Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi: Fees will be charged for services in the Strait of Hormuz, and these services will no longer be free. This important matter has been confirmed: payment of fees is required.

Thank you, Arnaud, for sharing this. It reminds me of an event eight years ago, when Jack Ma, Li Shufu and other Chinese entrepreneurs held a roundtable discussion with the then British Prime Minister. I was there in person. At the time, I heard Li Shufu tell the British Prime Minister that he was willing to invest more in the UK vehicle industry, but felt that there were significant policy obstacles in the UK. The Prime Minister did not give a clear or helpful response. Looking back, I think that was a missed opportunity. The rise of China’s EV industry was not simply the result of the state “picking winners.” It was more the outcome of central-government objectives, local competition, entrepreneurial risk-taking by private businesspeople, and the long-term accumulation of industrial capabilities all working together.

⭕🇺🇸🇮🇹 US LOSES BIG AS ITALY DUMPS BOEING FOR AIRBUS Italy has officially abandoned Boeing’s KC-46 Pegasus and signed a €1.4 billion deal for six Airbus A330 MRTT tankers instead. Rome originally picked the American KC-46 in 2022, canceled it in 2024, and has now fully shifted to Europe’s tanker giant, handing Airbus another major global victory. Italy is now the 19th operator of the A330 MRTT platform.