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China’s Xpeng plants a flag in Germany’s auto heartland with Mona L03 launch

The Chinese electric car brand debuted its new SUV at a splashy ceremony in Munich, as it announced its intention to ‘put down roots in Europe’ Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng made its European ambitions clear on Thursday, as the firm unveiled its Mona L03 compact SUV at an event in the heart of Germany’s car industry, Munich. The launch, arguably the largest ever staged in Europe by a Chinese carmaker, was not just about introducing a new model, but also about convincing Europe that Xpeng is here to stay. “We are here not only to bring our products to Europe, but also to build them for Europe,” said He Xiaopeng, Xpeng’s chairman and CEO, as he opened his first keynote delivered entirely in English – after joking that listeners would have to forgive his “Hubei accent”. He said the company chose Germany because it was “the home of the auto industry”. Less than two years after entering the country, Xpeng is targeting 8,000 sales in Germany this year, rising to 20,000 next year. The L03’s pricing underscored that ambition. Starting at €35,600 (US$40,700) in Germany, it undercuts Tesla’s Model Y – Europe’s bestselling electric car – by more than €3,000, and Audi’s Q4 e-tron by over €10,000.

July 18, 2026

Business

Chinese woman saved from crematorium after mistaken coma death becomes adept painter

After 1995 brush with cremation, Chen Cuiju reportedly now an award-winning artist after teacher’s support helps her create a new life A woman in southeastern China who was mistaken for dead and nearly cremated after falling into a coma has rebuilt her life as a painter. Chen Cuiju, 49, grew up in a poor rural family in Guizhou province. In 1995, aged 18, she moved to Dongguan, Guangdong province, to work in a factory, but the gruelling hours and harsh conditions left her severely malnourished. One day, while suffering from a fever and walking alone by a river, Chen collapsed and lost consciousness, according to the Guizhou Metropolitan Daily. Days later, a boatman found her lying by the riverbank. Covered in dirt and barely breathing, Chen was mistaken for an unidentified corpse because she had no identification documents and was taken to a funeral home. In July that year, as a worker surnamed He was preparing to cremate her, he noticed a slight movement in her foot. Realising she was still alive, he alerted the police and rushed Chen to the hospital. Doctors reportedly diagnosed her with severe malnutrition, dehydration, and multiple organ failure.

July 18, 2026

Business

Sun Fanglin, Chinese scientist who paved the way for new cancer drugs, dies aged 58

The Tongji University professor, who specialised in the study of how cells age and form tumours, led several national research programmes Leading Chinese scientist Sun Fanglin, whose work on how cells age and form tumours helped pave the way for the development of new cancer treatments, has died aged 58. Sun was director of the Advanced Institute of Translational Medicine at Tongji University in Shanghai and former dean of its School of Life Sciences and Technology. He had been receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness and died on July 10, the institute said in an obituary posted on its website. The noted biologist specialised in studying how the ageing process is affected by gene regulation and epigenetics – the way behaviour and the environment can alter the way genes work. He served as chief scientist for several national research programmes, including the National Programme on Key Basic Research, according to Tongji University. His research team was the first in the world to crack the challenge of tumours becoming resistant to targeted drugs by discovering biological pathways to reverse the process, the obituary noted.

July 18, 2026

Business

Aspen Security forum tackles global risks

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. Global security, energy, trade, and defense were key issues at the Aspen Security Forum in Aspen, where policymakers, academics, and former officials examined major geopolitical challenges. Panelists discussed the impact of the Iran conflict on global energy markets, the need to diversify energy supplies, and the effects of U.S. trade policies. NATO burden-sharing and Europe’s defense spending also sparked debate. CGTN's Hendrik Sybrandy reports.

July 18, 2026

Business

Asia’s AI boom has a dirty secret: the coal that powers it

Asia sits atop vast amounts of coal, nearly three-fifths of the world’s known reserves by some estimates. Cheaper and more reliable than imported oil and gas, and far less vulnerable to disruptions caused by foreign wars, coal is also dirty, polluting – and the region’s No 1 “stopgap source” to power the AI infrastructure roll-out. “AI demand is materialising faster than clean energy generation can be commissioned,” said Alexander Kheder, a market research analyst at BMI who tracks global AI...

July 18, 2026

Business

Asian-American groups fear Trump’s escalating rhetoric will fuel prejudice, racism in US

Community leaders warn US president’s explosive China election-interference allegations may see rise in anti-Asian hate crimes Much of the voter registration data in the previously classified reports that the president cited is disputed and is not new, analysts said. “This is an extension of racism and xenophobic behaviour,” said Joanna Yang Qing Derman, civil rights and national security director with civic group Asian-American Advancing Justice, part of a grass roots network of over 300 community groups.

July 17, 2026

Business

Trump Media pitched US$100,000 fee for fastest feed of US president’s posts, sources say

The US president’s posts often move markets, and even a tiny speed advantage can lead to big gains on trades for investors Donald Trump’s social media company has discussed charging Wall Street traders and investment firms as much as US$100,000 a month for faster access to the US president’s posts on his Truth Social platform, according to people familiar with the matter. Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns Truth Social, has in recent weeks also pitched a discounted plan of US$60,000 per month if the firms sign up for a three-year plan, the sources said, requesting anonymity as the ‌discussions are confidential. TMTG on Thursday unveiled a paid-for, licensed data feed called “Truth API” to provide banks and trading firms the fastest access to posts from the 10 most influential Truth Social accounts, but did not give any pricing details. The move would be the company’s first step into data licensing, opening up a new revenue stream, although it drew immediate criticism from Democrats. US Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, the highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said it would financially benefit the Trump family and “make Wall Street traders rich”.

July 17, 2026

Business

‘Made in EU’: How Europe plans to use China’s tech to pull level with its EV rival by 2028

New regulations will help EU produce electric vehicles at a price point to match China, but European job losses would be among trade-offs A crown jewel of Europe’s industrial output, the automotive sector represents directly and indirectly a total of more than 13 million jobs in the EU. But the obituaries may have been written too soon. A growing number of industry insiders said European brands could pull level with their Chinese rivals in cost, some predicting parity could come as soon as 2028 or 2029. Their careful optimism came hedged with caveats, but the gap that once looked fatal might finally be beginning to close. For Harald Hendrikse, European head of autos research at Citi, who proposed the 2028 to 2029 time frame in a May note, reaching it rested on two pillars: the correct implementation of the “Made in EU” requirements in the proposed Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), and continued European access to Chinese technology and know-how. “The most important thing is the fact that the Chinese are completely open, the Chinese industry is completely open to working with Western manufacturers, which means that basically, even relatively new Chinese technology is coming very quickly to Europe,” Hendrikse said.

July 17, 2026

Business

China’s missile test from a submarine is no guarantee of regional stability

Beijing’s ICBM test from a nuclear-powered submarine is a win from a defence perspective but comes with greater responsibilities The July 6 test, in which the missile travelled about 7,300km, was the first publicly disclosed long-range submarine-based test conducted by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy since 1982. This points to both the credibility of China’s nascent second-strike capability and the resolve with which Beijing has pursued this goal. Underwater nuclear propulsion altered the template of nuclear deterrence. Technological advances and the 1962 Cuban missile crisis shaped deterrence strategy, and Cold War stability was eventually predicated on the doctrine of “mutually assured destruction” and the presence of SSBNs.

July 17, 2026

Business

Trump envoy met with protests in Venice as he arrives on superyacht

US Ambassador Tilman Fertitta, a billionaire businessman, arrived amid strained ties between the president and Italy’s PM Giorgia Meloni A ⁠few hundred people in Venice protested ⁠on Friday against US Ambassador to ⁠Italy Tilman Fertitta as he arrived in the lagoon city aboard his superyacht, drawing criticism of President Donald Trump’s policies. Activists also objected to the heightened security measures put in place by local authorities as Venice prepares for one of its most important festivals. Fertitta, a billionaire businessman appointed by ‌Trump, is touring the Italian peninsula aboard his 117-metre (384-foot) yacht, Boardwalk, on a “Freedom 250 Coastal Diplomacy Tour” marking the 250th anniversary of US independence. Around 300 people gathered to protest and took part in a march holding up posters with slogans such as “Fertitta must go”, “Make America go away”, “Venice must not be used” or “No space for billionaires”. They approached the part of the historic centre of Venice where the yacht had anchored, Riva dei Sette Martiri, ⁠but were stopped from going any further by police, with whom a few minor scuffles broke out.

July 17, 2026

Business

US and Iran attack infrastructure, raising fears of escalation

Two oil tankers exploded and caught fire after passing through a mined route south of Hormuz, Iranian media reported The US struck bridges in Iran, and Tehran responded by hitting a power and desalination plant in Kuwait on Friday, as the two sides risked further escalation by expanding their targets to include infrastructure. At sea, where the renewed conflict has again cut off energy supplies from the Gulf, US Marines boarded a tanker near the Strait of ‌Hormuz. Two oil tankers exploded and caught fire after passing through a mined route south of the strait, Iranian media reported, citing Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Armed men seized another vessel off Yemen, raising concern over security in the Middle East’s other big choke point for oil shipments at the mouth of the Red Sea. Iran’s state television quoted the Revolutionary Guards as saying that until US “aggression” comes to an end, it will not be possible to export chemical fertilisers or even a “single drop of oil and gas” from the region. Washington and Tehran have been testing the limits of escalation since their ceasefire agreement collapsed last week, raising the prospect of a return to all-out war.

July 17, 2026

Business

Tai Po fire inquiry panel calls for bamboo scaffolding to be phased out

Other recommendations outlined in 627 pages of closing submissions include legislative reform and measures to curb bid-rigging An independent committee examining the cause of Hong Kong’s deadly Tai Po fire has recommended that authorities gradually phase out bamboo scaffolding in favour of metal replacements, among other proposals ranging from legislative reform to measures to curb bid-rigging. The suggestions were outlined in 627 pages of closing submissions from the committee’s lawyers on Friday, concluding hearings that started in March to examine the Wang Fuk Court fire. The blaze last November killed 168 people and displaced about 5,000 residents. One recommendation urged authorities to consider moving away from bamboo and combustible plastic wraps to avoid accelerating the spread of fire once material was burning. “We therefore recommend exploring (and possibly funding and subsidising) a potential transition away from traditional bamboo scaffolding and combustible plastic wraps,” the committee’s counsel wrote.

July 17, 2026