US persuades India to leave Russia for weapons and energy procurement

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

米、インドにロシア離れを説得　兵器とエネルギー調達で

2022.09.25 Sun posted at 16:32 JST

  （ＣＮＮ） 米国務省高官は２５日までに、インド政府に対し兵器やエネルギー源の輸入でロシア離れを説得していることを明らかにした。

これまでの接触をへてインド政府当局者はロシア頼みからの離反が国益に実際寄与すると理解し始めているとの感触を得ているとした。

同高官は、インドは最初に兵器、その後はエネルギー源の確保について４０年余にわたってロシアに傾斜してきたと指摘。その依存度は極めて非常に大きかったともした。

その上で「米国は兵器獲得などの多様化について手助け出来る選択肢でインド側と掘り下げた意見交換をしてきた」と説明。兵器供給面ではロシアは信頼し得る相手ではないとも述べた。

エネルギー問題については、米国はロシア産石油の市場での流通は望むものの、ウクライナ侵攻を支える資金源を封じるため市場価格での上限設定に同調するよう各国に求めてきたと主張した。

米国務省高官の今回の発言は、インドのモディ首相が今月１６日、ロシアのプーチン大統領と対面会談し、「今は戦争の時代ではない」との苦言を直接伝えたともされる展開を受けたものともなっている。

インド、ロシア両首脳の会談は、ウズベキスタン・サマルカンドで開かれた上海協力機構（ＳＣＯ）の首脳会議に合わせて実施された。モディ、プーチン両氏の首脳会談は今年になって初めてだった。

国務省高官はインド側の対応の変化などに触れ、ウクライナ北東部イジュームで発覚した虐殺疑惑はロシアの行動をこれまで黙認してきた諸国に再考を促したことを示唆。集団墓地で頭部を撃ち抜かれた女性や子どもら約５００人の遺体が見つかる世界が震撼（しんかん）した惨事を受け、ロシアと密接な関係は持ちたくないと思うだろうとした。

Translation

  (CNN) A senior State Department official said on the 25th that it was trying to persuade India to move away from Russia on imports of weapons and energy sources.

It was said that through contacts so far, Indian officials felt they began to understand that breaking away from Russia's reliance would actually serve its nation's interests,

This official said, for more than 40 years, India had leaned toward Russia, first for weapons and then for energy sources. This degree of dependence became extremely high.

On top of that it was said "The United States has had in-depth exchanges with India on options that can help diversify its arms acquisition". It was also said that Russia was not a reliable partner when it came to arms supply.

On the energy issue, the United States said that while it wanted Russian oil to enter the market, it also asked other countries to join forces to do market price caps so as to cut off Russian’s source of funding for invading Ukraine.

The U.S. State Department official's remarks came after the development that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 16th of this month, also conveyed his directly complaint that "now is not the time for war”.

The Indian and Russian leaders met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Modi and Putin met for the first time this year.

A senior State Department official touched on changes in India's response and suggested that the allegations of a massacre in Izyum in northeastern Ukraine had prompted countries that so far acquiesced to Russia's actions to consider changes. After they knew the world-shattering tragedy in which about 500 bodies of women and children with heads shot through were found in mass graves, it was supposed that they would try not to have a close relationship with Russia.

              So, the US is trying to persuade India to move away from Russia on imports of weapons and energy sources. Obviously, the ultimate aim is to isolate Russian and to invite India to have a closer relation with the US and its allies in Asia.

Keio University announces: Succeeded in creating a "miniature brain" that reproduces the state of dementia

Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

認知症の状態再現した「ミニチュア脳」作製に成功 慶応大発表

2022年9月24日 7時58分

アルツハイマー病の患者の皮膚から作ったiPS細胞を培養し、認知症の状態を再現した立体的なミニチュアの脳を作ることに成功したと慶応大学のグループが発表しました。認知症が起きる仕組みの研究や治療薬の開発に役立つと期待されています。

研究は、慶応大学の岡野栄之教授のグループが行い、国際的な科学雑誌「セル・リポーツ・メソッズ」に発表しました。

グループは、アルツハイマー病の患者の皮膚から作ったiPS細胞を、培養液に含まれるたんぱく質「増殖因子」の濃度を低くした状態で培養しました。

すると、効率的に脳の神経細胞ができ、大きさが2ミリから3ミリほどある「オルガノイド」と呼ばれる立体的な細胞のかたまりができたということです。

この「オルガノイド」では培養から120日目にアルツハイマー病の患者の脳にたまる異常なたんぱく質、「アミロイドβ（ベータ）」が確認できたほか、培養の途中で認知症の発症に関わるとされる「タウ」というたんぱく質を作る遺伝子を入れると、患者の脳と同様に「タウ」がたまる状態を再現できたということです。

グループは病態の一部を再現したミニチュアの脳ができたとしていて、認知症の仕組みの研究や治療薬の開発などに役立つとしています。

岡野教授は「マウスでの研究では、人の病態を再現しきれていなかった。今回、認知症の患者の病態を再現でき、治療法の開発につながると思う」と話しています。

Translation

A group at Keio University announced that it had succeeded in creating a three-dimensional miniature brain that reproduced the state of dementia by culturing iPS cells made from the skin of Alzheimer's disease patients. It was expected to be useful for research on the mechanisms that caused dementia and for the development of therapeutic drugs.

The research was conducted by Professor Hideyuki Okano's group at Keio University and published in the international scientific journal Cell Reports Methods.

The group cultured iPS cells made from the skin of patients with Alzheimer's disease in a state where the concentration of the protein "growth factor" contained in the culture medium was reduced.

As a result, brain nerve cells were formed efficiently, and three-dimensional cell clusters called "organoids" with a size of 2 to 3 mm were formed.

In this "organoid", an abnormal protein "amyloid β (beta)" that accumulated in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients was confirmed 120 days after culturing. By inserting a gene that produced a protein called “Tau”, they were able to reproduce the same state in which “Tau” accumulated in the patient's brain.

The group said that a miniature brain that reproduced part of the pathology had been created, and that it would be useful for research on the mechanism of dementia and development of therapeutic drugs.

Professor Okano said, "Research on mice could not fully reproduce the human pathology. This time, we were able to reproduce the pathology of dementia patients, and I think it will lead to the development of treatment methods."

              So, Japanese scientists are able to reproduce the pathology of dementia patients, and it will lead to the development of treatment methods. This is good news for dementia patients.

中國準備向能源匱乏的世界出口更多燃料

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

China Is Poised to Export a Lot More Fuel to an Energy-Starved World

Bloomberg News

Fri, September 23, 2022 at 9:31 AM

(Bloomberg) -- China is poised to export a lot more fuel as Beijing strives to boost its economy by raising refinery runs amid flagging local consumption.

Some 15 million tons of fuel-export quota is expected to be released, according to industry consultants JLC and Energy Aspects Ltd. The allocations will allow the four big state-owned refiners and one private processor to sell more gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and fuel oil to overseas buyers at a time when frequent virus lockdowns and a property crisis have suppressed local demand.

The move will prompt refiners to crank up operating rates with state-run companies considering raising utilization by 10%-15% next month, according to industry consultancy FGE. Chinese majors will need to raise run rates to 90%, from 75% currently, and increase crude imports by at least 1 million barrels a day to use up all the quota by end of this year, Energy Aspects said.

The export-friendly shift is a reversal from China’s recent focus on only refining to meet its own needs in order to minimize pollution and help consolidate the sprawling industry. The increase in shipments will be welcomed across Asia and the world this winter as power generators turn to diesel and fuel oil amid surging gas costs due to the war in Europe.

The size of the quota, which Bloomberg reported last week, took the market by surprise. Traders said the release is large for this time of the year, although it’s unclear if companies will be able to fully utilize their allocations by the end of 2022. There will likely be 10 million tons of quota for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, said Energy Aspects, with very-low sulfur fuel oil accounting for the remaining 4.5 million tons.

A 10-million-ton quota increase for so-called clean fuels will accelerate exports through year-end, which coincides with rising demand for heating fuel in the run-up to winter. As of July, export allocations for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel exports were 40% less than at same point last year.

The increase in quota is likely aimed at boosting economic activity in China, traders said. The International Energy Agency has forecasted the country, the world’s largest importer of crude, faces the biggest annual drop in oil demand in more than three decades. The agency predicts consumption will fall by 420,000 barrels a day, or 2.7%, this year, the first decrease since 1990.

Of the 15 million tons of quota, it’s likely that China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. will get 5.6 million tons, according to JLC. PetroChina Co. will probably receive 4 million tons, CNOOC Ltd. and Sinochem Group Co. will likely be awarded 2.4 million tons each and private refiner Zhejiang Petroleum & Chemical Co. should get 600,000 tons, the consultant said.

Translation

(彭博社) - 中國正準備出口更多燃料，因為中國政府在當地消費疲軟的情況下, 通過提高煉油廠產量來努力地提振經濟。

據行業顧問公司 JLC 和 Energy Aspects Ltd 稱，預計將釋放約 1,500 萬噸的燃料出口配額。這些配額將使四大國有煉油廠及一家私營加工商,在頻密的病毒封鎖和房地產危機抑制當地需求之際，向海外買家銷售更多的汽油、柴油、航空燃料和燃油。

據行業諮詢公司 FGE 稱，此舉將促使煉油廠提高開工率，國有企業考慮在下個月將利用率提高 10%-15%。 Energy Aspects 表示，中國大型石油公司需要將開工率從目前的 75% 提高到 90%，並將原油進口量至少增加 100 萬桶/天，才能在今年年底前用完所有配額。

這種有利於出口的轉變與中國最近只關注煉油以滿足自己的需求，以盡量減少污染並幫助鞏固龐大的行業的做法相反。今年冬天，由於歐洲戰爭導致天然氣成本飆升，發電機轉向使用柴油和燃料油，因此增加出口將受到成個亞洲同世界的歡迎。

彭博社上週報導的配額規模令市場感到意外。交易商表示，在一年中這個時候, 釋放量算是很大，但目前尚不清楚公司是否能夠在 2022 年底前充分利用其分配的配額。Energy Aspects說, 汽油、柴油和航空燃料的配額可能會達到 1,000 萬噸, 極低硫燃料油佔剩餘的 450 萬噸。

增加那所謂清潔燃料1,000 萬噸的增加配額, 將促進出口到年底，這與冬季前對取暖燃料的需求增加相吻合。截至 7 月，汽油、柴油和航空燃料出口的出口分配比去年同期減少了 40%。

貿易商稱，配額的增加可能旨在促進中國的經濟活動。國際能源署預測，作為世界上最大的原油進口國，該國將面臨 30 多年來最大的石油需求年度降幅。該機構預測，今年的消費量將每天減少 42 萬桶，即 2.7%，這是自 1990 年以來的首次下降。

據 JLC 稱，在 1,500 萬噸配額中，中國石油化工集團公司可能會獲得 560 萬噸配額。該顧問稱，中石油可能會獲得400萬噸，中海油和中化集團可能各獲得240萬噸，民營煉油企業浙江石油化工有限公司將獲得60萬噸。

       So, it is a win-win situation for China to export more oil products so as to boost up its domestic economic activity that is affected by poor demands. Overseas power generators need them because they are now turning to diesel and fuel oil amid surging gas costs due to the war in Ukraine.

隨著中國失去光澤，資金湧向東南亞的初創公司

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Funds flock to Southeast Asian startups as China loses sheen

Fri, September 23, 2022 at 3:39 PM

By Anshuman Daga and Yantoultra Ngui

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Southeast Asian startups are enjoying a boom in fundraising exercises by venture and buyout funds that are chasing bigger returns and turning away from regulatory turmoil in Chinese markets, even at the risk of slower growth.

Firms such as Insignia Ventures Partners and SoftBank-backed East Ventures are among those that have raised a combined total of billions for startups over the past year as the region's 650 million people take to digital platforms.

"Some of the world's largest institutions are coming up with strategies now to invest and deploy capital into regions like Southeast Asia, which six to seven years ago may not have even had the ability to absorb cheques of a large enough size," said Vishal Harnal, a managing partner at venture fund 500 Global, with $2.8 billion in assets.

Harnal was one of the scores of investors gathered in Singapore this week at SuperReturn Asia, a private equity and venture capital conference, for whom Southeast Asia tops the investment rankings.

"Today, there's much stronger appetite for India and Southeast Asia," Joel Thickins, co-managing partner at TPG Capital Asia, told Reuters.

Led by Indonesia, Southeast Asia's internet economy is forecast to double to $363 billion by 2025 from an end-2021 estimate of $174 billion in gross merchandise volume, a report has cited Google, Temasek and Bain & Company as saying.

Ridehailing and food delivery firm Grab Holdings listed on Nasdaq in December after a $40-billion merger, while Indonesian rival GoTo, raised $1.1 billion in a domestic listing this year.

This month, digital financial services group Fazz raised $100 million and Indonesia's Xendit, which bills itself as Southeast Asia's alternative to payments processor Stripe, announced fund-raising of $300 million in May.

The enthusiasm persists despite due diligence for startups that requires many months while valuations are under pressure, investors said.

"For want of a better word, FOMO is also present," added Harnal, referring to the "fear of missing out" he saw motivating many institutional investors who lost out on "phenomenal" returns as they were late in backing entrepreneurs in China.

DIVERSIFYING FROM CHINA

Southeast Asia is benefiting from Beijing's tough lockdowns and other measures to rein in COVID-19 in China and Hong Kong.

But although funds were diversifying, investors said the region's vastly different markets meant a uniform investing strategy was not ideal.

"It's not that they don't believe in China, just that they are reducing that exposure," said Tang Kok-Yew, the founding chairman of Affinity Equity Partners.

"Where can they go? One area that I constantly notice that everybody is very interested in is Southeast Asia. Unfortunately that's the market that is the hardest to penetrate."

Registered to attend the SuperReturn event were 500 so-called limited partners, who offer capital for investors, such as the Houston Firefighters' Relief and Retirement Fund, as well as about 700 venture and buyout firms, such as Schroders Capital, along with Chinese family offices.

Despite all the interest, the region might still have some way to go in the quest for funding.

"There are still individual U.S. cities where startups are raising more money than all of the startups in Southeast Asia," said Julie Ruvolo, managing director of venture capital at Global Private Capital Association, which says its 300 members manage assets of more than $2 trillion.

(Reporting by Anshuman Daga and Yantoultra Ngui; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

Translation

新加坡（路透社） - 東南亞初創企業因風險投資和收購基金而正在享受昌盛的籌集資金活動，這些基金正在追逐更大的回報, 並遠離中國市場的監管混亂，即使面臨增長放緩的風險。

隨著該地區 6.5 億人使用數字平台，Insignia Ventures Partners 和由軟銀支持的 East Ventures 等公司在過去一年為初創企業籌集了總計數十億美元的資金。

Vishal Harnal是擁有 28 億美元的資產風險基金 “500 Global” 的管理合夥人, 他說:“一些世界上最大的機構現在正在製定戰略，將資本投資和部署到東南亞等地區，六到七年前，這些地區可能甚至沒有能力吸收夠大面額的支票” 。

Harnal是本週聚集在新加坡參加私募股權和風險投資會議 SuperReturn Asia 的眾多投資者之一，東南亞在他們的投資排名中名列前茅。

TPG Capital Asia 的聯席管理合夥人 Joel Thickins 告訴路透社： “今天，印度和東南亞的胃口要大得多。”

一份報告援引谷歌、指淡馬錫和貝恩公司說，在印度尼西亞的帶動下，到 2025 年東南亞的互聯網經濟預計將從 2021 年底估計的 1740 億美元的商品總額翻一番，達到 3,630 億美元。

Ridehailing 和食品配送公司 Grab Holdings 在完成 400 億美元的合併後於 12 月在納斯達克上市，而印度尼西亞的競爭對手 GoTo 今年在其國內上市籌集了 11 億美元。

本月，電子金融服務集團 Fazz 籌集了 1 億美元，自稱為東南亞支付處理商 Stripe 替代品的印度尼西亞 Xendit 在 5 月宣布籌集 3 億美元。

投資者表示，儘管對初創企業的職責調查需要數月時間，而估值亦面臨壓力，但這種熱情依然存在。

Harnal 補充說： “因為想要用一個更好的詞彙，FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) 這一詞也用上”; 他指的是 “害怕錯過機會” ，他看到刺激了許多機構投資者的原因，是因為他們在支持中國企業家方面遲到了，因此失去了“驚人的”回報。

從中國走向多元化

東南亞正受益於北京為控制中國和香港的 COVID-19 而採取的嚴厲封鎖和其他措施。

但是，儘管基金正在多元化，但投資者表示，該地區的市場差異很大，這意味著統一的投資策略並不理想。

Affinity Equity Partners 的創始主席唐國耀說： “並不是他們不相信中國，而是他們正在減少風險。”

“他們能去哪裡？我經常注意到每個人都非常感興趣的一個領域是東南亞。不幸的是，這是最難滲透的市場。”

登記參加 SuperReturn 活動的有 500 家所謂的有限合夥人，他們為投資者提供資金，如休斯頓消防員救濟和退休基金，以及約 700 家風險投資和收購公司，如Schroders Capital，以及中國家庭辦公室。

儘管大家都很感興趣，但該地區在尋求資金方面可能仍有一段路要走。

Global Private Capital Association 風險投資董事總經理 Julie Ruvolo 表示： “仍有個別美國城市的初創企業籌集的資金超過了東南亞所有初創企業總和。” 該協會表示，其 300 名成員共管理著超過 2 萬億美元的資產.

So, Southeast Asian startups are enjoying a boom in fundraising exercises by venture and buyout funds that are chasing bigger returns and turning away from regulatory turmoil in Chinese markets. This is one of the Covid-19 impact on China and this move will bring more job opportunities to the Southeast Asian countries.

Russia's partial mobilization is unlikely to bring about a ``dramatic change in the war situation'' - War Research Institute

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

ロシアの部分動員、「戦況に劇的な変化」もたらす公算小　戦争研究所

2022.09.22 Thu posted at 21:20 JST

  （ＣＮＮ） 米シンクタンクの戦争研究所（ＩＳＷ）は２１日の分析で、ロシアのプーチン大統領による部分動員の発表が戦争の流れを劇的に変化させる可能性は少ないとの結論を示した。

ＩＳＷの分析では、予備役の戦闘準備が整うには数週間から数カ月かかるほか、ロシアの予備役はそもそも練度が低いと指摘。国防省が示した慎重な配備の段階をもとに判断すると、ロシア兵が突然押し寄せて戦況を劇的に変化させる事態は考えにくいと述べた。

プーチン氏の命令は兵役を終えた「訓練済み」の予備役の一部を動員する内容だが、数カ月は大した戦力にならないだろうと指摘。死傷者の穴を埋めて現在の兵力を来年も維持するには十分かもしれないが、現時点ではそれすら定かではないとの見方を示した。

さらに「ロシアの兵役期間はわずか１年で、徴集兵が兵士としての技能を学ぶ時間はそもそもほとんどない。この最初の期間の後には追加訓練がなく、時間が経つにつれ身に着けたスキルの劣化が加速する」としている。

Translation

  (CNN) Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement of partial mobilization would unlikely dramatically change the course of the war, an analysis by an American think tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on the 21st.

 An ISW ​​analysis said it would take weeks or months for reserves to become combat-ready, and that Russia's reserves wre generally poorly trained. Judging by the level of cautious deployment indicated by the defense ministry, it said it was unlikely that a sudden surge of Russian troops would dramatically change the war situation.

 In the content of Mr. Putin's order, it mobilized some of the "trained" reservists who had completed military service, the analysis pointed out that they wouldn't become a significant force in a few months. It said that they might be enough to fill the casualty gap and maintain current strength next year, but even that would be uncertain at this point.

 Furthermore, it supposed that the "Russian military service lasts only one year, and conscripts in the first place have little time to learn the skills of a soldier. There is no additional training after this initial period, and the deterioration of learned skills accelerates over time.”

              So, according to the Institute for the Study of War, the new soldier will not help much to improve the Russian situation in the battlefield. We can observe that in the past weeks, many Russian are trying to leave the country to avoid the military service.

中國生物科技股的潰敗顯示出美國脫鉤帶來增加痛苦

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

China Biotech Rout Shows Growing Pain from US Decoupling Drive

Jeanny Yu

Tue, September 13, 2022 at 2:12 AM

(Bloomberg) -- The latest US effort to reduce reliance on China is striking hard at the Asian nation’s biotech stocks, as investors price in more indications of decoupling between the world’s two biggest economies.

Following US President Joe Biden’s executive order to bolster domestic bio-manufacturing and cut reliance on foreign companies, bellwether Chinese stocks such as Wuxi Biologics Cayman Inc. and WuXi AppTec Co. tumbled at least 16% Tuesday in Hong Kong.

Coming on the heels of US export curbs of advanced chips to China, the latest Biden order underlines stiffening strategic competition between the two nations and adds to the selling pressure on Chinese stocks. With the Asian nation also manufacturing a host of industrial and high-tech products, there are questions over what other sectors may be affected next.

“I think market hasn’t fully priced in such a risk of Sino-US conflicts. That’s why healthcare firms are plunging today,” said Paul Pong, managing director at Pegasus Fund Managers Ltd. “Competition between China and the US in areas including aerospace, AI manufacturing remains fierce and it wouldn’t surprising to see sanctions by US.”

Pharmaron Beijing Co., Asymchem Laboratories Tianjin Co. and WuXi AppTec were the worst performers on China’s CSI 300 Index Tuesday, falling at least 10% each. The benchmark gauge closed up 0.4%. In Hong Kong, Wuxi Biologics tumbled nearly 20%, the biggest drag on the Hang Seng Index.

The Biden administration has been looking for ways to curb investment in China’s industries as the Asian nation ascends as a superpower in advanced technology. Meantime, China has been relentless in its pursuit for tech supremacy, with President Xi Jinping last week renewing calls to step up development.

And defying investor expectations of an improvement from the Trump administration days, tension has remained high with a number of thorny issues unresolved.

Earlier this month, the Biden administration said it will allow Trump-era tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of Chinese merchandise imports to continue while it reviews the need for the duties.

The key question facing traders now is which sector will be the next to be targeted by American officials.

The US “could move the sanctions down along the supply chain in the areas that’s already sanctioned, such as semiconductor and biotech segments,” said Dai Ming, Shanghai-based fund manager at Huichen Asset Management. It may also target areas that may threaten US position, such as new energy and AI-related industries, he said.

Any additional sanctions or export restrictions by the US, China’s largest trade partner, will deal a blow to stocks at a time when the economic outlook is under pressure from Beijing’s zero Covid pursuit.

The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index, a benchmark of Chinese firms trading in Hong Kong, is down more than 19% this year, one of the worst performers among major equity indexes worldwide.

Further US actions are likely to hit tech stocks particularly hard, deepening woes in a sector that saw more than a year of Beijing’s crackdown and faces the risk of being removed from US exchanges.

“I think the tension between the two countries stays and there is a lack of trust about each other’s intention and grand strategies,” said Redmond Wong, a strategist at Saxo Capital Markets.

Translation

(彭博社) - 隨著投資者對世界兩大經濟體脫鉤的更多跡象進去行評價之際, 美國為減少對中國的依賴而採取的最新舉措, 正在猛烈打擊亞洲國家的生物科技股。

繼美國總統拜登發布行政命令以支持國內生物製造並減少對外國公司的依賴後，Wuxi Biologics Cayman Inc.  及 WuXi AppTec Co. 等中國領導者股票週二在香港下跌至少 16%。

在美國限制向中國出口先進芯片之後，拜登的最新命令突顯了兩國之間日益激烈的戰略競爭，並增加了中國股市的拋售壓力。由於這個亞洲國家還製造了大量工業和高科技產品，存在的疑問是接下來還有哪些行業可能會受到影響。

Pegasus Fund Managers Ltd. 董事總經理 Paul Pong 說: “我認為市場還沒有完全消化中美衝突的風險。這就是今天醫療保健公司暴跌的原因”; “中美在航空航天、人工智能製造等領域的競爭仍然很激烈，看到美國的製裁也就不足為奇了。”

北京康龍化成、凱萊英醫藥集團(天津)股份有限公司和藥明康德是周二在中國滬深 300 指數中表現最差的股票，均下跌至少 10%。基準指數收盤上漲 0.4%。在香港，药明生物重挫近 20%，是對恆生指數的最大拖累。

隨著這亞洲國家崛起為先進技術超級大國，拜登政府一直在尋找限制對中國工業投資的方法。與此同時，中國一直在不懈地追求科技霸權，習近平主席上週再次呼籲加快發展。

與投資者的期望對比特朗普執政時期有所改善的預期背道而馳，緊張局勢仍然很高，許多棘手的問題仍未解決。

本月早些時候，在時審查徵收關稅的必要性時, 拜登政府表示，將允許繼續執行特朗普時代對數千億美元的中國商品進口徵收關稅。

現在交易員面臨的關鍵問題是，哪個行業將成為美國官員的下一個目標。

Huichen Asset Management 駐上海的基金經理 Dai Ming 表示，美國 “目標可能會在已經受到製裁的領域，如半導體和生物技術領域，沿著供應鏈向下推進制裁” 。他說，美國還可能針對可能威其脅地位的領域，例如新能源和人工智能相關行業。

作為中國最大貿易夥伴的美國, 任何額外制裁或出口限制，都將會在經濟前景面臨北京零新冠感染壓力之際, 對股市造成打擊。

恆生中國企業指數是在香港交易的中國公司的基準指數，今年以來下跌超過 19%，是全球主要股指中表現最差的指數之一。

美國的進一步行動可能會對科技股造成特別沉重的打擊，加深該行業的困境，該行業經歷了一年多的北京打壓, 並面臨被美國交易所除名的風險。

Saxo Capital Markets的策略師 Redmond Wong 說: “我認為兩國之間的緊張關係會繼續存在，對彼此的意圖和宏觀策略缺乏信任” 。

So, the latest US effort to reduce reliance on China is striking hard at the Asian nation’s biotech stocks. Following US President Joe Biden’s executive order to bolster domestic bio-manufacturing and to cut reliance on foreign companies, leading Chinese stocks tumble in Hong Kong. Obvious the Sino-American competition will continue for sometime.

電池初創公司 ONE 將可削減電池成本，及提供 600 英里的續航能力

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Battery startup ONE aims to slash cell cost, deliver 600-mile range

Mon, September 12, 2022 at 9:08 PM

By Paul Lienert

(Reuters) - Michigan-based startup Our Next Energy [ONE] has unveiled a new anode-free battery pack designed to slash cell cost as much as 50% while delivering up to 600 miles (965 km) of driving range, the company said Tuesday.

This young company hopes to begin producing its Gemini pack at a new 20-gigawatt-hour U.S. manufacturing plant in 2026, founder and Chief Executive Mujeeb Ijaz said in an interview.

Other battery companies are developing anode-free designs, but ONE’s Gemini battery appears to be unique in that it uses cells with two different cell chemistries, including one for everyday driving and a second to extend driving range on longer trips.

The secret sauce is in Gemini’s large-format range-extender cells. While the standard cells use relatively conventional lithium iron phosphate cathodes and graphite anodes, the range-extender cells are anode-free, which eliminates the use of graphite and anode-making equipment.

The cathodes are designed to use a unique blend of lithium and manganese and a much lower percentage of nickel, while eliminating cobalt, according to Ijaz.

“It has been my long-term aspiration to eliminate both nickel and cobalt,” Ijaz said of two key cathode materials in most current electric vehicle batteries that are more expensive and less sustainable than such common materials as manganese.

While the lithium-rich manganese nickel cathodes are still being refined, the current version of the range-extender cells uses cathodes made of nickel, cobalt and manganese.

By eliminating the anode in those cells, ONE says it can slice the cell cost in mass production by $50 per kilowatt-hour — a significant savings over current costs estimated at $100-$110 per kWh.

 “Our goal is to launch the Gemini battery in 2026 with zero cobalt and 26% nickel or less, using manganese as the primary cathode material,” Ijaz said.

ONE's Gemini battery will be displayed Sept. 13-15 at The Battery Show in Novi, Michigan.

Translation

（路透社）- 總部位於密歇根州的初創公司 Our Next Energy (ONE) 週二表示, 將推出了一種新的無正極電池組，旨在將電池成本降低多達 50%，同時提供長達 600 英里（965 公里）的續駛能力。

創始人兼首席執行官 Mujeeb Ijaz 在接受採訪時表示，這家年輕的公司希望於 2026 年在美國新的 20千兆瓦/時製造工廠開始生產 Gemini 電池組。

其他電池公司正在開發無正極設計，但 ONE 的 Gemini 電池似乎是獨一無二的，因為它使用具有兩種不同電池化學成分的電池，其中一種用於日常駕駛，另一種用於延長長途旅行的續航能力。

秘訣在於 Gemini 的大格式增程電池。雖然標準電池使用相對傳統的磷酸鐵鋰負極和石墨正極，但增程電池沒有正極，因此無需使用石墨和製造正極的設備。

根據 Ijaz 的說法，負極設計是一種使用鋰和錳的獨特混合物, 以及用少了鎳，並同時不使用鈷。

“不使用鎳和鈷一直是我的長期願望”, Ijaz 談到目前大多數電動汽車電池中這兩種關鍵負極材料，它們比錳等常見材料更昂貴且更不可持續。

雖然高成份鋰錳鎳負極仍在提煉中，但當前版本的增程電池使用由鎳、鈷和錳製成的負極。

ONE 表示，通過消除這些電池中的正極，它可以將批量生產的電池成本降低 50 美元/千瓦/時 - 與目前估計的100 至 110 美元每千瓦/時的成本相比，可節省大量成本。

Ijaz 說: “我們的目標是在 2026 年推出 Gemini 電池，鈷含量為零，鎳含量不超過 26%，使用錳作為主要負極的材料” 。

ONE 的 Gemini 電池將於 9 月 13 日至 15 日在密歇根州諾維的電池展上展出。

So, a Michigan-based startup Our Next Energy has unveiled a new anode-free battery pack designed to slash cell cost as much as 50% while delivering up to 600 miles (965 km) of driving range. This is good news for the electric car makers.