strategy

There is a strategy to focus and combat multitasking: compartmentalize tasks

by

We live surrounded by stimuli and notifications that fight for monopolize our attention. The problem is that, what begins as “only a view of notification in case it is something important” becomes two hours of kittens videos. Such and as an account Berto Pena in his blog and in his book ‘Superhabic‘, compartmentalizing tasks helps protect your time and favor concentration, something that has become a challenge to take better advantage of each day and Keep the focus In what really matters. Compartmentar is a simple technique that can be applied to any type of task, but with which very good results are achieved. HE Avoid procrastinationimproves the Classification of priorities And prevents tasks being extended more than necessary. Assign an order and time limit to your tasks Comparting tasks consists in defining specific moments and times for certain activities that we know we must do. For this, a mixture of productivity techniques such as ‘Time Blocking’ To assign a specific hole in the calendar that we will dedicate exclusively to doing that task. When assigning a certain block of time to each task, it is prevented the work from extending more than the account, thus fighting the effect of the Parkinson’s law. This productivity law states that “work expands until the time is available for it to end.” In this way, the effort dedicated to each task is delimited and mental fatigue is prevented while preventing tasks from eternalizing. On the other hand, when establishing a period of time at a given time, it is Promote planning and is conditioned to commit to the task. Without excuses or postponements. After all, one of the greatest friction of procrastination is start doing homework. The compartmentalization of the tasks forces to adapt the nature of the tasks to the time blocks. In this way, if a task is too big for your daily day, it is easier to divide it into smaller tasks that occupy less time and program them in successive days. In this way, the motivation is maintained to complete a task that you have already started taking advantage of the “Zeigarnik effect“: the natural brain trend To finish those tasks that you have already started, even when it is not mandatory to do so. Your brain does it for a unstoppable need to close a door that was kept open. Advantages of segmenting tasks in time blocks As we have already mentioned, one of the main advantages of this technique is the Concentration improvement and the multitasking reduction. By dedicating an exclusive time block to an activity, the temptation to jump from one task to another is reduced. Another advantage of this technique is that the Regularity and discipline. Comparting tasks helps to build habits by assigning a certain task in a recurring time strip. When establishing that routine, the brain ends up raising awareness and integrating the habit associating a certain day and time to an action as one of the Habits triggers to those referred to by James Clear in his book ‘Atomic habits‘. This strategy also facilitates management and organization of tasks In the day to day. When distributing tasks in compartments throughout the week, a clear vision of what should be done and when. Thus, improvisation is avoided and each task receives the attention and time it needs. Finally, companding allows greater flexibility against unforeseen events. Something very useful for long projects. Although the technique provides structure, margin also offers to adapt and if an urgency arises, it is easier to readjust the time blocks without sacrificing the time dedicated to each task and without causing a domino effect on the rest of the scheduled tasks. Applying it is easy, but it must be progressive The first step to compartmentalize is Identify tasks and activities that will be programmed in time blocks. To start, it is easier to do so with short and recurring tasks, so that the results are appreciable in the short term. Read every day for an hour, do an hour of exercise, spend daily time to review the notes of that subject that costs you, etc. Once identified, they are assigned specific gaps on the agenda being realistic with the duration that each task needs. Do not worry if one day you have plenty or you lack time, just take it into account for the next time you program that task. It is a learning process in which it will be necessary to apply corrections. What should be immovable It is your commitment With scheduled tasks. If it’s time to do it, Focus on her And forget everything else. No pauses or interruptions. Concentration and deep work until the time block ends. The breaks, like any other task, must also be programmed and respected to avoid exhaustion. It is recommended to start little by little, with two or three tasks a week, and add more blocks progressively as the routine is consolidated and the first results begin to be obtained. In Xataka | “Doing nothing” is a great technique to improve your productivity. Neuroscience is clear Image | Unspash (My Profit Tutor, Jo Szczepanska)

His strategy in Europe and Spain speaks directly to governments

by

As artificial intelligence (AI) transforms the digital world, so do those who seek to take advantage of it for malicious purposes. Europe, According to MicrosoftIt is low Increasing pressure of attacks Orchestrated by state actors and criminal gangs that no longer operate alone: ​​they rely on AI tools to improve their tactics. Given this new reality, the company has launched a cybersecurity program without cost to European governments, with a clear objective: reinforce the defenses of the continent. The radiography offered by the Redmond giant about the situation in the old continent is clear: the number of attacks does not cease to increase and its complexity as well. The most frequent threats come from groups linked to governments such as those of Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, with objectives ranging from the theft of credentials and infiltration in corporate networks to the manipulation of public opinion through digital disinformation. Click to see the message in x According to the company, many of these actors have incorporated AI techniques to refine their campaigns: from automated vulnerabilities recognition to the creation of false content with Deepfakes. In parallel, criminal gangs also evolve. The appearance of platforms of ‘Ransomware as a service‘And forums with instructions to operate complex attacks has democratized access to dangerous tools, amplifying the risk throughout the continent. Microsoft’s proposal: a European cybersecurity program, free and based on AI In response, Microsoft has launched the European Security Programan initiative that offers without cost to all European governments, including the 27 EU member states, the countries in the process of adhesion, the United Kingdom, Monaco, the Vatican and the members of the EFTA. It is not clear how many countries have decided to join at the time of publishing this article, but the company states that the objective is to strengthen cyber -defense from three fronts: Share intelligence on threats based on AI with governments, adjusted to each country and, when possible, in real time. Increase investment in capacity and resilience, including training, technological development and support for NGOs. Expand alliances with police and operators to interrupt criminal networks and cyber attacks before they climb. According to official information, the initiative implies the delivery of personalized intelligence to each country, the expansion of access to the Cybercrime Threat Intelligence Program and frequent updates on foreign influence operations. Priority communication is also included on Vulnerabilities detected and technical orientation to mitigate them. Each participating government will have a direct interlocutor in Microsoft to expedite coordination. In addition, the company details that collaborates with Europol in its European Cybercrime Center in The Hague. Also, in the technological level, there are also concrete actions. Microsoft has launched a fund to protect strategic Open Source projects (such as Log4j) and develop advanced security tools with the British laboratory Lasr. The rise of agents of ia also worries outside Microsoft The use of artificial intelligence in the field of cybersecurity not only worries Microsoft. Several researchers and signatures in the sector, such as Trend Micro or Malwarebytes, warn of an emerging stage in which Autonomous ia agents They could become especially effective attack tools. Although today a wave of cyber attacks fully executed by agents have been detected, some laboratories have already begun to identify their first real incursions. Palisade Research team, for example, has built a honeypot specifically designed to detect AI agents activity. And they have achieved it: they have registered millions of access attempts and have confirmed the presence of at least two agents. Image: Microsoft It is not just attacks aimed at governments or infrastructure. According to a study published in Harvard Business Review By researchers from Harvard, MIT and the World Economic Forum, the generative AI is also transforming mass attacks like him Phishing. And it does it by reducing its cost more than 95 % and maintaining its success rate. Experts point out that language models such as GPT-4 They allow completely automating the phishing cycle, from the choice of objectives to the writing of convincing emails. In their experiments, 60 % of users fell into traps generated by AI, a percentage comparable to that of messages created by human experts. This perspective fits with the reading made by Microsoft about the role of AI in current threats, but also reveals that concern is shared by researchers, academics and actors in the sector who are developing specific detection systems to prevent these agents from going unnoticed. Europe is already taking action The launch of this program does not happen in a vacuum. The European Union has been strengthening its response from digital threats, with initiatives that seek to raise the level of protection both in public administrations and in the private sector. In turn, many countries are implementing their own plans to shield themselves. Spain, for example, has become one of the great objectives of cybercrime: it is the second most attacked country in the world, According to Secure & It. In this context, the government is promoting a millionaire investment To create a “digital shield” that reinforces the country’s defenses. We need to see what role the European Security Program of Microsoft will play within this panorama. At the moment, it is a voluntary, but ambitious initiative. Cover image | Lukas s + Freepik With Photoshop In Xataka | Goal has been spying on everything we did when navigating android mobiles. Neither the incognite mode nor erase cookies avoided it

China’s absolute dominance over rare earths is the result of a strategy that no one else has. Not even the US

by

The Rare earth They have a leading role in the commercial, technological and geostrategic war that the US and China support. These chemical elements are relatively scarce, and, in addition, they are not usually found purely in nature, but what makes them so special are Its physicochemical properties. In fact, thanks to them they have established themselves as A very valuable resource In numerous industries, especially in electronics and renewable energies. During the last year and a half the Chinese government has used its control of these chemical elements to defend their strategic interests In full confrontation with the US, Europe and its allies. The interesting thing is that it can do it because it produces approximately 70% of rare earths They are distributed in the world market, and, what is even more important, controls 90% of the processing industry to which it is necessary to submit rare earths so that they can be used. China refines 99% of the weighing land of the planet At the current US tension situation, Europe and its allies need to bet on their independence and consolidate their own supply chain. They are in it, but they don’t have it easy. The old continent in particular has been proposed to self -abuse At least 10% of rare earths He needs for 2030 thanks to the exploitation of the new deposits, such as the one he found in January 2023 the LKAB mining company near the city of Kiruna, in northern Sweden. China’s starting point is very favorable. As we have just seen, with a 70% production of the global market and a control of 90% of the rare earth processing industry this Asian country has this absolutely controlled market. However, we have not yet repaired in a figure more that is also very important: China refine no less than 99% of the heavy lands of the planet. These chemical elements are a subgroup of rare earth characterized by its greater density and lower ionic radius. Heavy rare earths are a subgroup of rare earths characterized by its greater density and lower ionic radius In addition, heavy rare earths are less abundant in the earth’s crust than the light ones. To this subgroup belongs as elusive minerals and with names as exotic as gadolinio, the terbio, the display, the holm, the erbium or the tulle, among others. How can we intuit, China does not control 99% of the processing of this kind of rare earth by chance. This absolute leadership is the result of a strategy in which teaching institutions are having an unquestionably protagonist role. And, according to the newspaper The New York Timesat the moment China has 39 university programs of chemistry specialized in rare earths. Presumably in these training programs students acquire the necessary knowledge to develop their professional career in the chemical industry specialized in rare earth processing. There is no doubt that this is one of the great strengths of the country led by Xi Jinping in this area, especially if we keep in mind that US universities currently do not offer a single specialized program in rare earths. The article published by The New York Times does not collect it, but in all likelihood European countries that have a greater dependence on rare earths, such as Germany or France, as well as Japan or South Korea are in the same situation as the US. These countries will cost a lot of time to acquire the favorable inertia that China has objectively, so it is reasonable to anticipate that in the short and medium term the rare earth processing industry will continue to be led by strong by the country headed by Xi Jinping. This Jens Eskelund statementthe president of the Chamber of Commerce of the European Union in China, clearly reflects what the US and Europe face: “Some approvals are coming (the result of negotiation with China), but they are far from being enough to Avoid imminent stops in production. We still face A great interruption in supply chains“ Image | Volker Braun More information | The New York Times In Xataka | We already know what is the best natural factory of the precious rare earths: a cosmic kilonova

Onlyfans has made adult content a millionaire business thanks to a different strategy. And now it goes for more

by

It started as an alternative to Patreon. He ended up dominating adult content on the Internet. Onlyfans has broken molds, has faced vetoes and has resisted the scrutiny of banks, governments and technological. And yet, he has paid more than 20,000 million dollars to its creators. In the new episode of Xataka presentsour partner Jota García immerses himself in the history of a platform that has challenged the standards of the digital market and now tries to transform without losing its essence. Because what Onlyfans has achieved is not less: professionalizing a historically informal sector, turning it into a profitable industry and doing so without depending on the App Store or Google Play. As Jota says in the video, “Onlyfans has achieved what few digital platforms have achieved: convert the adult content that has traditionally been found on the Internet for free in a source of millionaire income.” The number impresses: 6,600 million dollars invoiced in 2023. But behind that figure there is a key business decision. Onlyfans has remained outside the large application stores. Because? Because entering there would imply deliver up to 30% of each payment to Apple or Google. As our partner explains, “if Onlyfans’s application worked through these stores, the company would have to distribute up to 50% of each payment between two intermediaries. ”The price of that decision: lower visibility. The benefit: total independence and protection of its economic model. Of course, not everything has been growth. In 2021, under pressure from banks, the platform announced the prohibition of explicit content. “The massive reaction of users and creators forced Onlyfans to back down,” Jota recalls. Since then, the company has reinforced verification controls, has diversified financial partners and has tried to reposition itself as a space for all kinds of creators. But can you do it? The brand remains mainly associated with adult content, which is an economic advantage, but also a reputational barrier. Although he has launched Onlyfans TV – a video platform without sexual content, designed for kitchen programs, interviews and training – and has begun to attract musicians, comedians or athletes, many creators continue Feeling the stigma weight. “Many have shown reluctance to link to the brand for fear of rejection of their sponsors,” says the video. Is this effort to renew? Can Onlyfans become a mainstream space like Patreon without losing your identity? We analyze it a little more detail In the new published video On the Xataka YouTube channel. It is a story that is worth following closely because few platforms have generated both debate, so many income and as much transformation like this. Images | Xataka In Xataka | The technological one that generates more money is not Apple or Nvidia or Amazon. It is a porn boutique: Onlyfans

Ibai is going to launch its own football team to start from the lowest. There is actually a very thoughtful strategy

by

Ibai Llanos is, without a doubt, The most ambitious Spanish streamer. Restless and little given to be in a single type of content, it is stretching the limits of what can be expected from a creator on the Internet to use, to the point that its new project is out of the merely virtual environment: it has announced that it will finance a football team that will start in the most modest categories with the intention of ascending what you can. From the fourth division. Nothing less than in the fourth Catalan division will start the team, as the streamer From your Tiktok account. “We are going to start in the lowest category in Spain and we will try to ascend over the years, as far as we arrive,” he says (although it is not exactly the lowest possible category). The digital confidential revealswith information arrived from the environment of Ibai, which there is already a field in which to train, whose location will be revealed soon. Aspects such as the name and other issues will be chosen collaboratively. Starting. At the moment, there are no players: they need 20 and a coaching staff, and the search has already begun. He has opened the call for players in his networks, and we sympathize with whom he has to manage the avalanche of children’s videos giving touches. The choice of the fourth Catalan division is not accidental, of course: Ibai resides in Catalonia and that regional category allows you to enter the federated football system. This team still without a name is, therefore, Ibai’s next step within soccer management, after Your football team 7Porcinos fc, will achieve win the world championship of the Kings League devised by Piqué. Buy the Murcia. It is not the first time that Ibai enters the field of soccer management. In 2021 he expressed his desire to Buy Real Murciaproclaiming his desire that “a humble team is respected the shield.” The mention of Murcia is not accidental: although the team is not at its best (especially considering that it was in 1st division, it is now in the first federation, the third level of Spanish football divisions), it has a great stadium, much follow -up in the city and a long history of famous interested in it: Auronplay and Djmariio They were shareholders And they also The presenters of modern life. Investor problems … Football club management for large business or famous groups has generated abundant controversies in recent years. For example, Valencia is plunged into A serious crisis Under the property of Peter Lim, Singapore businessman, who has been accused of bad financial management, lack of investment, sale of key players and disconnection with the local fans. Granada CF has suffered similar problems, managed by Chinese investors and subsequently sold to other funds. In this context, he has suffered management problems and has accused the lack of a stable sports project, with frequent changes of coaches and directive. … and the celebrities. Valladolid suffered a similar image and results crisis that has lasted until very recently: Ronaldo Nazário acquired 51% of the club in 2018 promising to take it to the elite. A roller coaster of promotions and descents led to the disgust of the fans. After a disastrous season, Ronaldo has sold its participation majority to an American investment group. This case is perhaps the clearest of a media personality with a past linked to football that took the controls of a club with disastrous results, and that possibly Ibai is very present. THE INTER CASE. There is another case, very recent, and that concerns other personalities of the sphere of the streaming: The Madrid International Football Club, founded in 2002, amounted from the Madrid regional until reaching Second Division B. in 2020 He merged with the eSports Dux Gaming teambecoming called Dix International of Madrid. Behind the pioneer union, which linked traditional football and eSports under the same seal, were the players Thibaut Courtois and Borja Iglesias, and the Djmariio youtuber. However, economic and administrative conflicts with the Royal Spanish Football Federation in 2022 led Dux Gaming It will separate from the project. The result was that, since then, any approach to traditional football from the orbit of the Streamers It is seen with suspicion. An important challenge. Ibai is accustomed to assuming large -scale challenges, and to get out of Niche appearance projects like the evening. Therefore, your first decision, not to buy an existing team to save time and resources, but to found it from zero and start from below, has a clear strategy. Now it only remains to see if the innumerable decisions that have ahead takes them with the same common sense. Header | Ibai Llanos In Xataka | The evening of the year 5: When is schedules, fighting, performances and where to see the boxing event of Ibai Llanos

Venice established a rate to combat tourism hordes. Japan has copied the strategy: the one that arrives, pays

by

It happened recently with the arrival of the “Holy Week.” Venice enhanced a little more That pioneering toll years ago. The figures that threw the input rate had gone so well, that the city He folded his price. A measure for which Italy sought to restore the balance between the rights of residents and the massive arrival of visitors. A nation has followed the popular enclave: Japan. Mass tourism and fiscal burden. We have been telling: Japan does not stop Receive touristsand given the unstoppable increase, a growing number of Japanese municipalities It has begun To look at the rates used in other enclaves Like Venice: Implement specific taxes for foreigners, in an effort to compensate for the growing costs that tourism activity imposes on local communities. According to Nikkeithese measures mainly include accommodation taxes per night, but are also expanding towards more innovative taxation forms that seek to exclude local payment residents, applying the principle of “who causes, pays.” The objective is clear: preserve fiscal viability of towns and cities that face a reverse demographic pressure (populations in decline in front of booming tourism) and sustain fundamental public services without moving the burden to those who live there permanently. Accommodation tax. Since Tokyo pioneered a pioneer fixed tax per person And by night in the accommodations, others 11 locations They have joined, the most recent of them Atamiin the prefecture of Shizuoka, which began to collect a tribute from 200 yen per night April 1. This tax, which will generate about 600 million annual yen, will serve to finance the new Atami Tourism Office and local activities such as fireworks festivals. The model adopted by most cities consists of fixed rates, staggered depending on the price of accommodation, to facilitate their collection and minimize the administrative load on hotels and hosts. However, there is a unique case with Kutchanin Hokkaido, which since 2019 imposes A 2% tax On the cost of accommodation in its resort area, a pioneering measure that other municipalities, such as Rusutsuthey study to replicate. Miyajima and the model. One of the most significant developments has been the tax applied by Hatsukaichi for access the island of Miyajimathat since October 2023 gravel with 100 additional yen to each ferry passenger. The measure, inspired by the principle of the so -called as “cause pays”seeks that visitors (not residents) absorb the costs derived from their presence, such as waste management, traffic and water and sewerage services. Unlike other rates aimed at promoting tourism, this is a general tax that can be used for any area of ​​the local budget. With a population of just 1,400 people and 4.85 million visitors in 2024, Miyajima was has become a symbol how mass tourism can overflow the operational capacity of a heritage enclave without adequate corrective measures. Biei: Combined taxes. Another illustrative case occurs in Bieialso in Hokkaido, who proposed A double taxation to balance the impact of tourists: a 200 yen accommodation tax per night and a parking charge in the Shirogane Blue Parkone of its main tourist attractions. With 2.39 million visitors in 2023 but only 158,000 overnight stays, most tourists are one -day hikers, which motivated A mixed scheme For everyone to contribute. Both measures are expected to collect more than 239 million annual yenresources that will be used both to maintain services and to support agricultural policies, in an attempt to reinforce the local economy from multiple fronts. Challenges and risks. As both prefectures and municipalities adopt their own variants of these taxes, new challenges arise, including the double taxation risk in areas where regional and local rates coincide. In addition, given that the fiscal performance of these measures depends directly on the concentration of accommodation facilities, the regions with the highest proportion of visitors without prolonged stay can be at a disadvantage, accentuating territorial inequalities. Solution? Some local governments (such as Sadoin Niigata) have considered alternatives such as Input taxes generalized to the island, which would simplify the collection and guarantee a more equitable distribution of the tax burden between short and long -term visitors. Local response to a global phenomenon. In short, the backdrop of this proliferation of tourist rates is still A paradox Increasingly common: destinations of international fame that at the same time face the collapse of their resident population and the overload of their services for the massive influx of those tourists once longed for their economies. As He counted in Nikkei Mneaki AokiProfessor at the University of Kanagawa and advisor to the tax systems of Miyajima and Biei, the “cause pays” adapts well to places where tourists exceed largely in number to the permanent inhabitants. Faced with tourism as a blessing and burden, these mechanisms seek a more pragmatic solution: conserve hospitality without sacrificing tax sustainability (or local quality of life). In that sense, Japan, with its meticulous normative approach, becomes a RARE Av of policy laboratory that could inspire other countries under the same dilemma, going from “copying” Enclaves like Venice to become a pioneer with their own initiatives. Image | Pexels In Xataka | Venice has just activated his plan against mass tourism: an entry rate that doubles its price In Xataka | Japan has realized that to welcome 60 million tourists, something lacks: workers in the hotels

Nuclear power plants have a very valuable resource so as not to collapse if electricity fails: the “flex” strategy

by

The refrigeration system of The reactors of nuclear centrals It has a fundamental purpose: to guarantee that Fuel bars will remain at all times within Its operating temperatures range. If this parameter increases excessively they could melt and trigger a serious accident. To avoid it Conventional nuclear reactorslike those we have in Spanish nuclear plants, have a triple cooling circuit. The primary circuit consists of the vessel that contains the fuel bars and a deposit known as heat exchanger. The hot water from the vessel circulates between both deposits thanks to the action of a pump, so that it cools in the exchanger before returning to the vessel. This circuit is closed. In addition, the heat exchanger acts as a steam generator, so a second circuit is responsible for introducing the cold water inside that, when coming into contact with the hot water of the primary circuit enters boiling. From there the necessary steam proceeds to transfer to the turbine the kinetic energy that will make it possible to obtain electricity thanks to the action of the alternator. Once the fluid crosses the turbine the water steam is cooled and condenses inside an additional tank to promote the appearance of water in the liquid state that will be introduced again in the heat exchangerthus giving rise to a second closed circuit known as secondary circuit. Again a pump is responsible for the water to circulate between the condensation tank and the heat exchanger. So far we have described two different closed circuits, the primary and the secondary, but we have left a loose end. In order for the water vapor of the secondary circuit to be condensed inside the condensation tank it is necessary to introduce in the latter cold water. And to do so it is necessary to resort to a third circuit known as external cooling circuit. The water of this last installation comes from the sea or from a river near the nuclear power plant, hence it is necessary to accommodate this type of centrals near one of these two natural resources. In modern nuclear centrals flexibility and redundancy are everything As we have just verified, so that the water that acts as a refrigerant element circulates correctly inside the primary and secondary circuits the action of at least two pumps is necessary, one for each circuit. And, of course, the pumps need electricity to function, like many other elements of the nuclear reactor, such as the pressor, the external cooling circuit pumps or the safety injection pumps. We explain everything in more detail in the article that we dedicate to The control rooms of nuclear centrals. Portable equipment allows all these functions to be performed without having to depend on exterior power supply After Fukushima The safety of all the world’s nuclear power plants was reinforced. They underwent very important stress tests during which all the central parameters were reviewed, especially those that were related to what had happened in Fukushim Baskets on the electricity grid. And once everything was reviewed, the incorporation of a series of measures to mitigate and prevent such accidents was standardized worldwide. This strategy is known as “flex”, which is the flexibility apocope. Nuclear centrals have been designed to Prevent Design Base accidents. This philosophy consists in thinking about what can happen with the purpose of implementing security measures to mitigate them in case they occur. What happens is that in practice, of course, there are accidents that you can not have planned, so in addition to the security systems prior to Fukushima, a series of portable equipment that allow all those functions from outside without having to depend on exterior power supply have been incorporated. They are totally portable and autonomous equipment that are already incorporated into all nuclear plants, and that can also be transported from one central to another in case of need via helicopter or through the military emergency unit (UME). In addition, there are also A central warehouse in Technatom Madrid where there are portable equipment that could be transferred in two or three hours to any Spanish nuclear power plant. As we have just seen, the redundancy of the equipment is also a crucial strategy in nuclear facilities. However, there is another resource that is even more important: The security culture. The training of all people who work in a nuclear power plant is individualized and permanent throughout their professional career. In Xataka | China and Russia have an extremely ambitious plan: in 2028 they will build a nuclear power plant on the moon In Xataka | This nuclear reactor is different from everyone else. It has been expressly designed for data centers

The strategy that is paying fruits in China

by

After the exchange of Fulfilled, kisses and public hugs between Pedro Sánchez and Xi Jinping During the last days in Beijing there is more than diplomatic protocol. A calculated maneuver is at a critical moment. Spain, with a commercial deficit with China of almost 40,000 million (more than 70% of its total deficit), see in this commercial war a window of opportunity. The strategy is direct: while Europe in internally debate what position to take Before Trump’s commercial war, Spain has chosen unilateral action. Take advantage that China needs European allies against isolation imposed by Washington for get commercial concessions that would be difficult in normal circumstances. The Four signed protocols To unlock pigs of pigs, cherries, medications and cosmetics are the result of this approach. And the interesting thing is that both parties They stage this friendship by finding exactly what they need: Jinping gets the photo that shows that it has not been diplomatically isolated. Sanchez achieves concrete commitments that can begin to correct the commercial imbalance. When the Spanish president says that “Spain sees China as an EU partner” (softening the “competitor and systemic rival” of the European Official Dictionary) is using diplomatic capital to try to get economic advantages. Thinking that this movement is risking a crisis with the United States is an incomplete thought. Spain is in that intermediate and gray space created by Trump when it paralyzed tariffs worldwide except China. This three -month parenthesis is an opportunity to make commercial advantages to China and have better cards when the truce ends and the tension returns. For now Spain has achieved concrete agreements and not only statements of intentionsunlike Brussels, at the moment focused on funambulism between China and the United States. Time will say whether this is enough or not to really advance in the rebalancing of the trade balance. Or if they are nothing more than small symbolic concessions by China. At the moment it seems clear that Spain has achieved something that Europe is still debating: Convert the tension between blocks into good opportunities for its exporters. In other words: fish in a scrambled river. Spain has been able to strain through a narrow and perhaps temporary slit, but it can bear fruit when the world commercial situation stabilizes. In Xataka | The tariff war will shoot the price of a component that nobody speaks: the SSD units Outstanding image | Xataka

China has responded to the US by putting the global chip industry against the strings. This is your strategy

by

Last April 4 The Chinese government formalized its response to the tariffs approved by the administration led by Donald Trump. On April 10 China will impose a 34% tariff To all Imports from the US. The choice of that day is not casual. And is that the tariffs approved by the Donald Trump administration will take effect on April 9. Just a day before. Presumably the Chinese government has chosen to keep a few days of margin in the hope of reaching an agreement with its American counterpart and relax a little tension. However, China’s response to the US does not only happen to establish new tariffs; He has also chosen to suspend the import licenses of products belonging to six US companies, as well as imposing More export controls of some rare earths. This is not at all the first time that the Xi Jinping government decides to pressure the US and its allies establishing limitations to the export of these raw materials. In fact, on December 21, 2023 the Chinese administration decided to restrict export of some of its rare earth processing technologies, shaping a maneuver that seeks to defend their strategic interests in full confrontation with the US and its allies. And at the beginning of December 2024 He chose to prohibit The export of critical minerals to the nation currently governed by Donald Trump. The US is going to run out of the scandio and beaming from China Since last December China does not export to the US three essential chemical elements for the semiconductor industry (Galio, Germanio and Antimony), as well as some materials that are characterized by their extreme hardness, and which, therefore, can be used for military applications. However, in response to the last tariffs approved by the US The Chinese government has decided Include in its list of transition metals subjected to export controls the Scandio and Disposio. China’s export controls will further tension the global supply chains of the chips These chemical elements are probably less known than metals prohibited by China previously, such as Gallium or Germanio, but are at least as important as the latter. In fact, the Xi Jinping administration has chosen them because it is fully aware of the deep impact that these restrictions will have Not only in telecommunications industries and the manufacture of storage devices, which directly affect, but in the entire global supply chain linked to the semiconductor industry. The scandio is usually used in the radiofrequency modules used by smartphones, base stations and Wi-Fi modules, while the Disprosius is involved in the manufacture of reading and writing heads used by hard discs, and also in the manufacture of electric cars. He China Ministry of Commerce It has prohibited the US export of these metals with immediate effect, so Chinese companies can no longer export products containing scandio, disposium, gadolinio, terbio, lutecio, samarium and ititrio. Presumably the export licenses of these critical minerals will only be granted under certain very strict conditions. However, the ban not only conditions the export of finished products containing these metals; also Denies the export of these gross mineralsin the form of metal or as compounds. Some of the companies that will with all likelihood suffer from the new prohibitions of China’s critical minerals are American, such as Broadcom, Qualcomm, Seagate or Western Digital. But there are also Taiwanese and South Korean companies, such as TSMC or Samsung. In the short term it seems that global geopolitical tensions will not love. Image | Skyater More information | China Ministry of Commerce In Xataka | The US will not be able to contain the technological development of China. Experts from the chips industry forecast it

Apple and Samsung have been fleeing from China for years to save costs. Tariffs just torpedo their strategy

by

The Trump administration has announced New tariffs. Some that expand the Commercial War to even more countries and that, inevitably, will have severe consequences in the production and distribution chain of large technological ones. Some of them, such as Apple or Samsung, had been trying to reduce their dependence on Chinese manufacturing, moving part of production to countries like Vietnam. A new tariff of almost 50% for countries like Vietnam has just launched its strategy through the air. The new tariffs. Donald Trump has announced a new set of tariffs for all those products that are imported to the United States. The most affected is the main commercial enemy of the country At the moment: China. Adding previous movements, tariffs to the Asian country amount to 54%. Attending to the rest of the victims on the list, there is a country that is specially injured: Vietnam. The United States has imposed a 46% tariff on one of the barracks of the two technological giants, Apple and Samsung. China’s escape. The production of Apple and Samsung products has been linked to China for years. To reduce this unit, both companies have been trying to diversify the supply chain Moving manufacturing to countries like India or Vietnam. This last country has become one of the most attractive destinations for large technological ones, mainly due to their economic but highly qualified workforce. Its port proximity with China also makes it a strategic point, minimizing friction when importing electronic components. Key products. Apple has been manufacturing the AirPods for years of Vietnam, and the assembly of some key products, such as iPad, has been starting its steps in the country for a few years. Some of its strategic business partners, such as Foxconn, They have been investing for years millions of dollars in the Asian country. More relevant if possible is the case of Samsung, who produces much of its phones in Vietnam. The Korean company has been betting on this country for almost 20 years, having consolidated as one of the main producers of electronic components and devices in the country. Leaving Vietnam, pointing out that India was another strategic points in the supply chain of both manufacturers. One in seven iPhone is already manufactured in Indiaand Samsung carries Since 2018 giving life to Galaxy devices in this country. No one was prepared. Apple and Samsung had been moving production out of China for years not only to minimize costs, but to avoid the consequences of the commercial war between the United States and China. Diversifying the supply chain was key to avoid depending on a single region, as well as to bring production closer to emerging markets with great growth margin. Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, India … Each and every one of the alternative destinations to China will suffer a very high tariff load. After years of strategy focused on running from China, the new tariffs make the foundations they had been building for years staggered. And the question is clear. What consequences will they have? Who will pay the duck. Although it seems unlikely that both companies kindly invite consumers to accept an increase in the cost of between 26 and 46%, which seems inevitable is that the products of both manufacturers rise in price not only in the United States, but globally. The tariff storm will force a complete readjustment of the current margins of the main Big Tech, since they will have a significant impact on the global supply chain. Voices of the sector, like Mark Gurman, point out what is “essentially impossible” That there is no price increase in the United States, and members of the Federal Regulations Code (CFR), they point out that these rates will mean an increase in about $ 150 per device. Image | Xataka In Xataka | In full tariff war, the EU has found a weapon to press the United States: soybeans

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.