china

China has placed the largest engineering work projected at 36,000 km from the Earth: its space solar station

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We are still far from build a dyson spherebut China seems willing to materialize The first great Solar Energy Station in orbit With the Earth, a simpler version of the concept that, even so, NASA scientists discarded in the 70-80 for being economically unfeasible. Times have changed and the world is in full energy transition to renewable sources. China, who has no shame when copying advances from other nations, provided they serve their purposes, work at the same time in Your own Starship: A totally reusable giant rocket called CZ-9. Uniting points, the Chinese Engineering Academy (CAE) wants to take advantage of the future rocket To install a huge solar plant in space, 36,000 km on the earth. 10 years ago, when China announced that it would investigate the space solar energy stations, everyone seemed to be a theoretical study or one more concept proof, such as those that continue to develop Today in NASAthe Jaxa Japanese agency and The European Space Agency (THAT). However, Chinese officials have put An ambitious roadmap on the table that has caught the rest of the countries totally off guard. The first prototype of the Chinese space center, 500 kW of power, is expected by 2030. A fully operational version of 20 MW would be ready in 2035 (while the station in its final form, of 2 GW, is scheduled for 2050. It is not a small thing for a technology that has never been implemented, much less on a large scale. It will presumably require hundreds of launches and the assembly of thousands of solar panels in geostation orbit, 36,000 km altitude, where the profitability of launching tons and tons of load will depend on the fact that the CZ-9 rocket be fully reusable, as the Chinese promise. Long Lehao, a rocket scientist in the fall, did not lack symiles to justify this huge media deployment. “It is a project as important as transferring the prey of the three throats to a geostationary orbit He said during a conference in the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Of course, they will have to put small demonstrators in orbit of what will end up being the Space Solar Station. China has already tested From hot air balloonsand is building a receiving station in Chongqing. By 2026, the Chinese Space Technology Academy (CASC) plans to display its first 10 kW solar panels in space with the aim of demonstrating wireless energy transmission. He hopes to transmit up to 1 kW by laser and up to 4 kW by microwave, both to the receptor station on Earth and a nearby satellite, which suggests a future in which satellite constellations could be combined with the solar station. How will the solar station that China plans to install in space Little is known at the technical level of what the first farm of solar panels will be deploy in geostationary orbitsince no project has been officially selected. But Eureka List three concepts, out of different Chinese laboratories, which have enough ballots: In 2014, the Chinese Space Technology Academy (CASC) proposed a 11.8 km long station with a circular transmission antenna of 1 km in diameter; In 2021, the concept was updated with a modular design, easier to assemble, but with the disadvantage of a rectangular beam That same year, the Xidian University published a study on a spherical station with a diameter of 8 to 10 km and a system that would take advantage of semi -reflective panels to concentrate light on internal photovoltaic cells In 2016, the Shenyang Aerospace University proposed a similar concept that, instead of a spherical design, has a cylindrical design that refracts sunlight towards internal photovoltaic panels, a design that simplifies the monitoring of the sun What these concepts have in common is that they rotate like sunflowers to always point towards the sun, so their huge solar panels capture an inexhaustible flow of solar energy that then transmit to the earth. How do they transmit it? Concentrating a laser or microwave beam towards large antennas in receiving stations on Earth, where it becomes electricity to store in batteries or pour into the electricity grid. The wireless transfer takes advantage of a physical phenomenon known as interference or overlap of waves. It is usually explained by visualizing a pond in which you submerge both hands to form waves that spread at the same time. There are areas where waves are stronger because they advance together (they add up to the phase) and others in which they are canceled (they are out of phase). When waves work together, energy is not lost, but is concentrated in a specific direction. If there are several sources operating in a coordinated manner (all issuing at the same time, in the same phase) the energy can be directed in one direction. But if each source works a little earlier or a little after the others, the direction of the beam can be controlled. As a magnifying glass that concentrates the light at one point, it is possible to adjust the synchronization of these sources to focus energy in an area smaller than the original (such as the antenna on the surface of the earth). This correction can be carried out on the Nanoseconds of Electronics scale, which allows the energy direction to be handled very quickly or assigned to different locations (different antennas). In geostationary orbit, solar panels can be operated all the time and with conversion efficiencies superior to those that the panels achieve on this side of the atmosphere, hence the advantage of a photovoltaic station in space. However, the complexity of its deployment and doubts about the safety and efficiency of wireless transmission make all this technology still without being tested since studying in the 70s and 80s. China aspires to lead the new space solar energy career, as leading the earth’s photovoltaic energy, but will not be alone. Japan became 2015 In the first country that managed to transmit 1,8 kW in microwave wirelessly. … Read more

China has turned on a wind turbine so large that among its blades the tallest building in Spain fits. And there are 11 meters left

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Best known by Your high speed trains Able to reach 450 km/h, the Chinese state company CRRC Corporation He just hit the table in a very different industry: that of marine wind turbines. A new scale for offshore wind. CRRC has launched the larger floating wind turbine in the world. Known as Qihang, it has a tower of 151 meters high and a rotor 260 meters in diameter, 11 more than the crystal tower, the tallest building in Spain. Qihang opens a new scale for marine wind energy in which only China competes against China. With 20 MW capacity, it exceeds 16.6 floating wind turbines and 18 MW that Envision Energy and Dongfang Electric deployed, respectively, in 2024. However, it will soon be surpassed by Mingyang Wind Power’s new 22 MW model. Touring like a high -speed train. With a maximum rotation speed similar to that of CRRC trains, the Qihang wind turbine can produce up to 62 GWh of energy per year, enough to supply electricity to 37,000 homes per turbine. Its design is a work of art of modular architecture. It allows multiple power settings, and adapts to different floating platforms and anchors. With materials capable of supporting extreme conditions, including typhoons, it has more than 200 sensors in blades, structures, transmission systems, floats and moorings for comprehensive monitoring. First unit in tests. The first Qihang He left the CRRC factory In Sheyang (Jiangsu province) on October 10. He arrived in Dongying (Shandong province) in December and was transferred to the test site in the port of Guangli using self -propelled modular barges. On January 11, already completely assembled, it began to operate in what will be a period of exhaustive tests and certifications before its definitive to the high seas and its connection to the electricity grid. The country that surpassed Europe at sea. With unstoppable development, China already exceeded the United Kingdom as the country with the highest installation of marine wind energy in the world, and this type of huge floating turbines only reinforce its global leadership. Only Chinese companies are developing turbines with powers greater than 20 MW for the logistics difficulties they entail In regions like Europe. Floating technology can expand the generation of wind energy to deeper and more distant waters from the coast, accelerating the decarbonization of the electric grid without impacting the landscape of the coast. In Xataka | China installed in August the most powerful “wind turbine” capable of resisting typhons. Two blades have just been broken In Xataka | China has connected the world’s largest terrestrial wind turbine. It is so great that it is altering the local microclimate

How its mining potential makes it a key pawn in the EU in front of China

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Surely if you hear about lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, graphite or rare earth you know that they are currently the minerals and metals that dominate the market for their use in current technologies. In fact, here we have talked about all of them and, above all, of the dependence we have about China. But all that can change, because Spain has a treasure in its feet. A gold mine. Eye, what too, but It is not open yet. The point is that in the Spanish subsoil There are great critical mineral reservations Essential for the energy and digital transition, especially for the manufacture of batteries, solar panels, wind turbines and other resources. In this way, the role of Europe and Spain is redefined in the production of these minerals and a strategic autonomy in the European Union is ensured. In data. To be able to better understand how much we are talking, let’s go with The data. 17% of copper extracted in the EU comes from Spain, as well as 12% of zinc and 6% of lead. In addition, the Iberian country is the first European producer of fluoride and plaster, and the only one in Sepiolita and Celestina. As for Magnesita, the country contributes 24% of EU production, standing only behind Austria and Slovakia. In the case of Potassa, Spain generates 12% of the total European, complementing 88% produced by Germany. Mining in Spain. The mining tradition in the Iberian Peninsula comes from many years, we would have to go back to Roman empire. However, here we are going to talk about Spain and the mines, and of a more recent period of time, where mining has been in decline due to the outsourcing of the activity, but now it has resurfaced again. In addition, the Spanish nation has been reinforcing its mining industry with investments in the aforementioned minerals. As well as through regulatory measures such as National Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) and the Roadmap for sustainable management of mineral raw materials. The ‘golden’ province. If there is a province where metal mining is most concentrated, winning the title of “El Dorado” is undoubtedly Andalusia. The Autonomous Community It concentrates 90% of the value of national production In this sector. In recent years, mining companies have seen in the more than 257,000 hectares, an area to begin exploring and exploiting the mineral resources of the region. For years the research permits had been inactive, but the Junta de Andalucía has now facilitated its reactivation causing the south of the nation to be attractive again in a global context where metals are increasingly demanded. However, this activity raises questions about the balance between industrial development and the preservation of the environment, especially in sensitive areas such as Doñana National Park. In a more global context. The European Commission has identified more than thirty critical raw materials, of which 17 are strategic for the energy transition, due to its cost and the high risk involved in its interruption. Currently, much of these matters They are concentrated in countries like Chinathat controls 90% of the rare earth, and the Congo, main cobalt supplier. According to the report Mining for Climate: Decarbonisation Roadmap and Energy Outlook From Euromines, the European Union must intensify its efforts to achieve climatic objectives and guarantee its strategic autonomy, reducing the dependence of powers such as China and the United States in access to these critical resources. Other mining methods. The rise of mining has strengthened the economy and generated jobs. However, we know the environmental challenges that also pose this type of extractivist practices, such as soil degradation, Water consumption and the loss of biodiversity. For these reasons, there are other methods to obtain the necessary resources to develop current technologies, such as recycling batteries, Solar panels and Other electronic devices. Forecasts In this geopolitical board in which mineral resources has become, Spain is positioned as a key pawn for the EU in need of reducing dependence with China. However, it remains to be seen how its mining strategy raises to supply the European market, but always taking into account the care for the land. Image | Unspash Xataka | The US will reopen an antimony mine that had been closed for 30 years. It is a response to the coup received by China

In addition to Gold and Rare Earth China has an ace in the sleeve to lift its economy: old orange peels

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We knew that the Chinese nation was not going wrong with The “Gold Fever” of the 21st centurysomething similar in terms of mining fever unleashed in California in the mid -nineteenth century, but without the dazzling element so precious and marked by rare earths. However, if what is about “pure gold”, they were not badly assorted after finding One of the biggest giant gold deposits. In fact, China has “Gold” even in trees. Xinhui’s gold. This enclave, a seemingly ordinary district in the city of Jiangmen, province of Guangdong, has turned this part in the epicenter of a lucrative industry based on something that a priori should not have great value: The aging tangerine peels, known there as Chenpiand whose production and commerce have transformed the local economy. In the background: some peels valued by their medicinal and culinary properties, an element that can reach astronomical prices, coming to be sold for $ 9,650 around 500 gramswhich reflects its status as a precious asset both in traditional Chinese medicine and in luxury gastronomy for elites. Historical origins and benefits. CNN counted last week in a large report that the use of Chenpi in traditional Chinese medicine dates back to the Song dynasty (1127-1279)with records that highlight its properties to strengthen the spleen, improve digestion and benefit the respiratory system. In that sense, the shells, scientifically called citri reticulatae pericarpium, contain antioxidants and flavonoids With potential for stabilize blood pressure and prevent obesity. And from all places, the Xinhui region, located at the confluence of the Xijiang and Tanjiang rivers, offers unique soil and water conditions that enrich the peaks with a higher micronutrient content than those grown in other areas. That said, to be considered Authentic Chenpithe shells must undergo an annual drying process for the sun for at least three years, being carefully stored for the rest of the time. Typology. Exist even Four main types of Chenpi According to the time of the harvest: those of green peels, collected before maturation, those of second red tangerine peels, collected in November, the large red peels, completely mature in December, and finally those of red shells, harvested after This station, and with a higher sugar content. Industry boom and economic impact. In recent decades, the Chenpi industry has promoted unprecedented economic growth in the Xinhui region. The production of these peculiar shells has turned the region into an economic power, contributing approximately 23,000 million yuan (3.2 billion dollars) in 2023, and Representing a quarter of Jiangmen’s GDP. In this regard, local businessmen like Zhou Zhiweiwho left Hong Kong in the 1990s to return to Xinhui, have played a crucial role in the consolidation of the industry. Zhou, now vice president of the Chenpi Industry Association of Xinhui, says it manages annually around 163 tons of shells, contributing to the Xinhui positioning as the main world producer. Chenpi Chenpi revaluation for elites. In the end, such an exquisite product has ended where other similar ones: in high gastronomy. Here names such as the renowned chef chi wai chef, The Legacy House restaurant In Hong Kong, who has been promoting the incorporation of Chenpi in haute cuisine, exploring its potential beyond traditional medicine. Inspired by his childhood in Xinhui, LI has introduced exclusive menus that highlight the diversity of flavors of the Cenpi according to their age, harvest and origin, emulating the appreciation for the Terroir In the wine industry. Exclusive dishes with the “gold” peel. In fact, in The last gastronomic menu that the chef is offering Com diners can enjoy dishes such as the swim bladder soup with heads with a lamb, made with Chenpi over 50 years, highlighting “its deep flavor and amaderated notes.” Also the mere stew steak with six -year shell “with sweet nuances” thanks to the postin -winter harvest, or the lobster rolls with bamboo straw, accompanied by 13 -year -old shells, which says they contribute a slight flavor to oyster due to its origin in the riverside region of Meijiang. In addition, Li says that It seeks to transform the perception of Chenpishowing that its initial, well -balanced bitterness becomes a sweet and sophisticated taste, symbolizing the relationship between bitterness and sweetness in life, according to the old Chinese proverb. Innovation and future of Chenpi. Chenpi production has evolved over time, with advances in harvesting and storage techniques. Currently, producers use both the shells and the mandarin pulp (previously discarded) to manufacture health and enzyme products. In Xinhui, Initiatives such as Chenpi Villagea cultural and tourist center dedicated to the mandarin peel, reflect those efforts to diversify the industry. In this complex, products such as ice cream, coffee with Chenpi dust and culinary memories are offered, attracting tourists and consolidating that cultural identity of the region. As producer Zhou explained to the CNN When observing the boom of the market, Xinhui has managed to focus and give importance to advanced manufacturing and diversification of Chenpi products, ensuring the sustainability of the long -term sector. A region that has achieved something fascinating: to raise an ingredient as humble as a simple tangerine peel aged in “gold” at all levels, both economic and cultural for the region. Image | Zhionghwaong Sham, Simon Law In Xataka | China has given one of the largest treasures ever found: giant gold worth 83,000 million dollars In Xataka | China still has no avant -garde lithographs. Even so, it is making gold with mature nodes

Nvidia has lost 400,000 million in market value. The lace has been given by China Depseek

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It is the news of the day. And, perhaps, of the week. The model of artificial intelligence (AI) Open Source Deepseek R1 is causing an earthquake in American technology. And is doing it Due to its open nature. However, your business model is not the only thing that It represents a threat For AI and US semiconductor companies. The most surprising thing is that the infrastructure that Deepseek is relatively modest. To understand with some precision what we are talking about we are interested H100 of Nvidia. The company led by Jensen Huang He is already delivering The first units of his successor, the platform B200as expected, on paper is even more powerful. However, sanctions approved by the US government prevent Nvidia from selling to Your Chinese clients are GPU. Here largely resides the Deepseek rupturist capacity Deepseek’s efficiency and his open nature are convulsing Silicon Valley Chinese companies that are dedicated to developing and training AI models have not been another option to exacerbate ingenuity. We know that many of them continue to buy the most advanced GPUs in NVIDIA through intermediaries and in parallel markets, but possibly they are not doing so in the amounts they need. If we stick to Deepseek according to Financial Times The infrastructure used to train this agglutin model 2,048 chips H800 of Nvidia. And training with 671,000 million parameters has cost 5.6 million dollars. These figures are very restrained. In fact, if they really are reliable, and they seem to be, they would put an unappealable fact on the table: Depseek engineers would have managed to point An extremely competitive AI model with very lower costs than those needed by Openai and Google to develop a model of comparable AI. The H800 GPU is largely responsible for this circumstance. And it is because it was Nvidia’s response to the prohibitions of the administration led by Joe Biden. Nvidia engineers chose to cut the benefits of the H100 GPU with the purpose that the Commerce Department would allow them to sell it in China When the US government prohibited Jensen Huang’s company from giving its Chinese clients its most powerful GPU at that time, the H100 chip, Nvidia engineers chose to cut their benefits with the purpose that the Department of Commerce allowed them to sell it In China. The result was precisely the H800 GPU, which is nothing other than a simplified review, and, therefore, less powerful of the H100 chip. Everything was complicated again on November 16, 2023. And that day the US government approved New sanctions to China that, among other prohibitions, they prevented Nvidia The H800 GPU. Presumably at that time Depseek engineers already had in their hands the H800 chips they needed, although Some analysts defend that, in reality, its infrastructure brings together 50,000 GPU H100 bought through intermediaries. If so, it is evident that the tension held by the US and China would prevent Depseek from recognizing that thousands of illegal chips have in its possession. Whatever the truth is that NVIDIA QuotationMicrosoft, ASML and other large technology companies are falling in a very pronounced way. In fact, the company led by Jensen Huang has lost 400,000 million in market value Given the possibility that Deepseek demonstrates that to put a vanguard IA model, it is not necessary to resort to the most powerful GPUs of NVIDIA or other companies. If this has really been trained only with 2,048 chips H800 OpenAi, Google and other companies will crack. And this industry will give optimization and efficiency the importance they have. We will see what happens finally. Image | Nvidia More information | Financial Times In Xataka | China is closely monitoring the United States movement with Stargate. And your answer has already prepared

China is advancing at breakneck speed in nuclear fusion. It already has something ready that until now only the Netherlands had

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The path to a destination as challenging as it is nuclear fusion commercial must necessarily be full of small conquests. Of achievements that may seem modest, but that, in reality, are milestones that put us a little closer of an ambitious objective that seeks nothing more than to help us solve our energy needs without continuing to emit greenhouse gases. In this context ITER attracts much of the attention. And it is understandable that this is so. After all, it is a project of enormous magnitude, which is also led by the European Union. In fact, this organization is jointly assuming approximately 50% of the total cost of a plan in which the United States, Russia, China, Japan, India and South Korea also participate. However, the public commitment to nuclear fusion is not condensed solely into ITER. And it is not limited only to the European Union either. Not at all. Europe is signing up very important scientific milestonesbut there are other countries that are also bidding very high, and that, precisely, do not move in the orbit of the West. In fact, two of them, probably the most advantaged, are China and South Korea. China has a very sophisticated linear plasma generator to advance fusion In the field of nuclear fusion, plasma is the extremely hot gas that contains the nuclei of deuterium and tritium, the two isotopes of hydrogen, which are involved in the reaction. For these nuclei to overcome their natural electrical repulsion and the strong nuclear interaction to fuse them, they must acquire a very high kinetic energy. And this is only possible if the plasma reaches a temperature equal to or greater than 150 million degrees Celsius. As we can guess, very few known materials are capable of withstanding such a high temperature. However, this is not all. When a deuterium nucleus fuses with a tritium nucleus, they produce a helium nucleus and a neutron that is ejected with an energy of about 14 MeV (megaelectronvolts). The problem is that the neutron lacks a net electrical charge, so it cannot be confined inside the magnetic field which, however, does manage to retain the deuterium and tritium nuclei, which have a positive electrical charge. The components that will be most affected by the direct impact of high-energy neutrons and the most intense heat flow are the inner wall of the vacuum chamber and the mantle. This is the reason why when it originates as a result of the nuclear fusion reaction, this neutron is ejected towards the walls of the vacuum chamber with enormous energy. This particle is very important because in practice it will be closely linked to the production of electrical energy in nuclear fusion reactors, but, at the same time, it represents a very aggressive form of radiation that can significantly degrade the materials used in the reactor. . The components that will be most affected by the direct impact of high-energy neutrons and the most intense heat flow are the inner wall of the vacuum chamber and the blanketwhich is a mantle that covers it and whose purpose is regenerate tritium which is necessary to use as fuel in the nuclear fusion reaction. This is why it is crucial to develop new materials that are able to withstand the neutron flux and therefore ensure that the reactor will have a long operational life. Until now, only the Netherlands had a device capable of generating a high-flow plasma similar to what occurs in the vacuum chamber of a nuclear fusion reactor. But now China has it too. The Hefei Institute of Physical Sciences has successfully built a highly advanced linear plasma generator capable of accurately recreating the extreme conditions found inside fusion reactors. Its purpose is to use it to test candidate materials to be used in vacuum chamber constructionfor which it is essential to subject them to the interaction of plasma. Fortunately, China has confirmed that this machine will be available for international collaboration. Image | Hefei Institutes of Physical Science More information | Hefei Institutes of Physical Science In Xataka | Spain’s milestone in nuclear fusion: the first plasma produced by the SMART reactor invites us to optimism

The car that hides an eVTOL in the trunk is very real and will be sold in China

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We have been imagining the arrival of the flying car to our lives. Although this concept has advanced considerably, especially in recent years, the reality is that we are still far from seeing these vehicles as something accessible. For now, most are projects in the development phase or futuristic demonstrations, and they are still far from what we imagine in movies like ‘Blade Runner’ or video games like ‘Cyberpunk 2077’. A subsidiary of XPeng, a Chinese manufacturer with a presence in Europeis pushing a pretty unique idea. Instead of betting on a design with wheels and wings, something closer to what we usually imagine as a “flying car”, Xpeng AeroHT has developed a vehicle that can deploy an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft). Sounds crazy, right? Well, the most surprising thing is that this project is already taking shape. The first demonstration of the Xpeng AeroHT vehicle before the public Xpeng AeroHT has advanced at full speed. The company first presented its project in October 2023. Back then, everything was a promise accompanied by very striking renders. But Xpeng AeroHTapparently, was serious when he said that he aspired to make his project a commercial product. Its engineers continued working to get the vehicle ready for its big day: the day of the first official demonstration before the public. This milestone took place at the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, an event that took place in November 2024 where we learned, for example, the new new Chinese J-35A fighter. There, the founder of XPENG AEROHT, Zhao Deli, showed his company’s star in action. The vehicle stopped in front of the cameras and the crowd, deployed the eVTOL that was hidden in the “trunk” and someone climbed aboard the new multirotor. The latest from Xpeng AeroHT in testing in November 2024 Various tests were performed during the demonstration, such as linear acceleration at low altitude, spiral ascent, constant descent, and precision landing. Apparently, everything went as expected. An interesting point is that the test flight It was controlled at all times by autopilot. That is to say, although it is technically possible, the person on board the aerial module did not use the controls at any time. The latest from Xpeng AeroHT in testing in November 2024 Xpeng AeroHT says the eVTOL is capable of following planned routes automatically, returning to the starting point with a single touch and detecting obstacles around it. The manual control system is made up of a joystick that allows the user to fly with total freedom. The question at this point is what requirements the “pilot” must meet to fly this type of vehicle. We’ll have to wait to find out what local regulations say. Render of the most ambitious project of Xpeng AeroHT In any case, the company has not hesitated to ensure that users can learn to use manual control in five minutes and become experts with three hours of flight time. They do not mention whether it will be necessary to have the support of an instructor. Whether in mode manual or autonomousthe intelligent flight control and navigation system promises to ensure stability, keeping flight parameters within safe limits. And now, the big question: when can we buy the Xpeng AeroHT vehicle? The answer is that we will have to wait. The production line for this model is in production. According to the company, the works will be completed in the third quarter of this year and will allow the production of around 10,000 units per year. Deliveries should begin in 2026 in China. It remains to be seen if this product will reach other markets such as Europe. Images | Xpeng AeroHT In Xataka | XPeng believes that the solution to popularize the electric car is very simple: offer charges of 1 km per second

The new fever in China is mobile series with one-minute episodes. And they prepare their landing outside Asia

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Who was going to tell us that Quibithat app that around here we welcomed with joy and which presented series divided into short chapters designed to be consumed vertically or horizontally but always operated from the mobile phone, had been visionary. That Jeffrey Katzenberg invention ended up being a fiasco and a waste of money, but perhaps what really happened to him is that he arrived too soon. Or perhaps that can be inferred from the latest fad in the Chinese market that may end up leaving the Asian market soon: microdramas. What does it consist of? These are small fictions, often with romantic content (but, also in Korean style, sometimes with fantastic elements such as vampires in love or time travel), created for mobile consumption (that is, in vertical format) on platforms. that facilitate quick passage from one episode to another, such as TikTok or YouTube (but also in others less known outside Asia, such as Kuaishou, Douyin or Bilibili), and whose episodes last around one or two minutes. Each series contains between 60 and 100 episodes, meaning the total duration of each series is approximately equivalent to that of a movie. The income. We are not talking about a precisely small market. In 2024 this digital subgenre generated 2,000 million dollars, an amount that could double in 2025. According to Chinese media, we could be talking about 2023 gross revenue of $5.2 billion per yearwhich is equivalent to 70% of China’s film market, one of the most important in the world. An example of the numbers that these series manage: one of the most popular, ‘Unparalleled’ may have earned 14 million dollars in just eight days of broadcast. And not only because of the high price of subscriptions to viewing platforms: their viewers are counted in hundreds of millions and there are already brands of cosmetic products with which they establish themselves juicy sponsorships. The secret to such enormous success? Variety, for example, point that if the time of confinement favored the explosion of health services streaming domestic because there was no choice but to be at home, when viewers have gone out again and used public transport, it is the mobile content apps that have skyrocketed their number of users. Behind this content there are mainly two names: on the one hand, Kuiashou, a platform dedicated to short videos that previously fed, like TikTok, on content mainly created by users (and that was the first to adopt the term “microdrama”); and on the other, Douyin, owned by Bytedance, also owner of TikTok. Leap out of Asia. All of this would remain just another format that is only consumed in China if it were not for the fact that microdramas are beginning to expand beyond the borders of the Asian country. In East and Southeast Asia it is beginning to be common and the company Reelshort (behind which is the giant Tencent and Baidu) want to bring microdramas to the United States, where they are starting to gain traction. The stores of Apple and Google apps, with wide penetration outside Asia, have seen applications intended for this type of content downloaded thirty million times in the first quarter of 2024so the foundations are well established. A look at Reelshort. A quick visit to Reelshort It will make it very clear to us what type of content we are talking about. They are series that westernize the Chinese product, as revealed by those titles with an undeniable oriental soap opera flavor: ‘In Love with the Alpha’, ‘The Billionaire’s Contract’ or ‘Fatal Attraction: Mafioso Romance’. All of them are translated and subtitled using AI, and some of them are dubbed with an unmistakable neutral accent, which also gives some clue as to what type of audience the app is aimed at: regular consumers of Latin American soap operas. The relationship with video games. And there is something else: the deep relationship of these products with video games, which starts with the gamification with which many of these programs are presented. Completing tasks such as watching the series gives access to the currency used by each app (which can also be purchased with real money), which allows you to unlock the episodes of the series that are blocked (the “taste” of the five or ten first episodes of each series is free, to hook the viewer). It is not surprising that some of the companies that own these apps (Crazy Maple Studio, owner of Reelshort, for example) are dedicated to the development of mobile games. In Xataka | There are hundreds of Chinese streamers streaming under bridges at night. And there is an explanation

The 13 keys to ‘Plan Mexico’, Mexico’s strategy to protect itself from China and wink at Trump

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“Continue making Mexico the best country in the world.” That is the ambitious objective of Claudia Sheinbaum, current president of Mexico, who will face a complicated panorama in the coming weeks due to the tariff plans of a Donald Trump who has entered the White House stomping. And to achieve that goal, Sheinbaum has presented his government’s 13 goals to reduce poverty and inequality, while turning the country into an attractive destination for investors. Mexico Plan. On January 13, Sheinbaum advertisement to the nation that “Mexico has a plan and is united forward.” He commented that there is a portfolio of intention of national and foreign investments and that, to attract all possible capital, they have created 13 goals to continue developing the country. These points of the Mexico Plan are the following: Go from the 12th economy to the tenth in the world. Raise the proportion of investment to GDP, above 25%. Generate 1.5 million jobs. 50% of what is consumed in the country are products “made in Mexico” in the textile, footwear, furniture and toys sectors. Increase national content by 15%. 50% of public purchases will be of national production. Vaccines made in Mexico thanks to advanced biotechnology programs. Going from 2.5 years to one year the time it takes to process a new business, also with the requirements for this reduced by 50%. Increase 150,000 additional professionals and technicians annually to those already generated. Business environmental sustainability. 30% of SMEs with access to financing from both private and government banks. Be one of the five most visited countries worldwide. Reduce poverty and inequality. Billionaire. One of the legs on which Plan Mexico will be based is to attract investments. According to the Government, nearly 2,000 projects are being contemplated by companies seeking to establish themselves in the country, which implies national and foreign investments of 277,000 million dollars. “Made in Mexico”. Something that is mentioned several times in the plan is the concept of “made in Mexico”, and as we see in BBCit is something that has every intention. One of the main focuses of this strategy is to return to manufacturing elements in Mexico to develop an industry that has been left aside. For example, prioritizing the textile sector that had been relegated to what Mexico imported, mainly from countries like China. Over the last decades, the country stopped producing what it consumed to import it from Asia and Rogelio Ramírez, Secretary of the Treasury, declared that “10% of exports currently have Mexico as a destination.” Playing both sides. Ramírez commented that “this loss of participation cost us, especially Mexico and the United States, a lot of industry and loss of activity. “Entire sectors were lost.” This is why a plan that favors the national business fabric can benefit both Mexico and its main trading partner, the United States. In the Government document it was specified that China had cornered the international industry and that the objective was to make Mexico recover the lost ground. Ramírez explained that, if replace 10% of China’s exports to North America with Mexican products, the country’s GDP would increase by 1.2%, that of the United States by 0.8% and that of Canada by 0.2%. The problem is that Mexico and China have been strengthening their relations for years. So much so that Trade between both countries skyrocketed during 2024turning Mexico into the gateway for Chinese products to the United States and, therefore, the Asian giant as a valuable trading partner. An example is companies electric cars like JAC or SEV, which have already announced million-dollar investments to open factories in Mexico. AND BYD is also very clear that, to enter the US market, they need to make the leap to Mexico. “No recipe for Donald Trump”. Despite Trump’s threats, Mexico can be crowned as an important US trading partner to get rid of China. We will see what happens with the protectionist policies that the new American president has promised during his campaign, since they may not have been just lip service. The reason is that Trump has no expectations of re-election, so he can go in with everything, giving free rein to his most aggressive ideas and policies. He has threatened Mexico on several occasions, as well as Canada, and Carlos Pérez Ricart, from the Center for Economic Research and Teaching, believes that “there is no recipe or adequate response for Donald Trump. Nobody has the key here and there is so much uncertainty in terms of rates and interventionism that there is nothing clear that can be planned.” What is evident is that Sheinbaum is clear that, coinciding with the arrival of the new president of the United States, citizens should know that there is a plan B in the medium and long term. We will see if it is enough and to what extent the promised US protectionism affects Mexico. Images | White House, Aeneas of Troy In Xataka | China and the US want the same territory in South America. China has offered an ambitious project, Trump will enter by force

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