China

Peoples Daily | English | News | Dec. 12, 2025 | Geopolitical Conflict and Disputes

A spokesperson from the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council criticized recent statements by Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te and deputy Hsiao Bi-khim about relocating Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) production capacity overseas. The comments highlighted the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities’ role in undermining Taiwan's industrial base.

Chen Binhua argued that what Lai described as efforts to support TSMC's global presence in the United States, Japan, and Europe, ostensibly to promote "global prosperity and progress," actually represents the loss of Taiwan’s key industrial assets. The move was characterized as damaging to Taiwan's industries, companies, and the livelihoods of ordinary Taiwanese people.

Xinhua | English | News | Dec. 12, 2025 | Climate Change

A new study published in Nature Climate Change by scientists from Nanjing University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has found that abrupt and significant daily temperature fluctuations are increasing in frequency and severity due to climate change. These sharp temperature swings are becoming more extreme across low to mid-latitude regions, driven primarily by human-induced greenhouse gas emissions, as confirmed through optimal fingerprinting techniques.

Climate projections indicate that under a high-emissions scenario, the frequency of these sudden temperature changes could rise by approximately 17 percent and their intensity by 20 percent by 2100, impacting regions that house over 80 percent of the global population. The physical cause involves global warming worsening soil drought, increasing variability in sea-level pressure and soil moisture, which reduces land thermal capacity and intensifies fluctuations in cloud cover and solar radiation.

The study also highlights significant health risks linked to these abrupt temperature variations, including increased mortality from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, based on data from Jiangsu Province in China and the United States. The researchers call for global scientific recognition of extreme day-to-day temperature variability as a distinct type of extreme weather event, given its implications for public health and ecosystem stability.

Yicai Global | English | News | Dec. 12, 2025 | UndeterminedSupply Chain Issues

Nine major Chinese solar-grade polysilicon producers, including Tongwei Group and GCL Group Holdings, have formed a joint venture called Guanghe Qiancheng Technology with registered capital of CNY3 billion (USD425 million) to address overcapacity and stabilize prices. The venture, based in Beijing, also includes an entity fully owned by the China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA). Tongwei and GCL own nearly half of the equity, with stakes of 30.35 percent and 16.79 percent respectively.

Solar polysilicon prices peaked in August 2022 but then plummeted by nearly 90 percent by July 2025 due to a surge in production capacity, resulting in a severe price war. After the JV announcement, spot prices recovered approximately 50 percent from their multi-year low, reaching CNY52,000 (USD7,362) per ton as of December 8. The joint venture aims to promote cooperation among photovoltaic companies, facilitate technology upgrades, expand markets, and rationalize costs and production capacity to end destructive competition.

The JV’s legal representative is Hou Yicong, founder of Chunquan Capital, who brings experience from ShineWing Certified Public Accountants, IDG Capital, and JD Capital. Other equity holders include East Hope, Daqo Energy, Xinte Energy, and Asia Silicon Qinghai, each owning between 7.79 percent and 11.3 percent, with smaller stakes held by three additional companies and the CPIA subsidiary. The industry is actively seeking orderly capacity reduction to stabilize supply and demand.