “patching” individual acquisitions seems insufficient in the face of structural dependence. If the experience with Russia is any guide, Berlin seems to have decided that, this time, the price of security must be paid in advance, before anyone decides to turn off the tap. But today, the reality of the market is stubborn: replacing Chinese hardware means, almost invariably, paying more and taking longer to deploy renewables. Image | rawpixel In Xataka | If you were expecting cheap electricity this winter, we have bad news: Holland

The first autonomous robot waiter in China served me. It’s nothing more than a glorified vending machine

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A few weeks ago I was in Beijing. I went to take photos with a preliminary version of the Realme GT8 Probut there was time to walk around there. I was hoping to find things that would surprise me, like the external batteries that are in every corner of the citybut I came across something unexpected: the Galbot G1. It is a humanoid robot very different from the rest of humanoid robots. Because? Because this is already working. And not in a warehouse or factorylike so many others, but in a much more demanding position: facing the public. He is tending a drinks stand in a very large shopping center. It does this without any human intervention. And… the waiters can rest easy. The robot that serves you bottles of water Before we get into the robot, let’s go with some context. Galbot is another of the many Chinese companies that They are researching robotics. They are focusing not so much on the moving parts as on the ‘brain’ of these robots: the language models connected with a vision system that allows the robot to manipulate objects in a general way. This means you can break away from pre-programmed routines to react in real time. Your brain is powered by hardware NVIDIA Jetson Thorwhich is what allows you to execute that LLM in real time, and has two keys: Navigate without the need for markers on the ground. It does not do it with legs, but with a base that gives it less flexibility, but greater autonomy and stability. Your system allows you to perceive what is around you, “understand” it, and react based on that perception. In short: thousands and thousands of dollars invested in creating a robot with one objective: serving me a bottle of water. Image | Xataka When we stumbled upon the stall, it was by chance. There was no one ordering, all the rows of bottles were intact and it was even strange. But since science doesn’t do itself, I approached, determined to buy the cheapest bottle of flavored water available to do the test. The process couldn’t be simpler: You choose product. You pay with AliPay/WeChat. The robot does its thing. You leave. The problem is that I may be defining the work of a robot that has cost a fortune, but I may also be describing the process of purchasing from a Goya vending machine. There are two differences: the robot is cooler… and it takes much longer. How much? Here it is: As a bartender, meh. In a warehouse it makes sense The truth is that my feeling was strange and the first thing I thought was “the waiters can rest assured because this is not a threat.” But I also wondered to what extent the Galbot G1 that had served me was nothing more than a proof of concept in the real world and the company’s intentions are different. And, indeed. All that technology and reasoning in real time, with perception of physical space thanks to its numerous cameras and sensors located in various parts of the body, is not there to serve me bottles of a few cents, but to carry out work in environments in which it can really be useful: logistics. Because facing acrobaticsthis G1 (because the Unitree is also a G1) is committed to demonstrating its viability in real commercial uses today. One is “light” hospitality, such as the kiosk where I bought, but also logistics in controlled spaces in the last mile. Applications targeted by Galbot It is the video demonstration just above these lines, where we see the adaptability of the Galbot when they move the boxes. The response time in which it analyzes the situation is similar to the one I saw when I ordered my little bottle, and those sales stands in some areas of China are nothing more than training, or that’s what I get the feeling, for its artificial intelligence model. The queue that was set up just when I ordered. Before it was empty. Image | Xataka For now, curiosity, a Furbyan attraction, but in certain environments, it can be very useful. As a machine vendingNo, although it attracts a lot of attention, and a good queue formed not to buy… but to see how he bought. Images | Xataka In Xataka | A robot called “Sardinator” circulated through the streets of Malaga promoting a beach bar. Until the police arrived

Italy has been importing its famous “Italian” tomato paste from China for years. And now China has a problem

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The powerful tomato sector Chinese faces turbulence. After achieving a prominent position in the global market and becoming the largest tomato orchard in the world, the Asian giant has encountered a drop in sales in a strategic market: the European market. More specifically in Italy, where the demand for vegetables from Xinjiang has deflated at the stroke of controversies. The data is quite eloquent. Only during the third quarter of 2025 did sales of Chinese tomato paste in Italy decrease about 80%. Tomato ‘made in China’? It comes with taking a look at the maps from World Population Review to understand the enormous weight that China has achieved in the world tomato market. According to its latest data, in 2023 the nation produced about 70.1 million tons. This places it considerably above India, which occupies second place with 20.4 million tons, Turkey (13.3 million), the US (12.4 million) or Egypt (6.2 million), which complete the ‘TOP 5’. Also from Spain, which occupies ninth place, with nearly four million. Extremaduran farmers warned about the growing threat from China a few months ago, who recognize that the competition exerted by the Asian tomato is already their “biggest problem”. It’s not just that China harvests tons and tons of vegetables, it’s that it does so at such low costs that they make its tomato paste (a fundamental product for the food industry) unbeatable. Click on the image to go to the tweet. Is he that attractive? Yes. And it is not something that is observed only in Extremadura. Just a year ago Francesco Mutti, CEO of the sauce manufacturer that bears his last name, recognized that much of the cheap tomato paste coming from China is produced in the Xinjiang region with “very, very low labor costs.” something similar they slid in 2016 from Las Marismas (Andalusia): “They ask us for European quality at the price of Chinese tomatoes, something impossible taking into account the costs.” In practice this means that China exports every year tons and tons of tomato to the European market, which in turn generates a lucrative business. OEC calculate That last year the Asian giant exported processed tomatoes worth 1.21 billion dollars. If we look at its main destinations, Italy occupied a priority place, with a value of 83.8 million dollars. And what has happened? That although China is a gigantic exporter and has managed to differentiate itself in prices, its product has been compromised by an unexpected factor?: controversy. I told it a few days ago Financial Times. News about the use of forced labor in Xinjiang (a region that has attracted attention of the UN for alleged human rights violations against the Uyghur minority) and the lack of clarity The labeling with which some Italian companies identify the origin of their products has conditioned Chinese pasta exports, in which large state companies play a crucial role. Result? Against this backdrop, to which is added the campaign of the Italian agricultural association Coldiretti, China has encountered a problem: a ‘pinch’ in exports that has left it with a huge stock of processed tomatoes. Financial Times assuresciting data from the platform Tomato News, that the Asian giant has a reserve of between 600,000 and 700,000 tons of tomato paste. To understand its scope, it is equivalent to six months of exports. Has demand dropped that much? Yes. The data shows that the Western market seems to want to move away from the doubts that shadow the Chinese product. In general, Chinese tomato paste exports decreased by 9% year-on-year during the third quarter of 2025, but if we focus specifically on sales to Western EU countries, that percentage rises to 67%. In the specific case of Italy, purchases plummeted by 76%. “It is clear that Europe has become a difficult place to export,” recognize to Financial Times Martin Stilwell, head of Tomate News, the source of the data. Do we handle more data? Yes. There are two other reveals. The first has to do with the value of processed tomato exports to Italy. If between January and September 2024, Chinese customs recorded about 75 million dollars, this year, during the same period, it did not even reach 13. The other data has to do with the volume of fresh tomato processed to turn it into pasta: 4.8 million tons in 2021, 11 million in 2024 and 3.7 this year (estimate). For Stilwell, the reading is clear: faced with the difficulties of selling, China chooses to cut expenses instead of increasing its stock. What does China say? That accusations about the use of forced labor in Xinjuang are “a lie” created and propagated by “anti-Chinese forces” to harm the country. The truth is that years ago the US decided to turn its back on imports of tomato paste from that region of the Asian giant and in the case of Italy they weigh somewhat more than the suspicions of the UN. In 2021 the Caribineri ‘hunted’ a company that labeled its canned tomato as “100% Italian” when in reality it included product from China. “If we assume that Italy has 80 companies related to tomato processing, three, four or five have committed dishonest practices,” Mutti assureswho regrets the damage this does to the reputation of the Italian sector. Images | Tom Hermans (Unsplash) and Arthur Wang (Unsplash) In Xataka | Four nations are fighting over a fruit that smells like rotten eggs. China has turned it into its gastronomic phenomenon

Luxury was the last industry where Europe, because it was Europe, had a competitive advantage in China. Until now

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For decades, China was known as the country where the world’s luxury products were made, not where they were designed. The “Made in China” lived years associated with mass productionto the workshops that supplied Europe and to the supply chains that kept the pace of the sector alive. The great Western houses dependedand still depend— of its manufacturing capacity. But what almost no one saw coming is that that same country, which built the industrial muscle of global luxury, would begin to develop its own brands capable of not only imitating, but directly competing. A market that no longer responds to the previous rules. According to data published by Bloombergspending on Western brands within China has slowed down in a huge market—around $49 billion—while several local firms are growing with a strength that surprises the industry itself: Laopu Gold, artisanal aesthetic jewelry, has multiplied by ten its online sales in just two years, compared to the 57 million of Van Cleef & Arpels, one of the most recognized names in Western fine jewelry. Songmont, specialized in bags with clean lines and minimalist design, is close to 90% growth in e-commerce. In contrast, Gucci’s drop in the same channel exceeds 50%. Mao Geping—a local brand with a strong Chinese theatrical aesthetic— doubles income by Bobbi Brown on the platform. And all this happens while giants like LVMH or Kering are experiencing sharp declines in the stock market compared to their highs in 2023 and 2021 respectively. As Chosun Biz points outmany consumers who previously reserved their large purchases for foreign brands are now choosing local firms. A simple phrase, but one that reveals a profound cultural change. Luxury is no longer defined only by Europe. The transformation is not explained solely by the economic context, because otherwise the phenomenon would be limited. However, local brands are succeeding because they offer something that the young Chinese consumer recognizes as their own: an aesthetic and a cultural story that does not seek to appear Western. There are different examples, such as Songmont building its brand around “oriental beauty” and designing spaces inspired by calligraphy. To Summer creates fragrances with ingredients that are part of Chinese sensory memory—tea, osmanthus, preserved citrus—and presents them in Jingdezhen porcelainindisputable reference of the country’s ceramics. ICICLE bases its entire design on principles of harmony and simplicity rooted in local philosophy. This approach connects with a generation that no longer considers European logos as automatic symbols of taste. They look for beauty, yes, but a beauty that belongs to their culture. Luxury Society adds that local brands They have become experts in building coherent, deep brand universes full of cultural references that are natural, not forced. Meanwhile, foreign firms have been trying to adapt for years, often with superficial interpretations of Chinese symbolism. The rise of national pride. EITHER guochao, born as a movement roots that vindicate the aesthetics and identity of the Asian giant. A term that has become a purchasing criterion for many young people. It is not about rejecting what is Western, but about valuing what arises in the country’s own companies. Western houses try to adapt. The big foreign brands have begun to react. Digitalizing document a change in the way in which Louis Vuitton, Prada or Loewe relate to Chinese culture: they no longer only launch thematic collections on Lunar New Year, but they open stores that interpret local architectural languages, collaborate with artisans of intangible cultural heritage, produce content about Chinese cities and organize parades in enclaves that dialogue with the country’s history. The reality is that they have to respond to an increasingly demanding market and a consumer who has reduced his enthusiasm for luxury in the midst of an uncertain economic climate, marked by youth unemployment and the fall of confidence. The point is that, although Western localization is increasingly sophisticated, Chinese brands have an advantage because they start from a native understanding of their own aesthetic. They are not imitating the global language of luxury: they are proposing a new one. From followers to creators. The ecosystem is reminiscent of the process that Japan experienced decades ago. As some analyzes showfirst came the fascination with European luxury, then an economic crisis, and finally the rise of local brands that redefined modern Japanese aesthetics. China is going through a similar cycle, but with a level of global ambition that Japan did not have from the beginning. Furthermore, the picture is complicated by another key movement: according to Luxury SocietyChinese luxury spending has not disappeared, but has shifted abroad following the post-pandemic reopening. Japan is now one of the favorite destinations, where up to 80% of customers in some luxury stores are Chinese, it also happens in Singapore and Thailand. This makes the sales decline within China seem more serious than it is. Even so, at home, the preference for local brands is a cultural phenomenon, not a situational one. Can Chinese luxury consolidate itself as a global competitor? The potential is there, but the challenges are great. According to figures cited by Bloombergno Chinese brand in the sector has yet exceeded 0.5% global share or 10 billion yuan in annual revenue. The growth of recent years starts from small bases and there is still no truly global Chinese brand. The economy doesn’t help either. Consumer confidence is fragile and an important part of the local boom depends on a cultural pride that could fluctuate if the domestic situation worsens. The brands themselves recognize, in interviews collected by the same medium, that they need international talent and expansion outside of China to consolidate themselves. However, their advantage is powerful: they dominate the supply chain, manufacturing and, now, increasingly, aesthetics. The case of Shajuanstudied by researchers at Fudan University, shows how vertically integrated brands can control design, production and narrative more effectively than many international firms. A new global aesthetic emerges from China. The Asian giant is no longer just a key market for Western luxury; It is a creator of trends, … Read more

The name China does not appear, everything else reminds us of Beijing

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By 2025, countries like Finland, Sweden and Lithuania had published guides for its population focused on concern about a possible war with Russia. In Taiwan they have gone a little further if possible. The nation has decided to publicly assume something that until a few years ago was avoided even being mentioned: that the military threat from China is no longer a remote hypothesis, but rather a daily pressure that forces to prepare to the entire population to stages. And they have done so without naming Beijing at any time. A manual for an island. The guide has a “trap”, since there are scenarios that range from natural disasters to a coordinated invasion by land, sea, air and cyberspace. That said, it is the first time that the Government sends a security manual to every home in the country (23 million inhabitants), an unprecedented gesture that reveals both the seriousness of the strategic situation and the political determination to show that civil society will not be a weak link in the event of conflict. The guide, redesigned to be understandable for any citizen, combines practical instructions, technological warnings, psychological guidelines and a central idea that structures the entire message: the defense of Taiwan depends on each person knowing what to do from the first minute of a crisis. Prepare at home. The manual starts from a basic principle: In a real crisis, public infrastructure may be disrupted and initial survival will depend on each family’s ability to be self-sufficient for at least a week. The guide explains how to evaluate the logistical needs of the home, from dry food, water and medicines to batteries, radios, hygienic materials and basic utensils for cooking without electricity. It is requested to maintain a “revolving stock”consuming and replenishing so that reserves are never lacking. It also introduces the need for consider vulnerable people (seniors, babies, dependents) and to always have chargers, cash, copies of documents and alternative means of communication in case the internet or mobile phones are sabotaged. Emergency luggage. The heart of the manual is the go-bag preparationa kit that should be able to be picked up and carried in seconds if the situation forces you to leave home. It includes water, ready-to-eat food, basic first aid kit, clothing for rain and cold, flashlight, radio, chargers, documents, simple tools and paper maps. This section insists that the population must internalize the logic of immediate mobilityunderstanding that in the first moments of a crisis, speed can be the difference between being trapped or reaching a safe point. Threat scenarios. One of the most striking new features is the explicit enumeration of hostile scenariosall of them based on patterns already observed in Chinese military exercises or on forms of coercion that Taipei identifies as part of a sustained hybrid war. They include the cable sabotage submarines, maritime blockades disguised as inspections, the creation of false no-fly zones, intrusive drones over Taiwanese space, disinformation campaigns, cyberattacks and the possibility that enemy forces try to infiltrate or simulate identities to confuse the population. The manual warns that, in such an environment, distinguish allies and enemies can be difficult, so the rule is simple: stay away from any detected military activity and do not broadcast images that could reveal Taiwanese defensive movements. Taiwanese army training How to act during bombings. The document also pragmatically details how survive an air raid If there is no time to reach underground shelter: move away from windows and walls, lie down on the ground, cover your head and open your mouth slightly to cushion the impact of the shock wave. For those who are on the street, we insist on adopting a protective position and facing the opposite direction to the explosion. The manual, in addition, updates evacuation routeshelp points and location of shelters, and highlights the importance of establishing three previously agreed upon family meeting places to avoid the fragmentation of groups in the midst of chaos. The psychological dimension. Another essential part is emotional management. It is encouraged to reduce exposure to irrelevant news to avoid saturation, to maintain rest and eating routines, and to talk openly about fear as a way to prevent it from growing uncontrollably. In the case of children, the guide recommends including them in the preparation of go-bags, explain to them what is happening with appropriate language and teach them to identify fake news, a threat that Taiwan suffers every day as part of the information harassment from abroad. Cybersecurity and technology. The manual dedicates an entire section to warning about the risks of using applications and technological devices linked to Chinese companies. The guide points out platforms such as TikTok, WeChat, RedNote or AI tools such as DeepSeek, and remembers that certain devices with cameras can be vectors for data collection. The instruction is clear: reduce its use, deactivate sensitive functions and be wary of any anomalous behavior in electronic equipment. Civic offensive. If you also want, the most relevant thing about this massive deployment is not only its content, but its strategic significance: Taiwan wants to show Beijing that its society is not passive or fragile, that it knows what to do and that the human, social and political cost of an invasion would not be low. The campaign, which will distribute more than 11 million of copies, seeks to reinforce the idea that the defense of the island does not depend solely on its army, but also on a prepared, conscious and coordinated civil fabric. The political message is explicit: the Taiwanese resistance does not expect a “D-Day”, possibly because it already lives under daily threat, but is willing to assume the consequences of defending itself if that day arrives. Image | 總統府, 總統府 In Xataka | Communist countries have a very long tradition of military purges. And China is joining it In Xataka | A phrase from Japan has put Pacific peace in suspense. China’s response has been to launch its drones and warships

That CATL is going to employ 2,000 people in Zaragoza is good news. The problem is that they are going to be brought from China

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“There are Chinese manufacturers in Europe that assemble cars with Chinese components and Chinese personnel. It happens in Spain and Hungary, and it is not right.” This is the statement of Stéphane SéjournéVice President of Prosperity and Industrial Strategy of the European Commission, in light of the way some Chinese manufacturers proceed to avoid tariffs on electric car that comes from China. Evidence that Europe is not happy with the “removable” kits from Chinese manufacturers. There are companies that have a magnifying glass on their projects in Spain. CATL, with its 4.1 billion euro plant, is one of them. Now, his vice president has justified why its 2,000 employees will be Chinese. Removable kits. The tariffs came into effect at the end of last year for those electric cars not only from Chinese manufacturers, but that are manufactured in China. The Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai either Europeans would also be included. What Europe seeks with these tariffs is to persuade manufacturers to establish themselves in the EU and create value in the points where they install themselves. Well: shortly after the tariffs began to be applied, the news broke that there were Chinese companies that were assembling their cars in Europe, yes, but they were not manufacturing them here. How did they do it? With removable kits. All work on key parts of the vehicle is done in China, where practically the entire car is assembled and then disassembled and the parts sent to the destination countries. They do it without wheels or steering wheel, but with all the critical parts, which are reassembled in factories in other countries. Europe did not look favorably on this measure and already raised an eyebrow, but more recently, both Séjourné and other European manufacturers –Josep María Recasens, president of Renault Spain– they raised the hare. Recasens directly stated that Chinese manufacturers are making “four plates with wheels.” Figueruelas Plant. There are plants that plan to change their way of acting in the short term, but what some point out is that this harms the area in which these companies are located. SEAT, for example, gives work to 15,000 people in Martorell, generating thousands of indirect jobs around it. And it is common: the manufacturer employs directly, but also generates work in the surrounding areas because logistics, auxiliary industries and local suppliers come into play. Another key point in this controversy is the factory that CATL wants to build in Zaragoza. It will be the result of a joint venture between CATL and Stellantis, with a investment of 4.1 billion euros which will be used to create LFP batteries. It is scheduled to begin production in 2026 and is expected to generate 3,000 direct jobs. The problem is that 2,000 of those workers They will come directly from China. CATL’s position. That would not meet the European Union’s desire to create wealth directly on the land on which they are established, but Meng Xiangfeng, vice president of CATL, has spoken out on the matter. It was during the COP30 climate summit held in Brazil where the manager was forceful: “it is not that we are not willing to hire local workers, it is that we need experienced technicians to build and perfect the production lines and start up the equipment.” According to Meng, they are not seeking to replace local employment, but rather to start the plant in the best possible way by requiring specialized knowledge. “During this process, we will train local workers so that they can gradually take over the operation,” assured. “You can’t come to Europe and build four plates with wheels and seats with little added value. We didn’t do it like that when we went to China, they shouldn’t do it when they come to Europe” – Josep María Recasens Local wealth. It’s no small feat: CATL is one of the leading companies when it comes to powering new energy vehicles and was one of those on the table during the debacle of the European Northvolt. In addition to Figueruelas, the company has another plant on European soil, in Erfurt, Germany. It was CATL’s first outside of China and the executive assured that the procedure at the Spanish plant will be the same as that already applied on German soil and will be applied at the other European plant in Hungary. Like BYD. and technology transfer. Once the plant is at full capacity, it will be possible to assess the extent to which the local wealth sought by the European Commission is created, but in addition to that issue, the issue of technology transfer is up in the air. Companies are jealous of their creations, and it is logical, but the president of Renault has a reason for Europe to force Chinese manufacturers to “teach us.” When Western manufacturers entered China, the country forced them to partner with local companies to produce on its soil. As a result of that knowledge we have cars like the MG4 Electricbut also the new Renault Twingo made in Shanghai and Japanese Mazda 6e developed by Changan in China. And what is sought is for that knowledge to be shared. As we say, we will see what happens, but Figuerelas will be a complicated case because those 2,000 employees who will come from China will practically double the current census of inhabitants of the municipality. Images | Stellantis In Xataka | “It is playing free trade with a totalitarian State”: three experts give their opinion on tariffs on Chinese electric cars

How China has managed to rescue its astronauts in record time when it took the US months

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Last year, Boeing starred in a space drama that kept the world in suspense: the Starliner crisis. After discovering leaks and failures in its propellers, NASA took months between deliberations, tests and safety meetings to finally decide that the astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams They would not return in their ship, but would wait for SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission to return. Now, China has faced a similar scenario that it has resolved in a few days. The haste has its explanation. A cracked window. The news broke on November 5. The Shenzhou-20 mission, crewed by Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, was preparing to return to Earth after six months at the Chinese Tiangong space station. However, during inspections prior to undocking, the astronauts detected an anomaly that so it was not made publicbut that we now know: “small cracks” in the external glass of one of the capsule windows. After analyzing photographs and running simulations in wind tunnels, CMSA (China Manned Space Agency) engineers determined that the damage had possibly been caused by the impact of micrometeoroids or small fragments of space junkcompromising the structural integrity of the ship. The conclusion put Chinese astronauts in a bind: the capsule “did not meet the conditions for a safe manned return.” The game of chairs in orbit. Unlike the International Space Station, the Tiangong space station cannot accommodate six astronauts for a long time, so the Shenzhou-20 crew had to be brought in as soon as possible. China always maintains a Shenzhou ship and a CZ-2F rocket ready to take off in case of emergency. However, on this occasion, the CMSA ruled out launching the new Shenzhou-22 spacecraft to bring back the three stranded astronauts because it “included instrument upgrades for which the outgoing crew had not been trained.” The solution chosen to bring the crew back was, therefore, to do so aboard the Shenzhou-21 ship that had arrived with three other astronauts two weeks earlier. A literal change of chairs (they had to move the adapted seats from one ship to another) and with a single sacrifice: leaving the three crew members of the Shenzhou-21 at the mercy of a compromised ship (the Shenzhou-20) in the event of an emergency. In summary. The three outgoing astronauts They landed safely on November 14 aboard the ship of his three incoming companions. The reason why this exchange of ships was faster than in the case of the Starliner or, a year earlier, the Russian Soyuz MS-22, was, on the one hand, that the Tiangong station is not yet large enough for six people to live in, and on the other, that the replacement ship was already there. What cost NASA months of risk analysis and public relations management with Boeing, China solved in a matter of days thanks to the availability of spacecraft. The logistical sacrifice is that the crew of the Shenzhou-21 (which will stay in space for six months) has had to give up their “lifeboat” until the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft is launched without a crew as a new return vehicle. The Shenzhou-20 will return empty to analyze its damage on the ground, if it ultimately survives re-entry. Image | CGTN In Xataka | The only photo you need to understand the scale of what Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ company, has just done

Japan has warned China about Taiwan. And China has taken it so seriously that they have surrounded some islands in Japan

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It started a few days ago, when the Japanese Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, declared before parliament that Chinese aggression against Taiwan could constitute a “survival threat situation”, the legal formula that would allow Tokyo to use force in support of its allies. With his words, he not only broke the “strategic ambiguity” maintained by Japan for decades, he thus opened a Pandora’s box that at this time hangs on a very thin line. The explosion. As we said, the Takaichi gesturewhich broke with decades of caution and “strategic ambiguity” around the Taiwanese issue, was interpreted by Beijing as a direct provocation and a sign that the new Japanese government was willing to align itself more openly with Washington and Taipei in the most sensitive scenario in the Asia-Pacific. The Chinese reaction It was immediate: summoned the Japanese ambassador with unusually harsh language, issued official editorials calling Takaichi’s words “fundamentally evil” and warned that any Japanese intervention would be a failure destined to turn “the entire country into a battlefield.” That aggressive turnmore typical of moments of maximum tension than of routine diplomacy, announced that Beijing was not willing to leave a change of position that affects one of its vital interests unanswered. The military front is activated. While charging politically against Tokyo, China opened a second front in the military terrain. The most “showy”: the arrival of its coast guard ships on a patrol mission within the waters of the Senkaku Islands (administered by Japan but claimed by China like Diaoyu), one more step in a theater where both countries have been competing for years, but whose meaning is different in the midst of a diplomatic clash. Simultaneously, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense detected thirty aircraftseven ships and one official Chinese vessel operating around the island in just 24 hours, with maps showing drones approaching dangerously close to Yonaguni, the Japanese island located just 110 kilometers from the Taiwanese coast. Chinese patrol with the Senkaku in the background The red line. China it takes months combining these “joint patrols” with intrusive flights in the Taiwanese ADIZ as part of a pressure strategy persistent, but do it right after Takaichi’s statements He turned these maneuvers into a message addressed to Tokyo as well as Taipei. For Japan, see military drones Chinese bordering its southernmost islands is a warning that any clash in the Taiwan Strait would have direct repercussions on its territory, a reminder that its security is inexorably linked to the future of the self-governed island. After using water cannon to turn back a flotilla of Taiwanese fishing and coast guard vessels in 2012, the Japanese Coast Guard has shown increasing vigilance in defending the waters surrounding the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. In its territorial claim, Japan’s maritime border covers about 27 kilometers around the archipelago. The economic front. The second line of Chinese response came through economic waya tool that Beijing has perfected in previous disputes with Australia, South Korea or the United States. First issued a travel notice to its citizens warning of the “increased risks” in Japan, then urged reconsider studies in the country, directly affecting more than 123,000 Chinese students registered in Japanese centers, and then allowed the main Chinese airlines will refund free of charge tickets to Japan. This sequence, apparently dispersed, has a crystal clear logic: in a country where Chinese visitors represent nearly a quarter of total tourism, a diplomatic warning is enough to shake an entire sector. The Japanese stock market showed it: Shiseido, Uniqlo, Isetan-Mitsukoshi, Takashimaya and the airlines JAL and ANA suffered drops of between 5 and 12%, while Oriental Land, operator of Tokyo Disney Resort, fell almost 6%. Extra ball. It does not seem, therefore, that we are facing a simple stock market fluctuation, but rather the sign that a giant economic actor can, with a phrase on an official website, compromise vital income for a neighboring country and remind it of the asymmetry of economic power between the two. As I remembered French geopolitical analyst Arnaud Bertrand to put the situation in perspective, from China’s point of view, it is as if Macron officially announced that the French army would militarily defend Catalonia from Spain, just after the anniversary of Napoleon’s defeat and the end of the French occupation of Spain. In other words, a kind of disproportionate provocation if, in addition, we take into account that it occurs shortly after the 80th anniversary of the end of the japanese colonial occupation from Taiwan and Second World War. Sanae Takaichi The political dimension. Beyond tourism and education, Bloomberg told A few hours ago, Beijing allowed accounts affiliated with its media apparatus to announce that it was “fully prepared for substantive retaliation.” The insinuations range from targeted sanctions even trade restrictionssuspension of diplomatic contacts or symbolic military measures, a repertoire that China already applied harshly against South Korea after the deployment of the THAAD anti-missile system in 2017. That historical reference did not go unnoticed: then, the tourist boycott and the pressure on South Korean companies took away 0.4 points to GDP of the country, a figure strong enough to serve as a warning. For Tokyo, the threat does not come in a vacuum: China is its main business partner and supplier of critical materialsan Achilles heel that Beijing knows and exploits when you need mark limits. However, the Chinese offensive aims beyond Japanese punishment: it also seeks to deter other governments (particularly European) to speak out on Taiwan, after the recent gesture of the EU by welcoming a Taiwanese vice president for the first time in decades. And Taiwan in the center. we have been counting during the year. The element that gives coherence to this crisis is the Taiwanese issue. For Beijing, unification is an imperative political and militaryand any mention of the possibility of Japan intervening constitutes a red line. For Tokyo, geographical proximity turns any Chinese invasion into an existential threat: The fall of Taiwan could place the Chinese navy one step away from the sea … Read more

The US vetoed NVIDIA’s most powerful chips in China. I didn’t count on an unexpected problem: Indonesia

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NVIDIA is at the center of the technological war between China and the United States. After the blockadethe US allowed the company sell a version of its H20 chips specific for the Chinese market, but the most powerful chips, The Blackwells are still banned in China. Or so we believed. What is happening. Donald Trump made it clear that he does not want China to have access to Blackwell chips, but despite the blockade, an investigation by the Wall Street Journal shows how there are Chinese companies benefiting from the computing power of these chips using legal shortcuts. The process. The investigation details the process that NVIDIA’s Blackwell chips go through until INF Tech, a Shanghai-based startup, uses the computing power. NVIDIA sells its chips to Aivres: Aivres is a Silicon Valley company partially owned by Inspur, a Chinese company that is on the US blacklist. NVIDIA could not do business with Inspur or its partners, but the blockade does not affect partners based in the US, as is the case with Aivres. Aivres sells the chips to Indonesia: specifically to an Indonesian communications provider called Indosat Ooredo Hutchison. The agreement includes the sale of 32 NVIDIA GB200 racks with 72 Blackwell chips each; more than 2,300 chips worth $100 million. Indonesia sells computing power to China: The end customer for this cloud computing power is INF Tech, which will use it to train AI in financial and medical research applications. This point is key as we will see later. Why it is important. The investigation calls into question the true effectiveness of US blockades and regulations. Using intermediaries in other countries, Chinese companies can manage to circumvent the restrictions and access the most powerful chips, all without violating the restrictions. Cracks. According to the Trump administration’s controls, the deal is legal as long as INF Tech does not use the chips to help the government with military intelligence applications or to develop weapons. However, it is difficult to know what it is actually being used for and in fact in the US there are suspicions that The Chinese government is leaning on the private sector to improve its military technology. Disagreement. If there is a crack, the logical thing would be to cover it. The Biden administration tried to tighten these rules to prevent chips from being sold to countries that are not close allies of the United States. This would have prevented the sale to the Indonesian company, but when Trump returned to power he decided not to go ahead with these new rules. Instead of the government controlling it, it should be the companies themselves. Interests. The US blockades seek to take advantage of China in the AI ​​technological race, all for reasons of “national security.” It is contradictory that they leave these cracks open through which these chips end up sneaking in legally. The one who thinks it’s great is NVIDIA. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, a company spokesperson came out in favor of Trump’s decision, saying that “Biden’s controls cost taxpayers tens of billions, paralyzed innovation and ceded ground to foreign rivals.” Image | NVIDIA, Pexels In Xataka | The Chinese government has taken a definitive step to break NVIDIA’s dominance in China: prioritize “national” chips

China needs garbage to burn and it needs it so badly that people are digging it up to sell it to incinerators.

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Until a few years, China was the dumping ground of the world. Voluntarily. Since the 1980s, garbage imports have helped China supply raw materials for its industry. Today, the situation has changed and China continues to have a very intense relationship with waste management. But a very different one. What they have left over now is not garbage, but incinerators to burn it. And that has caused old landfills to begin to be unearthed. Many plants of the country They are burning garbage from 20 years ago today. The great Chinese love affair with garbage. In 2016, China imported 7,350,000 tons of plastic and Hong Kong another 2,850,000. In total, they imported almost 70% of all the plastic waste moved around the world that year. That’s not counting paper, scrap or textiles. China was, for more than two decades, the world’s dumping ground. And it wasn’t an accident. In the 1980s, faced with the shortage of certain raw materials, the Chinese Government decided to start importing certain especially useful waste (plastic, paper, mineral slag or textile waste). “The most notorious case was probably the importation of electronic waste that was dismantled and reprocessed in terrible environmental conditions,” Erik Baark explained to us. Everything has an end. However, by the late 2010s, the Chinese situation had changed. In those years alone, the total volume of urban solid waste generated in the Asian giant increased from 158 million tons to more than 249 million. Suddenly, the Government understood that it was running out of space. So he took several measures. And what did he do? On the one hand, got serious about environmental regulations. In the summer of 2017, more than 800 companies were prosecuted for not complying with recycling standards. And, a few months later, authorities arrested more than 259 people for the illegal importation of 303,000 tons of garbage. But it wasn’t enough. And they prohibited imports. That was what affected us the most: the 2017-2018 decision plunged to the international garbage market (and especially to Western recycling systems) in a crisis from which we have not yet emerged. However, it was not the only thing they did. As Baark explains“the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) explicitly supported the incineration of municipal solid waste, with the aim of increasing the proportion of waste treated by incineration from 20% to 35% at the national level.” However, China does not know how to do anything by halves. In less than five years, incineration power plants experienced a real boom (from 428 in 2019 to 1010 in 2023). The goal for 2025 — a daily incineration capacity of 800,000 tons — had already been exceeded in 2022. And shortly after, this energy production system came to “process” 80% of the country’s waste. Today they have literally run out of trash. As I said, in recent months, Chinese and international media have reported on waste incinerators for energy recovery in large cities that operate at low capacity due to a lack of raw materials. It is the story of how the impressive operational capacity of the Beijing government goes too far, yes. But the consequences are very curious: because the plants continue looking for waste to burn. In fact, to the extent that plants compete with each other: the price of garbage is rising. And that seems to be causing in many areas of the country “old” garbage is being dug up. A present that is ending. But no one is aware that this is something temporary. If Chinese waste continues to grow so little by little (10% in recent years), the incineration model is going to enter a crisis. First, for the most obvious thing, of course: it is not sustainable. but also because It is still an emergency resource and not a rational waste management policy. The most interesting thing for us is that this more than predictable crisis It will also change our world. Image | 烧不酥在上海 老的 In Xataka | The European waste industry has been lying to us for years: in 2018 everything blew up and we still haven’t recovered

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