China’s move last week to restrict graphite exports, a vital material in electric vehicle batteries, will not only compel European automakers to accelerate their efforts to develop alternate sources and materials. But given that the European EV sector continues to depend on batteries from China, the EV supply chain is also emerging as a new source of escalating tensions between Beijing and the European Union. Already, China’s dominance in the EV market has become a bone of contention for the region as the EU accelerates the switch to EVs by practically prohibiting the sale of new petrol and diesel automobiles in the bloc from 2035. In September, Brussels also pledged to shield Europe’s auto industry from a “race to the bottom” by investigating Chinese state subsidies for electric vehicle manufacturers....Read more https://www.theepochtimes.com/china/ev-supply-chain-a-thorny-issue-in-eu-china-relations-5516578
A Chinese video on social media has escalated into a hot topic of debate not only among Chinese netizens but also in South Korea, causing considerable public outrage. Numerous South Korean consumers of a popular Chinese beer have vowed to never purchase it again. On Oct. 19, a video surfaced on various Chinese social media platforms, including Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) and Weibo, showing an employee scaling a fence to gain unauthorized entry into a malt storage facility at Tsingtao Brewery’s third plant. Once inside, the individual proceeded to urinate in one of its tanks. This video rapidly gained traction, becoming one of the top trending topics on Weibo and earning the name “The Tsingtao Beer Urination Scandal” on various Chinese media outlets.... 
The Pentagon’s cyberwarfare unit should go on the offense against hostile foreign hacking groups in response to a recent Chinese state-sponsored cyberattack that penetrated top U.S. agencies and stole tens of thousands of emails from officials, according to Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.). “America needs more than just a good defense—It’s far past time to go on offense. We must bring the fight to the front door of hackers who would do us harm, and most critically, state-sponsored hacking groups,” Mr. Schmitt told The Epoch Times. “Without adopting a strategy of forceful deterrence in cyberspace, state-sponsored actors will continue to run rampant with little fear of retaliation. Consistent and repeated shows of force by the United States in cyberspace will demonstrate to our adversaries that we are done with wrist slaps for major cyber provocations.”...
No. 6 seed Daria Kasatkina of Russia upended No. 1 Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic 7–5, 1–6, 6–1 in group play Wednesday at the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai, China. The two-hour, 10-minute victory was Kasatkina’s opening match in the Azalea Group, one of four three-player groups competing in the round-robin event. Kasatkina can reach the semifinals with a win on Thursday against No. 11 seed Magda Linette of Poland. No. 9 Caroline Garcia of France knocked out No. 2 Madison Keys in the Camellia Group with a 6–3, 7–6 (3) triumph, snapping a four-match losing streak to the American. Keys fired 12 aces, but Garcia saved both break points she faced....