US should spy on Chinese firms to maintain edge in tech race: ex-CIA official

🔮 Former CIA deputy director’s call to repeal Obama-era ban on economic espionage comes as Beijing rushes to protect trade secrets A former CIA official has called for Washington to spy on foreign companies to help US firms stay ahead in the technology race, in what would represent a break from long-standing US policy amid intensifying competition with China.

🔮 Chinese students in Paris hunker down as city braces for more mass protests Most students say the violence has not put them off living in France, though they worry the unrest could boost the far-right For many Chinese students living in Paris, the events last Saturday were their first taste of a major French protest turned violent.

🔮 Could Europe’s cost-of-living protests sharpen EU-China trade tensions?

🔮 Beijing is “willing to continue” fast-tracking licenses for rare earth mineral exports to Europe, while the sides will continue negotiations on reducing tariffs and creating minimum price deals that would allow Chinese electric vehicles to enter the EU market at a lower duty rate, according to the statement.

🔮 Chinese firms based in Europe said they hoped the talks could achieve some “limited progress” to help stabilise the trade relationship, while European analysts remained cautious about the potential outcome.

🔮 While Renault hailed it as an example of the group’s dedication to the factory, some workers voiced concerns: the assembly line would create only a handful of jobs, they said, and its products could directly compete with the plant’s other wares, risking further unemployment.

🔮 It left her with a question: how could a railway be so empty, clean and punctual, and still make money?

🔮 The list now includes 18 chemicals, all of which could be used in fentanyl production.

🔮 In a first, top European design prize awarded to €20 uniform for China’s delivery drivers Developed with the assistance of Jack Ma, designers aimed to bestow dignity on the drivers, an ‘important profession’, the lead designer says Taobao Shangou, Alibaba’s instant commerce and on-demand delivery service that was revamped last year, won a top French Design Award prize on Saturday for its delivery worker uniform, marking the first time the prize was awarded for a design for frontline workers. “We think the [Taobao Shangou] suit design would transform delivery workwear into a recognisable professional uniform, helping reshape how society sees this essential profession,” said Dario Olivero, chair of the award’s organising committee.