From Newsgroup: soc.culture.china

From WSJ "

"SHANGHAIrCoThe offer sounds like a scamrCoa new Toyota electric-powered sport-utility vehicle for about $15,000, complete with sunroof and cup
holders.

But the Toyota bZ3X is real, and it is actually on sale starting at that
price. There is a catch: To buy one, you have to be in China.
..
For an American used to a $50,000 gasoline-powered SUV as the standard
family choice, the Chinese market is hardly recognizable.

A majority of new vehicles sold in China are either fully electric or
plug-in hybrids, and a look around the recent auto show in Shanghai
showed that local makers have mostly stopped introducing new
gasoline-powered models. In the U.S., by contrast, the traditional
combustion engine still powers about eight in 10 new vehicles.
..

The price difference is overwhelming. ... when a decent starter model
costs $10,000 and a luxury seven-seater with reclining massage chairs
can be had for $50,000. Because of customer demand, even the low-end
models come with advanced driver-assistance software.
..
Tesla is better-positioned than other American automakers to compete in
China, since its models have always been all-electric and it makes the
vehicles in Shanghai with Chinese batteries.

Yet it has fallen behind in another aspect that makes China special:
speed of development.
..

Toyota said its bZ3XrCothe recently introduced model that starts at $15,000rCowas designed in China by the companyrCOs engineers in the country, who worked with a local joint-venture partner. It is made in Guangzhou
with Chinese batteries and driver-assistance software from Momenta, a
Chinese leader in that field.

rCLThis couldnrCOt happen without a Chinese supply chain,rCY said Masahiko Maeda, head of ToyotarCOs Asia business. rCLUnless you localize, itrCOs out of the question.rCY
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From Newsgroup: soc.culture.china

Trump does not seem to believe climate change and green energy.
Europeans have a different view.

Cidob (Barcelona Center for International Affair) had a piece this May (originally in spanish) which Google translated English title is rCLGreen
Soft Power.. ChinarCOs New Strategy in EuroperCY

rCLBy increasing investment in green technology in Europe, China has been
able to improve its image in various European countries, creating jobs
and offering quality products at competitive prices. Beyond the offices
of Brussels, various local and central governments of European states
have strengthened relations with China through this sector. In recent
years, China has positioned itself as a major green power, generating
soft power that has helped it rebuild ties with a Europe with similar
climate goals.

Private Internationalization, Geopolitical Gains

In the last five years of cooling political relations between the EU and
China, the electric vehicle sector has been central to maintaining
economic relations between the two powers. By 2023, investments in the
EV field already accounted for 70% of ChinarCOs foreign direct investment
in Europe. ChinarCOs new green manufacturing in Europe has been largely concentrated (85%) in the battery sector, with new factories announced
in recent years in countries as diverse as Hungary, France, Germany,
Slovakia, Spain, and Poland. Furthermore, the European Union is already
the largest export market for EVs manufactured in China.

This internationalization of companies in the electric vehicle sector in
Europe was not a premeditated strategy by the Beijing government, but
was initiated primarily by the Chinese private sector, due to the high
level of domestic competition in the Asian country. After years of
highly successful industrial policy, China has established itself as a
major electric vehicle power, producing 60% of the worldrCOs EVs and 80%
of batteries. Both local companies such as BYD and foreign companies
producing in China, such as Tesla, have benefited from ChinarCOs
industrial policy, generating fierce internal competition despite the
market distortions that public subsidies and aid often generate. China
has also positioned itself as a major hub for high innovation in
batteries, which currently represent more than a third of the cost of an
EV.rCY (Google translated English version)

https://prod.cidob.org/publicaciones/soft-power-verde-nueva-estrategia-china-europa
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