Month: November 2023

How Godzilla became Japan’s most put-upon worker

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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. There is a moment in the latest Godzilla film when the creature glares directly into the camera, its snorting, radioactive rage every bit as infinite and incomprehensible as it was in the 1954 original. But look carefully behind those mad, luminescent eyes, and there is something even more boundless: fatigue. Specifically, the tiredness of extreme overwork. Because, over the course of nearly 70 years and 37 films, Godzilla has in…

China may be close to a climate tipping point

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Pilita Clark is an FT business columnist If you want to be hopeful about the world’s chances of tackling climate change, look to China. It is such a force in the electric car market that, last year, for the first time, it became home to more than half the electric vehicles on the world’s roads. An equally impressive surge in solar and wind power means that China, alone, now has more big solar farm generating capacity than the rest of the world put together. And forecasts suggest that the country…

The fading era of hyperglobalisation is a study in success

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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Death notices for the surge in globalisation that started in the 1990s have been posted for about as long as the process itself. Covid-19, the US-China conflict, climate change and the struggle for green industrial supremacy are all being offered as reasons for globalisation coming to a stop. And yet it moves. Now, it’s true that the era of “hyperglobalisation” from roughly 1992 to 2008, where trade grew markedly faster…

Taiwan president says China has too many problems to invade

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Taiwan’s president has said China is unlikely to attempt an invasion any time soon because it is “overwhelmed” by domestic problems. Tsai Ing-wen made the remarks in an interview at the New York Times Dealbook Summit. Beijing considers Taiwan to be a province of China, and has vowed to annex it under what it terms “reunification”. Xi has repeatedly said he hopes for a peaceful takeover, but has not ruled out the use of force. Taiwan’s government and population overwhelmingly reject the prospect of Chinese rule. Asked about Xi’s hopes…

Henry Kissinger: giant of diplomacy remembered for ‘unwavering commitment’ to US-China ties

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Henry Kissinger will be remembered for his “continued sage advice about China and US-China relations”, says one of the most prominent proponents of US-China engagement. Kissinger, renowned for his historic role in opening China up to the US, was a pivotal figure in shaping US-China relations. 02:20 US diplomatic veteran Henry Kissinger visits Beijing ‘as a friend of China’ US diplomatic veteran Henry Kissinger visits Beijing ‘as a friend of China’ His role as the executive vice-chairman of the National Committee on US-China Relations “demonstrated his unwavering commitment to fostering…

China sells quantum chips to Middle East and Western countries in show of growing influence in sector

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China’s quantum computing capabilities have made a leap with the first delivery of a domestically developed superconducting quantum chip to an unnamed scientific research institute in the Middle East, according to a state media report. The sale by SpinQ, a pioneering company based in Shenzhen, comes soon after Chinese quantum chips were sold to the United States and its allies. It showcases China’s growing influence in the quantum computing sector, underscoring its role in fostering global collaboration within the industry. 01:50 Chinese researchers claim brain-computer interface breakthrough using monkey brain…

Kim Jong Un’s sister hints nuke weapons are non-negotiable

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Kim Jong Un’s influential sister ramped up Pyongyang’s pressure campaign against the United States, indicating that she would not put the country’s nuclear weapons in negotiations with Washington.  “The sovereignty of a sovereign state can never be a subject of negotiation, and therefore, we will not sit down with the United States due to this issue,” Kim Yo Jong said in a statement, according to North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency Thursday.  North Korea has long linked its nuclear weapons program to its state identity of self-reliance – Juche…

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger dies at 100

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Henry Kissinger, who served under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford died Wednesday at the age of 100, his consulting firm said. A controversial figure, who played a pivotal role in the United States’s withdrawal from Vietnam and helped build bridges with China, Kissinger continued to be involved in foreign policy up to his later years, albeit in an unofficial capacity, meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in July when he was hailed as an “old friend.” Kissinger won a Nobel Peace Prize but was heavily criticized for his policies on…

Charming, controversial Henry Kissinger steered establishment of US-China ties

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His negotiations with premier Zhou Enlai – over what remains the most fraught issue in US-China relations, Taiwan – paved the way for Nixon’s historic trip. The major sticking points – US military support for the self-governing island and whether the United Nations would recognise Beijing or Taipei – were ultimately finessed with a series of communiques, assurances and laws. 05:10 Nixon in China: How a US presidential trip made history 50 years ago Nixon in China: How a US presidential trip made history 50 years ago Kissinger initially argued…

China manufacturing: tech can keep supply chain risks in check, expo panellists say

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China is seeking to leverage its technical advancements, especially in strategic industries such as new energy and smart agriculture, to solidify its position in the global supply chain and counter the West’s plans for de-risking, global executives and industry experts said. Panellists discussed the topic in detail at forums held on Tuesday as part of the inaugural China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing, a state-backed event affirming the country’s role as a destination for global manufacturers. Efforts to attract foreign investors back to the country – and keep those…