Day: April 26, 2026

Chinese scientists have achieved a breakthrough in “all-iron flow battery” technology that could sharply reduce the cost of storing renewable energy while significantly extending battery lifespan. Lithium costs over 80 times more than iron as a raw industrial material at present. An iron battery may offer a potential solution to one of the biggest bottlenecks in the global energy transition, according to the researchers. A team from the Institute of Metal Research under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) reported the development of a highly stable electrolyte capable of sustaining…

Electric vehicles (EVs) made in China now account for one in every three new registrations in South Korea, as Tesla’s Shanghai-built models power the surge and Chinese carmakers start to gain traction. The country’s auto manufacturers have further room to expand, analysts said, supported by higher fuel prices linked to the US-Israeli war in Iran and looser restrictions than traditional target markets. Still, tightening subsidy regimes could slow the pace of expansion, they cautioned. Advertisement Sales of China-made EVs in South Korea soared to 25,000 units in the first quarter…

China has launched a comprehensive national campaign against Alzheimer’s, as projections warn the degenerative brain disease could affect nearly 10 per cent of citizens by 2050. With the world’s fastest-growing dementia caseload set to sharply grow by mid-century, China is mobilising top scientific institutions, major biotech firms and dozens of experts to accelerate the development of original treatments. This urgent initiative aims to avert a looming public health and economic crisis, driven by the limited availability and high cost of current therapies. Advertisement They were there for the launch of…

Military spending in the Asia-Pacific rose at the fastest pace for 16 years in 2025 as US allies felt “growing uncertainty” over whether Washington would honour its security commitments, according to a new report. Total global spending reached US$2.89 trillion, an increase of 2.9 per cent from 2024, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) think tank said in its annual report on military expenditure published Monday. That marked the 11th consecutive year of increases and brought the global military burden to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP),…

Daniel Gros is the director of the Institute for European Policymaking at Bocconi University. Previously, he served as an adviser to the European Parliament, collaborated with the European Commission as economic adviser to the Delors Committee, which developed plans for the euro, and worked at the International Monetary Fund. In this interview, Gros examines the structural tensions shaping EU-China economic ties, draws lessons from the euro’s experience to analyse the yuan’s internationalisation, and explains why stablecoins and central bank digital currencies are limited in fundamentally shifting the global monetary order.…

The Italian government has decided ⁠⁠to extradite a ⁠⁠Chinese man wanted ⁠⁠by US authorities on hacking charges that include stealing Covid-19 medical research, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The government’s decision, which was ‌‌first reported by Bloomberg, follows a ruling by an Italian court earlier this month which said Xu Zewei could be extradited. A representative for Italy’s government declined to comment. Xu’s lawyer Enrico Giarda told Reuters that his client ⁠⁠had not received any communications on the matter so far. Advertisement Xu was ‌‌arrested…

An international research team in China has developed a microscopic “predator-like” material capable of swimming through water and hunting uranium ions, a breakthrough that could open new possibilities for nuclear fuel extraction and cleaning up radioactive pollution. The light-powered material, a metal-organic framework (MOF) micromotor created by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, can autonomously move through water while capturing uranium ions. The work was accepted on March 24 by the peer-reviewed journal Nano Research. Uranium is the fuel that powers nuclear reactors. Although…

In the face of a prolonged US energy blockade of Cuba, solar panels from China have come to the rescue and provided a model of independence from fossil fuels that is resonating globally amid what is being called the worst energy crisis in history. Within the 12 months through February, solar’s share of national power generation in Cuba increased from 6 per cent to more than 20 per cent, according to Microgrid Media, a California-based publication that tracks global renewable energy capacity. “By rendering the oil blockade ineffective through alternative…

China has demanded that the European Union remove Chinese businesses and individuals from its latest sanctions list related to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Ministry of Commerce in Beijing also warned the bloc that it would take whatever measures were necessary to protect the rights and interests of its citizens and companies. “[We should] find a way to resolve our respective concerns through dialogue and consultation,” the ministry said, adding that the consequences of not lifting the sanctions would be “borne by the EU”. Advertisement On Thursday, the EU announced…