Chinese

Europe invested 15,000 million euros in Northvolt to compete with Chinese batteries. Now it is from the US for a very small part

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Lyten has bought Northvolt. If you have no idea who Lyten is or what Northvolt is, don’t worry, you are not the only one. The basic thing you have to know is that Northvolt was European and had managed to attract 15,000 million euros with a very potential investment of European manufacturers and institutions. But he broke and is now in the hands of Lyten (American). Step by step, we will understand how the greatest hope for the production of electric car batteries in Europe has collapsed and has ended up in the hands of a United States company for a ridiculous price. Lyten Buy Northvolt. For a figure that is not public but that points to just over 600 million euros. Although the terms of the final agreement have not been made public, it is known that Lytena Silicon Valley startup specialized in the supply of lithium-sugar batteries has achieved financing of 650 million dollars until the time of purchase, As reflected on their own website. The final price has not been revealed but in media such as Reuters It is ensured that the company had achieved another 200 million dollars for this purchase. At the moment, it is known that Americans have bought Northvolt “at a small price,” as explained in the news agency. What is Northvolt? This Swedish company was simply the great European hope in the production of batteries for electric cars. In The New York Times They explain that the facilities of this company in Sweden and Germany are among the most advanced in Europe, so they describe the purchase of Lyten as “bold”. His goals were ambitious. They assured that with NorthvoltEurope would go from producing 3% of the total volume of batteries around the world to 25%. To achieve this, the company had 6,500 employees distributed by Sweden and Germany, with facilities that had to reach a production of 60 GWh in Germany. Sustained by a huge investment in R&D. What happened? That broke at the end of last year. The company had announced that I couldn’t cope with their debts (5,800 million euros) and that had to dismiss 1,600 employees. A few months before, BMW canceled an order of 2,000 million dollars In batteries after Northvolt confirmed that he could not give them in time. As domino pieces, everything ended up falling. And, consequently, with the banking company, its facilities, workers and resources were a bargain for anyone. For anyone who dares to face years of losses in the hope of earning money. Lyten has been the company that has taken the front. Lyten. The American company specialized in the production of sulfur-lithium batteries (which is contributing to the US armed forces) has been the one that has confirmed the purchase of Northvoltincluding all its assets (also the projects they had in Canada) but, of course, assuming its debt of almost 6,000 million euros. The company, of which Jeep (Stellantis) owns 2%, believes that with the purchase some of the customers who left the company can return before their fall. The objective is to focus more on the production of batteries for electric cars and return the illusion for a competitive European production against China. However, in Reutersexperts remember that China has cost between 15 and 20 years dominate the supply chain and battery production so it is not realistic to think of short -term benefits. “If you think you can shorten it (this time), then you simply do not understand batteries,” says Rob Anstey, CEO of the Silicon Battery Batteries developer GDI. Lost investments. The most dramatic thing about Northvolt’s bankruptcy is that billions of euros of European companies may have been lost. But, above all, of European public institutions. Volkswagen was the main shareholder of the company (21%) and it is estimated that injected at least 1.4 billion euros. They were not the only ones. It is known that Volvo lifted a Joint Venture with Northvolt by Value of 2.7 billion euros. BMW also invested about 1,000 million euros and had committed another 2,000 million of euros for the purchase of batteries. Scania was also part of the investments. They joined them Financial groups such as Goldman Sachs and various venture capital funds. But we must not forget that in Northvolt he also put public money at stake. The European Investment Bank made available to Northvolt More than 1 billion eurosof which 280 million euros had been contributed and whose last departure (943 million euros) had not been disbursed entirely. To this we must add 700 million euros in direct subsidies committed by Germany and that they have not been delivered but of which Lyten can benefit if, finally, the project of its plant in Heide (Germany) is finished. And also the Quebec government contributed 160 million euros, with the promise of supporting with almost 500 million euros. Photo | Northvolt In Xataka | A new battery made in Europe aspires to solve the cheap electric car puzzle. The key: sodium

Taking the Chinese machines out of their factories

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TSMC and the US government have been stormy relationship for many years. Probably since this Taiwanese chips manufacturer, The Major on the Planetsnatched the leadership of the semiconductor production industry to Intel. “Our goal is to be number 1. Without exception. And to be it you have to spend three times more than your next competitor. ” Morris Changthe founder of TSMC, He pronounced these words In 1997. Intel dominated the chips industry. Currently the market share of this Asian company Broken 60% And in its client portfolio Nvidia, Apple, AMD, Broadcom or Qualcomm, among other US companies are sheltered. This is the reason why the US market is very important for TSMC. However, today This country cannot do without this company. Intel It has advanced lithography nodesbut the competitiveness of his Taiwanese rival is difficult to match. Even so, the Trump administration is exerting pressure on TSMC difficult to support. TSMC has decided to stop using Chinese machines in its avant -garde nodes He has just confirmed it Nikkei Asia. According to this means of Japanese communication, the TSMC Board of Directors has decided to stop using wafering processing equipment of Chinese origin in its most advanced lithography nodes. Its integrated circuit manufacturing plants are full of machines of the Dutch company ASMLthe Japanese Tokyo Electron and the American Apply materialsbut TSMC also uses Chinese equipment. TSMC is a customer at least of the Amyc and Mattson Technology companies Pulin Technology, Naura Technology, Amec (Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc. China), Mattson Technology or Piotech Inc. are some of the Chinese manufacturers of lithography equipment and most important wafering processing machines. TSMC is customer At least from Amec and Mattson Technologybut it seems that it will not be for a long time. The decision to dispense with their machines seeks to avoid possible US restrictions that could in interrupt the production of semiconductors. Until now the US government He is doing everything in his hand to prevent the most advanced chip manufacturing equipment from arriving in China, but, according to Nikkei AsiaHe is about to take another step. And it is that several US legislators led by Senator Mark Kelly have proposed to put a law that will prohibit companies that receive federal support and tax loans buy teams of “worrying foreign entities.” There is no doubt that they are very serious. Otherwise TSMC, which He has received subsidies of the US administration, I would not have made this decision even before Senator Kelly’s law thrives. More information | Nikkei Asia In Xataka | Intel was about to snatch Apple as a client from TSMC. Having achieved its story would be another

A Chinese city has had an idea to simplify changes in meaning: to fly 180º in the middle of the highway

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Changing meaning on some roads is a real nightmare. If we go for a National Highway It is relatively simple, but skip a highway exit or in large avenues of some of the larger and more congested cities on the planetit involves going huge to change the meaning of the march. And in a Chinese city they are applying a solution that facilitates the maneuver: the ‘U -urn‘, or “U turning”. The videos are not very convincing if we talk about security. U -urn. There are several designs when making changes to meaning. The idea is to make as many maneuvers as possible and that these are safe. Roundabouts are an efficient design for this, but on roads with a large number of lanesThey are little practical. You can always turn in the street and turn the block to rejoin the main road, but it takes longer. There the U-Turn that has begun to apply in cities such as Jinancapital of Shandong. The concept is simple: a lane stuck to the median that allows not to turn left, but to make an even more closed turn to join the opposite direction of march. AAAAAHORA. The video that we leave just on these lines is revealing: several cars stop in several numbered squares and wait for their turn to make that change of meaning. A continuous white line makes the difference between that lane and the rest of its march, and a yellow makes medium. How do you get the impatient drivers wait for your turn? Through a traffic light, which is the one that regulates the maneuver. The coordination between the traffic lights allows to stop the traffic of the lane to which we want to incorporate while opening the traffic light that gives green light to the incorporation maneuver, and discontinuous lines on the ground serve as a guide for drivers. Jinan’s U-Turn Risks. Now, although in This video Posted by People’s Daily and In this other Published by MAO NO, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the maneuvers seem idyllic, if we look at both videos and in the above we can see two of the problems, and consequent risks, of this maneuver. On the one hand: the scope that can be produced by the vehicles that already circulated in that direction. There is a traffic light that cuts trafficbut … what happens if they jump it or if they circulated at more speed? The same goes for those who want to incorporate. As the turn is so closed, there may be touches between them. In fact, there are several cars that must lessen or even correct the trajectory so as not to “eat” any of those that are incorporated. An example in the United States. In Florida, specifically Nothing exotic. Now, this U turning is not exclusive to China and, although the implementation in Jinan has caught attention, There are other areas in which it is allowed. The United States or Taiwan are two of them, but in the case of the North American country, it depends on the State and the implementation varies from a discontinuous line on the ground, the regulation through a traffic light or more extreme cases such as a road design that, in Spain, seems exotic: Therefore, although very colorful, that Jinan lane is another implementation of this 180 degree turn to change meaning. In countries outside Europe, where apples are usually smaller and narrower roads, it is normal to see this type of implementations, but in the case of the solution applied in Jinan, the striking is the amount of cars simultaneously that can make the change of meaning. And the problem is that, although functional because it allows a road with a large number of lanes Several cars can make a 180 degree turn simultaneously, in the published videos you can perfectly see that the possibility of a range is there. Images | Mrswagger21 In Xataka | It looks like a 240 -kilometer roller coaster, but it is one of the most amazing and complicated highways in China (Function () {Window._js_modules = Window._js_modules || {}; var headelement = document.getelegsbytagname (‘head’) (0); if (_js_modules.instagram) {var instagramscript = Document.Createlement (‘script’); }}) (); – The news A Chinese city has had an idea to simplify changes in meaning: to fly 180º in the middle of the highway It was originally posted in Xataka by Alejandro Alcolea .

Chinese startups are unseatting the owner and lady of Asian technology: Baidu

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In the stock market there is a metric that is observed almost with reverential respect. It is about Per (Price to Earnings Ratio), which It allows us to know If an action is expensive or cheap. And when we observe the technological market in China, there is a company with a worrying per: Baidu. Fall of a giant. This Thursday Baidu has published terrible financial results: Fall of quarterly income It is the worst of the last three years and that has caused a 3% drop in the value of the shares in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Source: Bloomberg. Per worrying. Not only that: Baidu is now around 9.7, which is the least of all the companies that are in benefits in the Hang Seng Tech index (Hstech) than It serves as a reference When comparing Chinese technology companies. The action, speaking in silver, is too cheap. The search engine loses bellows. For decades Baidu has been considered “the Chinese Google”, but over time its relevance has been blurred. The Chinese young They do not know what is to search in Baidu or Googleand have come to other ways to find answers. Fierce competitors. Platforms such as Tiktok or Instagram have become a spectacular alternative for new generations, and in China we have seen as similar social networks –Xiaohongshu and Douyin– They are getting that. Eric Shen, analyst at the consultant Third Bridge, explained How “these rivals have created content ecosystems that seem more dynamic and attractive, which moves users of the most static and Baidu website.” A disappointing 2025. But there is also AI. And there Baidu has a problem. Baidu’s action has lost a 3% value since the year began. The figure is surprising, especially since its competers focused on AI have a 24%win. Where is Baidu AI? Baidu reacted relatively fast and presented its competitor to Chatgpt in March 2023. It was called Ernie, but from the beginning The performance of that model gave problems. Since then his trajectory has been irregular, and the rise of Deepseek and of Other Chinese models like Qwen (Alibaba) or Doubao (Bytedance) has put it in more and more problems in that market of “IAS Socialist”. An AI that tries to overcome. In February Baidu wanted not to get off the revolution caused by Depseek, so he offered a free version of Ernie last April. Your last model, Ernie 4.5, It’s Open Source – initially they had adopted a proprietary model – but even that does not seem to have encouraged things for now, and there is not too much talk about their capacity: the popularity of other models such as Deepseek or Qwen is now greater. Baidu Lance Ernie 5.0 is expected at the end of August, and it will be then when we can check if this edition does compete in a specially frantic market. Back in view? Analysts believe that Baidu’s latest strategic decisions could help her recover the good path. Among them include investments In Robotaxis And, of course, in new initiatives to boost their AI models. Image | Baidu In Xataka | Deepseek has given the starting gun in the race for a cheaper AI. And China starts with advantage

Tesla has launched in China a Model and L. It is the most Chinese (and logic) bet that could do in the short term

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After months in which he has signed up for a Tesla Model and smallsomething cheaper to boost sales in Europe and press the competition for price, Tesla has surprised us with quite the opposite: a tesla model and longer. Only for China. And it makes all the meaning. The new Tesla Model Ylthat is, the elongated body version of the well -known electric SUV, increases the 150 millimeter wheelbase and its height in another 44 millimeters. A six -seater configuration is adopted (2+2+2) Therefore, a third row of seats is added that has been somewhat controversial. But it is also provided with heating and ventilation to the seats, electrical plates and integrated speakers. They are small improvements to increase the comfort of the passengers that are in tune with the bets of the L versions that the rivals usually offer in China. A category of vehicles that are based on three fundamental pillars: more space and more comfort for passengers. And that, curiously, they are transverse to all types of sizes. Purely Chinese With the presentation of Tesla Model YL, the opinions between criticism and public have been divided as usually happens with Elon Musk’s company. In Hybrids and electric They point out that some media qualify the third row like “going mounted in a convertible”given the little size between the head of the passenger and the roof. They ensure that the space that is free in the legs for a 1.70 -meter person is minimal and that it is an emergency solution for adults. In social networks a whole debate has been mounted following some images in which the same adult is seen sitting in the third row of seats. In one of them You see how it has a lot of free height between the head and the roof and ensures that it measures almost 1.90 meters. In another image it is observed as, with the trunk open, that same adult I would have serious problems traveling comfortably. Personally, I am inclined to think that the second option is the real but that does not mean that Tesla’s bet is bad. Yes, there are rivals that have a third row of more comfortable or practical seats. We have verified it in the Hyundai ioniq 9 or his brother, the KIA EV9. However, they are cars created from scratch with this intention in mind. Tesla is adding a third row of seats with a body L to improve the versatility of the car but, above all, with the intention of improving the comfort of the second row. That third row is an emergency solution and the really interesting is in a second row of a 2+2 configuration car with two good seats with all the comforts desired by a passenger. And in China the bodies L are usual. These cars are versions with longer bodies, with more wheelbase to generate a greater interior space. Europe has tired of selling this type of cars and Audi there, for example, demonstrates that the phenomenon is transverse to the size of the vehicle. The Germans have sold in China the Audi a3 l But also in those cars that, for European standards, already seem huge and do not need more interior space. Example? An Audi A8 L. To get an idea, this last car can exceed 5.19 meters to some endless 5.32 meters or impressive 5.45 meters. The latter refer to Audi A8 l horch. But the most interesting is in its interior seats with resting function or the possibility of adding a fridge in the central compartment, among other possibilities within the company’s customization program. Obviously, we talk here about a luxury car that Tesla does not intend to match but the company’s movement clearly points to proposing an experience in the cabin that is very sought in the Chinese car, transforming the interior into a kind of lounge with more space where feeling as comfortable as possible. Keep in mind that the great Chinese metropolis are huge and that the paths can languish for many minutes before the driver reaches his destination. This has made Chinese cars (and Europeans who want to sell there) have thrown into the arms of the screens and connectivity. But also that very wide rear seats are prioritized. Even sacrificing a good part of the trunk where Chinese cars tend to lose in front of the rivals. This happens because, despite its enormous sizes, in China the car is a Priority urban vehicle. It is rare that you travel with them since the distances are so long and the trains so competitive that either it is traveling in high speed or by plane. That is, cars are spaces with wheels where it is about giving the highest comfort to the client (another good example is the rise of their luxury minorities). And that is why the L -bodies L versions do not seek to have a third row of very comfortable seats. It is about prioritizing central seats in a 2+2+2 configuration and, in the best case, add a third emergency option. That is what Tesla has done. Photo | Tesla In Xataka | Tesla wants to keep certain accidents of accidents with her cars. A judge will decide if they should be made public

The divorce of China and Nvidia is a fact. The Xi Jinping government no longer recommends Chinese chips: it demands them

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China is touring a path that has no going back. US sanctions and their allies prevent Chinese companies and public institutions that are dedicated to the development of models of artificial intelligence (AI) access the most advanced GPUs that design NVIDIA, AMD or brains, among other Western alignment companies. And in these circumstances the government led by Xi Jinping only has one option: minimize China’s dependence of technologies from abroad. In early October 2024 The administration arrived To the companies of Chinese a recommendation in which it asked them to use chips produced in China as much as possible. Ten months later, According to SCMPthis recommendation has become a demand. And it is that the Chinese government is already forcing data centers that belong to the State throughout the country to use at least 50% of Chinese integrated circuits on its servers. This scenario clearly favors a company: Huawei. Huawei has a unique opportunity, but also a monumental challenge Huawei invests more than $ 25,000 million annually in The development of your hardware for AIso presumably it will not take long to match the benefits of the GPUs produced by NVIDIA or AMD. His most ambitious proposal right now is the chip Ascend 910dwho seeks to overcome the performance of the GPU NVIDIA H100. However, this Chinese company has also recently presented its chip Ascend 920a solution that is clearly destined to occupy in the Chinese market the gaps that it will leave The H20 GPU of Nvidia. This proposal will enter large -scale production during the second half of 2025 using 6 NM integration technology that have presumably developed elbow with Huawei elbow and SMIC (Semiconductor manufacturing international corp). Nevertheless, Huawei faces a huge challenge that probably in the short term it will prevent you from satisfying the demand for chips for Ia from the Chinese market. In the middle of last June Jeffrey Kessler, the Undersecretary of Commerce for Industry and Security of the US Department of Commerce, He made this statement In Congress: “Our evaluation indicates that the production capacity of Huawei Ascend “Our evaluation indicates that the production capacity of Huawei Ascend by 2025 will be 200,000 units or less, and we foresee that the majority or all of that production will be delivered to companies within China.” This prediction about the production capacity of avant -garde chips for Huawei is sustained on an irrefutable fact: the mate of the integration technologies used by the Chinese manufacturer of SMIC semiconductors to produce the Huawei GPUs has a very wide margin of improvement. SMIC already has the ability to manufacture 6 Nm integrated circuits, and soon it can also produce 5 Nm semiconductors, but is limited by the performance of the deep ultraviolet lithography equipment (UVP) you have in your possession. It is meritorious that SMIC and HUAWEI engineers have managed to refine their integrated circuit manufacturing processes what is necessary to produce 5, 6 and 7 nm chips With ASML UVP teams, but a priori it is very unlikely that with these machines they will be able to go beyond the 3 Nm. And it is because the technique of Multiple patterningwhich is what they are using, imposes important limitations. A note: This strategy in broad strokes consists in transferring the pattern to the wafer in several passes with the purpose of increasing the resolution of the lithographic process. His problem is that he usually has an upward impact on the cost of chips and the decline in production capacity. For Huawei it is a big problem not to have the necessary technology to produce avant -garde semiconductors comparable to those who manufacture Intel, TSMC or Samsung, so it is working on the development of its own team of extreme ultraviolet photolithography (UVE). More information | SCMP In Xataka | Nvidia has to deal with the absolute distrust of several US legislators. His plan in China is in danger In Xataka | The US wants to end the chips for the Chinese that are sold abroad. And China knows how to defend oneself

The only town founded and built by Chinese and for Chinese

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In the month of March We count A curious and unexpected movement, one that, in addition, had already happened in New York and that was now extended throughout Japan: neighborhoods with Chinese than Japanese. The truth is that if we have to talk about surprising migratory movements with Beijing as the protagonist, none as the one occurred a century ago in An enclave of the United States. Origins and context. The story remembered this week The BBC. On the banks of the Sacramento River, in the heart of the fertile but once inhospitable Californian Delta, Locke was born in 1915 as the only town in the United States By Chinese for Chinese. Its history goes back in the mid -nineteenth century, when gold fever attracted thousands of search engines from the province of Guangdong, in China, with the promise of A “GAM SAAN” or “Mountain of Gold”. Soon, hostility, discriminatory taxes like him Foreign Mine’s Tax from 1850 and violence pushed them towards other trades: the laying of the transcontinental railroad And, above all, the agricultural transformation of Delta thanks to his experience in draining marshes and building dikes. Between 1860 and 1880, they recovered more than 35,000 hectares, laying the foundations of an agricultural emporium, although without property rights by laws such as the Alien Land Law 1913 and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Lockle Foundation. In October 1915, A fire He razed Walnut Grove Chinatown, displacing hundreds of families. Among the victims was Lee Bing, prosperous merchant of Zhongshan origin, who led with others an agreement with the landowner George Locke Jr. to lease nine acres and lift A new settlement. So Locke emergedinitially known as Lockeport, under a system of “Ground Rent” which charged 5 dollars per month for residential lots and 10 for commercials. Between 1915 and 1917, 45 wooden buildings were built, mostly unpainted and with sheet metal roofs, which still retain the rustic aspect of the old west. The community grew rapidly with workers used in farms and conserves, and was endowed Chinese schoolshops, hotels, restaurants and game rooms that would operate for decades. Cultural and economic splendor. During its peak, between the 20s and 40s, the enclave housed some 600 inhabitants, almost all Chinese, and it was described as The “Monte Carlo de California” for its intense activity in the clandestine casinos. It had nine grocery stores, six restaurants, a cinema, a hotel, mills and guest houses, in addition to male associations such as the Jan Ying Association. The Chinese school not only taught calligraphy and language, but preserved Cultural identity in an environment marked by discrimination. That community fabric allowed Locke inhabitants to prosper despite not being able to possess the land they occupied. Demographic decline. The repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act In 1943 he opened opportunities outside the Delta, and the new generations They emigrated to cities close. In the 60s the population decreased dramatically, but social cohesion kept the people alive. In 1990, Locke was declared National Historical Monument for being the most complete example of Chinese-American Rural Agricultural Community. At the beginning of the 21st century, problems such as the collapse of the septic system and the lack of ownership of the land threatened their future, until in 2004 the Housing and Revitalization Authority sacrament bought, repaired and resorted The plots to residents and descendants, ensuring their permanence. Preservation, tourism and new life. Today, Locke keeps standing much of its original buildings, converted into museums such as The Dai Loy (former game hall), the Joe Show School House wave Jan Ying Associate Building. The restaurant To The Wopsinaugurated in 1934 as the first non -Chinese business, it remains a meeting point. Artists and new settlers live with the descendants of the founders in a bohemian and quiet environment, visited on weekends by tourists who arrive by the panoramic view of River Road. Thus, more than an architectural vestige, Locke is a resistance symbol And adaptation, testimony of how a discriminated community managed to build its own refuge, preserve its culture and leave an indelible mark on the history of the Delta de California. Image | Wayne Hsieh In Xataka | A phenomenon that has already happened in New York is spreading throughout Japan: neighborhoods with younger than Japanese In Xataka | The labor crisis in China takes many young people to the same challenge: living with less than $ 70 per month for food

Pirates have turned the Red Sea into hell for ships around the world. With an exception: the Chinese

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The Red Sea right now is the main commercial route around the world and millions European industries depend on it to be able to receive products from the Asian continent. But in recent months, it has become one of the most dangerous seas on the planet, taking months blocked by the attack of pirates. With an exception. Chinese ships can go through these waters and nothing happens to them. They are even protected. The Red Sea as a forbidden area. Since the Hutí Militia de Yemen, with the support of Iran, will start an assault campaign at the end of 2023 In retaliation for the situation in Gaza, this area has become a dangerous area. Sunk charges, attacked crews and a climate of total insecurity that forced giants such as Master or Hapag-Lloyd to deviate through the horn of Africa. Something that implies Add to the navigation plan between 14 and 18 days. Something that also represents a higher cost. China’s ships have ‘white letter’. Something that has been observed since April, and that has reported the maritime intelligence firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence, is that Nothing happens to Chinese ships. In this way, they have seen how fourte The insurmountable rorowhich sailed from China and crossed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea for Europe, did not have to give a detour. The most interesting thing is the content they had inside: Chinese brands electric vehicles such as Byd or Mg. This is a pattern that clearly shows that there is an agreement behind. A tactical pact that is worth gold. Neither Beijing, nor Tehran, nor the hutis leaders have issued an official statement, but the evidence and geopolitical context draw a mutual interest agreement. The hutis, which They declare to attack ships with Israeli linksAmericans or British, seem to have received a clear instruction: ships that come from China have the free passage. The key to this immunity lies in China’s powerful influence on Iranthe main economic and military support of the hutis. China is the biggest Iranian oil buyer, a commercial relationship that is a lifeguard for the Persian economy. In exchange for this support, Beijing exercises a ability to persuasion in the region that no other power can match. Analysts like Daniel Nash, from the consultant Veson Nautical, Point out that “China has found a way of dealing with the huti rebels backed by Iran, and they have been told that their ships will not be attacked.” This “salvoconduct” not only applies to Chinese flag ships, but also to those of other nationalities chartered by Chinese manufacturers to transport their vehicles. Meanwhile, other Chinese ships that do not wear cars continue to opt for the African route to avoid risks. The secret weapon against European tariffs. For Chinese manufacturers, this shortcut is much more than simple logistics savings; It is a strategic weapon to be able to conquer the European market. Right now, the European Union, in an attempt to protect its own industry, has imposed tariffs of up to 35% To Chinese electric vehicles, claiming that they benefit from unfair state subsidies. Although now They study withdraw them. However, the savings of the Red Sea route helps to compensate for the impact of tariffs, causing the final price to consumers to remain very attractive. The competitors have felt the consequences. Brands like Tesla, Volvo, Suzuki or even suppliers like Michelin They have suffered strikes in their European factories As a result of deliveries in deliveries because ships have to give a greater rodeo. In this way, brands settled in Europe have to pay consequences, while China can overcome them without problems. Floating cities for the conquest of Europe. Far from being a temporary solution, China is betting strongly on this route. Chinese shipyards work in full performance To deliver to Byd and SAIC new ships to wear their vehicles. And it is that these ships such as the “Byd Explorer No.1” or the “Anji Ansheng” of Saic are authentic floating cities with capacity for more than 7,000 vehicles, designed to optimize mass transport through sea. Chinese cars begin to be an important alternative. In the case of Spain, Sales of Chinese electric cars They don’t stop growing with the Saic group at the head and next to Grupo Chery with their Omoda and Byd, which has also opted for hybrid cars. This way, China is flooding European with its cars as It is being seen in enrollments. And partly it is for this type of strategies. In Xataka | There are those who believe that being rich is a sufficient requirement to have a Ferrari. The most important thing is something else: Ferrari fell well

Sin rare Chinese, the US military supply chain wobbles

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The United States is one of the main military powers of the planet. And that war muscle It does not feed exclusively with money. Requires something else: Rare earth. That’s where his geopolitical antagonist, China comes into play. The Asian giant controls rare earth production And the United States is realizing something: those who do their arms do not have it easy to find suppliers that are not Chinese. And it’s what is causing A new war, the magnets. And it is affecting the entire US military chain: from bullets to the most expensive hunt in history. Rare earth. Yes, again. We have already counted on other occasions that “rare earths” are a peculiar term because they are neither lands, nor are they rare. It is a set of 17 elements that are all over the world, but whose difficulty lies in the process to “take off the grain of the straw.” It is a polluting process that was delegated to China, which is why The country dominates its production. How far? It depends on the material, but it is estimated that China produces around 90% of refined rare lands, as well as 94% of gallium production and 83% Germanioalso crucial for industries such as the military. They also control the production of aluminum or steel. Stab where it hurts: weapons. Within the rare earths, a crucial component is the magnets. They are used in many industries such as audio (headphones do not work without magnets, for example), that of renewable (for wind turbines) or for electric cars batteriesto quote just a few. And yes, they are also crucial for the military industry. Combat fighters, guided ballistic missiles, drones and even night vision glas iron control over what they export and their possible military use by other countries, who manufacture weapons and systems for the United States are forced to look for alternatives. The problem is not cheap. This graph shows China’s enormous power in the rare earth metals segment Shot prices. The Wall Street Journal Ha Posted an article in which they expose the case of a manufacturer of pieces for military drones that is crashing against the wall of the rare Chinese earth. It is being forced to delay orders for up to two months because it does not give viable sources of magnets other than China itself. In the article, he points out that these materials necessary for the war industry are being sold for five times their usual value, or more. The countries and companies that need these materials usually have an emergency stock, but as the Leonardo DRS company (a US -based defense contractor and Italian company comments on the company. Leonardo Spa.), They are already using that security stock. If you want to maintain the punctual pace of deliveries, the flow of materials “must improve in the second half of this year,” they point out. Case: The most expensive hunt in history. One of the most leading and controversial products of the United States military machinery in recent years has a name and surname: Lockheed Martin F-35. This hunting is the most expensive in history (What do we know), One of the most advanced And even Donald Trump critical Before his first term, claiming that his cost was “out of control.” Only the pilot’s helmet costs $ 400,000 and the initial estimate of the cost of each plane was more than $ 100 million and the project was described as “El that devoured the pentagon“ Well, among the hunting components, we have some 400 kilos of rare earth magnets, an element that placed the plane In the eye of the hurricane a few months ago. And previously, there were already revealing How much the US needs China’s rare trade. Those upward prices due to Chinese commercial restrictions They have caused other sources of samarium, a necessary element to manufacture the magnets of the engines of the fighters, offer the material for a price 60 times higher than the standard. Beyond F-35. To problems with magnets and rare earths are added Export restrictions of Germanio, Gallium and Antimony. In the first bars of the commercial war, China closed the tap of these materials that are key to another good military solutions, such as the creation of hardened projectiles or infrared vision systems. Situation? Panic. Given this situation, USA, Europe, Japan and more countries are desperately looking for rare earth deposits or alternative ways to obtain them. But, as we said, the complicated thing is not so much to find these deposits as processing them. Meanwhile, it’s time to continue buying China what China wants to export, since, as other sources in the sector point in the WSJ report, some of the elements are “so specific that they cannot occur profitably in the West.” Everything indicates that China has the pan of the rare earths through the mango. The pentagon demanded Defense contractors stop buying rare earth magnets of Chinese origin before 2027, but although some companies have accumulated reservations, other smaller ones have not had that opportunity to go with the accounts more “up to date”. The papers. And it is no longer just that the US does not want to buy from China, but that China has also begun to look at all the Westerners who want their rare earths. One of the companies is Eproppelled, American and manufacturer of drones, which a curious situation was found in May of this year. When buying magnets from your Chinese supplier, the supplier sent you a series of official forms that demanded plans, product images and a list of companies that would buy the finished product. Among Eproppelled customers are civil companies, but also military, and given the refusal to sign the papers, the Chinese supplier canceled the shipment of magnets. They point out that companies that use these materials to create civil use products are evaluated and approved, but if the use will be military or aerospace, the approval is more complicated. Committed merchandise. … Read more

The Chinese industry has been pulling the prices of solar panels for years. Now 30% of its workers are on the street

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Chinese solar panel manufacturers achieved a crushing domain of the industry with a relentless recipe: mass production, constant improvements and increasingly low prices. Now that they have left out European and American competitors, The whole world depends on its technology. However, this apparent success story hides an internal crisis with serious consequences: a INSUSTANIBLE PRICE WARmillionaire losses and the silent dismissal of tens of thousands of workers. An unprecedented overproduction. Between 2020 and 2023, the Chinese government redirected huge resources of the real estate sector, then in decline, towards what it called the “three new growth industries”: solar panels, electric cars and batteries. This bet unleashed a fever of new factories and Colossal dimensions solar parks. The result was an unprecedented overproduction. According to Reutersthe world now produces twice as much solar panels it needs, most manufactured in China. This market saturation caused a collapse of prices to the point that many companies They started selling below their costs To give out to the stock, a situation that has been aggravated by the war of tariffs with the United States. The Chinese solar industry lost the amazing figure of 60,000 million dollars last year. The human invoice. The least known consequence of this crisis, despite the fact that companies They asked the government for a rescueIt has been a drastic reduction of personnel. The financial reports of the five largest photovoltaic companies in China (Longi Green Energy, Trina Solar, Jinko Solar, Ja Solar and Tongwei) reveal a 31% reduction of their templates, which means that they left 87,000 employees on the street. This figure is a mixture of direct layoffs and non -renovations due to salary or hours cuts. Diseases are a politically very sensitive issue in China, where employment is seen as the key to social stability. Therefore, none of the big companies have officially announced these massive template reductions. With the exception of Longi, who recognized a 5% cut of the template. Beijing tries to stop the bleeding. The main producers created an entity similar to OPEC to control prices and offer, But it didn’t go well. Before the disaster, the Chinese government took action on the matter. In early July, President Xi Jinping asked for the end of the price war. In addition, a fund of 7,000 million dollars was created to buy and close about a third of the lower quality solar panels in the industry. Is it enough? According to a Jefferies analysis, it would be necessary to eliminate at least one 20-30% capacity manufacturing for companies to be profitable again. However, many Chinese provincial governments, evaluated for their ability to create employment and economic growth, are reluctant to apply drastic cuts that affect their local companies. Image | Jinko Solar In Xataka | Neither in Taiwan, nor in China: the plan to manufacture the purest semiconductors in the world is to go to space

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