When Tesla wanted to catch the eye of British buyers, it put its cars and bright signage at a dealership in west London’s prominent Hogarth roundabout. Exposure to half a million drivers every day helped the US carmaker to become the dominant electric vehicle seller in the UK. Yet drivers passing by that site now see something different: twin Chinese brands Omoda and Jaecoo, both owned by the state-controlled manufacturer Chery. Chinese cars are on a roll across Europe – they outsold Korean rivals in western Europe for the first…
Tag: China
Single mothers in China find a new kind of partner – other single mothers
As divorce rates rise and the cost of living bites, single mothers in China are searching for a new kind of partner: each other. Across social media are posts from harried mothers seeking like-minded parents to share a home and child-rearing responsibilities. “I’m hoping to find another single mom to share an apartment with, so we can take care of each other,” said a popular post on Xiaohongshu, a platform known overseas as Rednote. “If our children are around the same age, that would be even better – they can…
China-critical UK academics describe ‘extremely heavy’ pressure from Beijing
UK academics whose research is critical of China say they have been targeted and their universities subjected to “extremely heavy” pressure from Beijing, prompting calls for a fresh look at the sector’s dependence on tuition fee income from Chinese students. The academics spoke out after the Guardian revealed this week that Sheffield Hallam University had complied with a demand from Beijing to halt research about human rights abuses in China, which had led to a big project being dropped. One UK-based China scholar has since described being a victim of…
Protests erupt at the new Shein store in Paris with demonstrators ejected – video
As Shein opened its new store in BHV department store in Paris, protesters gathered to denounce the online fast-fashion retailer, saying it was complicit of Uyghur genocide and child sexual crimes. Allegations have arisen that the retailer’s supply chain in China includes items produced by Uyghur forced labour. Shein is also under investigation by French authorities due to the sale of child-like sex dolls on its website. The company has stated that they are ready to fully cooperate with the authorities. Additionally, last year Shein answered that they have a…
Return of Chinese astronauts delayed after spacecraft struck by debris
The return to Earth of three Chinese astronauts has been delayed until an unspecified date after their spacecraft was apparently struck by a small piece of debris, according to Chinese state media. The three astronauts from the Shenzhou-20 mission flew to the Tiangong space station in April, and were expected to return on Wednesday at the end of a six month mission. Their replacements, the crew of Shenzhou-21, had already arrived on the weekend. “The Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft is suspected to have been struck by a small piece of orbital…
Danish authorities in rush to close security loophole in Chinese electric buses
Authorities in Denmark are urgently studying how to close an apparent security loophole in hundreds of Chinese-made electric buses that enables them to be remotely deactivated. The investigation comes after transport authorities in Norway, where the Yutong buses are also in service, found that the Chinese supplier had remote access for software updates and diagnostics to the vehicles’ control systems – which could be exploited to affect buses while in transit. Amid concerns over potential security risks, the Norwegian public transport authority Ruter decided to test two electric buses in…
A cultural revolution? Trump’s America feels oddly familiar to those watching from China
When Vickie Wang, a budding standup comedian, gets on stage in New York, she’s not just thinking about what jokes to crack. She’s also thinking about which ones to avoid. “I don’t criticise the administration directly,” she said. Or if she does, she makes sure it’s not recorded for social media. “I would never publicly publish something where I directly criticise the government … I think it’s a learned behaviour from China”. Wang, 39, lived in Shanghai for nearly a decade, leaving in 2022. In 2025 she relocated to the…
China accuses Dutch of prolonging chip war that threatens to halt car factories
Carmakers around the world are facing fresh uncertainty about their ability to continue production after China accused the Netherlands of failing to cooperate on resolving a dispute over the seizure of the chipmaker Nexperia. The Dutch government took control of the EU-based automotive chipmaker at the end of September because of concerns about the company’s Chinese parent, Wingtech Technology. In response, China halted exports of Nexperia products, restricting access to the vital components used in everything from airbags to central locking. Carmakers including Volkswagen, Honda and Nissan have warned tthe…
China’s Global Exports Continue to Grow Despite Trump Tariffs
NYT
Counter-terror police investigate claim UK university halted research after Chinese pressure
An investigation into allegations that a British university was subjected to pressure from Beijing authorities to halt research about human rights abuses in China has been referred to counter-terrorism police. The Guardian reported on Monday morning that Sheffield Hallam University, home to the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice (HKC) research institution, had ordered professor Laura Murphy to cease research on supply chains and forced labour in the country in February. Murphy’s work focuses on Uyghurs, a persecuted Muslim minority in China. A South Yorkshire police spokesperson said the force…