Transport

A worker walks near an evaporation pool where lithium bicarbonate is isolated from salt brine during the process of lithium production at the Uyuni Salt Flats in Uyuni, Bolivia, on 29 January 2014. (Noah Friedman-Rudovsky/Bloomberg)

The world’s EV supply chain is fracturing

Until now, China has held a dominant position in the global industrial chain from cathode materials to EV battery manufacturing and vehicle production, supplying nearly half of global core products. But with a major restructuring underway, it will have to tackle rising costs, supply chain shortfalls and the need to tailor resources for different markets.
A general view of the Chinese mining company COMMUS (Musonoïe Mining Company Global SAS), downtown Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on 13 October 2022. (Junior Kannah/AFP)

China’s hunt for strategic new energy minerals

China lacks sufficient reserves of strategic minerals. The country's strategic mineral reserves, including iron, copper, aluminum, nickel and lithium, equals less than 20% of the world’s total, while the country accounts for more than half of global consumption of cobalt, aluminum and copper. What are China's options?
A Tesla electric vehicle is seen through a charging point displayed during a media day for the Auto Shanghai show in Shanghai, China, 20 April 2021. (Aly Song/File Photo/Reuters)

Chinese EV manufacturers face tough challenge against Tesla amid subsidy cuts

Despite a booming electric vehicle (EV) market in China, local EV manufacturers are facing a tough road ahead as the Chinese government cuts subsidies and EV giant Tesla increases its competitiveness by lowering prices. Chinese financial commentator Tan Haojun believes that Chinese EV manufacturers would need to compete in terms of research and development in order to stay in the EV market.
A screen grab from a video featuring an aerial view of the China-Thailand railway, October 2022. (Internet)

Long-delayed Thailand-China high-speed train: A political game on two tracks

The beleaguered construction and murky progress of the proposed Bangkok-Nong Khai high-speed railway are emblematic of deeper problems underlying Thailand’s and China’s infrastructural ambitions.
Workers load steel products for export to a cargo ship at a port in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, China, 27 May 2020. (China Daily via Reuters)

Why China’s exports are in the doldrums

The China Containerized Freight Index, which tracks spot and contractual freight rates leaving major Chinese container ports on 12 shipping routes, began to fall in August. These and other indicators point to Chinese exporters bracing for tough times. The main culprit is demand, which has fallen off in recent months in China’s three biggest export markets — the US, the EU and ASEAN.
This handout picture taken and released on 13 October 2022 by Indonesia's presidential palace shows Indonesian President Joko Widodo standing next to a high-speed train at Tegalluar Station, in Bandung, Indonesia, which is planned to be tested with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in November. (Handout/Presidential Palace/AFP)

How China helped build Indonesia’s high-speed rail

The Jakarta-Bandung railway is a landmark project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as the country expands its presence in Southeast Asia. While there have been delays and challenges, the project looks to be on track. This and other BRI projects in Southeast Asia are seeing competing investments from the US and West.
An employee transfers items for delivery ahead of the Singles’ Day shopping festival which falls on 11 November , at a logistics center in Nanjing, in China's eastern Jiangsu province on 10 November 2022. (Photo by AFP)

China's e-commerce sector emerging from dark times

One major effect of the lockdowns in China has been disruptions to delivery and logistics services, resulting in many e-commerce businesses being unable to dispatch goods and fulfill online orders. Guangdong, an important light industrial area in southern China, with a comprehensive wholesale market system in its capital Guangzhou, has been particularly badly hit. Zaobao journalists Zeng Shi and Hedy Yang speak to e-commerce business owners and other players to find out more.
Passengers use their mobile phones on a subway train in Beijing on 28 September 2022. (Noel Celis/AFP)

Longer commute for Beijingers may spell higher depression risks

A recent study on 1,528 Beijing residents finds that every ten more minutes spent travelling from home to the workplace leads to a 1.1% higher risk of depression. How would improving people's journey-to-work experience help policymakers and employers?
People visit the BYD booth during a media day for the Auto Shanghai show in Shanghai, China, 19 April 2021. (Aly Song/Reuters)

China’s electric vehicle makers race for Southeast Asia market share

In this fifth instalment of a seven-part Lianhe Zaobao-Business Times series on China and ASEAN, we look at how China’s electric vehicle manufacturers are making inroads in Singapore and the region.