china

China has attacked a German plane with a laser weapon

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The Red Sea is has become In one of the more volatile foci of the current geopolitical map, marked by constant attacks From the hutis to commercial ships in retaliation for the war in Gaza, the growing militarization of strategic routes and a complex SInterests between powers such as Iran, the United States, China and the European Union. And in the midst of this scenario more and more tense, maritime security missions can face challenges that go beyond conventional attacks. The last one has been as unclassifiable as extremely dangerous. Laser climbing. On July 2, 2025, a German surveillance plane was attacked with a laser For a frigate from the Navy of the Popular Army of Liberation (Plan) while participating in a routine mission off the Coast of Yemen. The aircraft, a Beechcraft King Air 350 operated by civil contractors from Yibuti and with German military personnel on board, he was fulfilling support functions within the ASPIDES OPERATION of the European Union, destined to Protect navigation In the Red Sea in front of Hutis attacks. According to them German authoritiesthe Chinese ship had already been previously sighted In the area, but this time he launched the beam without prior notice, forcing the mission to abort and return based. The Berlin government has responded firmlyconvening the Chinese ambassador to express their protest and qualifying the act of “totally unacceptable” to endanger the staff and hinder international operations. Repeated pattern The incident It is not an isolated fact. Since 2018, the Chinese Navy has been accused in several occasions to use laser weapons against military aircraft from the United States, Australia and the Philippines in different scenarios Strategic, from Yibuti to the South China Sea. In all cases, light beams, although without immediate destructive impact, were used with intentions of harassment, disorientation or intimidation, and some caused mild eye damage and disruption of optical sensors. The situation evokes especially A 2018 case In which two American pilots suffered injuries for a Chinese military laser while operating from the base in Yibuti, the same area from which the German plane attacked took off. The code for unexpected meetings in the sea (Cues), signed by China, Explicitly prohibits These practices for their risk of physical damage and military escalation, but its breach has become an unofficial tactics of the plan in scenarios where geopolitical friction is high. Laser boom and naval proliferation. The use of laser technology on board wars It is not exclusive From China, but its systematic and aggressive deployment is an alert signal. The proliferation of these systems, which vary from simple dazzling manuals up to Laser cannons capable of disabled sensors, drones and Antibheque missilesis part of a growing trend in contemporary marine. China has incorporated These devices to various types of vessels, including amphibious ships of type 071 classin parallel to the development of similar systems by the American Navy and other powers. What distinguishes the plan is your willingness to use them in peace time for the purpose of harassment, with tensions that touch the threshold of the conflict without formally crossing it. The possibility that these incidents are repeated or climb especially to European countries whose naval presence in distant waters has increased in response to new global threats. Geostrategy in the Red Sea. The growing Chinese influence in the Red Sea adds a disturbing nuance to the incident. Since 2008, the plan maintains a continuous naval presence in The Gulf of Adénbacked by your Permanent base in Yibuti. Recently, Beijing has reached An understanding With the hutis to guarantee the safe step of Chinese commercial ships through the Red Sea, while other international actors face systematic attacks. This ambiguous position allows China to present as a stability guarantor in the region, while hindering with unstalled hostility Maritime security missions led by the West, such as ASPIDES OPERATION. The incident with the German plane can be read, in that sense, as a form of indirect pressure to discourage the European military presence in waters now considered vital for Beijing’s strategic interests. Silent expansion. Beyond the Red Sea, the European fear of Chinese expansion is not limited to the naval field. Continent authorities have expressed their growing concern for Beijing’s influence on critical infrastructure, transport routes and geostrategic areas such as The Baltic either Arctic. In that context, the German response (formally convene the Chinese ambassador) represents a diplomatic gesture unusual For Berlin, more traditionally prone to equilibrium than to direct confrontation. However, in the face of a potential aggression against European military personnel and a repeated pattern of Chinese naval harassment, the measure acquires a symbolic value: it indicates that European patience against the erosion of fundamental international standards It has a limit. Diffuse red line. Although It has not been confirmed If the laser used in the attack was of high power or material damage has been detailed, the very involvement of a Chinese military system against a European aircraft in official mission feels a preceding worrying. As the Red Sea becomes an increasingly complex scenario (with Iran, the Hutis, the United States, Europe and now China playing parallel and contradictory roles), the use of silent weapons, Like the lasersis emerging as the perfect tool to inflict deterrence without firing a bullet. If you want also, each of these Pulses Invisible tense a little more the thread of regional stability and threatens to turn the Red Sea into a new gray area of ​​military competence. Image | Pla, China Military Online In Xataka | The “trick” of modern wars: how US ships repelled drones in the Red Sea without shooting a single shot In Xataka | China has ordered its ships to turn around in Ormuz: what reveals the silent withdrawal of its oil tankers

The production of Russian drones was so huge that Ukraine has opened them looking for clues. The surprise is China

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The situation It is not new In Ukraine. In the past they have opened Russian Shahed and other intercepted models to find out what was behind the device. Thus they found some paradoxes of the war, such as the fact that Moscow drones carried a wide variety of components of the United States or of kyiv’s allies. However, from a while to this part, Russian production was so immense that suspicions began. Someone else should be behind, and a document has just revealed it. Made in China. First it was Intelligence of Ukraine. Russia is managing to maintain and expand its weapons production despite Western sanctions, and is achieving it thanks to the constant supply of electronic components and materials from Chinaaccording to Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukrainian commissioner for sanctions, in a context of intensification of Russian attacks with missiles and drones. The recent appearance of Manufactured parts In China in Shahed-136/Geran-2 drones recovered in Kyiv, added to previous reports on the involvement of Chinese companies in the Russian military supply chain, it reinforced what Ukraine qualifies as a Alcanza trend In Chinese technological support to Moscow. Vlasiuk warned that Beijing is not only expanding its logistics role, but already replicates US technologies, which increases its ability to support the Russian military complex. The document that certifies it. From the first bars of the large -scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has urgently sought forms of strengthen your arsenal of drones, key in the new paradigm of asymmetric war that is fought both in the front and in the sky. An essential part of that answer It has been Aero-Hita little known firm based in Khabarovsk, at the eastern end of Russia, which has emerged as one of the main drone manufacturers of the country thanks to a dense network of covert cooperation with Chinese companies. That is precisely what has been revealed thanks to documents obtained by Bloomberg. The medium counted a few hours ago how, despite Western sanctions, Russia has managed to channel components, technical knowledge and sensitive technologies From China Through intermediary companies, agreements in special customs areas and personal relationships with actors linked to both the industry and the Russian state apparatus. One of the Russian drones pieces shared by Ukrainian intelligence Strategic link. Aero-Hit’s production focuses on The Veles modela low -cost and high precision FPV drone that has already been deployed in military operations in zones Like sweaters. The United States Treasury Department itself sanctioned the company For the use of these drones against Ukrainian objectives, confirming their role in the Russian war machinery. The development of Veles has been reinforced by collaborations with Autel Roboticsa Chinese drone manufacturer that officially denies any link with Russia since 2022, but whose technology is repeatedly mentioned in the internal correspondence of Aero-Hit and in joint investment plans for more than 90 million dollars. A letter. According to a June 2025 letter published By Bloombergboth parties had restored technical contacts and negotiated the localized production of the model AUTEL EVO MAX 4Tan initially civil drone that has demonstrated high efficacy in combat thanks to its resistance to electronic interference. This process would not only imply integration into Russian systems, but also direct transfer Firmware, purification methods and repair capabilities, which reinforces the strategic value of the agreement. Khabarovsk: Moscow-Pekín axis pole. The epicenter of this operation is The city of Khabarovska few 30 kilometers from the Chinese border. There, since 2022, agreements have been woven between the Komax company (Property of the exagent of the KGB and occupation senator in Jersón Konstantin Basyuk) and representatives of the Chinese government, including officials in the Harbin Free Zone and the prestigious Harbin Technology Institute (HIT), a university linked to the Popular Liberation Army and sanctioned by the United States for developing advanced weapons. Between 2022 and 2023 They formalized plans To create an assembly plant with customs tax advantages, including sending 100 drone kits From China and official visits to Factories from Shenzhen, including the headquarters of Autel Robotics. The initiative received high-level political support, with meetings between Russian officials and Chinese executives during the Chinese-Russia Business Forum of 2024, and was cataloged as “priority” By Yury Trutnev, special envoy of the Kremlin for the Far East. Intermediaries and camouflage network. Bloomberg underlined that Aero-Hit, officially registered after these contacts, has undercover its relationship with China through a intermediary networkwhich includes fictitious or camouflaged signatures under other activities (such as air catering companies, seafood distribution or real estate logistics) that serve to manage orders, billing and transport. More: Documents of March and August 2024 show Drones deliveries to units deployed in Jersón and official requests from the Russian Defense Ministry to acquire thousands of Veles units, together with antennas and accessories. Companies such as Renewsio-Invest and Shenzhen Huasheng Industry (both sanctioned by the United States) have been key in the supply of pieces and electronics from China, even after the new commercial restrictions imposed by Beijing in 2023. Although some Chinese firms retired from the project for fear of sanctions, others They occupied their placeguaranteeing the continuity of the supply chain. Ukrainian forces after intercepting a Russian shahed Official ambiguity and mutual benefit. Autel Robotics has insisted on deny any link With Russia or Aero-Hit since February 2022, claiming that it is a civil company without military licenses and with strict compliance policies. However, the Documents obtained They suggest that links could be mediating through individual engineers, subsidiaries or intermediary vendors. Beijing, meanwhile, argues that he has never delivered lethal weapons to no side in war and strictly controls two -use goods exports such as drones, although the real depth of Chinese government knowledge about these transfers continues without clarifying. The persistence of technological flow from China to Russia raises uncomfortable questions about the effectiveness of the sanctions regime global and about the nature of the declared neutrality By the Government of Xi Jinping, at a time when the diplomatic pressure on Beijing intensifies. Prolonged war perspectives. Meanwhile, the Aero-Hit … Read more

China has the ability to stop the construction of new AI data centers. It is a nightmare for the US

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During the last two years The Chinese government has fought The US sanctions and its allies resorting to a strategy that has proven to be very effective. China controls the production and processing of several critical minerals For semiconductor industries, renewable energies or electric car, among other sectors, which has led to the administration led by Xi Jinping to regulate its export in a very strict way. In early December 2024 He chose to prohibit The export of some critical minerals to the US, among which were three essential metals for the chips industry: Gallium, Germanio and Antimony. Shortly after the Chinese government added two more critical metals to its list of export restrictions: Scandio and Disposio. However, there is a much less exotic chemical element than those I just mentioned the one that is barely talking. China also controls it and is using it to put the US against the strings. Bismuth is a fundamental metal for the global technology industry Although it is not monopolizing as many headlines in international media as rare earths, bismuth (BI) is an essential chemical element not only for the integrated circuit industry, but for the entire global technology sector. It is a whitish, crystalline and relatively fragile metal that acquires a pinkaceous tone when coming into contact with the air. It shares some physicochemical properties with lead and tin, but it has a distinctive characteristic that has helped it be erected as the essential metal that is: it is much less toxic than other heavy metals, such as lead. However, this is not at all its only quality. In addition, it is the most diamagnetic metal, so when introducing it into a magnetic field it is repelled very weakly. On the other hand, its electrical resistance is high and its thermal conductivity is very low. Interestingly, the only metal that has even smaller thermal conductivity is mercury. And its melting point is relatively low (about 271.3 ° C), while Its boiling point touches the 2,000 ° C. Finally, the bismuth has another very unusual property among the metals that are worth not overlooking: when it solidifies it expands. The bismuth is an essential metal thanks to its intervention in welds and the tuning of thermoelectric materials If we had to stay with only two characteristics of all that we just reviewed the chosen ones would be their low toxicity index and their ability to expand when solidified. In fact, these properties largely justify their use in industries that have a strategic role for many countries, such as chips, consumer electronics, renewable energy or electric car. Although it participates in a wide range of applications, the bismuth is an essential metal thanks to its intervention in the welds and the tuning of thermoelectric materials. For many decades the metal usually used in welds was lead, but it has an important problem: it is very toxic. Gradually this metal has been displaced by the alloys of bismuth and tin, which are much less toxic, and, in addition, They have a very low melting point. In fact, these alloys have a leading role in the manufacture of flexible substrates, printed circuit plates and all kinds of electronic components. On the other hand, thermoelectric materials allow generating electricity taking advantage of temperature and vice versa differences, so they are very important in the development of efficient cooling systems. China is currently the largest world producer in bismuth. In fact, control between 80 and 84% of the supply of this metal, so the global distribution chain is in your hands. Only in 2024 this Asian country produced 13,000 metric tons of this chemical element, while outside the borders of China, only 3,000 more tons were refined. This essentially absolute control has led to the Chinese government to drastically restrict Bismuth export with the purpose of responding to the sanctions of their rivals. In the US, some technology companies are already against the ropes because their bismuth reserves are running out. And it is not precisely unimportant companies. Google, Amazon and Nvidia are three of the US companies that Chinese bismuth urgently need In order to sustain the construction of your new data centers for applications of artificial intelligence (AI), so They have asked the US government that he reaches an agreement with his Chinese counterpart. Otherwise the development of AI in the country led by Donald Trump will be compromised. In this area, as we have just seen, China has the pan well grabbed by the handle. More information | China / Business Inside In Xataka | The two most important chip companies in China have a problem: the 5 Nm have been choked

If China attacks Taiwan, Russia and North Korea will also do so … but to Europe

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An interview of the New York Times It has opened the possibility of a scenario that concerns a large number of nations. NATO general secretary Mark Rutte, explained The closest thing to a chess board where the movement of a key piece produced a geopolitical earthquake of extraordinary dimensions, according to the leader, everything would begin if China finally decides Attack Taiwan. What would come later would be the closest thing to world war. The context. The extensive interview He came to a key point: the fear of an escalation of Chinese military intervention on the island of Taiwan It has increased drastically He launched his invasion On a large scale of Ukraine. The approach: the war has served as possible model How both taipéi and the international community could answer if Beijing decides to invade. Of course, Rutte took the opportunity to spread the message we listen to incessantly: rearmamentbut from a disturbing perspective. Routte word. “There is more and more awareness, and let’s not be naive about it: if xi jinping attack Taiwan, he would first make sure his smallest partner in all this, Vladimir Putin, and say: ‘Hey, I will do this and I need you to keep them occupied in Europe attacking NATO territory’”, Routte declared. “It is very likely that this is how this advances. And to dissuade them, we need to do two things. One is that it, collectively, is so strong that the Russians never do it. And the second, collaborate with the Indo -Pacific, something that President Trump is promoting vehemently,” added. The strategic clamp. We have coming counting These months. As the military pressure China on Taiwan reaches levels unprecedentedthat key date of 2027 It is glimpsed on the horizon and, meanwhile, Western strategists begin to fear a more gloomy scenario: than Beijing, when launched into an eventual invasion of the island, activate its Russian partner to open a second front in Europe. That was about Rutte’s wordsthat this coordination would not be an improvised act, but a deliberate play. They remembered the Analysts on Twz That, although it seems alarmist, the warning fits with the growing alignment between Moscow and Beijing, which not only share strategic interests, but also reinforce each other in their respective wars: Russia with Chinese technical support in Ukraine, and China benefiting from the distraction that represents the European conflict for US military resources. NATO troops The 2027 horizon. A few months ago We point that Western intelligence reports agree that both China and Russia would be working with similar temporal horizons. Xi Jinping would have ordered the EPL armed forces to be ready to Take Taiwan in 2027a period supported For the CIA and by The statements of the then head of the IndoPacom, when talking about the call “Davidson Window.” In turn, the Rutte ownas well as high controls military from Germany and Ukraine, they argue that Russia could reconstitute your abilities To attack NATO territory Towards 2029. That is, by the end of this decade, both powers would be (it does not mean that it will be so) in technical and logistics conditions to open A double front which would test the American reaction capacity. In practice, this would mean that any Chinese offensive on Taiwan It could coincide With a Russian offensive on the eastern flank of Europe, forcing the United States to divide its resources between two simultaneous war theaters. Pressures on Taiwan. The United States Indo-Pacific Command data (INDOPACOM) leaves no doubt: Chinese military pressure on Taiwan has Increased 300% Annual, with Naval maneuversexercises amphibians, drills landing, rocket and operations releases of aircraft carriers Around the island. Admiral Samuel Paparo warned of a “boiling point” that could crystallize in a real operation if Beijing considers that Washington is too dispersed to respond effectively. Although some analysts consider unlikely that Russia is ready Right to attack NATO, others recognize that even a credible threat or hybrid war actions could force the United States to mobilize resources preventively. And the simple expectation of conflict would already be enough to dilute the American response capacity in the Pacific. Iran and North Korea. Beyond Russia, experts agree that China has other “saturation actors” to divert US attention and media. The recent offensive With B-2 Spirit bombings on Iranian nuclear facilities, it shows that Washington already has part of its arsenal committed in the Middle East. The maintenance of Two groups of aircraft carriers In the region, along with the sustained war Against the hutis In Yemen and the constant tension with Iran, they already suppose a drainage considerable operation. To this is added the latent threat North Koreawhose structural dependence on China makes it a strategic pawn willing to sow chaos if Beijing demands it. Neither Pyongyang nor Moscow would have to launch into a total war: it would be enough with actions of “Gray Zone” Sufficiently to force a reaction from the United States and its allies, dispersing strength, anticipating conflicts and undermining the logistics and tactical concentration that would require a Taiwan effective defense. Wear strategy. The key to the scenario that is emerging is not in the immediate brute force, but in asymmetric deterrence. China knows that a Taiwan invasion is not simply a military operation, but a total geostrategic bet. To have any chance of success, It must guarantee that the United States cannot concentrate your forces quickly in the region. Russia, North Korea and even latent conflicts in the Middle East are part of this architecture. In that context, a weakened, distracted or forced to defend their eastern flank while Washington has to operate on several fronts, would offer the “Window of opportunity” that Beijing needs. Hence the revitalization of the European rearmethe reinforcement of the Defenses in Finland and Poland, and the Increase in spending Military in almost all the countries of the Alliance, are not only reactive measures against Russia, but essential elements of the strategy to also deter China. Washington and unpredictable deterrence. The Trump … Read more

The US will finally continue selling engines for C919. He has also given China a reason not to need them again

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USA has given green light to continue selling engines for the Comac C919the plane with which China seeks to challenge the Airbus-Boeing duopoly. But that same decision contains a paradox: it has given Beijin one more reason to move towards Your own autonomy. Who ensures that another restriction is not applied within a few months? What will happen when that plane begins to cross borders? China has been preparing for years. The C919 is not a prototype or a laboratory promise: it is a narrow fuselage aircraft that can accommodate up to 192 seats and boasts a range of between 4,075 and 5,555 kilometers. At the moment they are in service 18 units, but orders multiply. China’s aerial dream flies with western help (for the moment) This ambitious project continues to depend largely on foreign engineering. The flight control system, the brakes, the plane, the auxiliary power unit … A good part of the critical components come from American or European companies. And in the center of everything, the engine: the LEAP-1Cdeveloped by CFM Internationala joint business between the American Ge Aeospace and the French Safran. The United States Department of Commerce Department to reactivate the export licenses of the aforementioned engines is presented as a momentary relief for China, which will be able to comply with the expected delivery deadlines, but also as a signal. As Hugh Ritchie points outCEO of Aviation Analyst International in Australia: “Without access to that technology, in essence US would control the pieces of Chinese airplanes.” China has been learning to read between the lines. Each commercial restriction, each veto, has been interpreted as a notice. When the Trump administration vetoed Huaweithe blow was very real. His market level collapsed and seemed to be out of the game. But far from resigning, Huawei redoubled his technological commitment. In 2025 he has recovered an outstanding place in the marketlaunches phones with own chips such as Kirin 9010 And he has reactivated his muscle in artificial intelligence with his new Ascend 910c. The automotive tells a similar story. For years, Chinese manufacturers dealt with the distrust of the international market. Today, names such as Byd or MG compete in price, design and autonomy with historical manufacturers. It has not been a blow of luck, but the result of a strategy. That is why C919 is not an isolated case. It is part of a pattern. So everything seems to indicate that it is a matter of time for China stop depending on Western engines. He CJ – 1000A It is the name of the engine that develops AECC (Aero Engine Corporation of China) as a national alternative to the LEAP -1C. It is not finished, it is not certified, nor does it have a green light for mass production. But progress silently. LEAP -1C, the western engine used by Chinese mate The plan has been running for years. The prototype It has completed several Tests at Banco Esque 2018. According to Airinsightthe declared objective is that the CJ -1000A is ready to replace the LEAP -1C in the future versions of the C919 throughout this decade. The most optimistic forecasts indicate that the Chinese engine could be certified for commercial flights around 2030, although a 2035 distant is also on the horizon. China has several arguments to continue working in that direction. The Chinese aviation market is one of the largest on the planet, and grows with a speed that few can match. According to the commercial Boeing Market Outlook 2024–2043China will need around 8,600 new commercial airplanes during the next two decades. Comac wants to keep a portion of that demand. And if you get it, you will not need to leave the country to become a relevant actor. That explains why the C919 can be allowed to operate exclusively within China as long as it advances in international certifications. Also why their own engines – although they are not ready tomorrow – have guaranteed an entrance way. An internal market of that size offers something that few economies can ensure: scale. In parallel, Comac does not hide its outer ambition. The European regulator (EASA) estimates that C919 certification could reach between three and six years since 2025which places the possible approval between 2028 and 2031. If you get it, it will finally make the leap out of its borders. Images | Comac | Safran In Xataka | The EkranoPlano was the most delusional plane designed by the USSR. And now China has recovered it without anyone knowing why

China has resurrected the most crazy plane of the USSR. The Ekranoplano returns to life, and the big question is why

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In 2020 he went viral A video Through a drone that was recording images of a beach in the Caspian Sea. Suddenly, the clip showed one of the greatest fantasies of Soviet aviation: An ekranoplano Varado, a unique piece of the so -called Cold War as “marine monster” that never occurred in mass due to its costs (and benefits). Five years later, a nation has resurrected the idea of ​​the great hybrid between plane and ship: China. Emerging silhouette. Yes, because for the first time, they have emerged Complete images of the new soil effect vehicle (Wig) Chinese, an aircraft capable of flying at low altitude on aquatic surfaces using the so -called “air mattress efficiency.” The device was initially identified by the naval analyst Hi Suttonand its presence in the Bahai Sea, northwest of the Yellow Sea, has not gone unnoticed. In the first photographs, part of its structure remained hidden, but the new shots have revealed Your full silhouetteconfirming its configuration as a large ekranoplane with a hidravion helmet. Amazing design. Its development, unknown so far in the Chinese aeronautical inventory, keeps a certain resemblance to The AG600the amphibious hydroavion that China develops For rescue, refueling and logistics missions in the disputed sea of ​​southern China. The appearance of this vehicle feeds the growing global trend to revitalize the soil effect platforms, technology that, as we said at the beginning, the Soviet Union He thoroughly explored during The cold war but that never became popular outside its experimental margins. Between the shadow and the radar. The operational principle of these aircraft is simple and shocking: fly to a very low height On water it allows to take advantage of a dense layer of compressed air that increases support and reduces resistance. In addition, when staying below the terrestrial radar horizon, these vehicles are more difficult to detect and track. Unlike ships, they are not vulnerable to mines or submarines, and although they are not suitable for highly answered combat areas, they could effectively operate in coastal or semi-permissive scenarios. Its possible utility, let’s put the assumption of a war between China and the United States, would be significant, especially considering that China would fight in its own geographical environment immediate. The EkranoPlano would serve as a logistics platform to bring supplies to remote coastal areas, evacuate personnel or even fulfill anti -submarine war and limited maritime control functions, thanks to its ability to quickly insert itself into remote areas and return without the need for port infrastructure. Propulsion, design and doubts. One of the great unknowns posed by this new vehicle is its propulsion system. The available images, although of low resolution, show a kind of Large rear tobares that have raised speculations about whether it is an aircraft with reaction engines, with propellers not yet installed or, even, with an unpublished hybrid-electric system. The NACELLES They present air tickets at the top that could point towards a bimotor design With turboreactor propulsionbut the presence of possible axes or pointed structures on the front suggest that it could be equipped with great thrust propellers to install. Nothing is confirmed. The current versions of this device They could be prototypes Technological demonstration, subscales aimed at informing future developments, or operational models in a stealth test phase. The possibility of using latest generation composite materials to reduce weight, improve aerodynamics and decrease radar signature reinforces the hypothesis of a modern and highly specialized design. New mobility paradigm. Plus: The profile of the new Chinese EkranoPlano shows clear similarities with The Liberty Lifterthe great American project for a Heavy load wig. Both share a conception based on high efficiency platforms to operate on vast oceanic extensions without depending on aerodromes, tracks or ports. The Chinese apparatus presents a V -tail, a typical staging fuselage of hydroAvions, stabilizing floats at the ends of the wings and in the center of the helmet, and a large side door that makes it suitable for transport personnel or materials. Its nose, stylized and aerodynamically integrated, also suggests special attention to functional design. This set of characteristics reinforces the theory that China could be developing a versatile and tactical platform to operate in Coastal environments playedespecially in the context of a sea of ​​increasingly militarized southern China. What will come. The public appearance of Now called “Monster of the Bohai Sea”, as the first naval analysts have baptized it, opens the door to intensive monitoring by experts and Western agencies. As lighter images arise and possibly videos of their first tests in the open sea, the analysis will be refined and the evaluation of its potential will pass from the speculative to the doctrinal. For now, its single existence implies that China, like other powers, is seriously investing in asymmetric capacities that Challenge the limitations traditional logistics. This EkranoPlano is not yet a strategic threat by itself, but represents a clear symbol of Beijing’s technological and military ambition: fast, stealthy mobility, close to its coasts and out of the immediate reach of conventional western detection or deterrence tools. Image | Wikimedia Commons, x In Xataka | The EkranoPlano is the gigantic Russian plane that was designed to “float” on the sea and that precisely for that reason failed In Xataka | China has converted salmon breeding into a high seas into an engineering feat. This latest generation ship shows it

In his plan to put Europe against the strings, China has a master plan: attack the French alcohol

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China has imposed tariffs of up to 34.9% for five years to Brandy from the European Union, exempting the punishment of the main producers of French Coñac (Hennesy, Rémy Martin and Pernod Ricard, among others), under condition that they sell at a minimum agreed price. The measure It emerges a year after Antidumping research which China launched in early 2024. What happened. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce reported on Saturday of “anti -dumping” tariffs between 27.7% and 34.9% to Brandy imports from the EU. The new rates apply to all distributors, except for those companies with which minimum prices will be agreed. As long as the products of these companies are exported to China, fulfilling the agreed conditions, they will not be subject to anti -dumping rights. Why it is important. With this movement, China has ensured the commitment of 34 Brandy producers of the European Union. The country led by Xi Jinping is using French alcohol as a geopolitical control strategy, a pressure game in which it shows its ability to retaliate against European tariff policy. The context. New tariff rates to Brandy are no accident. China initiated its anti -dumping research at the beginning of 2024, three months after the European Union began a procedure on The influx of Chinese electric cars in Europe. It was investigated how the policy of “huge state subsidies” was translating into “artificially low prices.” Shaun Reingeneral director of the China Market Research Group based in Shanghai to Reuters, explained on those dates how the measures of the Asian country “are a shot to let Europe know that China can also plan hard measures against its growing protectionism.” The largest market in the world for brandy. China has occupied a historic role in European brandy imports. Before the growing tensions, the country was the second largest destination for world exports of French Coñac, only behind the United States. It is a market for which they earn by market value, not by volume, if not paying more for bottle. Why attack Brandy? Because France is, however much, The largest exporter of alcoholic beverage to China. Putting the focus on your product is the best way to attack Europe. China and European alcohol. Chinese predilection for European alcohol does not have brandy as the only pillar. Chinese investors have been with predilection for wines like Frenchhaving come to buy entire warehouses that years later they went on sale. Chinese groups found in European alcohol a diversification for their portfolio of assets in addition to that, as a country, China is one of the main wine consumers in the world. Despite this, this consumption has suffered an accelerated fall for about a decade. The truce. The tariff to alcohol arrives in full uncertainty about what will end up happening with the rates imposed by Europe in the Chinese car. Europe is opening the door to the elimination of themwith the aim of looking for a land price depending on the type of vehicle. The EU wants to prevent China from playing with a practically inevitable competitive advantage. With tariff or without it, The Chinese car is eating the European in front of our eyesand the destiny of the industry passes through Asia. In Xataka | The great alcohol crisis in Spain: how young people are changing their relationship with radically drink Image | Ambitious Studio | Rick BarrettABODI VESAKARAN

This is the biggest hydroelectric bet in China

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In the middle of remote mountains, at 3000 meters of altitude, China follows configuring your electrical networks Towards an energy transition model. From Harbin, in the northeast of the country, a gigantic 80 tons turbine headed for Tibet left this week. Its destination: the Datang Zala hydroelectric plant, where the power of water will be transformed into electricity thanks to an unprecedented machine. Short. In a great official ceremony, the delivery of a large pelton -type impulse turbine was held with a unit capacity of 500 megawatts, designed and manufactured by Harbin Electric Machinery Company Limited, as He has reported The Xinhua state agency. The size is unique and striking: a diameter of 6.23 meters, made of martensitic stainless steel and has 21 precision kanglons. According to China Dailythe process took six years of research and development, and was tested in the National Laboratory of Hydroelectric Equipment. The definitive commitment. China is distinguished by developing infrastructure from Colossal scale either Unique as a technical levelbut this time it focuses on strengthening electrical networks in strategic areas and accelerating its carbon neutrality objective by 2060. According to South China Morning Postthe turbine will reach an efficiency of 92.6%, an increase of 1.6% compared to previous turbines, which will result in additional 190,000 kWh per day. The central will have two turbines and a total installed capacity of 1 million kilowatts, generating about 4,000 million kWh per year. Is it the most powerful? It depends on how it is measured. In terms of unitary capacity, this 500 MW impulse turbine is the most powerful of its kind in the world. However, it is not the most powerful if compared to the gigantic Chinese dams, that is, their set. On the one hand, highlight The Baihetan dam With the largest arc in the world and a total capacity of 16,000 MW, managing to supply 500,000 homes for a year. On the other hand, even more impressive, it is The three throats dam that with its 22,500 MW it holds the world installed capacity record. Of course, not without controversies: its environmental and geophysical impact has been such that has slightly altered the terrestrial rotation. Another factor: the location. The hydroelectric power plant is being built on the Yuqu river, a tributary of the NU River (Salween), In an area geographically rugged and with strong seismic activity. The water jump that will feed the turbine has a vertical unevenness of 671 meters, which makes this installation one of the few that take advantage of such a pronounced unevenness, ideal for impulse turbines such as the Pelton type developed by Harbin, As SCMP has developed. In addition, this is added the political context. The Tibet It is a region of historical tensions between the central Chinese authorities and the aspirations of local autonomy. Some voices see these types of projects as a way of strengthening Beijing’s strategic control over the territory, through economic development and energy infrastructure. Forecasts. The turbine is already on its way to its destination and it is expected that the plant enters into operation in 2028. It is not just a colossal machine: it is a declaration of intentions. Toe technology, unprecedented efficiency, and a clear commitment to hydroelectric domain in one of the most complex regions of the planet. Image | Unspash Xataka | 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

China has resolved the mystery of why there are people who ruin seeing streams: the “榜一大哥”

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A 37 -year -old man has mortgaged his house, sold his shares and indebted to spending 16 million yuan (2.2 million euros) donating money to a streamer called Lili (name modified by the original source, Tencent Newsto preserve its anonymity). His wife has put a lawsuit to try to recover family heritage. Why is it important. Chen Ping’s, told by SCMP, It is not an isolated case. In the Chinese courts there are 302 civil lawsuits related to “Streamers“And” Donations of streaming“. A residual figure considering the 1.4 billion inhabitants of China, but striking as an emerging trend. Of the 67 most relevant sentences, most plaintiffs are women of compulsive donors trying to recover family assets. The Virtual Donations Market in China was already by 140,000 million yuan (about 17,000 million euros = in 2019 and it is projected to reach 417,000 million in 2025 (about 49,000 million euros). The context. The “榜一大哥” (‘Big Brother‘) They do not seek sex or a traditional romantic relationship. They seek to be important in a community where money determines status. The platforms have gamified intimacy: each donation increases your “level of closeness” with the streamerthat will treat you as someone special, remember your name and give you private access by chat, generating that false feeling of intimacy. In detail. Chen Ping, the protagonist of the case, began donating small quantities that climbed a lot in a short time. The platforms offered “Blind boxes“Where paying real money you manage to send random gifts to Streamers to open them live. On your part. Like a casino, but where the prize is not money but virtual social status, let’s say. The streamer Lili had private groups from WhatsApp only for his greatest donors. Chen became administrator of his room streaming. His wife discovered intimate conversations where he wrote “I wait for you in bed” and she sent him videos in underwear. Yes, but. Chen He insists that he was only looking for “friendship” and “be treated as someone important.” In real life he was a manager in his father’s company, but he felt too controlled. In the sTreaming It could be he who started and ends relationships. The figures: In 612 days, Chen spent 13.5 million yuan in his main account and 2.5 million in another high school (1.6 million and 300,000 euros respectively). Only Lili directly donated 1.87 million yuan (220,000 euros) in more than 5,000 transactions. The rest vanished in blind and miniguegos boxes. On the other side. His wife, Ou Qing, lost three judgments trying to recover the money. Chinese courts have no clear jurisprudence: Some consider “consumption” donations (unrecoverable, therefore). Others consider them “gifts” (recoverable if there is adultery). In the end, Chen and Lili never met physically, so legally there was no “inappropriate relationship.” Deepen. This phenomenon is not exclusively Chinese. The Streamers They have discovered that selling artificial intimacy is more profitable than selling content. Muraunth already reinvented line 906 pulling from chatbot. And three years ago we talked about addicts to donate on Twitch. For that false feeling of intimacy, a special talent is not even necessary, just maintaining the illusion that the donor is special. It is the gamification of male loneliness. In Xataka | China has won the data war without stealing any. We have given them to them Outstanding image | Xataka

More and more young people speak Mandarin and venerate to China

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Sometimes, two apparently opposite worlds are irremediably attracted. Last year, commercial tensions between Beijing and the EU opened a new scenario for the Russian farmers and “your” pig. Shortly after, the Hype was in crescendo with the proliferation of Russian product stores In cities throughout China. And now, as communicating vessels, the Russians are folding the “Made in China” as their parents did in 1991 With the United States. They are even talking in Mandarin. China as a lighthouse. I told it The New York Times. In the Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, where Western sanctions They have broken decades of economic and cultural ties, China has begun to occupy the symbolic and material space that previously belonged to the Anglo -Saxon and European world. As? From thematic parks with traditional Chinese architecture, to university classrooms from Moscow where to learn Mandarin (I know They have returned), or in the decoration of the city to celebrate the New Year Lunar and in the Metro wagons decorated with proverbs XI Jinping, Chinese culture It has broken In Russian daily life with an intensity that, until recently, would have seemed unimaginable. A mirror. In that scenario the media had cases of young people such as ALYONA IYEVSKAYAfirst year student at the University of Moscow, who no longer dream of London or Paris, but with Shanghai and Beijing. China is not only admired for its accelerated development and its educational and labor opportunities, but also for its Diplomatic closeness with the Kremlin and its role as an economic support of an increasingly isolated Russia from the western world. The eastern turn. The transformation is not superficial. From public schools overflowing with the demand for Mandarin classeseven technical universities that incorporate it as Second mandatory languageChinese learning has become a progress tool for a generation that associates the future with the East. In fact, the medium underlined some incontestable data: Employment offers that require Chinese knowledge They have shotwhile Chinese Nannies They are hired by the Russian elite for their children to grow bilingual from the cradle. In bookstores, books about Chinese Confucius and Philosophy abound, theaters host montages Based on novels contemporaries of the country, and museum exhibitions They actively seek collaborations With cultural institutions of Beijing. Putin and Xi Jinping There is much more. Yes, because he Commerce also reflects This change: more than 900,000 Chinese cars were sold in Russia in 2024, multiplying for eight The 2021 figure. Although brands like Porsche and Mercedes continue to symbolize status, models like li xiang or haval They begin to fill the Moscow streets. Of course, this mass adoption is not free of internal tensions. A latent resistance. Despite state and media enthusiasm for Sinization From Russian tastes, resistances and contradictions persist. The preference for Western products Keep aliveas shown by luxury residential buildings that look like names such as Knightsbridge or Belgravia. He described the Times More clues of that resistance, such as jokes on Chinese cars in networks, the reluctance of some consumers and the failure in the box office of Sino-Ruses as Red Silksituations that reflect a gap between the enthusiasm promoted from above and habits rooted in society sectors. Even among the new generations, Asia enthusiasm It is not uniform: older adolescents still identify with the West, while the smallest, growing in a saturated environment of “Made in China” products, barely know European or American referents. Strategic affinity, non -cultural. It is another of the possibilities that are pointed out. For some Russian analysts, such as Sinologist Yulia Kuznetsovathis turn to China is not so much a structural transition as a transient alliance. Although economic exchange and geopolitical approach between Moscow and Beijing They have intensified (With Xi Jinping visiting Putin and Bilateral Commerce Beating records), the cultural barrier remains. China, with its centralized political system and its millenary history, is still seen by many Russians as A foreign civilization. Kuznetsova even argues that Arab culture, today visible in popular destinations such as Dubai, is closer for the middle Russian citizen than China. For her, Europe (despite fractures) remains the only cultural sphere with which Russia shares deep roots. Pragmatism without enthusiasm. Thus, the vision of families such as Aleksandr Grek’smagazine editor and father of five children, perfectly synthesizes this duality. While their teenage children still consume Western culture, the little ones grow surrounded by toys, technology and visual content from China. For him, sending his 14 -year -old daughter to spend the summer with a Chinese family is not an ideological act, but a strategic investment: “China is our only friend now.” Its reasoning is based on an economic diagnosis: China leads key sectors such as Artificial intelligence wave solar energyand Russia needs to align with that engine if you want to stay competitive. That logic has become a Dominant argument Among parents, businessmen and officials: it is no longer about cultural affinity, but systemic survival. China present. What seems more or less clear is that what is happening in Russia is not only a change of tastes or languages, but a deep displacement of the axis of cultural, commercial and symbolic influence. In absence of the West (blocked by sanctions, closed to tourism and stigmatized by the official discourse), China offers not only access to consumer goods and technological cooperation, but also A new story of greatness, resilience and development without liberal ties. Seen, it is, in many ways, an alternative version of what Russia would like to be: powerful, pragmatic, respected and authoritarian. And although, as we see, that model does not go equally in the collective imaginary, nor will nostalgia delete for the western past, Everything points To, at least for now, Russia orbit more and more firmly in the sphere of Chinese attraction (and vice versa). Image | Hippox, SvklimkinPresidential Executive Office of Russia In Xataka | China is filling with Russia products. The problem is that many of these products come from China itself In Xataka | Some Chinese cities are drowned … Read more

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