We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. The young Chinese scientist behind ‘impossible’ breakthrough on sodium batteries Scientist Lu Yaxiang, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Physics, has spent a decade working to make sodium-ion batteries...
Scientist Lu Yaxiang, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Physics, has spent a decade working to make sodium-ion batteries commercially viable. Those years of work on energy storage in April earned Lu a China Youth May Fourth Medal – the nation’s top honour for outstanding achievers under 35. For years, lithium-ion batteries have dominated the market, even though their raw materials are scarce and environmentally demanding to extract. Sodium-ion batteries are seen as an...
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Limited (CATL) will see 50 per cent growth in its share price to a record high over the next 12 months, as it benefits from rising demand for energy independence, according to Goldman Sachs. The Wall Street investment bank expected CATL’s battery energy storage system business to be its next value-creation engine, though the market is viewing the business more for its potential to increase battery volumes. “We see a strategic integration push that can lift...