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Cake day: November 17th, 2025

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  • … to follow Sanchez’s lead …

    Sanchez opposed the US because he thought this would help him personally as he fights for his political survival. I don’t buy into his morality and ethics. Sanchez and his party has been facing a series of corruption scandals in Spain, involving family members and close political allies, and he has no problem to closely engage with China, the largest dictatorship on earth (for example, he contracted China’s Huawei with Spain’s judicial wiretap system, while banning Huawei from the public network over security issues).

    Just this week, another police raid in Spain arrested 6 people close to Sanchez, including one of his former ministers, the minister’s spouse, and Sanchez’s driver.

    The only thing Sanchez has in mind is his re-election and staying in power.




  • This is another sensationalist headline with poor quality. This issue isn’t limited to Tunisia but spans across many other countries. Also, Europe is not the only player in this industry.

    In principle, Tunisia is well-positioned to export renewable energy to Europe through its ELMED interconnector, a submarine power cable between Tunisia and Italy. The problems are that Tunisia still imports a considerable amount of its energy while at the same time suffering from growing public debt pressures. There is a fundamental contradiction: while local conditions still exist, investment flows to infrastructure geared towards external customers. The costs of transition remain local, while many benefits flow globally.

    Another problem is the fragmented global system as the European Union is no longer the only actor attempting to shape hydrogen governance:

    The United States, Japan, and China are each developing their own hydrogen frameworks with different definitions, technologies, and industrial priorities … This does not create a coherent global hydrogen system … Producer countries now face conflicting demands from different importing powers. A project using Chinese electrolysers may face barriers in Europe, while projects designed around EU certification standards may become more expensive elsewhere.

    The costs of this fragmentation fall disproportionately on developing producer countries. Industrial powers possess the capacity to set standards and protect domestic industries. Most exporters do not. This creates a governance asymmetry where industrial powers write the rules while producer nations absorb the compliance costs.

    It is noteworthy that Tunisia, a country that is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that has been facing a growing trade deficit with China, has been the target of several Chinese companies across many industries. In green hydrogen, companies such as PowerChina, China Sinoma International Engineering, and Goldwind, are known to be pursuing opportunities in Tunisia’s also in green hydrogen sector in recent years.

    The entire issue is much more complex than this sensational hit piece makes one believe imo.



  • The one billion in imports are a small fraction (a low single-digit percentage) of the overall European market.

    Rising imports into Europe are possible because of an open market economy, while the European motorcycle industry has been experiencing major hurdles when it comes to sell their product to Asia due to market protection measures.

    The same report cited in the article also says:

    Trade barriers remain a key constraint [for European motorcycle companies]. Import tariffs in major Asian markets—such as China, India, and Thailand—are significantly higher than in the EU and often non-reciprocal, limiting export opportunities … Reducing these barriers and ensuring more predictable and reciprocal trade conditions would enhance EU competitiveness, support more balanced trade, and strengthen the industry’s resilience.

    Despite these export barriers artificially created by countries like China, around half of Europe’s production gets exported.

    Conclusion: It’s another misleading headline descending into another Chinese propaganda slop.

    [Edit typo.]