Sepia

Sepia @mander.xyz 4w ago

'PPC Land' (pay-per-click ?) is publishing solely AI-generated content.

Sepia @mander.xyz 4w ago

According to a new report, the problem is that the capacity to build EV batteries far outstrips demand globally.

In North America, there is 1.9 times as much capacity as demand. In Europe, the capacity-to-demand ratio is 2.2.
It's worst in China with 5.6 times as much battery-building capacity as there is demand for batteries.
Material and production costs are still high, which means EVs often aren't cheaper than gas cars, reducing demand.

Sepia @mander.xyz 4w ago

According to a new report, the problem is that the capacity to build EV batteries far outstrips demand globally.

In North America, there is 1.9 times as much capacity as demand. In Europe, the capacity-to-demand ratio is 2.2.
It's worst in China with 5.6 times as much battery-building capacity as there is demand for batteries.
Material and production costs are still high, which means EVs often aren't cheaper than gas cars, reducing demand.

Sepia @mander.xyz 4w ago

The pressure on car markets are not limited to the UK. China's BYD literally warned a 'bloodbath' in its Chinese domestic market, and we have been watching mass layoffs and bankruptcies in China, Europe, the U.S. in recent years.

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Sepia @mander.xyz 4w ago

It will be solved in the long-term as the Nexperia crunch sees carmakers asking for ‘China-free’ supplies as I have read in this community.

Sepia @mander.xyz 4w ago

I fully get the point of Ms. Kostyuchenko. It's a big issue not easy to solve. I don't see this as a "morally righteous punishment for the citizens of a state terrorizing the continent and making war in Ukraine," though. No measure should ever be made to punish people, let alone as some form of 'guilt by association' what the linked report's framing appears to suggest.

The EU's move can also be seen as a necessary security measure. As a recent example: There is the case of Igor Rogov, a former employee of the Open Russia pro-democracy movement, which is banned in Russia as “undesirable.” Mr. Rogov has been living with his wife in Poland.

In the meantime, Mr. Rogov is in Polish detention and charged for spying for the Russian intelligence Federal Security Service (FSB).

The Moscow Times reports by citing Polish sources on Mr. Rogov's testimony in court:

“I was supposed to do what I liked — climb the ranks of Russian oppositionists, meet new people and eventually report everything to the [Russian] Federal Security Service."

The Moscow Times also reports:

When the couple moved to Poland after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Igor had told his wife [Irina] that he had been recruited by the FSB ...

After Irina reportedly discovered her husband’s affair, she began revealing in private conversations with other Russian emigres that Igor had been cooperating for years with an FSB officer named Yevgeny.

Rogov allgedly also received a courier shipment containing components for a bomb, including liquid explosives, fuses and a power source.

Sepia @mander.xyz 4w ago

If you look at OP's post history you'll see almost 2,000 posts in 5 months, and all of them fit into anti-European and anti-democratic, but pro-China propaganda.

Very often, bold headlines are not backed by the content as it is the case also here.

The reduction of Chinese overcapacity in sectors such as steel and electromobility are of great importance for the economy and jobs in Germany," Klingbeil said.

The very brief article also mentions that China's influence in the Ukraine war will also be a topic of discussion.

The article only briefly mentions that German foreign minister postpones China trip amid rising tensions just a couple of weeks ago.

"We are postponing the journey to a later time," the spokesperson told a regular news conference," [a spokesperson from Germany's government said]. Wadephul has struck an increasingly tough stance on China since he took office as foreign minister in May, highlighting Beijing's support for Russia's war in Ukraine, its "increasingly aggressive behaviour" in the Indo-Pacific region, and its export curbs on rare earths and semiconductors.

In doing so, he has gone further still than his predecessor Annalena Baerbock, who was already known for being outspoken, labelling Chinese President Xi Jinping a "dictator".

Mr. Wadephul has also maintained his support for Taiwan, stressing, for example, that Germany and Japan have common security interests in the Indo-Pacific region.

Of course, Germany and other Western states will attempt to get market access to China, although I personally feel this won't happen anytime soon. German and other Western carmarkers are already beginning to diversify their supply chains away from China amid heightened security risks and the threat of further economic constraints as demonstrated by the recent conundrum over Nexperia. And similar moves of Western companies turning their back on China in its value chains are visible in other sectors as reports (also here on Lemmy as I've read) and data shows.

China has been protecting its domestic market even more since Xi Jinping took power. A meaningful access to Chinese markets for non-Chinese companies are not realistic in the near future imho (but I'd be happy if history proves me wrong). I personally think that Mr. Klingbeil knows that, too, but as a government official it's absolutely fair that he is trying his best.

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Sepia @mander.xyz 4w ago

Ukraine is part of Europe.

That aside, Russia is violating not only human rights and the rule of law with its illegal invasion, it has also broken some 400 treaties since the invasion began in 2014 (that's basically all treaties the Kremlin has signed).

More importantly, though, Putin has been signing several decrees since 2022 allowing the seizure of Western assets, entangling firms ranging from Germany's Uniper to Danish brewer Carlsberg.

And Europe is not an "Empire." Protecting Ukraine means protecting Europe as Russia will not stop here but rather aiming to attack the next country.

Sepia @mander.xyz 4w ago

Many apparently don't even read the paraphrased summary before engaging in whataboutism. Is this good?

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Sepia @mander.xyz 4w ago

I'd say it's more Xi Jinping as European providers are also banned in China, no?

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Sepia @mander.xyz 4w ago

What about avoiding whataboutism?

The industry should discuss what can be done not only to become more independent from China, but also from the USA and the major technology companies, Merz is further quoted as saying.

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Sepia @mander.xyz 4w ago

True. But the EU is a larger bloc. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, there are many others. Stopping support for Russia is also only one requirement imo, but it would be a first step.

At least China's (along with India's) December purchases of Russian oil are set to drop over Western sanctions, according to the data. I don't say Estonia alone can achieve something, and I may be mistaken of course, but it's important that the Estonian FM makes such a public statement imho.

Sepia @mander.xyz 4w ago

@KyuubiNoKitsune@lemmy.blahaj.zone

There are many reports on Shein, Temu and other Chinese companies' sweatshops. As I understand you are from Sweden, there is one by Globalworks Lund AB, an independent not-for-profit enterprise based in Sweden. One report says, among others:

This research shows how Shein and Temu take exploitation to a new level. Our findings high-light mechanisms and practices that increase price pressure on garment suppliers and vendors. Additional harm is caused by unrelenting delivery speed requirements, which force suppliers to take on overstocking risks or incur penalties for delays. Manufacturers and vendors are finding it increasingly difficult to break even, let alone make a profit. To safeguard their businesses, they not only pay their employees less and force them to work longer hours, but they also adopt an increasingly non-committal management style that weakens job security, base wages, regulated working time, and occupational health and safety standards.

Globalworks concludes:

Temu and Shein are spearheading a deeply concerning trend towards the reemergence of a sweatshop economy in which workers labour without formal contracts and under unregulated working hours. Worsening working conditions impact suppliers at lower tiers all over China. Due to intense competition in the fashion industry, more brands and producers will try to follow Shein’s and Temu’s lead. Regulators have little time left to act.

Here is the entire report: Suppliers and Workers Straightjacketed by Ultra-fast Fashion - Labour and human rights risks at Shein and Temu in China -- [pdf]

Sepia @mander.xyz 4w ago

It is noteworthy that this trend has been observed for some time as by several reports, e.g.,

China’s mass exodus: number of asylum seekers surpasses one million under Xi - [January 2025]

Data released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) show a clear trend: between 2012 and mid-2024, over one million Chinese have sought asylum abroad ... To put things into perspective: in 2022 alone, the number of Chinese asylum-seekers abroad was the same as during the entire 10-year Hu Jintao era.

And:

The Chinese migrants hoping for a new life in Germany - [February 2025]

A small but growing number of Chinese people are fleeing home, with their sights set on Germany thanks to its reputation as a safe haven for refugees.

Sepia @mander.xyz 4w ago

There are many reports by consumer protection agencies across Europe and the world on toxic and dangerous products sold on Temu, Shein & Co (one is here, and, no, Chinese companies have their own supply chains and their own sweatshops, European companies that sold these unsafe products would immediately be closed by authorities).

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Sepia @mander.xyz 4w ago

There are many reports by consumer protection agencies across Europe and the world on toxic and dangerous products sold on Temu, Shein & Co (one is here, and, no, Chinese companies have their own supply chains and their own sweatshops, European companies that sold these unsafe products would immediately be closed by the authorities).

[Edit to insert the correct link.]