In the Latest Space Race, It’s China vs. SpaceX

new video loaded: In the Latest Space Race, It’s China vs. SpaceX By Selam Gebrekidan, Nikolay Nikolov, Jon Hazell, Laura Salaberry and Malika Khurana•July 24, 2025 China has made it a national priority to catch up with SpaceX’s nearly 8,000 Starlink internet-providing satellites in low-Earth orbit, which it regards as a military threat. Despite successes in other parts of its space program, China has just 124 internet-providing satellites in low-Earth orbit. Selam Gebrekidian, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, explains why China is lagging behind in this new…

Chinese Officers Questioned U.S. Government Employee About His Army Service

Chinese intelligence officers began tracking an employee of the U.S. Commerce Department this spring, when he was in southwest China and where he has family members, at one point interrogating him about his prior service in the U.S. military, according to a U.S. government document. The man, who is an American citizen, has been prevented from leaving China since mid-April, according to the document, a State Department cable that was obtained by The New York Times. The cable, from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, was dated May 2 and sent…

There’s a Race to Power the Future. China Is Pulling Away.

ChinaSolar in Shanxi Province Gilles Sabrié for The New York Times U.S.Oil in California J. Emilio Flores for The New York Times Lithium-ion batteries China$65 bil.United States$3 bil.Asia$21 bil.Europe$26 bil.Africa$2 bil.Americas$17 bil.Oceania$1 bil. Solar panels and modules China$40 bil.United States$69 mil.Asia$11 bil.Europe$20 bil.Africa$2 bil.Americas$6 bil.Oceania$1 bil. Electric cars China$38 bil.United States$12 bil.Africa$281 mil.Oceania$3 bil.Europe$26 bil.Asia$14 bil.Americas$8 bil. Crude oil China$844 mil.United States$117 bil.Asia$50 bil.Americas$16 bil.Oceania$799 mil.Europe$52 bil.Africa$359 mil. Natural gas China$3 bil.United States$42 bil.Asia$13 bil.Europe$22 bil.Africa$3 mil.Americas$11 bil. Coal China$1 bil.United States$15 bil.Africa$718 mil.Americas$3 bil.Asia$8 bil.Europe$5 bil.Oceania$16 thou. ChinaElectric car…

Uyghur Workers Are Moved to Factories Across China to Supply Global Brands

By David Pierson, Vivian Wang and Daniel MurphyGraphics by Pablo Robles. Produced by Nico Chilla and Rumsey Taylor May 29, 2025 China’s mass detention and surveillance of ethnic Uyghurs turned its far western region of Xinjiang into a global symbol of forced labor and human rights abuses, prompting Congress to ban imports from the area in 2021. But the Chinese government has found a way around the ban — by moving more Uyghurs to jobs in factories outside Xinjiang. A joint investigation by The New York Times, the Bureau of…

Plastic Spoons, Umbrellas, Violins: A Guide to What Americans Buy From China

ITEM Pct. from China Importsfrom China in millions 1 Baby carriages 97% $380 2 Artificial plants 96% $991 3 Umbrellas 96% $491 4 Filing cabinets 96% $88 5 Vacuum flasks 96% $1,634 6 Fireworks 95% $465 7 Children’s picture books 93% $505 8 Portable lighting 91% $901 9 Combs 91% $367 10 Travel kits 90% $42 ITEM Pct. from China Importsfrom China in millions 1 Telephones 42% $50,085 2 Computers 26% $35,473 3 Electric batteries 58% $17,022 4 Other toys 76% $13,463 5 Motor vehicles; parts and accessories 11% $9,059…

Republican Bill to End E.V. Tax Credit Could Hurt G.M. and Ford

Sales of electric vehicles have been rising in recent years, partly because of a $7,500 tax credit from the federal government that helps lower the cost of buying one. But a budget bill that House Republicans released on Monday would end that tax credit. Their proposal would also put new restrictions on other tax breaks that have encouraged automakers to invest tens of billions of dollars in new battery plants in the United States. By next year, the bill would do away with the $7,500 tax credit for buyers of…