When George Michael recorded Careless Whisper, there can be no doubt his ultimate ambition for it would have been to soundtrack a garish animated sequence in which two anthropomorphic bears gambol through a prairie of giant fungus experiencing ecstatic visions as hallucinogenic spores rain down on them. Such is the frantic way of this Chinese cartoon franchise, as relentless and exhausting as ever in its 11th feature-film instalment. Five minutes in, before the credits, it has crammed in a post-apocalyptic prologue, oodles of eco-babble, a time-travelling tyke and an avalanche.…
Category: Media Library
China says it can live without US farm and energy goods
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Chinese economy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. China’s top economic officials said the country could do without American farm and energy imports as they vowed to achieve a 5 per cent GDP growth target for the year despite the trade war with the US. Zhao Chenxin, vice chair of the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s state planner, said domestic farm and energy production, along with imports from non-US sources, would be more than enough to satisfy…
UK banks brace for first-quarter reports after Trump tariff turmoil
UK banks’ earnings reports will be studied this week for signs of turmoil linked to Donald Trump’s tariff drama, with uncertainty over global growth likely to weigh on lenders with heavy exposure to China, including HSBC. First-quarter profits only reflect the January-to-March period that preceded the US president’s “liberation day” tariff announcements on 2 April. But investors will be concerned about any hints of caution around earnings forecasts, as well as an uptick in money put aside for defaults by tariff-hit borrowers. The issue is expected to divide UK lenders…
FirstFT: Drop in Chinese goods at US ports as importers respond to Trump’s tariffs
This article is an on-site version of our FirstFT newsletter. Subscribers can sign up to our Asia, Europe/Africa or Americas edition to get the newsletter delivered every weekday morning. Explore all of our newsletters here Today’s agenda: China stockpiles oil; Trump criticises Putin; the era of autonomous strike drones; visual story on iPhone components; and “headphone dodgers” Good morning. We start the week with a look at how Donald Trump’s trade war, in particular his 145 per cent tariff on Chinese goods, has started to affect US ports and air…
Shares surge as Toyota $42bn move for subsidiary spurs hopes for Japan corporate shake-up
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Japanese business & finance myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Shares in a swath of companies surged in Tokyo on Monday after a $42bn plan to take car parts maker Toyota Industries private triggered hopes of a wider overhaul of Japan’s corporate landscape. Akio Toyoda, grandson of Toyota’s founder, is leading the buyout proposal, according to people close to the discussions, which has prompted shares to soar in numerous other companies linked to the carmaker. Investors are placing bets…
Japan shares surge after Toyota spurs hopes for wider corporate shake-up
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Shares in a swath of companies surged in Tokyo on Monday after a $42bn plan to take car parts maker Toyota Industries private triggered hopes of a wider overhaul of Japan’s corporate landscape. Akio Toyoda, grandson of Toyota’s founder, is leading the buyout proposal, according to people close to the discussions, which has prompted shares to soar in numerous other companies linked to the carmaker. Investors are placing bets on subsidiaries…
Why Trump can’t dislodge Apple from China
The last time a smartphone factory opened in the US, it closed within a year. In 2013, Motorola announced it wanted to challenge the conventional wisdom that manufacturing in the US was too expensive. But 12 months later, the facility in Fort Worth, Texas, was shuttered because of disappointing sales and high costs. If Donald Trump has his way, Apple will be the next tech company to test the theory. The Trump administration wants the smartphone giant to have the iPhone manufactured in America instead of China, where most of…
Why Trump can’t build iPhones in the US
The last time a smartphone factory opened in the US, it closed within a year. In 2013, Motorola announced it wanted to challenge the conventional wisdom that manufacturing in the US was too expensive. But 12 months later, the facility in Fort Worth, Texas, was shut down because of disappointing sales and high costs. If Donald Trump has his way, Apple will be the next tech company to test the theory. The Trump administration wants the smartphone giant to have the iPhone manufactured in America instead of China, where most…
China’s clean tech exports to emerging markets surged in 2024, data shows
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Climate change myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. China has rapidly scaled up sales of solar panels, batteries and other green energy technologies to emerging markets well ahead of the US tariff fight, latest data shows, with expectations it will surge further in its hunt for buyers. Emerging markets accounted for 43 per cent of Chinese clean tech exports in 2024, up from 24 per cent in 2022, in a sign of how the manufacturing powerhouse is seeking…
China stockpiles oil as Trump tariff shock hits crude prices
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Chinese oil traders are setting aside concerns over the long-term economic damage of a US trade war as they seek to profit from one of the short-term consequences: lower crude prices. Imports of crude oil into China surged in March and have continued to accelerate in April, according to analysts, as the country replenishes stocks despite expectations that a weaker global economy will reduce demand. Kpler, a data company that…