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1·11 days agoIt’s not only about control but also a big threat for democracy and a stable society as a whole. Last year, for example, Chinese state-backed hacking group Salt Typhoon breached the U.S. telecom networks’ wiretap system (a backdoor legally required for law enforcement to access people’s private communication), forcing the authorities to urge U.S. citizens using encrypted messaging. So there is no such thing as a backdoor only for the good guys.
Breaking encryption opens the door not just for control but also for malign actors within the borders and from abroad. Where such democratic decline ends can be seen in China, for example, where total control and surveillance is suppressing any form of dissent.
(There is a very good documentary about the devastating consequences of surveillance for those interested: https://total-trust.org/.)
[Edit typo.]
11·18 days agoSure, this is why we should be concerned about quality control and technical defects in BYD’s rush to keep costs down due to a fierce price war in its home market. We must note that BYD itself has been warning of these price competitions for a long time.
That depends on how many cars have been sold before, so the total numbers of recalls alone doesn’t say much. But it’s apparently devastating for both car buyers and people in general if cars pose a potential security risk, no matter which company built them.
In the EU, all Chinese carmakers combined have a market share in the lower single-digit points. And in the UK, where BYD’s sales ‘rocketed’ by 880%, we must recognise that the total number of BYD sales is ~11,000 cars, representing a market share beliw 4%.
To provide a more complete picture, we must note that Chinese carmakers suffer from fierce competition in its domestic market where competition intensifies and sales have plummeted.
To provide a more complete picture, we must note that BYD and other Chinese carmakers suffer from fierce competition in its domestic markets where sales have plummeted.
In China, manufacturers have been cracking down on price wars that have raged due to fierce competition.
BYD’s monthly domestic sales fell in September for the first time since February 2024, down 5.5% from the same month a year earlier, while some of its rivals still recorded strong growth in sales.
September is a traditional peak period for auto sales in China, with carmakers launching various new models in a month dubbed “Golden September.”
Subsidies for trade-ins for new energy vehicles have helped lift domestic demand and sentiment, though some local governments have suspended such payments in recent months.
It seems that Chinese producers are increasingly dependent to sell their overcapacity to foreign markets to avoid further crashes that have already been widely seen in its home market.
2·21 days agoThe Kyiv Post reports that Trump ties Tomahawk deal to German Taurus missile transfer
US President Donald Trump is inching closer to a landmark decision on supplying Kyiv with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles …
This gambit is strategically calculated not only to bolster Ukraine’s defense but also to force reluctant European allies, particularly Germany regarding its Taurus missile, “to follow suit,” …
Regarding European pressure, [President of the US-based think-tank Saratoga Foundation Glen] Howard suggested: “If the US provides Ukraine with Tomahawks, it would undoubtedly increase pressure on Germany, which has thus far resisted providing the Taurus despite significant speculation.”
The paper also reports that “Russia launched a staggering volume of aerial weapons last week – over 4,500 drones, missiles, and glide bombs – marking one of the most intense periods of air attacks since the full-scale invasion began.”
51·21 days agoThe Kyiv Post reports that Trump ties Tomahawk deal to German Taurus missile transfer
US President Donald Trump is inching closer to a landmark decision on supplying Kyiv with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles …
This gambit is strategically calculated not only to bolster Ukraine’s defense but also to force reluctant European allies, particularly Germany regarding its Taurus missile, “to follow suit,” …
Regarding European pressure, [President of the US-based think-tank Saratoga Foundation Glen] Howard suggested: “If the US provides Ukraine with Tomahawks, it would undoubtedly increase pressure on Germany, which has thus far resisted providing the Taurus despite significant speculation.”
The paper also reports that “Russia launched a staggering volume of aerial weapons last week – over 4,500 drones, missiles, and glide bombs – marking one of the most intense periods of air attacks since the full-scale invasion began.”
Yeah, as the Clean Arctic Alliance recently said in response to China’s new containership route through the Arctic:
An increase in shipping in the Arctic will lead to
- an increase in shipping’s global climate impact due to black carbon emissions – which have a disproportionately higher impact when emitted in the Arctic,
- an increase in disturbance to wildlife and to communities dependent on marine resources due to increased ship pollution including underwater noise in a comparatively quiet ocean, and
- an increase in the risk of damaging oil spills.
As one report said, as the Arctic ice vanishes, maritime traffic boom fuels the climate crisis.
1·25 days agoThe Chinese government will certainly understand the Dutch move as they eliminate all Western technology firms such as Nokia and Ericsson from its domestic networks. So what’s the issue?
Mark Elliott, Professor of Public Law at the University of Cambridge, provides a good analysis on Starmer’s comments.
The Prime Minister insists that the dropping of China-related espionage charges occurred for reasons entirely outwith the control of his government — but his argument that his hands were tied by the previous government’s position on China is, at best, highly contestable …
The reality is that it is open to the government today to say that it considers that China was a threat to national security in 2021–23 and to offer that view as evidence for the purpose of criminal proceedings …
The entire comment makes a good read: https://publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/10/08/on-china-the-official-secrets-act-and-enemies-is-the-prime-minister-wrong
No, these are total car registrations.
The German Federal Motor Vehicle Office (KBA) has a press release for more detail (only available in German).
TLDR:
In September, registrations of purely battery-electric passenger vehicles (BEVs) rose by 32% to 45,500 units. New registrations of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) recorded growth of 85%, reaching 27,700 vehicles. For the year as a whole, new BEV registrations increased by 38% to 382,200 units. The PHEV segment grew by 64%, reaching a volume of 217,800 vehicles in the first nine months.
BYD and Tesla’s volume are a fraction of these numbers.
Don’t know about the car service.
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1·1 month agoI guess they at least oppose the (2022) Russian invasion of Ukraine so they’re not completely bonkers. Not Chinese propaganda level, but still disappointing.
They frequently portray Ukraine as an aggressor in its war, rather than Russia (they call the Kursk incursion of Ukraine the “imperialist-backed incursion of Russia”, and they write that Taiwan’s ruling party DPP “must renounce its confrontational approach to China” in an obvious disconnection from reality that Russia started the war in Ukraine, and China is becoming increasingly aggressive against Taiwan including threats of an military invasion - Source, but you’ll find ample evidence that this site is conveying authoritarian talking points in practically all its reports, and barely properly citing a source for their claims).
This is outright Chinese propaganda.
I don’t support the UK crackdown on peaceful protesters, but this wsws.org is a de-facto Chinese propaganda medium. That’s not a good source.
Yeah, the pressure comes from all over. It seems that the major issue here comes from China, though.
Yeah, the union says that lifting the surtax now would risk undoing recent investments in vehicle assembly, battery production and critical minerals.
It’s noteworthy that Chinese producer in the sector are struggling over the country own policy.
This is not true.
At least in Europe and the UK, Chinese EV brands play a limited role as EV makers from other countries dominate the market. Just look at the numbers.
There are many brands outside China which are not heavily subsidized, don’t use forced labour, …
This 10-fold increase sounds impressive, but the numbers were extremely low. Brands like Kia, Ford, Nissan and others have considerably higher sales numbers in both the UK and the EU.
No, unfortunately it is from this week. China has sadly done nothing for the workers since.
It’s unfortunately not so easy. Many Chinese people poured a lot of money - some even their life savings - into property that is now worth much less than they paid or have never been built as the developer went bankrupt.
As one report on Evergrande said already in 2023:
You’ll find more reports than this one, and they are devastating not only for institutional investors but also for retail customers like Mrs. Guo in this report.