china

China is at the gates of overcoming Taiwan in number of chips produced. Sounds very intimidating but it is not so much

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China will surpass Taiwan in 2030 in the production capacity of semiconductors. This is indicated by a recent Yole Group report that highlights how the efforts of the Asian giant will soon be rewarded. At least in the quantity section. Not so much in quality. Chinese-Taiwan tension. China has one especially delicate relationship With Taiwan, and that shows in the chips race. TSMC is the jewel of the Taiwanese crownabsolute protagonist in the semiconductor sector. No one produces more and better chips, and the restrictions that affect the People’s Republic of China (China) do not affect the Chinese Republic (Taiwan). China, however, has been investing in its own continental companies and manufacturing plants (“Foundries”), and that is giving results. The data. According to this study, the production capacity of semiconductors in continental China plants will represent 30% of the world total quota before the decade ends, when in 2024 it was 21%. Taiwan currently is the market leader with a 23%share, while China is already second with the aforementioned 21%. Behind are South Korea (19%), Japan (13%) and the US (10%). Big Fund. Beijing put years ago its plan to be a “complete nation” in the field of semicoductors. This is: not depending on anyone. To do this, he created the so -called Investment Fund of the Integrated Circuit Industry of China, popularly known as the “great background” or “Big Fund”. The economic support of this body has allowed SMIC and Hua Hong Semiconductor – two of the main manufacturers of Chinese semiconductors – to flourish especially. Chinese manufacturers evolve. The domestic plants of continental China have been growing in relevance, and They have invested significantly in expansions that allow working in chips for sectors such as automotive or generative artificial intelligence. All this makes the panorama for semiconductors in China improve, but only in a section. Good for quantity, bad for “quality”. The problem of these semiconductor plants is that they use less advanced photolithographs ranging from 8 to 45 Nm. Although these types of chips remain perfectly valid for industries such as automotive, IoT devices or appliances, they are not for advanced AI chips, which are in which TSMC dominates. The great Chinese promise, in trouble. SMIC, the main Chinese semiconductor manufacturer, has been trying to make the leap to a 5 Nm photolithographic node, but this technology He is choking. In fact, his 7 nm node already had Notable problems In performance per wafer, and failing to take that step is for the moment a negative note in that remarkable advance in production rhythms. And while his rivals for all. TSMC and Samsung have already overcome that photolithographic node and are going at full speed to start the mass production of 2 nm chips. It is expected that TSMC achieves it this year and that Samsung does it in 2026. Taiwan in fact is Testing your lithography A14 (1.4 Nm), which will enter large -scale production in 2028. Image | Xataka with chatgpt In Xataka | ASML’s new lithography team divides chips manufacturers. TSMC considers not using it until 2030

China has been wondering what to do with its 300 million pensioners. It has a “voluntary” solution

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It We count last year. In Europe we don’t stop Find a formula that Relieve the situation of retirement and pension of people. But nothing that happens in the continent resembles what happens in China and its 300 million pensioners (and other hundreds that are projected in ten years). The country has made a decision to stop the problem: gradually upload the retirement age. Gradual increase. China thinks Gradually increase your legal retirement age in the next five years to try to deal with the aging of its population and the increasingly suffocated pension system. An action that is part of a series of resolutions adopted at a high -level five -year meeting of the Communist Party, known as the third plenary. An enlightening fact before giving context to the serious crisis of the Asian country: life expectancy has now increased above the United Statesuntil 78 years, and was only 36 years at the time of the communist revolution in 1949. A crisis of several fronts. The country has a problem: Society ages. With an economy In decelerationa long time since demographic crisis symptoms were felt. Last year, China lost for the second year consecutive population. Meanwhile, on the sidewalk in front, the figures indicated the lowest birth rates since there are records. All this assumes that the population of age to retire, One of the casualties in the world (60 years for men, 55 for women in administrative work and 50 for working class women), it only grows. In 2022 it was 280 million, last year of 297 million (21% of the total census). Worse. There are forecasts that speak of other 300 million projected In the next decade, and for the middle of the century there is talk of a population of 60 years or more than, at least, will exceed 500 million (almost 40% of the total register). In fact, forecasts talk about four workers for each retiree in 2030and in 2050, only two. Gradual retirement by phases. The entire scenario described above leads us to the news that has been confirmed and that has been brewing months ago. “According to the principles of voluntariness and flexibility, we will move constantly and orderly in the reform to progressively delay the legal retirement age,” The Communist Party of China explained last Sunday. The plan, together with some other key reforms, was published in a resolution three days after the country’s leaders concluded the third Plenary of China, an important political meeting in Beijing that takes place every five years. What we know. The truth is that it has not been specified how much retirement age or when, but A report on pension development From China published in late 2023, he explained that “65 years may be the final result after adjustment.” The plan has been at stake for some years, as China’s pension budget decreases. If it serves as a track, in 2019 (and before the pandemic) the cabinet had predicted that the Chinese Pension Fund It would run out in 2035 due to the decrease in its workforce. Years of strong restrictions related to pandemic have further reduced the coffers of local governments and, as they explained, “they could further aggravate the pension deficit.” At the same time and as we said, the huge population of the country has decreased for the second consecutive year in 2023 as the birth rate falls. Doubts. As for those somewhat “diffuse” terms, especially in the case of a capital issue such as pensions, the Global Times state newspaper cited demographs of the country saying that in the plan to increase retirement age, it stands out “voluntariness” and “flexibility”. It is impossible to predict how far that apparent decision of the Chinese citizen would achieve, but what seems clear is that the authorities recognize that there is no unique policy for everyone when it comes to retirement. Skepticism. That is the word that now defines the plan between Many Chinese usury on the Internet. Of all the doubts expressed, one that is repeated. “Those who want to retire in advance are exhausted by their laborious works, but those who perform comfortable and lucrative functions will not choose to retire. What kind of work will end with the youngest generation?” A user comments on the Weibo Networksurely exposing one of the key issues that nobody has yet explained. Image | Soctech, Clay Banks (UNSPLASH) In Xataka | The ghost of the demographic crisis had been threatening China for years. Well, it has started *An earlier version of this article was published in July 2024

China has been launching the same message to the world about Taiwan. The date was 2027 … until the US bombarded Iran

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Now that there is a certain tense calm in the Middle East, there are many analysts who have turned the magnopolitical framework. In June we already commented that, in a turn of the most perverse events, the United States attack Iran intended to contain a nuclear proliferation could be the catalyst of another even more dangerous: North Korea. There was a second stage to draw: that of China and Taiwan. Start over. The analysts told of the New York Times That the American attack against Iranian nuclear facilities has added a new layer of complexity to the already tense geopolitical equation between the United States, China and Taiwan. What began as a diplomatic strategy became a sudden offensive that now serves as Element of study For Chinese leaders, who seek to anticipate how Trump would respond to an eventual crisis in the Taiwan Strait. His Erratic behavior And his willingness to resort to the use of force, even having previously rejected it, generate confusion in Beijing. China, they agree, observe this turn as a sign that Trump, far from representing a predictable position, could apply a logic of force equally in Asia if it perceives that their interests are at stake. Iran’s mirror. In the same way What North Koreahe Attack on Iran has been able to force Chinese strategists to Check your models of contingency with respect to Taiwan. Despite the obvious differences between the two scenarios, the essential lesson It is shared: Trump is willing to unleash military operations if he considers it appropriate, even against adversaries with limited response capacity such as Iran. Beijing, on the other hand, has a considerably superior military power and is known closer to the theater of operations than any American force. Even so, the possibility of a sudden escalation forces the Chinese to prepare For a Scenario fanfrom a diplomatic crisis to a direct confrontation that escapes their hands. Uncertainty about Trump’s red line is precisely what worries them. Taiwan and ambiguity. A constant in American politics towards Taiwan has been the calculated ambiguity: dissuad China from that invasion that sounds by 2027 (coinciding with The EPL centenary), without explicitly guaranteeing a military intervention. Trump has brought that ambiguity to an extreme level. At times ha praised Xi Jinping And he has given relaxes of distensionwhile in others he has hardened his rhetoric and has intensified The supply of weapons to Taipéi. For Beijing, this duality is disconcerting but also dangerous, because it cannot be certain to its behavior. In this context, Chinese analysts They have intensified His scrutiny, maintaining discrete meetings with American interlocutors in search of clues about the true limits of the former president. The impression they transmit is of nervous caution: they fear that the Trump’s unpredictability can trigger an unwanted crisis. Cross pressures. The tension not only emanates from Beijing. Remembered in another report the Time Magazine that within the United States and Taiwan there is fear that Trump himself, in his eagerness, ends giving something to China In a future summit with XI, perhaps in the form of an ambiguous statement or a significant omission about the defense of the island. Washington, as we said, maintains armament supply (And more) and exhortes Taipéi to increase his military spending, but it is the president who finally decides. That centralization of power and its erratic character They worry both in the Pentagon and in the Taiwanese presidential palace. We have Cash: The recent ones Chinese maneuversincluding deployment of aircraft carriers Beyond the first island chain, they are seen as stress tests: Silent drills to measure the allied reaction capacity and the degree of real commitment of Washington. Taiwan between lines and symbols. While Beijin accuses President Taiwanesa Lai Ching-Te de Separatismo, the island administration insists that it is the maneuvers and Chinese threats that They tension the rope. In turn, within Taiwan, there are those who interpret Trump’s attack to Iran as An indirect warning To the great powers, a coded message towards Moscow and Beijing: if a line is crossed, the answer could be immediate. But the comparison between Iran and China is dangerous. He Missile Arsenal from Beijing (which includes about 3,500 missiles Conventional, nuclear ballistic submarines and a rapid assembly) would make a lightning offensive like the one launched in the Middle East. China knows it, and that is why Multiply your deploymentsair incursions and Naval exercisesconsolidating a constant pressure on the island, designed to wear it psychologically and strategically. China between two fronts. Plus: while facing these uncertainties in the east, Beijing must deal with a growing perception of threat in the West. The Recent statements From the secretary general of NATO, Mark Rutte, alerting about Chinese military expansion and his possible coordination with Russia in case of crisis in Taiwan, reinforce the western narrative of China As a systemic challenge. Beijing, meanwhile, denounces that NATO seeks to justify its expansion to Asia using China As a pretext. A theater of shadows. In summary, Trump has shown that he can change course Without prior noticeand that feature, far from reassuring, introduces a dangerous volatility element. Meanwhile, China explores if you can find a loop to weaken American support to Taipéi, even Without resorting to force. And in parallel, the military apparatus of the United States and its allies fears that any calculation error, any word out of place at a summit, can trigger a chain reaction. The military action In Iran it is not just a specific act: it is a declaration of ambiguous intentions, one that has put all the actors of the Indo-Pacific board alert. Image | Chairman, Garystock In Xataka | That China performs 3,000 military air maneuvers over a year is not striking. To do it about Taiwan, yes In Xataka | It is the third time in a few months that China presents itself against Taiwan with an army. The island has decided to move on to attack

China has converted salmon breeding into a high seas into an engineering feat. This latest generation ship shows it

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Half of the fish we eat is no longer fishing in an open sea. Is raised in controlled facilitiesmany times away from the coast. It is the aquaculturean industry in full expansion that today produces more Fish for human consumption that traditional fishing, According to FAO data. Spain leads this activity in the European Union, with more than 5,000 centers in operation and a diversity of species that goes from rainbow trout to the Galician mussel. And yet, the most ambitious development of this industry does not seem to be on land or close to the coast. The state agency CGTN says that China has just bounced the First intelligent aquaculture ship in the world. A floating structure that sails, breeds and processes salmon without returning to port. A floating mega -structure that reproduces the complete cycle of a fish farm The Suhai-1 is the first smart and self-sufficient aquaculture ship in the world. Its construction marks, according to its developers, the beginning of a new stage in the salmon breeding in the open sea. It measures almost 250 meters long, displaces 132,000 tons and has 15 breeding compartments capable of hosting a volume of water equivalent to 33 Olympic swimming pools. Everything is automated: From food to oxygen control, through the simulation of natural light and waste management. The project has been built by the CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding company. But the most surprising thing is your ability to navigate. Unlike traditional sea farms, many of them anchored to coastal areas or fixed structures on the high seas, this ship can move to areas with optimal conditions for salmon growth, such as the mass of cold water of the yellow sea (Yellow Sea). Sinas details that Suhai-1 does not need to be anchored in a fixed place. Can navigate to a maximum speed of 18 km/h and move hundreds of kilometers if the conditions of the environment require it. In case of storm, red tide or any other phenomenon, the ship can quickly move to safer areas. It also has an autonomy of 20,000 nautical miles and can operate self -sufficiently for 90 days. Interior of the Suhai-1 His first mission, in fact, will be heading towards the cold waters of the Yellow Sea, where temperatures They range between 10 and 18 degrees: The ideal range for salmon growth. The objective is clear: keep fish in their optimal surroundings since they are fry until they reach maturity. Once ready, it will not be necessary to take them to the ground for transformation: the ship itself has processing systems that allow you to file, package and preserve the fish on board, ready to be landed and distributed. According to the operating company, the product can reach Chinese markets in less than 24 hours after capture. To guarantee a controlled environment, the Suhai-1 integrates intelligent systems that They regulate five key factors: Water, oxygen, food, lighting and waste management. Everything is monitored in real time and coordinated from a centralized control center on board. Interior of the Suhai-1 The automated feeding system is responsible for storing, transporting, opening and distributing the feed (food), guided by algorithmic decisions that adjust the amount according to the growth of the fish. The constant water renewal is carried out by means of a circuit that exchanges the fluid inside with fresh marine water, adapting the pressure and flow rate. In addition, the ship has environmental sensors, underwater surveillance cameras, filtering systems and a Industrial Processing Plant capable of operating in two modalities: rapid cooling and freezing. In optimal conditions, fish can reach port and be marketed in a matter of hours. Suhai-1 is not born only as a technological flavor, but in response to increasing domestic demand. China has become in the salmon market that grows faster in the world. Only in 2024, consumption reached 1,760 million dollars, with an increase of 21% compared to the previous year. However, national production is not yet to meet that demand. Fish farms on land or fixed networks produce less than 50,000 tons per yearwhile imports remain high. Suhai-1 aspires to reduce that dependence. According to CGTN, their drivers plan to release the first fry this fall and bring the first harvest to the market around the dragon boat festival next year. China has been betting on the scale and engineering for years as a way of projecting power. There they are The three throats damits high -speed trains network –The most extensive in the world– o The trains that compete for being the fastest on the planet. Projects that respond to the same logic: overcome limits in technology, transport or energy. Suhai-1 fits that line. In Europe, aquaculture has centuries of history. The Romans already raised fish in artificial ponds. Spain adopted these practices early and consolidated an aquaculture culture that is still alive: from the Galician bats for the mussel to the southern estuaries for the lubina or the gold. Images | Jiangsu LianShen Marine Technology | Caroline Attwood In Xataka | “Lobster plague”: in the crusade of European cities against cruise ships, Cannes is now the spearhead

China has been cultivating Stem talent in silence for 40 years. Today has the most coveted quarry on the planet

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For decades China has been the great factory of the world, but in parallel the country silently prepared another revolution: that of its Stem engineers (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Chinese leadership in graduates in these technical disciplines is overwhelming, and every year produces about 3.5 million engineers among which there is a new elite: that of AI engineers. China triumphs with its long -term plan. It all started in the “post-mao” era. After his death and the arrival of Deng Xiaoping, the country suffered a remarkable reform that began with his “four modernizations“And among them, to restore education with a special focus on science and technology. The president highlighted in 1988 how” science and technology are the main productive forces, “and encouraged a unique change. Hai gui. In the mid -80s China began to send a huge number of students to Western countries. The objective: to learn in their universities and achieve training in fields such as engineering, physics, chemistry and mathematics. Those students then returned to China in a phenomenon that has been called “Hai Gui” (“sea turtles”). They managed to inspire the following generations when returning to Chinese academic institutions, which gradually became some of the most advanced in the world. Chinese elite universities. It happened for example with the University of Tshinghua, which between 2013 and 2016 was already the university with the highest number of relevant scientific studies (cited) according to a study of The Economist. Behind were prestigious US institutions such as Stanford or MIT. As I explained Yang Bin, vice president of the University of Tsinghua, “those intellectuals (the” hai gui “) played a very important role, changing all the climate, raising the standards.” Money and more money to educate. The long -term plan of the Asian giant has worked, and today they leave their universities 3.57 million Stem graduates a year. In the US the figure is four times lower: 820,000. Education spending It has not dropped from 4% of its GDP In the last 20 years, and the incentives for Chinese academics to publish studies are notable: if they are of great quality and they are published in Western institutions, They can enter $ 100,000 By study. And the AI ​​is now a fundamental focus. Between 2012 and 2022 the budget spending of the Chinese government in education increased from 2.2 billion yuan (268,167 million euros) to 4.85 billion yuan (591,187 million euros), more than double. Several Chinese elite universities They have announced His intention to expand his curricula with the objective of prioritizing the strategic needs of the country, and here the AI ​​- who You start teaching in schools– It’s key. Ten years projects. In that article of The Economist, they also reveal how since 1995 the Chinese government has initiated various projects to revolutionize its educational environment. The call came first PROJECT 211 which aimed to “prepare approximately 100 universities for the 21st century.” Later they were replaced with the so-called “Double First-Class Construction”, and under Xi Jinping in 2016, which further promoted technical certifications and high training of Chinese technical universities. IA superstars. We have four good examples of all that great reform. Shengjia Zhao, Hongyu Ren, Jiahui Yu and Shuchao Bi are Superestrellas of the AI. Especially after target “Straight” in Openai’s house and steal them tempting them with stratospheric salaries. They all have something important in common: their training. Talent theft. Zuck confirmed these days in an internal statement Filtrated by CNBC Those signings. There were 11 engineers, 7 of which come from Openai. In that statement, the formation of a new division of “superintelligence” led by Alexandr Wang was also confirmed. And he, in turn, welcomed four of those new companions we were talking about. Who they are. Their names are not known, but these four engineers have had a very relevant role in the development of AI models in OpenAi. In the internal statement itself there is talk of your work in Openai, which has been the following: Jiahui Yu-Co-Creator of O3, O4-MINI, GPT-4.1 and GPT-4O. He previously directed the perception team in OpenAi and multimodal co -directed in Gemini. SHENGJIA ZHAO-Co-Creader of Chatgpt, GPT-4, all MINI, 4.1 and O3 models. He previously directed synthetic data in OpenAI. It has appeared In some of OpenAi’s product presentations. Shuchao Bi: GPT-4O and O4-MINI voice mode co-creator. He previously directed the subsequent multimodal formation in Openal. Hongyu Ren: GPT-4o cooker, 4O-mini, O1-mini, O3-mini, 03 and O4-mini. He previously directed a postformation group in Openal. 100% Chinese talent. But what is striking here is that as they point out In SCMPthese four engineers share a similar and very significant academic trajectory. All of them trained in prestigious Chinese technical universities, and then continue their studies in academic entities in the United States. They graduate in China, they do doctorate in the US. Zhao graduated from the University of Tshinghua in 2016 and then computer study at Stanford University. Ren graduated at the University of Beijing in 2018 and continued studying at Stanford from 2018 to 2023. Yu was titled at the School of Young Talents from the University of Science and Technology of China and then doctorate in computer science at the University of Illinois Urbano-Champaign. And Bi graduated from the University of Zhejiang and then doctorate in mathematics at the University of California in Berkeley. China is the great world engineer quarry. The Asian giant is also in terms of its academic dimension. It is by far the largest world producer of graduates in Stem races (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). They know that well in the US, because Chinese students are the ones who take the highest share of foreign students studying or complete their studies in the US: 20% of all of them come from China. And above all, of AI engineers. A report of the Paulgo Institute of Chicago (USA) recently revealed that 38% of AI experts that develop their professional career in the US They have formed in Chinese universities. … Read more

The true bottleneck of AI is not chips but electricity. And there China has a great asset

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Data centers are Electricity devourers. A single training cluster can spend more light than 100,000 houses. And while we become obsessed with the semiconductor war, the main problem is still there, in silence: electricity. Why is it important. Training the most powerful models require superoring workers 24 hours for whole weeks. It doesn’t matter if you have the best chips in the world if you don’t have electricity to feed them. It is like having a Ferrari with hardly any gasoline. In figures: The context. The United States has an still incontestable domain in AI and controls 75% of world computing capacity. But their companies are being delays with years to connect new data centers to the electricity network. Google, Microsoft and Amazon They have to deal with years of delays to connect new data centers to the electricity network. China, on the other hand, can lift and connect plants in a few months. Unidso’s bottleneck is in the slowness to connect new capacity to the network. Between the lines. American chip restrictions have forced China to be more efficient. He Deepseek earthquake At the beginning of the year it was the best test. China is riding its “National Integrated Computer Network”, connecting public and private data centers. Your “East Data, West Computing” plan “ Build eight big hubs in provinces with cheap renewable energy. It is something similar to what we saw at the time with the cryptocurrency mining. The key: China puts the AI ​​where there is electricity. Yes, but. Coal is still 58% of its mix energetic. Although renewables is expanding at a good pace, its current advantage is based partly on fossil fuels. That questions the sustainability of its strategy. And now what. The AI ​​career will be decided both in power plants and in laboratories. China is building the infrastructure to feed gigantic models. The United States has better chips, But worse electrical infrastructure. AI needs two things: Silicon. Electric muscle China is betting very strong for the second and that could be its winning asset. Outstanding image | ダモ リ in Unspash In Xataka | China’s three master moves to “independent” technologically from the West: raw materials, chips, AI

In the twentieth century the pipelines were the key to the world. In the 21st century are the electrical networks and a country is winning them: China

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While a nation installs almost one hundred solar panels per second, another revitalizes factories to produce gasoline engines. While A build the largest solar plant in the worldthe other promises “Dominant Energy” Based on oil and gas. At first glance, two different strategies seem. Actually, it’s a career. And the prize is not just energy: it is the geopolitical power of the 21st century. Two opposing models. An Ember graph published by Our World in Data He has illustrated The point with amazing clarity. At the beginning of the 2000s you can see China’s gradual rebound. However, the crossing occurs in 2010 where the Asian giant exceeds the 4,000 Teravatios-Hora barrier (TWH), to a vertiginous ascent exceeding 10,000 SWH in 2024. In simple terms, China produces more than double electricity than the United States, which remained in the same line. But the most relevant is not how much it produces, but how it does. Data Source: Ember (2025); Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2024) The silent revolution. In just one month, China installed 93 gigawatts of solar capacity, which is equivalent – more or less – one hundred panels every second. To that are added another 26 GW in wind, some 5,300 new turbines underway. According to Lauri Myllyvirta, principal researcher at the Institute of Policy of Asian Society, cited by The Guardian: “Only the facilities of that month would generate as much electricity as whole countries such as Poland, Sweden or the United Arab Emirates.” In total, between January and May 2025, China has added 198 GW of solar capacity and 46 GW of wind, sufficient to match the electricity production of Türkiye or Indonesia. This way, Keep overcoming The more than 1,000 GW, which represents half of the world total. They have known how to get ahead. More and more linked climatic ambitions with the growth of renewable technologies. In a recent speech, cited by The GuardianXi Jinping linked the development of the clean energy sector with China’s economic revitalization: “We have built the world’s largest and most complete energy chain in the world.” The term “new energies” includes renewables, batteries and storage technologies. The Asian giant is currently the largest global supplier of clean technologies: the market of solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, electric vehicles and nuclear reactors under construction dominates. In addition, it has almost 700,000 patents in clean energy, more than half of the world total, According to The New York Times. The other face. For a good part of the twentieth century, the United States was the reference in energy innovation: from the first commercial solar cells until The first wind farms. However, since Trump’s arrival, the focus It has been placed again strongly towards fossil fuels. According to The New York TimesWashington has pressed allies such as Japan and South Korea to invest billion dollars in American natural gas infrastructure. At the same time, companies such as General Motors have given clear signs of where the wind blows: the company canceled an electric motion plant near Buffalo (New York) to allocate 888 million dollars To manufacture gasoline V-8 engines. Where asymmetry resides. It is not just two different paths, but in world influence. According to Climate Energy Finance datathe companies of the Asian giant have announced more than 168 billion dollars in foreign investments in clean energy projects: from turbines in Brazil to electric cars in Indonesia, through gigantic solar plants in Saudi Arabia and hydroelectric projects in the Congo. Green energy, for Beijing, is not just a business. It is a soft power tool. A way to gain global land through infrastructure, long -term contracts and own financing. An influence that does not need military bases, but solar panels. In contrast, the United States has cut many of its international energy cooperation programs. Its foreign strategy is more transactional: specific gas, oil or even weapons agreements. But without a structural project that allows you to compete on this new energy board. And this change of roles? Half a century ago, the United States led energy innovation. In 1979, Jimmy Carter He installed solar panels In the White House. Decades later, Barack Obama financed projects like Tesla. But cases Like Solyndra’s failurea solar company that broke after receiving a federal loan, unleashed a conservative narrative against public investment in renewables. China, on the other hand, assumed risks. In the early 2000s, then Prime Minister Wen Jiabao – rare earth geneologist – understood that the country’s economic and geopolitical future went through controlling energy production. Your government invested hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies, factories, technical training and innovation. Protected his market, automated manufacturing and dominated access to essential raw materials such as lithium, cobalt and silicon as has developed New York Times. The forecasts. The world is moving towards solar and wind energies, so confirms it The International Energy Agency. The energy demand will continue to grow, but its origin will be different. And that will change the global balance, because whoever leads this new energy matrix will also have a geopolitical, commercial and diplomatic advantage. China is prepared to lead that world. The big question is whether the United States – or any other global actor – is willing to compete with the same strategic vision, patience and scale. Because energy not only moves factories or illuminates cities. Today the global board moves. Image | Unspash Xataka | An explosive ramifications have just opened in the world energy industry: the “Peak Oil” of China

China is building the fusion-fission reactor that the US canceled decades ago. The future of nuclear energy depends on your fate

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In the newly built Yoohu scientific island, next to the city of Nancheng, China advances discreetly in its plans to materialize a project that the United States explored and abandoned decades ago: the hybrid fusion-fission reactor. Xinghou-1. His name means “spark”, and is inspired by an appointment by Mao Zedong: “A single spark can set the entire meadow.” But it’s no small thing: it has behind An investment of more than 200,000 million yuanthe equivalent of 28,000 million dollars. The objective: build a hybrid central with 100 megawatts of electrical power, 300 megawatts of thermal power and, most importantly, a plasma energy gain factor (Q) greater than 30. An unprecedented achievement that could redefine the future of nuclear fusion nuclear energy. What all this means. To understand the magnitude of this objective, you have to put it in context. The nuclear fusion, the same process that feeds the stars, promises clean energy without the radioactive waste of current nuclear fission. The great challenge is get a fusion reaction to generate more energy of which consumes. The National Ignition Facility of the United States achieved in 2022 a historical milestone with a value q of 1.5demonstrating for the first time a net energy gain. The International Experimental Thermonuclear Reactor (Iter), a gigantic multinational project that is being built in France, aspires to achieve a Q> 10 to demonstrate the viability of large -scale fusion. Xinghuo, however, points to a Q> 30, the threshold that experts consider necessary for a merger plant to be commercially profitable. How does China plan to make this giant leap? The answer is in your hybrid approach. A fusion-fission reactor. That is, a reactor that uses the high energy neutrons generated by a fusion reaction (the “spark”) to bombard a mantle of fistible material such as uranium. This triggers a fission reaction that greatly multiplies energy production. In essence, use the fusion as a catalyst to make the fission much more efficient. The Xinghuo-1 project has already entered into the initial phase, which includes the tender and evaluation of its environmental impact. Its development is in charge of the state company Nuclear China Industry 23 Construction Corporation (CNI-23) and the private company Lianovation Superconductor. The road that the United States abandoned. The concept is not new. During the 1970s and 1980s, the United States Department of Energy investigated hybrid reactors before political priorities changed. Concerns about nuclear proliferation (hybrids can be used to produce plutonium) and a strategic commitment to “pure fusion” such as the definitive and cleaner solution led to the abandonment of this line of research. United States, and with it much of the West, They put all their chips on projects like the iter. China, on the other hand, has seen a shortcut in the hybrid model. While pure fusion follows decades away from its commercialization, a hybrid reactor like Xinghuo could connect a merger plant to the electricity grid much earlier. As soon as in 2030, According to SCMP. A coordinated national commitment. Xinghuo is part of a well -financed fusion ecosystem. China also maintains the East project, a Tokamak fusion reactor that has been able to maintain a 100 million degrees plasma for more than 17 minutes. The Huanliu-3 project, a newer and more powerful tokamak in experimentation phase. And the CFETR project, A large -scale pure fusion reactorconsidered the Chinese equivalent of Iter. The success of Xinghuo not only depends on its own advances, but also on the development of a complex industrial supply chain for key components such as superconductor magnets and the thermal vacuum chamber. If China makes Xinghuo work, either in 2030 or 2035, the implications would be seismic. They would demonstrate the viability of a route to commercial fusion energy that the rest of the world abandoned long ago. He could put Beijing years, if not decades, ahead in the energy race. Image | Xinhua In Xataka | The largest nuclear fusion project fails before the first ignition: Iter delays one of its key milestones at 2033

The C929 wants to be the great leap of China in commercial aviation. For now, your heart remains in Western hands

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For years, the domain of commercial sky has been in the hands of two giants: Airbus and Boeing. China wants to break that hegemony, and is willing to do it with its own name in the cabin. Comacthe China commercial aircraft corporationhe has been trying to make planes capable of competing with global references for years. First was the C919. Now, the bet is redoubled with The C929. This new model, even in a preliminary design phase, represents the most serious ambition of Beijing for placing a long -range plane on the international board. The objective is clear: to deal with heavyweights such as the Airbus A330neohe A350 or the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. And the figures accompany: capacity for about 280 passengers, an estimated autonomy of 12,000 kilometers and a design that, on paper, would allow to cover routes such as Beijing – New York. The internal deployment of C919: a discreet but strategic conquest The C919 has not conquered the global sky, but it has begun to take off within China. Since It was officially presented in 2017has gone through years of evidence, certifications and adjustments. SCMP points out thatas of June 2025, about 18 units fly domestic routes, mainly operated by airlines such as China Eastern. It may seem little, but the fact that it works only in China is not necessarily a failure. On the contrary: We talk about one of the largest aviation markets on the planet. And in that context, having its own plane capable of covering regional routes without depending on Western manufacturers is already, in itself, a strategic movement. The real commitment of Comac, however, is the C929. A plane from Width and long scope fuselage which aims to stand up to the most advanced models in the market. The project has won impulse in recent months: Air China signed an agreement To become a launch customer, and a supplier has reported that he hopes to deliver the first fuselage section in 2027. PROMOTIONAL IMAGE OF COMAC C-929 The development of C929 has a peculiar history. In the beginning, it was a joint effort with Russia. The project was then known as CR929, under the baton of a mixed company between Comac and the UAC Russian, called CRAIC (China-Russia Commercial Aircraft International Corporation). However, political tensions, the invasion of Ukraine and international sanctions on Moscow ended up forcing The dissolution of that alliance. Since 2023, Comac has moved on solo, turning C929 into an exclusively Chinese project. Comac has presented this plane highlighting several advanced technologies, including a Optimized aerodynamicsstate -of -the -art engines and integration of smart flight systems. In theory, it is a plane at the height of its western competitors. A C-919 Landing in China But there is a key detail: to fly, the C929 needs much more than Chinese wings. His “technological heart” continues to depend on the West. Safranthe French giant of the aerospace industry, He has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with COMAC to supply the brake system, ice detection, tire pressure sensors and oxygen system. For her part, the American Crane Aerospace will provide sensors for cabin doors. Although these agreements show that Comac is still able to attract international suppliers, they also put an uncomfortable reality on the table: their program remains, to a large extent, Tied to foreign technology. And that, in an uncertain global context, is a latent risk. The Russian precedent that China cannot ignore Russia offers a mirror. The latest Western sanctions cut off the country’s access to key components for its aeronautical industry. The TU-214a half-long reach that could transport between 155 and 210 passengers and fly to about 6,500 kilometers, was severely limited. Many of their critical systems depended on foreign technology. Moscow has worked since then in local substitutions, but possibly at the expense of performance and reliability. China, of course, has proven to be very resilient. He has dodged restrictions in sectors such as semiconductors, and has learned to convert traction obstacles. However, a change in United States commercial policy I could leave them without western engine. “If the US authorities prevent ge supplies the engine, then there will be no CFM engine,” A spokeswoman for Safran warned during the Paris Aeronautical Hall. Images | Comac In Xataka | The C919 Comac

Take cars from China to Mexico. It sank with 3,000 vehicles on board after burning

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It was called Morning Midas. Sailed on May 26 From the Chinese port of Yantai with more than 3,000 vehicles on board and destination to the Mexican port of Lázaro Cárdenas. It never arrived. On June 23, after several weeks to drift for a fire on board, the freighter He sank into deep water From the North Pacific, more than 600 kilometers southwest of Adak, in Alaska. It disappeared in silenceleaving behind a trail of smoke, steel and cars that will never touch the mainland. The fire began on June 3. According to the United States Coast Guardthe smoke came from the roof where electric vehicles were. On board 22 crew members were traveling. Everyone managed to evacuate in time in a lifeboat and were rescued without injuries to the freighter Cosco Hellaswhich was in the area. A freighter that remained to the Mercer in the middle of the ocean For days, Morning Midas was drifting, still wrapped in smoke. Rescue teams worked alongside Zodiac Maritime – the British ship of the ship – to evaluate the situation and prepare a possible recovery. But he didn’t have time. The combination of structural damage, bad weather and water entry ended up sinking it more than 5,000 meters deep. The cargo was as valuable as revealing: 3,048 vehicles, including 70 electric and 681 hybrids, According to data updated by the Coast Guard After verifying the information with Zodiac Maritime. Each unit possibly already had an assigned destination: a dealer or a buyer. Now they rest at the bottom of the ocean, without any possibility of recovering them. Morning Midas The history of Morning Midas clearly illustrates the scope of maritime car transport, a global chain that we rarely see but holds the flow of millions of vehicles a year. It also remembers other recent episodes. In 2023, the Fremantle Highway freighter, with about 3,000 cars on board –including about 500 electric-,burned for days at the North Sea. A crew member died. The ship ended up being towed to a port after a week of uncontrolled fire. Morning Midas That case led to the Dutch authorities to demand urgent improvements in emergency protocols for this type of transport. Since then, the focus on the difficulty of containing fires into ships that transport cars has been made. Morning Midas Zodiac Maritime has deployed several ships equipped with Anticontamination systems To monitor the area. According to the Coast Guardno discharges have been detected to date, although the risk is still present: the ship He transported 1,530 tons of fuelulo of low sulfur content and another 350 marine diesel. Maritime car transport is a key piece of industrial gear. And while loading more than 3,000 units on the same ship may seem shocking, the truth is that today is almost common. Manufacturers such as ByD have begun to operate their own ships. One of them is already in service and can move up to 7,000 electric cars on a single trip. It has not yet been confirmed whether the fire aboard the Morning Midas is related to any of the electric vehicles he transported. What is clear is that this type of incidents occur in full electric car boom. Each route that is planned is part of a learning process. And even if we still have no answers, there is a question that resonates: are we safely transporting thousands of high voltage batteries per sea? Images | US Coast Guard (1, 2, 3, 4) In Xataka | The cars are getting bigger and the squares do not grow. There are those who have a solution: the parking ‘spine’

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