At $550bn a year, the annual investment required from the US government and American companies to decouple from China is roughly equivalent to the $600bn invested by big US technology groups in data centres in 2025. For the EU, the spending required would amount to a near doubling of its annual budget, EY-Parthenon said.

The mammoth investment required to replicate Chinese resources and materials currently relied on by advanced economies highlights the scale of the challenge facing western governments as they look to reduce Chinese dominance over strategic supply chains.

…

The vulnerability of European and US economies to Chinese coercion was highlighted last year when Beijing imposed export controls on critical rare earth metals in response to US President Donald Trump’s threat of imposing 145 per cent tariffs on imports from China

It’s Chinese coercion when it responds to the west trying to coerce China with tarrifs of course

The challenge is not just how much it would cost, but about China’s ability to intervene to stop such decoupling because of its existing control over the supply of everything from rare earths processing to active pharmaceutical ingredients,” she added.

Given that Chinese-made goods typically enjoyed a 20-100 per cent factory price advantage over their western competitors, reducing reliance on Chinese manufacturing would push up prices and drive inflation, the EY-Parthenon analysis found.

In Europe, severing reliance on China could leave prices 1-2.5 per cent higher in critical sectors, and the European Central Bank and Bank of England perpetually above their 2 per cent inflation targets, the EY-Parthenon report said, citing an ECB analysis.

As well as investment in factories and physical infrastructure, western economies seeking to meaningfully reduce dependence on China would also need to invest aggressively in training workers and automating factory processes, the report said.

Doha, July 12 (Prensa Latina) The death of the former emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, at the age of 74, brings to an end the career of one of the leaders who most influenced the political, economic and diplomatic transformation of the Persian Gulf during the last decades.

His rise to power in June 1995 marked the beginning of a period of profound reforms that changed Qatar’s profile, driven by the exploitation of its vast natural gas reserves, the modernization of state institutions, and a foreign policy aimed at increasing the emirate’s presence in regional and international affairs.

Under his leadership, Qatar went from being a small hydrocarbon producer to becoming one of the world’s highest per capita income economies.

The country multiplied its gross domestic product, consolidated its position as one of the main exporters of liquefied natural gas, and undertook major investments in infrastructure, education, health, and technology.

During that period, institutions such as the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development were created; and the first permanent Constitution was promulgated in 2004.

Also, the first municipal elections were held with the participation of women as voters and candidates, and the Al Jazeera network was born, later becoming one of the main media outlets in the Arab world.

Foreign policy also took center stage. Doha expanded its diplomatic relations, promoted mediation initiatives in various regional conflicts, and strengthened its presence on the international stage, a process that culminated in Qatar’s selection as host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the first ever organized by an Arab nation.

Within that strategy of international opening, the rapprochement with Latin America, and in particular with Cuba, occupied a relevant place.

In May 2001, the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, made an official visit to Doha, considered one of the most significant moments in relations between Havana and the Persian Gulf region.

During that stay, Fidel held talks with the then Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani about bilateral relations, economic cooperation and the international situation, at a time marked by Doha’s interest in diversifying its political ties beyond its traditional partners.

The visit opened new possibilities for exchange between the two countries and strengthened a relationship based on mutual respect and political dialogue, at a time when Qatar was beginning to consolidate itself as an increasingly influential actor in regional diplomacy.

This rapprochement also helped to expand contacts between Cuba and the Gulf Cooperation Council states, while strengthening Havana’s presence in the Middle East.

After leading the country for 18 years, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani announced in June 2013 the transfer of power to his son, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in an orderly succession that is rare among the monarchies of the region.

His passing marks the end of a pivotal era for this nation. The development model implemented during his tenure and the foreign policy he championed continue to influence the emirate’s current standing on the international stage, while his ties with countries like Cuba remain a cornerstone of the diplomatic legacy forged during those years.

Caracas, July 13 (Prensa Latina) Hope is reborn in Venezuela amid intense recovery efforts in the affected areas and the announcement that the first 200 homes will be delivered this week to families affected by the earthquakes of June 24.

Meanwhile, the world’s solidarity continues with the arrival of tons of humanitarian aid to care for the victims, who are receiving comprehensive care from the Government, and the support of more than two thousand international rescuers.

Delivering two hundred homes just days after the earthquakes of 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude on the Richter scale demonstrates the joint effort of the Bolivarian State and the private sector, who are working in a coordinated and accelerated manner to build new houses and buildings.

The difficulty of this sensitive issue, perhaps one of the most complex to resolve due to the magnitude of the devastation, lies in the fact that 17,907 people were left without homes, the number of affected buildings totaled 856 and 190 collapsed completely, according to the most recent official data.

The president of the National Assembly (parliament), Jorge Rodríguez, announced last Saturday that initial estimates of need reach 25,000 homes to assist the affected families, of which 120,794 received assistance from the national government as of yesterday.

Rodríguez, who also heads the General Staff for the Creation of Temporary Camps (108 as of yesterday), stated that work is being done rapidly so that many of the families protected in camps will have their permanent home or be relocated.

The deputy explained that the strategy is focused on ensuring the start of the next school year between September and October, for which they need to leave empty those spaces that are currently occupied by women, men and children.

In his statements to the national and foreign press, he revealed the identification of more than 40 plots of land, totaling 584,000 square meters, for the construction of housing, not only in La Guaira, but in other parts of the country.

As part of the recovery, Venezuelan Minister for Electric Power, Rolando Alcalá, reported that 96 percent of the country’s electricity demand had been restored as of yesterday, thanks to the deployment of workers from the Ministry and the National Electric Corporation.

Alcalá explained to the local press that they managed to provide energy to priority centers such as hospitals, other health centers, temporary camps and the general population after the earthquakes, which damaged at least 10 transmission towers with a loss for the 600 megawatt system.

In the area of ​​solidarity, Venezuela continued to receive international humanitarian aid with recent arrivals from Russia, the Caribbean Community, Turkey, Panama, Puerto Rico, the United States, Barbados, the World Food Programme and the NGO Goal Global.

La Paz, July 13 (Prensa Latina) A new criticism of the Bolivian government from its main ally, the leader of Unidad, Samuel Doria Medina, reinforces today the versions about an alleged break in the parliamentary support of that force to the Executive.

The leader of the third largest political force in the Plurinational Legislative Assembly (ALP) deplored the delay in the presentation of the package of laws announced by the government of President Rodrigo Paz and asked that the projects be published in full so that the population can know them and debate their content.

Through his social media, the wealthy businessman also warned that 53 days had passed since the delivery of the regulations was postponed, which had been announced shortly before the blockades registered between May and June with the demand for the resignation of the dignitary Paz.

“We had a 53-day delay in the delivery of the ‘package of laws’ that had been announced shortly before the blockades. And now it turns out they’re still drafting the regulations. It’s really not my style of solving problems. It makes me a little angry,” Doria Medina wrote.

The authority announced that it will await the explanations that the Government will provide to the legislators regarding the content of the initiatives, although it insisted that the rules must be disseminated before their consideration to allow for an open debate.

He stressed that a process without public discussion could generate doubts among citizens.

“Let’s wait for the explanations the government will give to parliamentarians regarding the laws, but they must publish the full text of the laws and debate them with the entire population. Without public debate, mistrust and conspiracy theories will only spread,” he added.

Doria Medina urged the Executive to finalize the drafting of the projects and make them available to the public in the coming days through a digital platform.

“Hopefully they will finish drafting the laws in the next few days and publish them on a website very soon,” he concluded.

Bolivians interpreted the statements made by Andrea Ballivián, a member of the Unity party, last Friday as a sign of distancing themselves from the Peace Government.

This legislator stated that this caucus decided to distance itself from the Executive due to differences with the management of the Administration.

“As the Unity bloc,” Ballivián told the press, “we have decided to distance ourselves from the Paz government. They don’t know how to listen, and their administration is very slow,” he commented, although this decision has not yet been officially announced.

In the midst of the election campaign for the 2025 general elections and before the runoff, the leader of Unidad endorsed Paz’s candidacy, and promised that if he won he would support him with his bloc in the ALP, as has happened until now.