Economy

US-China Relations
Chinese giants deny military links

Alibaba, BYD and Baidu are hitting back at the Pentagon after the Chinese companies were added to the US list of companies with alleged links to the Chinese military, reports the Financial Times.

“Alibaba is not a Chinese military company and is not part of any military-civilian merger strategy. We will take all available legal measures against attempts to misrepresent our company,” the technology giant wrote in a comment.

Search engine company Baidu wrote that the Pentagon’s claim was “completely baseless and no evidence has been presented to prove the contrary.” Electric car giant BYD also denied any links to China’s military, writes the FT. 

The new space race
Space investments break records: Great interest

Space investments are increasing sharply as the costs of launching rockets and satellites have fallen. This is according to Tobias Edman, head of space technology at RISE.

– Right now, the interest is huge, he says in Ekonomiekot extra.

The falling costs have changed the playing field for the entire space industry, says astronaut Marcus Wandt, who is head of technology and strategy at Saab, to the radio. 

The agreement movement
Strike threat at Braathens called off – parties agree

The strike threat against Braathens has been called off after the Swedish Aviation Industry and the Swedish Pilots Association agreed on a new collective agreement. Negotiations have been ongoing since the agreement expired in March last year and have, among other things, concerned which company the pilots will be employed by.

– The agreement is good for both Braathens and the pilots and is more adapted to the company's current operations, says Linn Sidén, the Swedish Aviation Industry's head of negotiations, in a press release.

According to the parties, the cost increases are within the industry's mark for the 2025 agreement campaign.

The paradox of online dating: Profiting from eternal searching

Online dating has become a billion-dollar industry where listed companies profit from users' time and data. The business model is dependent on users continuing to search - not finding a partner.

– It is important to understand that there are two logics that collide, says political scientist Elsa Kugelberg to EFN.

Despite the criticism, the market is growing globally and is expected to have a turnover of close to 20 billion dollars in 2031.