China’s trains may be fast—but hangdog democrats are wrong to think that autocracies have cracked the code of economic dynamism: econ.st/4awQGwX

Illustration: Chloe Cushman

Hong Kong court jails pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai for 20 years Lai was sentenced for offences under the city's controversial national security law.

Hong Kong court jails pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai for 20 years

😬 ‘Rush’ for new coal in China hits record high in 2025 as climate deadline looms

www.carbonbrief.org/rush-for-new...

China has lifted sanctions from six serving British MPs and peers, Starmer says Starmer confirms immediate removal, but it is unclear if sanctions remain on former MP, academic and barrister

China has lifted sanctions from six serving British MPs and peers, PM Starmer says – The Guardian: ‘China’s sanctions were a retaliation against the UK imposing sanctions on Chinese officials held responsible for atrocities in Xinjiang. It is understood that those will not be lifted in return.’

Don’t look down: How Europeans can escape China’s clean-tech gravity – European Council on Foreign Relations China’s manufacturing surge and trade tactics are dampening Europe’s clean-tech goals. Europeans need to forge coalitions across wary member states to secure th

Europe needs green tech.
Europe needs to be resilient against Chinese coercion.

Two imperatives, two camps. How to reconcile them? @byfordt.bsky.social just published the definitive study for @ecfr.eu. Read it ⬇️

ecfr.eu/publication/...

Green competitiveness: Why Europe should rethink targets to outpace China European carmakers are falling behind Chinese makers of electric vehicles. Yet watered-down climate targets will not help European cars compete with China; a different approach is needed…

Protecting profit margins today cannot come at the cost of Europe’s industrial strength tomorrow, write @byfordt.bsky.social and Rosa Melissa Gehrung @ecfrasia.bsky.social
https://bit.ly/4nAx1kj

Next up at Atlantic Council - EU competition boss Teresa Ribera asked about China, which she says is "providing solutions that could help the whole humankind" in the green energy space.

She says the US "seems to be backtracking" on the green front, which "is not helpful"

China's new climate target is inadequate. But as the EU mulls over their own climate goals, it'd be a mistake to view China’s low target as a sign Beijing is de-prioritising climate and clean tech.

Not so fast: What China’s new climate target means for Europe and the planet Europeans should understand that China views climate policy not as ideology—but as a lever of industrial power…

Europeans should understand that China views climate policy not as ideology—but as a lever of industrial power, writes @byfordt.bsky.social @ecfrasia.bsky.social
https://bit.ly/42z4ofJ

Context on China's new 2035 6x solar and wind capacity target - slower than business as usual trend

@jankaoertel.bsky.social @ecfrasia.bsky.social

It’s likely China will overshoot the goal if we are talking about half of the new sales. From Jan–Aug 2025, NEVs took 45.5% of new car sales and is on track to reach 50% by end of the year

While “mainstream” is rather vague, state media have explained that it means more than half of new car sales. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers projects NEVs could hit 60–80% of sales by 2035

auto.cctv.com/2024/08/15/A...

So Beijing gave more “flexibility” to meet the goal. But it wasn’t entirely “tech-neutral”, new energy vehicles in Chinese policy context refers to three technologies:
⚪️ Battery EVs
⚪️ Plug-in hybrids
⚪️Fuel-cell vehicles

The 2020 plan said: “pure battery EVs to become the mainstream of new car sales by 2035.” In 2024, it was watered down to “new energy vehicles” in another State Council document

www.gov.cn/zhengce/2024...

The ‘new’ goal: new energy vehicle to become the mainstream of new car sales by 2035

It first appeared 5 years ago in the New Energy Vehicle Industry Plan (2021–2035) - a State Council document from November 2020.

www.gov.cn/zhengce/cont...

A symbolic first? EVs are now in China’s new official climate target to the UN. But the target is recycled, watered down and depending on how it’s defined, China will to reach it by end of the year.

Generated a quick chart to illustrate your point:
- Following the 2020-2024 trend = 7x of 2020 capacity by 2035
- Following the 2023-2024 trend = 10x of 2020 capacity by 2035

Xi Jinping announced China's new climate targets personally, a positive gesture, but the targets brought little clarity on China’s future emission pathway. Targeting a 7-10% emission reduction by 2035 from an undefined "peak level" undersells China's current clean energy boom.

China's former climate envoy to meet with EU to revive flailing UN pact, sources say China's former veteran climate envoy, who previously secured two pivotal climate agreements with the United States, will meet with the EU's top green transition official on Tuesday to resuscitate flailing international climate negotiations ahead of the COP30 summit in Brazil, three sources told Reuters.

China's former veteran climate envoy Xie Zhenhua is in Brussels today to meet Teresa Ribera "to resuscitate flailing international climate negotiations ahead of the COP30 summit in Brazil"

Last gasp: Securing Europe’s wind industry from dependence on China Europe’s pioneering wind turbine manufacturers are grappling with Chinese competition at home and abroad—but it is not too late to save them…

My brief with @LukePatey on the headwinds European wind OEMs are facing ecfr.eu/publication/...

CEO of the Octopus Energy Generation unit “If the lowest costs of energy and wind-turbine components are coming from China, it’s going to be very difficult to create a vision for net zero without understanding and learning some of the lessons that are coming from that geography.”

Octopus Energy Opens Door to Bring Chinese Wind Turbines to UK Octopus Energy, the UK’s biggest supplier of power and gas, struck a deal that may bring Chinese wind turbines to Britain for the first time.

Adding to the woes of European wind turbine manufacturers: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

1/ Too often, news media depict unprecedented heatwaves with “fun in the sun” images of cheery beachgoers or children playing in fountains. But the reality is more long-term, and a lot less trivial: struggling workers, sweating pedestrians, and ecological damage. In full: buff.ly/DuC51F1

Die deutsche Firma Luxcara hat sich gegen Windturbinen aus China entschieden und möchte nun Anlagen von Siemens Energy nutzen. Das zeigt: Europa kann seine Windindustrie noch retten – aber nur, wenn die Politik entschlossen fairen Wettbewerb sichert, zeigt unsere aktuelle Studie.

Chinese EVs Not Eligible for UK Electric Car Grant | BYD, Omoda | The Electric Car Scheme Chinese electric cars won't qualify for the UK's £3,750 Electric Car Grant. Discover how BYD, Omoda & Jaecoo are offering alternative discounts.

The grant (up to £3,750) has a scoring system weighted 70% to battery cell origin and 30% to assembly, giving European production an edge over Chinese and Korean EVs.
www.electriccarscheme.com/blog/chinese...

China’s Leapmotor sells cheapest EV in UK after mirroring government grant New discount programme intended to exclude Chinese manufacturers

As the UK launches an EV grant favouring European production with lower carbon footprint, Chinese brand Leapmotor mirrored the subsidy with its own cuts, making its model currently the UK’s cheapest. www.ft.com/content/63dd...

🇨🇳 📰 NEW | Analysis: Record solar growth keeps China’s CO2 falling in H1 2025

🌿 ☀️ CO2 output of the nation’s power sector fell by 3% in H1 2025 as growth in solar power alone matched the rise in electricity demand

@laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social w/ @carbonbrief.org

www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-rec...

梁文道播客在中国平台全面下架 多个社媒账号被封 （新加坡讯）香港文化人梁文道的播客《八分半》，疑因触及敏感议题停更一个月后，被中国大陆音频平台全面下架，多个官方社媒账号也被封禁。

「多半不會有用，多半不會成功，知識只是照見某個角落的靈光。」

China extends probe into EU dairy products as trade tussle goes on China extended on Monday its anti-subsidy investigation into European Union dairy imports by six months, one front in a wider trade war with Brussels and Washington.

China has extended its anti-dumping probe into EU dairy products until Feb 2026, keeping leverage in the EV tariff fight. Duties already hit brandy, with a pork probe due by Dec.
www.reuters.com/world/china/...