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China and the European Union have issued a joint call to action on climate change during an otherwise tense bilateral summit in Beijing on Thursday riven with major disagreements over trade and the war in Ukraine. The two economic juggernauts issued a joint statement on climate change, urging more emission cuts and greater use of green technology and affirming their support for the Paris Climate Agreement as well as calling for strong action at the upcoming COP30 climate summit in Brazil. In the fluid and turbulent international situation today, it is crucial that all countries, notably the major economies, maintain policy continuity and stability and step up efforts to address climate change, the joint statement said. Their climate agreement was a silver lining on a stormy day where European leaders demanded a more balanced relationship with China in talks with President Xi Jinping. They highlighted trade in their opening remarks, calling for concrete progress to address Europe’s yawning trade deficit with China. As our cooperation has deepened, so have the imbalances, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. We have reached an inflection point. Rebalancing our bilateral relation is essential. Because to be sustainable, relations need to be mutually beneficial. Little movement expected Expectations were low ahead of the talks, initially supposed to last two days but scaled back to one. They come amid financial uncertainty around the world, wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, and the threat of U.S. tariffs. Neither the EU nor China is likely to budge on key issues. European Council President António Costa called on China to use its influence over Russia to bring an end to the war in Ukraine a long-running plea from European leaders that is likely to fall again on deaf ears. Xi called for deeper cooperation between China and Europe to provide stability in an increasingly complex world. Both sides should set aside differences and seek common ground, he said, a phrase he often uses in relationships like the one with the EU. China is willing to strengthen coordination on climate and make greater contributions to addressing climate change, he said, but he pushed back against EU restrictions on Chinese exports. We hope the EU will keep its trade and investment markets open, refrain from using restrictive economic and trade tools and provide a good business environment for Chinese companies to invest and develop in Europe, he said, according to a readout posted online by state broadcaster CCTV. US tariff threats weigh on EU-China cooperation Besides trade and the Ukraine war, von der Leyen and Costa were expected to raise concerns about Chinese cyberattacks and espionage, its restrictions on the export of rare earth minerals and its human rights record in Tibet, Hong Kong and Xinjiang. The EU, meanwhile, has concerns about a looming trade battle with the United States. Europe is being very careful not to antagonize President Trump even further by looking maybe too close to China, so all of that doesnt make this summit easier, said Fabian Zuleeg, chief economist of the European Policy Center. “It will be very hard to achieve something concrete. China’s stance has hardened on the EU, despite a few olive branches, like the suspension of sanctions on European lawmakers who criticized Beijing’s human rights record in Xinjiang province, where it is accused of a widespread campaign of repression against the Uyghurs. The summit ended with almost no movement on the major issues of trade, electric vehicles, or Russia, said Noah Barkin, an analyst at the Rhodium Group think tank. Rather, frustration from the EU was glaringly obvious after years in which its concerns have been largely ignored by Beijing. He said the Europeans will likely use more “trade defense tools in the months ahead, including a debate over expanding safeguards and new cases under the blocs foreign subsidies regulation. Trade disputes range from rare earths to EVs Like the U.S., the 27-nation EU bloc runs a massive trade deficit with China around 300 billion euros ($350 billion) last year. It relies heavily on China for critical minerals and the magnets made from them for cars and appliances. When China curtailed the export of those products in response to Trump’s tariffs, European automakers cried foul. China agreed during the summit to to start an upgraded export supply mechanism to fast-track exports of critical minerals, von der Leyen said. Details of the arrangement were not immediately made public. Barkin said he doubted the mechanism would be a miracle solution for what may become a go-to coercion tool for Beijing in the years ahead. The EU has imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles to support its carmakers by balancing out Beijing’s heavy auto subsidies. China would like those tariffs revoked. The rapid growth in Chinas market share in Europe has sparked concern that Chinese cars will eventually threaten the EUs ability to produce its own green technology to combat climate change. Business groups and unions also fear that the jobs of 2.5 million auto industry workers could be put in jeopardy, as well those of 10.3 million more people whose employment depends indirectly on EV production. China has launched investigations into European pork and dairy products, and placed tariffs on French cognac and armagnac. It has criticized new EU regulations of medical equipment sales and fears upcoming legislation that could further target Chinese industries, said Alicia García-Herrero, a China analyst at the Bruegel think tank. The EU has leverage because China needs to sell goods to the bloc, García-Herrero said. The EU remains Chinas largest export market, so China has every intention to keep it this way, especially given the pressure coming from the U.S., she said. China bristles at EU sanctions over Russia’s war against Ukraine. The latest package included two Chinese banks that the EU accused of links to Russias war industry. Chinas Commerce Ministry protested the listing and vowed to respond with necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and financial institutions. The EU looks beyond Beijing and Washington Buffeted between a combative Washington and a hardline Beijing, the EU has more publicly sought new alliances elsewhere, inking a trade pact with Indonesia and drafting trade deals with South America and Mexico. Costa and von der Leyen visited Tokyo the day before their meetings in Beijing, launching an alliance with Japan to boost economic cooperation, defend free trade and counter unfair trade practices. Both Europe and Japan see a world around us where protectionist instincts grow, weaknesses get weaponized, and every dependency exploited,” von der Leyen said. So it is normal that two like-minded partners come together to make each other stronger. Sam McNeil and Ken Moritsugu, Associated Press Mark Carlson contributed to this report.
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General Motors, the largest automaker in the U.S., announced its second-quarter financial results on July 22. The report was, overall, a gloomy tale of the impact of President Trumps tariffs, which, the company said, cost it more than a billion dollars this past quarter. But while GMs total profits fell by more than a third in Q2, the company did point out one bright spot: a major spike in EV sales, launching it closer to true competition with Tesla. In its investor relations call, GMwhich operates the subsidiary brands Buick, GMC, Chevrolet, and Cadillacsaid its EV sales more than doubled from April to June. Meanwhile, early this month, Tesla reported a 13% decline in vehicle deliveries for its second quarter, one of the largest quarterly declines in the companys history and its second quarterly decline in a row. In its earnings call on July 24, the company reported its revenue was down more than $3 billion year-over-year (though the company also claimed a newer, cheaper version of the Model Y would soon be available). An analysis by the data collection firm Cox Automotive published on July 14 found that while Tesla still solidly holds the title of the U.S. EV markets largest mover, GM has charged past Ford and Hyundai to snag the No. 2 spot. With models like the Chevy Blazer and Chevy Equinox, the automaker is quietly encroaching on Teslas dominant market spot. 2025 Blazer EV [Photo: Chevrolet] A tale of Teslas (declining) dominance Tesla has long outpaced its competitors in the American EV market, but the gulf that once separated the brand from all others has been slowly closing over the past several years. In 2020, Tesla controlled nearly 80% of the U.S. market, based on data from Experian. By 2022, that was down to 65.4%, followed by 55% in 2023. This year, per Cox Automotive, that share continues to decline, hovering around 45% as of July 11. In a press release, Cox Automotive stated, Teslas many issues do not require a full rehashing here: Suffice it to say, the hyper-competitive EV market is providing the troubled automaker no relief. Part of Teslas market share decline can certainly be attributed to the brands laundry list of reputational blows this year, namely concerning CEO Elon Musks ongoing feud with Trump. But as Cox Automotive hints, another factor is broadening competition: Since 2020, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus, and other automakers have introduced countless new EV models. GM, in particular, has been dedicating greater resources to its fleet of electric vehicles. The company now sells 12 different EV models across its four brands, which accounted for about 15% of the U.S. EV market in the second quarter of 2025triple the share of both Ford and Hyundai. Of GMs EVs, its top-selling models were the Chevy Equinox and Chevy Blazer, which sold 17,420 units and 6,549 units, respectively. The Equinox has gained significant traction for its relatively low cost, which starts at around $35,000. These numbers are far behind those of Teslas ultra-popular Model Y, which shipped 86,120 units in the second quarter. Still, Chevrolets EV sales alone have shown 130%-plus year-over-year growthsignaling that GM may be on an upward trajectory compared to Teslas current slump. GM CEO Mary Barra reinforced that trajectory on a July 22 earnings call, sharing that profitable EV sales are now the companys North Star. We are growing in EVs because we have a strategic portfolio of vehicles that people love for their design, performance, range, and value, she said. [Photo: Chevrolet] An uncertain path ahead Despite GMs major EV success of late, the new EV market saw an overall year-over-year decline. Stephanie Valdez Streaty, senior analyst at Cox Automotive, said in its press release that the lower sales underscore the markets ongoing challenges, as growth in the auto business ebbs and flows on consumer demand, and are a sign of a more mature EV market. Used EV sales, on the other hand, quietly flourished, surpassing a record-breaking 100,000 units in the second quarter. With availability growing and incentives for new EVs expected to fall, the used EV market maygrow faster in the quarters ahead, Cox Automotive reported. For market analysts, the elephant in the room is Congresss recent approval of new spending legislation that will end tax credits on new or used EVs beginning September 30. In light of this change, several experts have predicted that EV sales are likely to see a spike in the interim, followed by a noticeable decline starting in October. Cox Automotive takes a slightly more conservative stance, predicting that new EV sales will continue to expand in the U.S. compared to last year, but at a much reduced pace. With government-backed incentives set to end in September and economic pressures mounting, the second half of the year will be a critical test of EV demand, Valdez Streaty said. Q3 will likely be a record, followed by a collapse in Q4, as the electric vehicle market adjusts to its new reality.
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Welcome to AI Decoded, Fast Companys weekly newsletter that breaks down the most important news in the world of AI. You can sign up to receive this newsletter every week here. With the AI Action Plan Trump pays back his Silicon Valley allies The Trump administration on Wednesday released its AI Action Plana 28-page blueprint designed to accelerate Americas AI industry and extend its global influence. Authored by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, AI Czar David Sacks, and science and technology adviser Michael Kratsios, the document outlines a suite of tech-friendly directives, ranging from discouraging state-level AI regulation to opening public lands for new data center construction. That hands-off approach reflects the Trump administrations broader stance toward tech: minimal regulation in exchange for political support. To that end, the action plan directs all federal agencies to delete regulations from earlier administrations that could unnecessarily hinder AI development or deployment. Fighting state AI laws The plan doesnt reprise the ban on state AI regulation that was struck from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as some had feared. But it tries to frustrate state AI regulation by instructing federal agencies to condition funding on how friendly the states regulatory environment is to AI R&D. The plan also issues a vague threat against states by asking the FCC to look at how state AI regulations might interfere with the agencys ability to carry out its obligations and authorities under the Communications Act of 1934. (That Act established the FCC and gave it control of broadcast licenses, wireless spectrum, and compliance enforcement.) The Trump administration also wants to shrink the role of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in protecting consumers from the excesses of the tech industry. The AI plan asks the FTC to modify or set-aside any final orders, consent decrees, and injunctions against tech companies that might unduly burden AI innovation. Further, it asks the FTC to review all investigations begun during the Biden years to ensure that they do not advance theories of liability that unduly burden AI innovation. Readying the grid for AI Anthropic estimates the U.S. power grid will need an additional 50 gigawattsroughly the output of 50 Hoover Dams, or enough to power 40 million homesby 2027 to meet the energy demands of new data centers. The Trump administration appears keenly aware of this challenge. The new plan renews a Biden-era initiative asking agencies that manage federal lands to identify sites suited to large-scale development of data centers. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has been promoting this idea for months, noting that his agency controls around 500 million acres of public lands and estimates $8 trillion in coal reserves beneath them. Could the U.S. decide to expand production of dirty fuels like coal in the interest of powering new AI data centers? The plan doesnt specify, saying only that the U.S. must prevent the premature decommissioning of critical power generation resources and explore innovative ways to harness existing capacity. It also advocates for investment in alternative power sources like geothermal, nuclear fission, and nuclear fusion. It wasnt too long ago that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was urging the Senate to regulate AI. Now, most in the AI space warn that any binding regulations on how companies develop AI are premature and likely to nip innovation in the bud. Some even argue that it would be immoral to slow down AI R&D because the technology might soon help cure cancer or eliminate poverty. Trumps AI plan is clearly an expression of that world view, and the fulfillment of a promise he made to the tech industry when campaigning for a second term. The GOPs One Big Beautiful Bill Act will make big tech companies flush with cash Analysts from Morgan Stanley predicted on Monday that the GOPs One Big Beautiful Bill Act could have some magical effects on the balance sheets of the biggest tech (read: AI) companies. The bill, which was signed into law by the president on July 4, contains a number of tax breaks that will considerably increase the free cash flow of tech companies, the analysts say, especially those that spend heavily on R&D and new infrastructure. For many tech companies, that means AI research and building data centers. Under the revised tax code, tech companies can now apply retroactive write-offs for past R&D spending, recovering billions in taxes. The bill also allows for full, upfront deductions on infrastructure investmentsprovisions clearly designed with big tech in mind. Meanwhile, the corporate tax rate remains steady at 21%. These incentives could be worth tens of billions to leading firms, Morgan Stanley estimates. Analysts expect Google, Microsoft, and Apple to benefit most in the short term by accelerating R&D deductions. For Meta and Amazon, the gains may be more evenly distributed over the next two to three years. Pew: Googles AI search results yield far fewer click-throughs, ad views New research from the Pew Research Center suggests trouble ahead for Googles core business. After tracking real-time user behavior, Pew found that users shown an AI-generated AI Overview were less likely to click links to external websites than users shown traditional search results. That finding supports concerns among publishers that AI-enhanced search results are reducing site traffic. It could spell bad news for Google, too. The company earns the bulk of its ad revenue from search, especially when users are looking to buy products like shoes or cars. Google profits most when it drives users to merchant websites. But when users enter more complex queriessuch as what are the best noise cancelling headphones for less than $100they often receive an AI-generated summary. If Pews findings hold, they may be less likely to click a link to a specific brand. During its research (conducted in March), Pew found that one in five Gogle searches displayed an AI Overview. It also revealed that users were more likely to end their session entirely after seeing such a summary: that happened on 26% of AI-result pages, compared to just 16% of pages with standard results. More AI coverage from Fast Company: Douglas Rushkoff wants us to use AI to ask better questions The ex-Waymo engineers building AI-powered robots to solve Americas labor crisis Replit CEO: What really happened when our AI agent wiped Jason Lemkins database Protons new Lumo AI is all about privacy Want exclusive reporting and trend analysis on technology, business innovation, future of work, and design? Sign up for Fast Company Premium.
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Tens of thousands of fans many in costumes will descend Thursday on Comic-Con International, the four day pop culture spectacle that will feature updates on the new “Predator” movie, “Alien” series and a special appearance by George Lucas.Just don’t expect major news about the future of Marvel’s movie slate or what’s next for the hit relaunch of DC’s high-flying “Superman” franchise. Both studios are sitting out Comic-Con 2025, as far as their film slates go.An estimated 135,000 people will attend the convention, which will greet Lucas on Sunday for his first Comic-Con appearance. The “Star Wars” creator will discuss his new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art that will open next year in Los Angeles.Fans of the “Alien” and “Predator” franchises will have plenty to cheer. Elle Fanning, star of “Predator: Badlands,” will discuss the film at Comic-Con’s massive Hall H this week. FX will also bring the stars and creators of “Alien: Earth,” a series that will unleash the Xenomorph species on Earth next month.“Alien: Earth” will be one of the projects that brings a massive interactive experience to San Diego, with a replica of spacecraft from the series. The attraction will feature what’s described as a terrifying mission at night.Marvel may not be presenting new movies, but it will have a “Fantastic Four: First Steps” attraction near the convention, a tie-in to Friday’s release of the latest attempt to successfully launch its “first family” in theaters.Thousands of fans got a sneak peek at the convention’s 460,000 square foot (42,700 square meter) exhibitor section, which features exclusive merchandise, comic book art and exhibits from brands like Star Wars, Lego, Nickelodeon, Paramount and more. Associated Press
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The data nerds are fighting back.After watching data sets be altered or disappear from U.S. government websites in unprecedented ways after President Donald Trump began his second term, an army of outside statisticians, demographers and computer scientists have joined forces to capture, preserve and share data sets, sometimes clandestinely.Their goal is to make sure they are available in the future, believing that democracy suffers when policymakers don’t have reliable data and that national statistics should be above partisan politics.“There are such smart, passionate people who care deeply about not only the Census Bureau, but all the statistical agencies, and ensuring the integrity of the statistical system. And that gives me hope, even during these challenging times,” Mary Jo Mitchell, director of government and public affairs for the research nonprofit the Population Association of America, said this week during an online public data-users conference.The threats to the U.S. data infrastructure since January have come not only from the disappearance or modification of data related to gender, sexual orientation, health, climate change and diversity, among other topics, but also from job cuts of workers and contractors who had been guardians of restricted-access data at statistical agencies, the data experts said.“There are trillions of bytes of data files, and I can’t even imagine how many public dollars were spent to collect those data. But right now, they’re sitting someplace that is inaccessible because there are no staff to appropriately manage those data,” Jennifer Park, a study director for the Committee on National Statistics, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, said during the conference hosted by the Association of Public Data Users (APDU). ‘Gender’ switched to ‘sex’ In February, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s official public portal for health data, data.cdc.gov, was taken down entirely but subsequently went back up. Around the same time, when a query was made to access certain public data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s most comprehensive survey of American life, users for several days got a response that said the area was “unavailable due to maintenance” before access was restored.Researchers Janet Freilich and Aaron Kesselheim examined 232 federal public health data sets that had been modified in the first quarter of this year and found that almost half had been “substantially altered,” with the majority having the word “gender” switched to “sex,” they wrote this month in The Lancet medical journal.One of the most difficult tasks has been figuring out what’s been changed since many of the alterations weren’t recorded in documentation.Beth Jarosz, senior program director at the Population Reference Bureau, thought she was in good shape since she had previously downloaded data she needed from the National Survey of Children’s Health for a February conference where she was speaking, even though the data had become unavailable. But then she realized she had failed to download the questionnaire and later discovered that a question about discrimination based on gender or sexual identity had been removed.“It’s the one thing my team didn’t have,” Jarosz said at this week’s APDU conference. “And they edited the questionnaire document, which should have been a historical record.”Among the groups that have formed this year to collect and preserve the federal data are the Federation of American Scientists’ dataindex.com, which monitors changes to federal data sets; the University of Chicago Library’s Data Mirror website, which backs up and hosts at-risk data sets; the Data Rescue Project, which serves as a clearinghouse for data rescue-related efforts; and the Federal Data Forum, which shares information about what federal statistics have gone missing or been modified a job also being done by the American Statistical Association.The outside data warriors also are quietly reaching out to workers at statistical agencies and urging them to back up any data that is restricted from the public.“You can’t trust that this data is going to be here tomorrow,” said Lena Bohman, a founding member of the Data Rescue Project. Experts’ committee unofficially revived Separately, a group of outside experts has unofficially revived a long-running U.S. Census Bureau advisory committee that was killed by the Trump administration in March.Census Bureau officials won’t be attending the Census Scientific Advisory Committee meeting in September, since the Commerce Department, which oversees the agency, eliminated it. But the advisory committee will forward its recommendations to the bureau, and demographer Allison Plyer said she has heard that some agency officials are excited by the committee’s re-emergence, even if it’s outside official channels.“We will send them recommendations but we don’t expect them to respond since that would be frowned upon,” said Plyer, chief demographer at The Data Center in New Orleans. “They just aren’t getting any outside expertise and they want expertise, which is understandable from nerds.” Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social Mike Schneider, Associated Press
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