EV sales have plateaued across the world but the newfound glut of vehicles may just be temporary Elon Musk became the world’s richest man by evangelising about electric cars – and delivering them by the million. Yet in recent months his company, Tesla, has struggled to maintain its momentum: sales have dropped this year, and so has its share price. Those struggles have become emblematic of a broader reckoning facing the electric vehicle (EV) industry. After the soaring demand and valuations of the coronavirus pandemic years, the pace of sales growth has slowed. The industry has entered a new p ..read more

Arrests as Chinese authorities working with UK police and international trademark agencies seize millions of parcels bound for customers worldwide Chinese authorities have targeted a major online sales platform accused of supplying counterfeit goods, raiding warehouses holding millions of packages destined for overseas buyers. Earlier this month police raided the Hangzhou office and several warehouses of Pandabuy after reported legal action by 16 brands over copyright infringement. More than 200 public security branch officers, 50 private sector investigators and local police were involved, ac ..read more

Wang Yi says recent improvements in ties face ‘disruptions’ amid threats of sanctions over support for Russia’s defence industry China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, has warned the US that the recent improvements in the two countries’ relations were being jeopardised by “disruptions” which could take them back to a “downward spiral” leading to rivalry, confrontation and even conflict. Wang was speaking at the start of a meeting in Beijing with the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, at a time of renewed tension in the relations between the superpowers ..read more

Maximilian Krah will remain German far-right party’s top choice despite accusations against Jian Guo A far-right German politician has said he will continue to run for the upcoming European parliamentary elections despite allegations that his adviser was spying for the Chinese government. Maximilian Krah, who is the lead contender for the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, told journalists in Berlin: “I am and will remain the main candidate” after an emergency meeting with party bosses on Wednesday morning after the allegations came to light ..read more

Senate has voted to pass bill over Chinese-owned video-sharing app that Joe Biden is set to sign into law Senate passes bill banning TikTok if owner does not sell it President Biden is set to sign into law a bill that requires TikTok’s Chinese owner to sell the social media app’s US operations or face a ban, after the Senate passed the legislation. Biden has previously said he would sign the legislation, passed as part of a foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan ..read more

Beijing has warned Washington to stop arming Taiwan after the US Senate approved a bill that includes $8bn for countering China’s actions threatening America's allies in the Indo-Pacific region. The package covers a wide range of parts and services aimed at maintaining and upgrading Taiwan’s military hardware and is meant to counter the threat of invasion by China, which claims the island as its own territory. Separately, Taiwan has signed billions in contracts with the US for the latest-generation F-16V fighter jets, M1 Abrams tanks and the Himars rocket systems, which Washington has also sup ..read more

£2.2bn-worth of oil processed in China, India and Turkey – to whom Russia supplies crude – was imported in 2023, data shows The UK has been accused of “helping Russia pay for its war on Ukraine” by continuing to import record amounts of refined oil from countries processing Kremlin fossil fuels. Government data analysed by the environmental news site Desmog shows that imports of refined oil from India, China and Turkey amounted to £2.2bn in 2023, the same record value as the previous year, up from £434.2m in 2021 ..read more

In this week’s newsletter: While Apple removed the platform from App Stores without a squeak of public protest, its battle with the EU rages on. Plus, how a ban in the US could change TikTok everywhere • Don’t get TechScape delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the full article here Another day, another set of troubles for Apple’s App Store. This time, the company had bowed to orders from the Chinese state to remove WhatsApp and Threads, two of the last Meta apps still available in the country. From our story: Apple confirmed it had withdrawn the two apps – both owned by Meta, also the owner of ..read more

Man worked as assistant to Maximilian Krah, AfD’s top candidate in European parliament elections, say reports German police have arrested an employee of an Alternative für Deutschland politician in Dresden on suspicion of espionage for China, the broadcasters ARD, RBB and SWR have reported. The employee, named as Jian G, worked as an assistant for the AfD’s top candidate in the European parliament elections, Maximilian Krah, and lived in Brussels as well as Dresden, the broadcasters report ..read more

In move seen by the opposition as an attempt to de-sinocise Taiwan, the ruling party is pushing ahead with plans to rid the island of monuments to the dictator Taiwan’s government has pledged to remove almost 800 statues of Chiang Kai-shek, the Chinese military dictator who ruled the island for decades under martial law, but whose legacy remains a point of contentious debate. In 2018 the government established a transitional justice committee to investigate the rule of the former generalissimo, who was president of the Republic of China (ROC) – in China and then in Taiwan – until his death in ..read more