Why Xiaomi is joining the stampede into new energy vehicles
Also: Huawei grabs crucial payments licence as digital yuan nears; an interview with a geopolitics expert on why Beijing signed a landmark 25-year accord with Tehran; Seoul under pressure to stop Chinese bid for South Korean chipmaker
Plus: Pakistan presses go on Chinese-designed nuclear reactor; what qualifies as ‘financial freedom’ in China’s first-tier cities; and why an archaeological dig in Sichuan has triggered talk of alien civilisation