Tag: China

US Solar Panel Makers Try to Catch China With a Big Leap in Technology

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Producers of solar panels in the United States say they are on the cusp of a technological breakthrough that could upend the industry and even threaten China’s grip on it. The manufacturers are racing to develop new kinds of panels that can generate 25 percent more energy than most such devices available today. If they are successful, the advance will allow the world to meet the rapidly rising demand for electricity with less land and roof area. The new technology, known as tandem solar, involves adding second and third layers…

FBI arrests woman accused of spying on Taiwan leader’s family for China

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The FBI arrested a woman at Los Angeles international airport (LAX) as she was leaving the country and accused her of spying on the Taiwan president’s family for China. Wanying Zhang, also know as Heather, surveilled the Taiwanese president’s son and his family for the Chinese government while in the United States, according to the FBI. Zhang, 34, was arrested on charges for working for China without registering as a foreign agent as legally required, first assistant US state attorney Bill Essayli of California’s central federal district announced on social…

UK considering tariffs on Chinese car imports to align with EU

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The UK is considering whether to impose tariffs on Chinese car imports to align itself with the EU and strengthen its case to be included in new legislation designed to protect the European manufacturing sectors including autos and chemicals. It is understood the EU has raised the question of tariffs with the UK as part of the discussions on the upcoming “Made in Europe” legislation, known as the Industrial Accelerator Act. The UK is an outlier in choosing not to put import taxes on Chinese vehicles, even as the US…

California woman arrested and accused of spying on Taiwan president’s son for China

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US authorities arrested a California ⁠woman on ​Sunday, accusing her of spying on the son of Taiwan’s president at the behest of Chinese officials, the FBI said. The FBI ⁠arrested Wanying Zhang, also known as Heather, at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday before her planned departure to China, the agency said in a ⁠statement. Authorities charged Zhang, 34, of Irvine, California, with acting as an unregistered foreign agent. Zhang surveilled a ​son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, the ‌FBI alleged. The agency ‌did not directly name Zhang’s alleged target,…

Republicans say they hate communists. So why do they like Donald Trump?

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Americans will never accept the Democratic party’s slide to the left, or so desperate Republicans are hoping. With the midterm elections fast upon us, Zohran Mamdani’s promise of a few city-run bodegas in New York City will scare the bejeezus out of middle America. Disgust over the democratic socialists’ unicorn-and-puppy promises of a world without capitalism will keep the Republicans in power. Leading the charge against the new reds-under-the-bed is Donald Trump. “Together, we will defeat communism,” Trump promised in his recent TV ads. Trump’s supporters might be surprised to…

Superpowers Race to Put Nuclear Reactors on the Moon

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In late August, NASA asked contractors to prepare to build a nuclear reactor that could survive a space voyage and run without maintenance near the moon’s south pole. That may sound like science fiction, but the agency wants it ready to be launched by December 2030. There is a reason for the rush. Russia aims to have a lunar reactor running by 2036 as part of a secretive partnership with China. NASA has already sped up its schedule to beat its rivals. The race is for the very future of…

UK car industry faces ‘difficult trade-off’ between Chinese and EU markets

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Britain’s car industry is grappling with a “difficult trade-off” between China and Europe, as manufacturers struggle to balance the benefits of both markets ahead of looming trade measures that could restrict UK exports to the EU. The UK is an outlier in choosing not to put import taxes on Chinese vehicles, even as the US has shut them out almost entirely, and the EU imposes duties of up to 45%. EU officials reportedly warned Andy Burnham last month that the UK must put tariffs on cheap Chinese vehicles otherwise Brussels…

Economic Strain Is Pitting China’s People Against One Another

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For years, the mood in China has been darkening. A weakening economy has left many disillusioned, a state of mind expressed privately and across the heavily controlled internet in lowered expectations and quiet anxiety. Some of that may now be surfacing in more troubling ways. In March, a man drove a heavy construction vehicle through an outdoor market in a Beijing suburb, reportedly killing several people. In June, a small aircraft crashed into a prominent office building in the capital, killing the pilot and injuring 13 others in what may…

US arrests California man for allegedly smuggling $300m worth of computer servers to China

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US authorities have arrested a man accused of smuggling more than $300m worth of computer servers to China, the Department of Justice announced. Greg Lui, 38, of California, also known as “Yiu Kong Lui”, allegedly used false paperwork and shipments through third countries to smuggle the export-controlled computer servers to China, the justice department said in a statement on Thursday. The servers contained “US-manufactured graphics processing units (GPUs) commonly used for Super Intelligence (SI)”, it added, using the Trump administration’s new name for artificial intelligence (AI). “Protecting America’s national security…

‘Stand on the right side of history’: Starbucks urged to close stores in China’s Xinjiang

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US lawmakers have urged Starbucks to close newly opened outlets in China’s Xinjiang, saying it was a “morally bankrupt decision” to operate in a region where Beijing has been accused of widespread human rights abuses against Muslim minorities. The coffeehouse chain, which last year sold a controlling stake in its China retail business to the Hong Kong-based investment firm Boyu Capital, opened two stores in the region on Tuesday. Videos on Chinese social media showed long queues for the flagship store in Urumqi’s Grand Bazaar tourist area, with influencers showing…