The Monocle Minute

As international trade braces itself for a second – and potentially isolationist – Donald Trump presidency, it is worth considering the effect that tariffs and import bans have on ordinary people. Take, for example, recent hostility towards electric vehicles (EVs) made in China. Such resistance is similar to the widespread American opposition to Japanese cars in the 1980s – and just as short-sighted.

In October, Jim Farley, the CEO of Ford, announced that he had been driving a Chinese EV, the Xiaomi SU7, for months and was loving it. Ford had shipped the car from Shanghai to analyse the competition. Despite this all-American seal of approval, the US raised tariffs on Chinese electric cars by 100 per cent this year. The Biden administration is now proposing a ban on the software that makes the cars run, which would all but doom US sales. Canada and the EU have also raised tariffs on Chinese EVs this year.

Here in Singapore, I often see Chinese-made BYD cars gliding by; they’re sleek and, speaking as a frequent passenger, a smooth ride. While the US, Canada and EU say that tariffs and other restrictions are in place to shield domestic automakers, consumers from São Paulo to Bangkok drive Chinese EVs, from the luxury sedans of BYD and Great Wall Motor to budget-friendly mini cars such as the Wuling Hongguang. Protectionism only hurts Western consumers, who end up with fewer choices and higher prices.

At the Kuala Lumpur International Mobility Festival, which kicks off today, automakers from all over the world will exhibit the newest EVs. China’s top brands will vie against Audi and Peugeot, Kia and Toyota, to impress Malaysian buyers. Maybe they’ll stand out; maybe they’ll fall short. But consumers deserve the option to decide for themselves.

Naomi Xu Elegant is a Monocle writer based in Singapore. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

The future of warfare is being plotted in an unexpected location: a nondescript industrial park on the outskirts of Canberra. Electro Optic Systems (EOS) develops and manufactures military and space-related technology but in recent years has become known for its anti-drone systems. Its pre-eminent status in this nascent field has been underlined by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, where more than 100 EOS products are in use every day.

In the early 2000s the US was the only military with high-quality drones. But the technology has since proliferated and its costs have plummeted. “You can spend $1,000 on a drone and attack an asset that costs $10m, $100m or even $1bn,” EOS’s CFO and COO, Clive Cuthell, tells The Monocle Minute. Dealing with one drone is hard enough but the low cost means that an enemy can now launch 1,000 drones at a time. Weighing fewer than 400kg, EOS’s Slinger anti-drone system has a radar and camera system that can detect and neutralise even the smallest drone – 200 are currently deployed in Ukraine, where they have proved highly effective.

Read the full story and more insights in‘The Forecast’, Monocle’s look ahead to 2025, which is out now. Orsubscribeto Monocle to receive every issue of the magazine and our annual specials.

The European Council has approved a new amendment to the Bern Convention that downgrades the protected status of wolves from “strictly protected” to merely “protected”. Set to come into force in March 2025, the change will give member states more leeway to control wolf numbers in rural areas, where a rise in the animals’ population has led to an increase in attacks on livestock and humans.

The amendment is backed by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who pushed forward the decision earlier this year in an attempt to appeal to rural voters ahead of EU parliamentary elections in June, while invoking the killing of her pony, Dolly, by a wolf in 2022. The Eurasian wolf was almost driven to extinction in its native continent, so its return in recent decades has been cited by conservationists as a positive environmental development. But the topic remains polarising in areas affected by these apex predators.

Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings has a new venture that veers off-piste from the world of television and film: a ski resort high above Utah’s Ogden Valley. Powder Mountain, which boasts 3,237 skiable hectares across 54 trails, will officially open a public outdoor museum in 2026. Here, Hastings tells us more.

What was it about buying a ski resort that appealed to you?
Skiing in Utah is unparalleled because the slopes are so pristine. The light from the Great Salt Lake bounces off the snow. Even Powder Mountain’s structure is unique. You have to drive up to the top first; when you ski down, you get incredible views of the whole Salt Lake basin. It’s a place of joy for me. I worked at Netflix for 25 years and this is a real change of pace.

How has Powder Mountain changed the way that you measure your ambitions?
It’s very important to keep track of all the stats and numbers but not to be limited by them. There’s always so much beyond those metrics. When it comes to the mountain, it’s all about customer satisfaction and delivering what people expect but there’s also value in the things that you can’t measure traditionally, such as sparking wonder and offering beautiful scenery and encounters that you can’t get anywhere else.

Where did the idea of a ‘skiable art museum’ come from?
I love that it is catching on. There has truly never been anything like it. Though other resorts might have some small artistic touches or outdoor parks, there’s usually nothing for when you’ve stopped or when you’re on the lifts. The idea stemmed from that. We knew that the pieces had to be large and able to hold their own in a harsh climate – we get about 10 metres of snow a year. One of our first pieces was “Apani” by James Turrell, which explores how our perceptions can be dampened by an “unstructured field”, in the same way that snow can cause unusual visual patterns or hallucinations, commonly known as snow blindness. It really puts into question the way that you view your surroundings. Art pairs well with this location: observing the natural art of the mountains alongside the human art of our installations.

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Straight off the stage, Monocle’s fashion director, Natalie Theodosi, speaks to winning designers from the UK Fashion Awards 2024, including Chopova Lowena, Stephen Jones and Simone Rocha, as well as photographer Tyler Mitchell. Listen to the podcast.