#Tag
China has switched on a world-first solar thermal power station in the Gobi Desert that with potential to be scaled up.
Nearly 27,000 mirrors have been installed to focus sunlight onto the 200-metre towers, which are about 1km apart.
This produces concentrated heat that melts salt at up to 570C to create steam to drive the turbines and keep the power flowing, even after sunset or on cloudy days.
China dramatically expanded its rare earths export controls, adding five elements and extra scrutiny for semiconductor users ahead of talks between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/10/10/china-rare-earth-restrictions/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #china #rareearths #chipmakers #us #china
Oh, so the US can't build its fancy jets or iPhones without materials China controls? And Beijing just tightened the leash right before trade talks. It's almost like having a global monopoly on critical resources puts you in a powerful negotiating position. Who could have possibly seen this coming? 😆
China is increasing military activities near Taiwan and honing its ability to stage a surprise attack, as well as seeking to undermine trust in the government with online tactics, the island's defense ministry said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/09/asia-pacific/politics/china-future-attack-taiwan-report/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #taiwan #china #defense
China tightened its rare earth export controls on Thursday, expanding restrictions on processing technology and spelling out its intention to limit exports to overseas defense and semiconductor users. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/10/09/markets/china-rare-earth-export-controls/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #china #rareearths #trade
Gold’s ascent through $4,000 an ounce is yet another milestone in a three-year bull run that has defied die-hard skeptics and broken analytical models that have reliably predicted its rises and falls for decades. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/10/09/markets/gold-three-year-rally/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #gold #china
Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s likely first female prime minister, will face key diplomatic challenges with the U.S., China and South Korea, while addressing economic and demographic issues, if she is appointed. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/10/08/japan/will-takaichi-be-the-leader-japan-needs/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #sanaetakaichi #ldp #chinajapanrelations #usjapanrelations #defense #china #southkorea #us
China installs 100 solar panels a second as total PV capacity tops 1 terawatt.
China's Chang'e-6 mission has revealed that the moon's far-side mantle is about 100°C colder than the near side, based on analysis of 2.8-billion-year-old basalt samples. The finding, published in Nature Geoscience, provides the first physical evidence confirming long-standing theories about hemispheric differences on the moon and opens new pathways for understanding lunar evolution.
An expert panel has called for Japan’s next-gen subs to be able to operate longer and strike targets from father away. Easier said than done, analysts say, amid an array of technical and political challenges. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/08/japan/japan-nuclear-submarines-analysis/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sdf #defense #submarines #nuclearenergy #missiles #china #us #indopacific #pla
The NBA returns to the lucrative Chinese market this week with two preseason games following a six-year absence after a team official tweeted his support for pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2025/10/08/basketball/nba/nba-china-return/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #basketball #nba #china #adamsilver #yaoming #macao #phoenixsuns #brooklynnets
Sanae Takaichi, the new leader of the ruling LDP, is considering skipping a visit to Tokyo's war-linked Yasukuni Shrine during its autumn festival, ahead of Japan's busy diplomatic schedule later this month. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/08/japan/politics/takaichi-may-skip-yasukuni-shrine-visit/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #sanaetakaichi #yasukunishrine #wwii #china #southkorea #us
Renewable energy sources generated more electricity than coal globally for the first time in the first half of 2025, driven by rapid growth in China and India, a report by a think tank has shown. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2025/10/08/energy/renewable-energy-overtakes-coal/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #environment #energy #renewables #energy #coal #solar #wind #india #china #climatechange #environment
Russia is waging an aggressive hybrid war against Europe, using tactics like cyberattacks, sabotage, disinformation and covert operations to destabilize governments, undermine NATO and weaken the EU. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/10/07/world/russias-hybrid-war/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #russia #china #nato #eu #russiaukrainewar #defense
Only a country with absolute indispensability in critical goods — like China — can withstand Donald Trump and America’s tariff onslaught. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/10/07/japan/trump-weaponizes-trade-policy/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #donaldtrump #us #china #useconomy #chineseeconomy #tariffs #globaleconomy #trade
🌽 Farm bankruptcies surging amid U.S.-China trade war / CBS
Tokyo and Manila have begun using their recently enacted visiting-forces pact, employing it for the first time Tuesday to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in the Philippine province of Cebu. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/07/japan/japan-philippines-raa/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #philippinesjapanrelations #defense #sdf #philippines #china
Chinese Premier Li Qiang will visit North Korea for celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of its ruling Workers' Party of Korea later this week, Beijing and Pyongyang announced Tuesday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/07/asia-pacific/politics/north-korea-china-li-qiang/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #northkorea #china #kimjongun #liqiang #missiles #defense #nuclearweapons #donaldtrump #russia
Hundreds of trekkers stranded by a blizzard near Mount Everest in Tibet have been guided to safety by rescuers, Chinese state media has reported, as unusually heavy snow and rainfall pummeled the Himalayas. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/07/asia-pacific/society/trekkers-blizzard-everest-tibet/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #society #mounteverest #tibet #china
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would also threaten U.S. homeland interests and would embolden Beijing to compete with Washington on the international stage, President Lai Ching-te said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/07/asia-pacific/politics/china-takeover-taiwan-threat-us/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #laichingte #taiwan #us #china
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