@randahl @thierry_van_kerm

Meanwhile

MARKETS
‘This is sell America’ — U.S. dollar, Treasury prices tumble and gold spikes as globe flees U.S. assets

Kick their asses

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/20/sell-america-trade-dollar-treasury-gold-us-trump-greenland.html

#greenland #canada #europe #eu #japan #china #denmark #france #germany #uk

China's green revolution is a runaway train. Its solar industry now produces 1 terawatt of panels annually or around 10% of the world's total power capacity. It's electrifying everything from Pakistani homes to global transport, making clean power the cheapest in history.

China's electric surge is decisively solving energy poverty and fossil dependence at a pace no one can fully control.

https://www.wired.com/story/china-renewable-energy-revolution/ (https://archive.ph/xUGxp)

#china #cleanenergy #solar

At this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, a central question lies among the range of likely topics: What will U.S. President Donald Trump do next? https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/20/world/politics/global-leaders-davos-messy-world/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #davos #environment #greenland #middleeast #israel #gaza #ukraine #russia #russiaukrainewar #us #donaldtrump #trade #tariffs #republicans #venezuela #nato #un #iran #china

The two remaining giant pandas in Japan, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei of Tokyo's Ueno Zoo, are to leave for China on Jan. 27, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/20/japan/pandas-china-return/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #chinajapanrelations #china #pandas #ueno #tokyo #animals #zoos #uenozoo

As Xi Jinping battles deflation and shrinking investment, he’s betting that China can export more goods to drive growth. To that end, Donald Trump’s threats against key U.S. allies are coming at a good time. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/20/xi-export-machine-trump-allies/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #china #xijinping #us #donaldtrump #trade #tariffs

China doesn’t hold the solution for Canada’s economic issues and isn’t a trustworthy partner, Taiwan’s top representative to Ottawa has said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/20/markets/china-canada-trade-taiwan-envoy/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #china #canada #trade #taiwan #xijinping #markcarney

The U.K. appeared to lay the groundwork for approving China’s new embassy in London — a decision that risks driving a deeper wedge both within the ruling Labour party and with the U.S. administration. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/20/world/politics/uk-groundwork-chinese-embassy/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #china #uk #labour #us

From the United States’ reverse-engineering of Iranian drones to Japan’s building of a drone “shield,” the tech is becoming increasingly crucial, especially as China’s military modernization continues unabated. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/20/japan/us-japan-drones-focus/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #china #us #usmilitary #defense #sdf #defenseministry #drones #pla

The U.S., under Trump, is aggressively pursuing foreign oil for future dominance. Meanwhile, China is decisively winning the future by electrifying everything. It now produces more electricity than the U.S. and EU combined, leads in EVs, batteries, and rare-earth magnets, and is using its manufacturing might to reshape global technology away from fossil fuels, leaving a fossil-focused America behind.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/opinion/trump-energy-china-future.html

#usa #china #cleanenergy

China's birth rate fell last year to its lowest level on record, official data showed, as its population shrank for a fourth straight year despite efforts to slow the decline. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/19/asia-pacific/society/china-birth-rate-lowest/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #society #china #population #children

#Renewables push #China 's fossil‑fuelled power into first annual drop in 10 years https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/renewables-push-chinas-fossilfuelled-power-into-first-annual-drop-10-years-2026-01-19/

China’s economy hit growth target last year despite Trump trade war and property crisis.

Economy weathered a fraught geopolitical landscape to reach 5% goal but domestic structural challenges ‘not going away’, say experts.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/19/chinas-economy-hit-growth-goal-last-year-despite-trump-trade-war-and-property-crisis

#china #economy #economics

#Renewables push #China 's fossil‑fuelled power into first annual drop in 10 years https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/renewables-push-chinas-fossilfuelled-power-into-first-annual-drop-10-years-2026-01-19/

China's economy grew at one of the slowest rates in decades last year, according to official data, as officials struggle with persistently low consumer spending and a debt crisis in the property sector. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/19/economy/china-2025-econ-growth-slowest/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #china #economy #economicindicators

An introduction to China's "whole-process people's democracy" through the case study of Minzhu Village's transformation. It's a model, rooted in continuous grassroots consultation and the CPC's "mass line," integrating electoral and consultative mechanisms to translate popular input into material improvements.

Unlike Western liberal democracy, China's system prioritizes substantive economic rights and demonstrable development over procedural formality.

https://progressive.international/blueprint/cb7dbaf4-b106-4105-8bde-fdab4bfc2fe8-building-whole-process-peoples-democracy-in-china/en

#china #politics

Japan's opposition politics remain fragmented as Komeito and the CDP merge to form a new party, despite policy divides and a history of electoral struggles. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/18/japan/japans-rare-snap-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #sanaetakaichi #ldp #komeitolowerhouse #komeito #cdp #centristreformalliance #cra #tetsuosaito #yoshihikonoda #sokagakkai #ccp #aeon #china #shinzoabe #fumiokishida #shigeruishiba #jip

Japan’s latest row with Beijing has brought fresh calls for the country to reduce its reliance on China for cleantech, a sector in which its neighbor is dominant. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2026/01/18/energy/china-solar-supply-chain-issues/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #environment #energy #solar #energy #china #chinajapanrelations #sanaetakaichi #renewables #climatechange #emissions

Beijing isn’t issuing idle threats. Countries ready to defy it must find alternative rare-earth sources. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/18/japan/china-export-controls/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #china #chinajapanrelations #rareearths #trade #defense

Carney rattles Canada auto firms in break with U.S. on Chinese EVs https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/18/economy/carney-canada-china-ev-focus/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #canada #markcarney #us #donaldtrump #tech #electricvehicles #carmakers #china #byd

As ASEAN chair, the Philippines foreign minister is aiming for an ‘effective and substantive’ code of conduct for the disputed South China Sea — a daunting task that has eluded the Southeast Asian bloc for years. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/18/asia-pacific/politics/philippines-foreign-secretary-coc-south-china-sea/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #philippines #theresalazaro #china #southeastasia #asean #southchinasea #disputedislands