• China’s Ganfeng to develop major lithium project in Argentina with Swiss partner
• Beijing summons Japanese diplomat over ‘Taiwan and Chinese citizens’ safety’
• PLA ‘warns off’ US ship near Scarborough Shoal, China property woes: SCMP daily highlights
• Mainland China tutorial centre undeterred by warning over Hong Kong school programmes
• Unlike the US, China is not trying to shut out the future
• Chinese scientists build largest array of atoms for quantum computing in the world
• Founder of China’s Unitree sees lack of advanced AI as biggest roadblock to mass robot use
• China wife asks mother-in-law to reimburse her after paying hospital bills for ailing husband
• China boosts hybrid crop development speed by 400% with world-first robotic breeding plant
• Chinese leasing firms incur huge losses after aircraft detained in Russia
• Tencent’s 2nd-quarter sales, profit top forecasts as AI gives China’s tech giant a leg up
• China bans agencies and individuals from dealing with 2 EU banks
• Chinese tourists flock to artificial wave pool, raising safety concerns
• 4 years after Evergrande crash, Chinese families are still stuck in ‘broken houses’
• China cuts ties with Czech president over Petr Pavel’s birthday visit to Dalai Lama
• China’s super steel for nuclear fusion, new ‘Darwin Monkey’ computer: 7 science highlights
• China ‘life loser’ transforms life in 1,000 days through intense training, gains online fame
• Chinese military ‘warns off’ US destroyer from South China Sea’s Scarborough Shoal
• South Korea, Vietnam join forces amid US-China rivalry, pledge US$150 billion in trade
• China’s ‘durian diplomacy’ expands with Cambodia’s first direct air shipments of fruit
• Foreign firms created 25% of emissions from all companies in China over 20 years: study
• Hong Kong exporters ‘relieved’ over extended US-China truce, but worries linger
• Collision between Chinese ships expected to escalate tension in South China Sea
• China seeks to bolster demand by subsidising interest costs on consumer loans
• Chinese military researchers seek to draw electronic warfare lessons from Ukraine jamming

China’s Ganfeng to develop major lithium project in Argentina with Swiss partner

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/money-wealth/article/3321780/chinas-ganfeng-develop-major-lithium-project-argentina-swiss-partner?utm_source=rss_feed

A Chinese mining giant and a Swiss-based lithium producer agreed on Tuesday to develop one of South America’s largest projects to extract lithium from saline water, intensifying the race for metals vital to electric vehicles and renewable energy storage.

China’s Ganfeng Lithium will join with Lithium Argentina, based in Zug, Switzerland, to merge three neighbouring brine deposits in Argentina’s Salta province into a single operation.

“This alliance will provide access to advanced technologies, greater financial flexibility and significant operational synergies,” Lithium Argentina president and chief executive Sam Pigott said in a statement. He added that it would strengthen the company’s global lithium supply chain strategy.

The announcement comes as CATL, the world’s largest battery maker, shut its Jianxiawo mine in China on Monday after its permit expired. The mine, the biggest in the lithium hub of Yichun, produces about 6 per cent of global supply. The closure pushed up international prices for the mineral used in batteries, easing concerns over a supply glut.

The venture in Argentina aims to produce the equivalent of 150,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate a year, a standard measure used to compare different forms of the mineral.

Ganfeng is China’s largest lithium producer, while Lithium Argentina specialises in high-altitude brine extraction in the nation’s northwest.

Under the agreement, Ganfeng will hold 67 per cent of the new company and Lithium Argentina 33 per cent, based on resource contributions, capital and technology.

The project, known as PPG, will be developed in three phases of 50,000 tonnes each. It will use a hybrid method combining solar evaporation and direct lithium extraction to speed output and reduce water use.

A feasibility study is expected by the end of this year. It will form part of the companies’ application in the first half of next year for Argentina’s Incentive Regime for Large Investments, a new programme offering tax breaks, trade benefits and 30 years of legal stability for major projects in such sectors as mining.

The US$1.8 billion already invested covers wells, pilot evaporation ponds, production facilities and worker camps for more than 2,000 people at the Pozuelos, Pastos Grandes and Sal de la Puna salt flats.

Ganfeng will provide Lithium Argentina with a US$130 million loan over six years, at an interest rate linked to a US market benchmark plus 2.5 per cent. The loan will be secured against Lithium Argentina’s stake, and Ganfeng will also be able to purchase up to half of the company’s share of initial output, capped at 6,000 tonnes a year, at market prices.

The two companies are not strangers to each other and already operate the Cauchari – Olaroz mine in Jujuy province, a partnership with provincial miner JEMSE.

The operation, which began production last year, has a capacity of 40,000 tonnes a year of battery-grade lithium carbonate in its first phase. It uses both solar evaporation and direct lithium extraction and has been promoted by the partners as one of Argentina’s largest and most environmentally conscious brine projects.

The deposits are in the so-called Lithium Triangle, a region covering parts of Argentina, Chile and Bolivia that holds more than half the world’s known lithium resources. The area has drawn intense interest from several governments, carmakers and battery producers seeking secure supply chains for a mineral central to the energy transition.

Beijing summons Japanese diplomat over ‘Taiwan and Chinese citizens’ safety’

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321768/beijing-summons-japanese-diplomat-over-taiwan-and-chinese-citizens-safety?utm_source=rss_feed

Beijing has summoned a senior Japanese diplomat to express concerns over issues such as Taiwan, according to China’s foreign ministry.

On Wednesday, Liu Jinsong, director general of the Department of Asian Affairs, summoned the chief minister of Japan’s embassy in Beijing Akira Yokochi to express “grave concern on issues including history, Taiwan and the safety of Chinese citizens in Japan,” the ministry said, without providing further details.

The summons came in the run-up to a series of commemorations to mark the end of World War II, commonly known in China as the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.

Japan’s wartime atrocities are a long-standing cause of tension between the two countries, while relations have also suffered as a result of rising nationalism and the ongoing territorial dispute over the Diaoyu Islands, known in Japan as the Senkakus.

Last month, the foreign ministry issued another protest after Taiwanese foreign minister Lin Chia-lung made a rare visit to Japan. Beijing described that as sending a “seriously wrong signal” and “providing a platform for his anti-China separatist activities.”

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China that must be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. In common with most countries, Japan does not formally recognise Taiwan as an independent state.

But although Tokyo does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taipei, unofficial ties remain strong.

Last week, Lee Yi-yang, head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan, the island’s de facto embassy, attended commemorative events to mark the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was the first time that a Taiwanese official had attended such events.

Chinese nationals are the biggest group of foreigners living in Japan as well as one of the largest groups of visitors, and Beijing has recently raised concerns about their safety.

Late last month, the Chinese embassy in Tokyo issued a security alert after two Chinese nationals were attacked by four unidentified men with iron bars in the Japanese capital.

The same week, a 19-year-old Chinese visitor suffered minor injuries after being attacked and robbed in Osaka. A Japanese man has been arrested.

Meanwhile, Japan also called on the Chinese authorities to ensure the safety of its citizens after a mother and her child were attacked in the eastern city of Suzhou two weeks ago.

PLA ‘warns off’ US ship near Scarborough Shoal, China property woes: SCMP daily highlights

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3321757/pla-warns-us-ship-near-scarborough-shoal-china-property-woes-scmp-daily-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider .

A US destroyer has entered disputed waters in the South China Sea, less than two days after an apparent collision involving a Chinese coastguard vessel and a PLA Navy ship while the former was pursuing a Philippine coastguard vessel in the area.

Chinese scientists have boosted the speed of new hybrid crop development fivefold with a combined strategy of “robot-friendly” gene editing and artificial intelligence-driven robotics.

China decided on Wednesday to sanction two European banks as a countermeasure against previous financial sanctions from the 27-member bloc.

A study on how satellite systems were blocked at the start of the war highlights “crucial implications” for future warfare.

China’s faltering property sector continues to be a drag on consumption, with much of middle class wealth stored in homes that have not regained value.

Chinese aircraft leasing companies have emerged as the latest victims of the prolonged Ukraine war, after one firm disclosed it had received US$23 million in insurance payouts for three planes detained in Russia and never returned – part of a wave of Chinese assets held in the country in recent years.

Beijing has severed ties with Czech President Petr Pavel following his private visit to congratulate the 14th Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday last month.

Mainland China tutorial centre undeterred by warning over Hong Kong school programmes

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3321762/mainland-china-tutorial-centre-undeterred-warning-over-hong-kong-school-programmes?utm_source=rss_feed

A mainland Chinese tutorial centre has pressed on with promoting a programme costing nearly HK$200,000 (US$25,480) a year that it claims can help pupils attend a Hong Kong subsidised secondary school with accommodation and “intensive training”, despite warnings from authorities, the Post has found.

A Post reporter posing as a parent was sent marketing materials on Wednesday, a day after Hong Kong’s Education Bureau demanded a report from Caritas St Joseph Secondary School over joint promotion efforts with the New Oriental centre.

A consultant from the mainland-based tutorial centre sent a brochure for its “Bauhinia ThriveCamp Programme” featuring a large section dedicated to introducing the secondary school in Tsing Yi.

The subsidised school is among the few in the city that provide student accommodation. According to the bureau, the school offers free tuition from Form One to Six.

The agent said New Oriental would arrange “targeted training” for students who signed up for the programme to help them secure a place in Hong Kong secondary schools.

He placed particular emphasis on Caritas St Joseph Secondary School, which he said provided accommodation, adding that students had a higher chance of being admitted there.

“Many students have successfully signed up for the programme and will start studying at the school in September,” the agent said, noting that the school would take about two weeks to make an offer after the application was sent.

According to the brochure, students under the two-year programme will attend the Tsing Yi school.

New Oriental, meanwhile, would offer “intensive” after-class tutoring services until 10.30pm. Some of the sessions would be held at the boarding premises offered by the school, while additional classes and mock exams would also be arranged on Saturdays, according to the brochure.

Tuition under the programme costs HK$134,000 per year, in addition to monthly boarding fees of HK$5,800.

The agent said the HK$134,000 was an after-class counselling service fee charged by New Oriental, while Caritas St Joseph Secondary School, as a subsidised school, did not charge for tuition.

He said the operations of the two institutions were independent.

Students would live in boarding facilities provided by Caritas St Joseph Secondary School in Tsing Yi or Wu Kai Sha, while fees for the accommodation would be paid directly to the school.

The brochure highlighted that pupils, after being admitted to the Tsing Yi school, would be eligible to sign up for the Diploma for Secondary Education, the city’s university entrance exams, as day school candidates instead of private ones.

The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority has recently tightened application document requirements for “special entry” private candidates, which are those who sign up for the exams without going to a day school that follows the curriculum.

Such students will need to submit official documents to certify they are studying at a stage equivalent to Form Six, with the authority to consider their applications on a case-by-case basis.

Day school candidates, on the other hand, can easily sign up for the exams with the school as their sponsor.

New Oriental’s programme also appeared to be designed to answer to the government’s recent policy change, which requires children of non-local talent to stay in Hong Kong for at least two years to become eligible for student benefits at publicly funded tertiary education institutions.

The change was made as part of efforts to prevent abuse.

The Education Bureau on Wednesday reiterated that it was very concerned by the programme and had immediately requested the school and its sponsoring body to submit a detailed report.

It said subsidised schools were not allowed to cooperate with a third party to provide on-campus courses that charged a fee to students or teachers, unless the bureau had given its approval.

Education authorities recently launched a crackdown on institutions collaborating with third-party agencies to help students from outside the city qualify for subsidised university programmes, with the government suspending the registration of two private institutions.

The Post has reached out to Caritas St Joseph Secondary School, Caritas Hong Kong, the Catholic diocese of Hong Kong and the Education Bureau for comment.

Both the school and the tutoring centre earlier denied they had collaborated with each other in operations or student recruitment.

“Our school treats all applications for admission equally and conducts assessments and interviews in accordance with established procedures. No preferential treatment is granted to applicants recommended or referred by any institution,” Caritas St Joseph Secondary School said on Monday.

New Oriental also said it had no commercial relations with the institution and that it recommended students to various schools.

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Unlike the US, China is not trying to shut out the future

https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3321569/unlike-us-china-not-trying-shut-out-future?utm_source=rss_feed

In their op-ed in The New York Times, economists David Autor and Gordon Hanson – whose work first defined the “China Shock” – warn of a new wave of disruption, one they label “China Shock 2.0”, this time driven not by textiles or toys, but by electric vehicles (EVs), clean energy, artificial intelligence and biotechnology. The fear is that China is no longer merely catching up but is poised to overtake in sectors that once defined Western leadership.

Yet the term “China Shock 2.0” practically begs misinterpretation. Both authors clearly understand this: they speak against the reflexive protectionism that such a framing inspires and posit instead a forward-facing ideal of careful investment and subsidy.

It must be stressed that today’s changes are not a repeat of past disruptions. They are not about factory closures or lost jobs; they are about the construction of entirely new systems and industries. China is not here as a destabiliser, but as a builder.

Today’s shift, the China Shock 2.0, is better termed a future shock. And it is led by capital-intensive, hi-tech industries: EVs, solar power, wind turbines, batteries, smart grids and artificial intelligence. These sectors are not driven by low wages but by scale, supply chain integration and a relentless push for innovation driven by a series of world-leading institutions that only seem to be strengthening because of a switch away from state-led subsidies to a greater emphasis on market discipline and research-driven innovation.

If the 19th century belonged to steam and the United Kingdom, and the 20th century to silicon and the United States, then the 21st century will belong to those who lead the green transition. China is doing just that. The benefits are being felt worldwide. In 2023 alone, China installed more solar capacity than the entire rest of the world combined: 1.6 times as much. It had nearly double the rest of the world’s wind installations and is driving down clean energy costs worldwide.

The cost of solar panels has dropped from 24 US cents per watt of capacity in 2023 to just 11 US cents in 2024. China is not so much supporting the green transition as underwriting it.

Old industries are not being displaced so much as new ones being created, and the global benefits are already visible. In developing countries, clean energy installations are reaching places where traditional grids never did. In parts of Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America, solar microgrids, battery systems and electric mobility are leapfrogging legacy systems. These are first-time deployments that bring modern infrastructure to communities long left behind.

Yet it is this very capacity – this speed, efficiency and reach – that raises hackles. The temptation is to respond with tariffs and protectionism. But the lesson from history, including Autor and Hanson’s own work, is that such strategies often fail.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the US auto industry faced competition from Japan. Tariffs and export restrictions offered temporary relief, but they could not mask deeper structural weaknesses. Today, foreign-owned automakers dominate most vehicle segments in the US, while domestically owned companies have retreated into the tariff-protected light truck and SUV categories.

The case of Harley-Davidson is even starker: a 1983 tariff on imported heavyweight motorcycles and unwillingness to diversify led to a reliance on a narrow cohort of ageing riders. Today, it faces a declining customer base and a dated product line.

Instead of resisting change, it’s best to choose to shape it. Following the 1985 Plaza Accord, Japan responded to US pressure by investing directly in American factories. Today, China is pursuing a similar path, not to circumvent and upend markets, but to participate in them. An “in the world, for the world” strategy locates production in partner countries, transferring know-how and aligning with local development goals, offering jobs to local workers and revenue to local governments.

For example, Changan Automobile’s “hai na bai chuan” (“the sea embraces all rivers”) strategy involves the construction of 20 factories overseas. Xpeng has launched localised EV production in Indonesia. BYD has begun assembling electric vehicles in Brazil at a factory once owned by Ford. Huawei and Chery have partnered to create a new electric vehicle brand with over 10 billion yuan (US$1.4 billion) in integrated research and development and production capacity.

China is not bypassing global rules or local partners. Instead, it is investing in shared growth and long-term collaboration.

Indeed, China is increasingly playing a stabilising role in the global system as others retreat. As the United States withdraws from liberal internationalism and scales back support for multilateral institutions and public goods, China is filling critical gaps. From supporting regional forums such as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) and contributing about 15.25 per cent of the United Nations budget, to pledging US$500 million over five years to support the World Health Organization, China has consistently chosen to remain engaged.

China has implemented a zero-tariff regime for goods from 53 developing countries. Its visa-free entry policy now covers over 75 nations. China is pursuing membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which the US withdrew from in 2017. China is also participating in global standard-setting, including AI governance frameworks, research collaboration and other win-win projects. Far from pulling back, it is investing in a world that remains open, networked and shared.

The real shock is not China’s ascent. It is how quickly the future is already being assembled. The only mistake now would be trying to shut it out, rather than choosing to be part of it.

Chinese scientists build largest array of atoms for quantum computing in the world

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3321697/chinese-scientists-build-largest-array-atoms-quantum-computing-world?utm_source=rss_feed

A team led by renowned Chinese physicist Pan Jianwei has built a key component for an atom-based quantum computer, raising hopes it could be scaled up to an array using tens of thousands of the tiny building blocks.

The approach taken by Pan and his team from the University of Science and Technology of China overcomes a major hurdle to atom-based quantum computing, according to a paper published last week in the peer-reviewed Physical Review Letters.

The researchers designed an artificial intelligence system capable of arranging more than 2,000 rubidium atoms – each serving as a qubit, the two-state basic unit of quantum computing – into perfect patterns in a mere 60,000th of a second, it said.

The milestone array was hailed by the paper’s reviewers as “a significant leap forward in computational efficiency and experimental feasibility within atom-related quantum physics”, according to a press release on the university’s website.

Three main ways to build a quantum computer have emerged since the concept was first envisioned in the 1980s, with the atom-based approach considered especially promising.

Unlike the alternatives, which use superconducting circuits or trapped ions as qubits, neutral atoms are more stable and easier to control in large numbers. However, atom-based systems have so far been limited to arrays of just a few hundred.

In an atom-based quantum computer, the atoms are held in place by focused laser beams called optical tweezers, which manipulate their energy levels and link them to perform calculations.

Until now, the atoms have been moved into precise positions one by one – a slow and challenging task which becomes more time-consuming as their number grows and has severely limited the size of working arrays.

Working with colleagues from the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Pan’s team has developed an AI system that operates in real time to shift every atom in the array simultaneously.

Using a high-speed spatial light modulator, the scientists shaped laser beams to trap and rearrange the atoms into two- and three-dimensional patterns, creating a perfect array of 2,024 rubidium atoms in just 60 milliseconds.

Crucially, the time taken to rearrange the atoms remained the same, no matter how big the array became, indicating that the method could potentially scale up to huge numbers, according to the paper.

The set-up also achieved world-class accuracy, performing single-qubit operations with 99.97 per cent accuracy and two-qubit operations with 99.5 per cent accuracy. The system was also able to detect the state of qubits with an accuracy of 99.92 per cent, it said.

While the results were on a par with the best that have been recorded by leading institutions such as Harvard University, there were still some limits to the new system, the researchers said.

In their 3D set-ups, they could only move atoms within the same layer – shifting them up or down risked losing them. The size of the array was also capped because of limitations in the power and precision of the devices used to shape the laser beams.

The next step for the research community is to develop stronger lasers and faster, more precise light modulators, the scientists said. The ability to perfectly arrange tens of thousands of atoms could one day lead to a truly reliable quantum computer, they added.

Founder of China’s Unitree sees lack of advanced AI as biggest roadblock to mass robot use

https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3321713/founder-chinas-unitree-sees-lack-advanced-ai-biggest-roadblock-mass-robot-use?utm_source=rss_feed

The biggest obstacle to the mass deployment of robots is the lack of advanced artificial intelligence, according to Wang Xingxing, founder of China’s leading robotics company Unitree.

Robotic AI had not reached a critical threshold necessary for widespread adoption, Wang said in an interview published on Wednesday by the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party. He reiterated his earlier assertion that the “ChatGPT moment” for the robotics industry had yet to arrive.

“This is a common challenge worldwide, and many people are working to overcome it,” he said. “But breakthroughs can happen at any time … issues that currently seem insurmountable could be suddenly resolved in the future.”

Wang’s remarks come as China’s robotics sector – an area also known as embodied intelligence – is gaining momentum, attracting interest from the government, various industries and the public.

Unitree garnered national attention after its humanoid robots gave a dance performance during state broadcaster China Central Television’s annual Lunar New Year’s Eve gala. Weeks later, Wang became the youngest entrepreneur to join Chinese President Xi Jinping’s high-profile business symposium in February.

Wang, 35, said the heightened attention was beneficial for the entire industry, adding that Unitree and other robotics businesses performed well in the first half of the year.

He expressed surprise at the rapid advancements in robotics AI. “I cannot believe robots are already engaged in boxing matches,” Wang said. “I expected it would take at least a year or two, but it happened in just a few months.”

Wang predicted significant progress within three to five years, though he cautioned that it may take longer for robots to enter households because of ethical and safety concerns. “In the long run, the surge of humanoid robots this year could be just a small spark, akin to the birth of the internet many years ago,” he said.

Wang noted that as a major exporter, China had manufacturing advantages in the field of humanoid robots, but a shortage of AI talent could be a limitation. Still, the competitive pricing of Chinese robots could facilitate large-scale applications in the future, he said.

At the World Robot Conference in Beijing last week, Wang said the “ChatGPT moment” for robotics could arrive in as little as two years, as advances in AI-powered robots enabled them to work in locations they had never visited before.

However, ethical and safety considerations might extend this timeline, Wang said in the People’s Daily interview.

He added the Chinese government had been “very supportive” and urged stakeholders to have a more open mindset towards new technologies. “Maintaining an open perspective on the industry’s fluctuations and having confidence in the future is the greatest form of support,” Wang said.

China wife asks mother-in-law to reimburse her after paying hospital bills for ailing husband

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3321060/china-wife-asks-mother-law-reimburse-her-after-paying-hospital-bills-ailing-husband?utm_source=rss_feed

A woman in eastern China who complained about her daughter-in-law wanting to split the medical bill after her son suffered a heart attack has gone viral on mainland social media.

The mother-in-law, surnamed Zhou, from Jiangsu province, shared her family’s story online in April, reigniting a heated discussion about going Dutch.

She said her son and daughter-in-law have been married for 18 years and have always split the bills.

Zhou said she had supported their lifestyle until the beginning of this year when her son developed heart disease and was hospitalised.

When her son was undergoing surgery, her daughter-in-law used his bank card to pay the hospital bill.

Zhou said she then received a message from her daughter-in-law which read: “There is not enough balance on his card. I have paid for him. Please remind him to reimburse me as quickly as possible.”

Zhou said she was confused and disappointed and felt as if cold water had been thrown on her.

“At this critical moment when life is at risk, is it still necessary to follow such a calculating lifestyle?” wrote Zhou in her viral post.

“They are forming a family, not a company. I hope they can find a better way of getting along in the future. I hope they can keep their own independence but are willing to conquer difficulties side by side and protect the other party at any cost,” she added.

The story captivated mainland social media amid the backdrop that more Chinese couples are opting to split the cost of things.

In early August, a hashtag of “Do you accept the husband and wife split their bills” was viewed 5 million times online, with public opinion sharply divided on the topic.

“I do not support this financial arrangement. It means they do not trust each other and there is no true love between them. There is a high possibility of being separated in the future,” one online observer said.

However, another disagreed: “It is fine if they discuss the issue and reach an agreement. They will feel comfortable with an arrangement by which both of them make contributions to the family and no one gains an advantage.”

China boosts hybrid crop development speed by 400% with world-first robotic breeding plant

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3321657/china-boosts-hybrid-crop-development-speed-400-world-first-robotic-breeding-plant?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese scientists have boosted the speed of new hybrid crop development fivefold with a combined strategy of “robot-friendly” gene editing and artificial intelligence-driven robotics.

Using gene editing to generate plants with parts that were more accessible for robots, the researchers enabled the breeding of new plant generations much more quickly than using manual methods.

The team’s combined biotechnology, AI and robotics strategy was used to create an intelligent breeding factory that allowed for the development of new hybrid varieties with desirable traits – such as better flavour and resistance to stress and disease – in just a year, whereas it could take five years in the past. It will also reduce costly human labour.

“The integration of AI technologies is revolutionising agricultural systems, with robotics finding expanding applications in precision agriculture,” the team said in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell on Monday.

While AI-driven robots have been employed for field cultivation, weeding, pesticide spraying, disease monitoring and harvesting, the use of robots to automate plant breeding has faced limitations.

Some plants have flowers with protruding stigmas, the female reproductive part of a flower that collects pollen.

Many hybrid crops have recessed or covered stigmas as a result of domestication, making it necessary to use pollinators or manual labour to open the stigma and complete pollination.

Manual labour is also used to perform emasculation, or the removal of pollen-producing parts to prevent self-pollination, which can reduce genetic diversity.

In China, manual plant emasculation and pollination alone account for over 25 per cent of the cost of hybrid breeding. The cost of manual labour is significant for speciality crops such as tomatoes, where most commercial seeds used are hybrids, the team said.

One way to overcome this barrier to automation is to create male-sterile plant lines, which do not produce viable pollen, with exserted – or protruding – stigmas.

Using gene editing, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Tsinghua University engineered stigma-exserted, “robot-friendly” male sterile tomato lines.

Their gene editing techniques were also used to generate similar soybean lines, another cultivated plant with a tight floral structure preventing access for pollination.

“By integrating this with deep learning and AI robotics, we developed a bespoke robot that automates cross-pollination, thereby overcoming the key bottleneck in hybrid breeding and seed production,” the team said.

The robot is the world’s first intelligent breeding robot capable of autonomous patrolling and cross-pollination, according to an article published by the academy.

The team developed a deep neural network model to train their GEAIR (genome editing with artificial intelligence-based robot) to detect which flowers it needed to fertilise.

Using thousands of images for training, their model achieved an 85 per cent detection accuracy for pollination-ready flowers. Once the robot detects the flowers, it is able to estimate the 3D location of the stigma and execute pollination.

The pollination of a single flower takes around 15 seconds, which is three times faster than manual pollination.

They tested the efficiency of their robot within a commercial tomato production greenhouse and found that the robotic cross-pollination achieved a pollination success rate of around 78 per cent, compared with about 92 per cent for manual operations.

“Despite the lower success rate here, GEIAR’s ability to perform routine, continuous and automated pollination surpasses human capabilities in efficiency and consistency,” the researchers said.

Commercial plant breeding can lead to the loss of genetic diversity over time. Restoring genetic diversity and introducing desirable traits often involves the time-consuming process of crossbreeding with related wild species.

De novo domestication, or the rapid modification of wild species to develop new varieties, can be combined with speed breeding methods to yield several plant generations within a year if optimised.

This has proved difficult for hybrid breeding, as insect pollinators have trouble navigating under the LED lighting used to control light conditions, while manual pollination is costly.

The team applied their robotic system to wild tomato species, enabling the turnover of five generations per year. This process resulted in a parental line with saline-alkali tolerance and a richer flavour, which can be used to develop high-value crop varieties.

The team’s intelligent breeding process was able to shorten the breeding and utilisation of wild species for new hybrid breeding from “five years to just one year”, according to the article.

“This validates that integrating GEAIR, de novo domestication and speed breeding holds potential for accelerating superior variety development with reduced resource inputs within confined spaces,” the team wrote.

“It serves as a model for how biotechnology can be exploited to rapidly design and create AI-friendly crop traits tailored to the needs of precision agriculture.”

Chinese leasing firms incur huge losses after aircraft detained in Russia

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3321724/chinese-leasing-firms-incur-huge-losses-after-aircraft-detained-russia?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese aircraft leasing companies have emerged as the latest victims of the prolonged Ukraine war, after one firm disclosed it had received US$23 million in insurance payouts for three planes detained in Russia and never returned – part of a wave of Chinese assets held in the country in recent years.

AVMAX, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Guangdong-based Shanhe Intelligent, had leased the aircraft to Russian clients under three contracts, according to a stock exchange filing released this week.

The planes were turboprop-powered airliners developed by De Havilland Canada – a subsidiary of Canadian airline manufacturer Bombardier – and leased to Russian airliners Yakutia Airlines and Aurora JSC, according to the announcement. Two of the contracts had already expired last year.

Since the Ukraine war broke out in February 2022, AVMAX has made multiple attempts to recover the leased aircraft amid Western sanctions on the Russian aviation sector. “Despite ongoing negotiations and recovery efforts, the company has been unable to successfully reclaim the affected planes,” it said.

AVMAX’s situation is not an isolated case. A Zhejiang-based company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Airwork, also had six Boeing 757 freighter aircraft detained in Russia after it demanded the termination of leasing contracts and the return of its planes in 2022.

Airwork incurred losses totalling hundreds of millions of dollars after recovering just one aircraft. This forced the company to write off the value of the remaining assets and pursue protracted insurance litigation.

A few other Chinese leasing firms – including Bank of China Aviation and China Development Bank Financial Leasing – have also reported huge losses and received insurance compensation after being unable to recover some of their planes in Russia since 2022, according to public filings.

Such disputes have not been confined to aviation.

A wave of seizures occurred last year along the China-Europe Railway Express – a flagship project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative – after Moscow banned a series of goods from transiting through Russia in October. The restrictions focused on dual-use items such as mechanical and electronic products that could potentially be repurposed by Western forces in Ukraine.

The new rules affected thousands of containers shipped from China to Europe via the vast rail link. About 80,000 twenty-foot equivalent units of goods per month pass along the railway, which cuts through Russia on its way to the European market.

Many China-based freight companies only heard about the rule change weeks after Russian authorities had already impounded large amounts of their cargo.

At least 1,000 containers were seized at the time, with some of the detained cargo later confiscated by Russian authorities without legitimate proceedings, according to freight forwarders.

That has resulted in a significant decline in the total volume of cargo passing along the railway. In the first half of the year, the volume of Europe-bound containers declined by 20.3 per cent compared to the same time last year, according to data from China Railway Container Transport Corp.

Trade relations between China and Russia have seen significant growth in recent years despite fluctuations, as Western sanctions on Russia have pushed it closer to its neighbour to the south.

Still, many Chinese companies have painful memories of dealing with Russian partners, said Wang Yiwei, a professor at the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China.

“Chinese companies traditionally maintained limited economic cooperation with Russia, preferring Western market economies with established legal systems,” he said.

“Russia’s economic mindset differs markedly from market economy principles.”

Tencent’s 2nd-quarter sales, profit top forecasts as AI gives China’s tech giant a leg up

https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3321738/tencents-2nd-quarter-sales-profit-top-forecasts-ai-gives-chinas-tech-giant-leg?utm_source=rss_feed

Tencent Holdings’ second-quarter earnings beat analysts’ forecasts, as revenue from artificial intelligence (AI) boosted the bottom line of the world’s largest games publisher and China’s dominant super app operator.

Net profit rose 16 per cent to 56 billion yuan (US$7.81 billion) in the three months that ended in June, according to global accounting standards. Sales increased for the 11th quarter, jumping 15 per cent to 184.5 billion yuan and beating the consensus estimate of 19 analysts in a Bloomberg survey.

The Shenzhen-based company, one of China’s largest technology behemoths, was able to grow its sales and profitability because “we invested in, and also benefited from, utilising AI”, Tencent said in its earnings press release on Wednesday.

Shares of the company increased 4.7 per cent amid a rising market in Hong Kong to close at HK$586 before Tencent’s results were announced. The stock has gained 40.5 per cent this year.

The company said that its revenues from “marketing services” increased 20 per cent to 35.8 billion yuan for the second quarter “primarily due to AI-driven improvements to our advertising platform and enhancements to the Weixin transaction ecosystem.”

Sales from Tencent’s fintech and business services segment increased 10 per cent from last year to 55.5 billion yuan during the quarter, due to “increased enterprise customer demand for AI-related services, including GPU rental and API token usage”, the company said.

Games continued to be a major earnings contributor during the quarter, with domestic sales rising 17 per cent to 40.4 billion yuan due to evergreen blockbuster titles such as Honour of Kings and Peacekeeper Elite. Overseas games revenue surged 35 per cent to 18.8 billion yuan on the popularity of PUBG Mobile as well as the newly released Dune: Awakening game.

Bolstered by strong revenue and earnings, Tencent has boosted its capital spending. Its capital expenditure more than doubled to 19.1 billion yuan in the quarter, in a sign of aggressive investments in AI.

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China bans agencies and individuals from dealing with 2 EU banks

https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3321683/china-bans-agencies-and-individuals-dealing-2-eu-banks?utm_source=rss_feed

China decided on Wednesday to sanction two European banks as a countermeasure against previous financial sanctions from the 27-member bloc.

The Ministry of Commerce will ban Chinese agencies and individuals from doing business with UAB Urbo Bankas and AB Mano Bankas, according to its online statement.

The two banks are both from Lithuania, a country that has been one of Beijing’s most vociferous critics in Europe and was previously targeted by economic sanctions from Beijing after seeking to build close ties with Taiwan.

The measure, taking effect immediately, will prohibit Chinese entities and individuals from engaging in any transactions, cooperation, or other activities with the two banks, the ministry said.

Last month, in its latest package of measures designed to hobble Russia’s war machine, the EU announced sanctions on two small Chinese banks from cities close to China’s border with Russia: Suifenhe Rural Commercial Bank and Heihe Rural Commercial Bank. The measure – prohibiting EU operators from making transactions with the two banks – went into effect on August 9.

The Chinese banks have been accused of facilitating the exchange of digital assets that are “significantly frustrating” EU sanctions. Beijing responded by calling on the bloc to “immediately cease its wrong practice”.

China’s countermeasure on Wednesday is designed to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests, and in accordance with the country’s Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law and other relevant legal provisions, the commerce ministry said in a separate statement.

“China urges the EU to cherish the long-standing and sound economic, trade, and financial cooperation between China and the EU and its member states, rectify its wrongdoings, and immediately cease actions that harm China’s interests and undermine China-EU collaboration,” it added.

Beijing had lobbied intensely behind the scenes to get its two banks removed from the EU’s sanctions list. During a meeting last month with the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned her “three or four times” that there would be a response to the banks’ inclusion, according to sources familiar with the exchange.

While Beijing has failed in stopping the banks from being blacklisted, it appears to have been successful in watering down the terms. According to two diplomatic sources, there was a commitment from the European Commission to review the lenders’ listings in six months. Should the banks prove that they have stopped enabling support for the Russian military, they could be taken off the list.

Olof Gill, a spokesperson for the European Commission, told the Post on Wednesday that “the EU has already been engaging constructively with China on the issue of the sanctioned Chinese entities.”

“The EU is open to identifying a mutually acceptable solution that could ultimately lead to the delisting of the [Chinese and European] banks,” he said.

Beijing communicated to the bloc on Tuesday that it intended to impose countermeasures, Gill said. The EU will study these measures in detail once formally received before deciding on any additional next steps, he added.

The relationship between China and the EU has been fraught in recent years, despite continuous dialogue as both sides seek to avoid a full-blown trade war being waged by US President Donald Trump.

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war continues to be a major sticking point for Brussels, with Beijing perceived as too close to Moscow in European policymaking circles.

Meanwhile, the EU has accused China of exporting industrial overcapacity, deliberately flooding its markets with subsidised products – especially in tent-pole sectors like electric vehicles – and Brussels says this action distorts trade and threatens local businesses.

Little has been seen in the way of improvement, even as top leaders from both sides met in Beijing last month, holding a summit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Wang Yiwei, a professor at Renmin University’s School of International Studies, said China-EU relations remain far from normalised, still complicated by several lingering disputes, including Ukraine.

The countermeasures issued Wednesday adhere to the principle of reciprocity, while the choice of target also serves as a political warning, Wang said, as Lithuania has “persistently challenged” the one-China principle.

“It is a warning against other EU countries that may also violate the one-China principle or attempt to drag China into the Ukraine issue as a scapegoat. These measures are intended to deter and counteract such provocations.”

Chinese tourists flock to artificial wave pool, raising safety concerns

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3321696/chinese-tourists-flock-artificial-wave-pool-raising-safety-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed

Hundreds of visitors flocked to an artificial wave pool in northern China to beat the heat, sparking safety concerns online.

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4 years after Evergrande crash, Chinese families are still stuck in ‘broken houses’

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3321715/4-years-after-evergrande-crash-chinese-families-are-still-stuck-broken-houses?utm_source=rss_feed

Rebecca Wei’s new home still looks like a construction site. The road running up to the high-rise housing complex in the central Chinese city of Luoyang is unfinished, dissolving into gravel before reaching the front gate.

Wei’s apartment itself is little more than a shell. The floors are bare cement. There is no permanent water or electricity supply, and the building does not comply with Chinese fire safety regulations.

“The developer delivered the property without even meeting the basic inspection standards, essentially saying, ‘Take it or leave it,’” Wei told the Post.

Wei is one of millions of Chinese homebuyers who are still living in the shadow of property giant China Evergrande Group’s collapse four years ago, which triggered a US$300 billion debt crisis that shook China’s housing market to its foundations.

Facing a liquidity crunch, developers froze construction on housing projects across the country, leaving buyers like Wei – who had often prepaid for their homes – stranded and facing severe financial losses.

Many are still waiting for their homes to be completed to this day. Others, including Wei, have finally moved into their flats, only to find the developers had cut corners and delivered properties in a “barely liveable” condition.

Meanwhile, property prices and new home sales continue to fall in dozens of Chinese cities, taking a toll on household finances and acting as a drag on consumption and economic growth.

Wei and her partner bought an apartment in Evergrande’s Yunhu Shangyuan estate in Luoyang in 2019, when China’s housing boom was at its peak. The small, fully furnished home cost the couple 830,000 yuan (US$115,600).

But the following year, the Chinese government stepped up its efforts to rein in spiralling debt levels in the property sector, imposing “three red lines” that were designed to prevent developers from taking on excessive leverage.

Evergrande soon faced a liquidity crisis. In 2021, the company defaulted on several bond payments and halted construction on millions of apartments, sparking an industry-wide domino effect that dragged a string of other developers into financial trouble.

Wei was left in a dire situation. She was now making mortgage payments on an unfinished home – a major burden for the young mother, who makes a living working at a milk tea store and internet cafe – without knowing whether the property would ever be delivered.

Together with other affected homebuyers, Wei spent months tirelessly petitioning the authorities to help ensure their homes were completed. They received some relief when Beijing launched a “guaranteed delivery campaign” to get stalled apartment projects back on track and stabilise the market.

But when the developer finally handed over her apartment earlier this year, Wei was shocked by the poor condition in which it was delivered.

The home not only lacks furniture, fittings and a proper water and electricity supply; it also came without a legal property deed due to its non-compliance with safety standards. That means Wei cannot legally sell the property or receive proper compensation in the event of a forced demolition.

Still, Wei decided to move into the home with her 4-year-old son in March. After an exhausting four-year struggle, she felt she had no other choice.

“Those of us with urgent housing needs have been worn down to the point of having no fight left,” Wei said. “For ordinary people, we can’t stop working and living our lives – we just can’t afford to spend all our time on this.”

After she moved in, Wei posted a video to Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, showing the condition of her new home. It quickly racked up more than 1,000 likes and hundreds of comments, many of them from homebuyers who are still waiting for their own unfinished apartments to be delivered.

“We just hope that the water, electricity and fire safety can be normalised as soon as possible, and that the road can be properly built,” Wei said. “As for the so-called fully furnished condition, we no longer hold any expectations.”

For the Chinese government, dealing with the fallout from the Evergrande crisis remains a daunting challenge.

The guaranteed delivery campaign led to the completion of more than 6 million homes between 2022 and last year, but it now appears to be slowing down. Just over 500,000 flats were delivered in the first half of 2025.

Evergrande is set to be delisted from Hong Kong’s stock market on August 25, with trading on its shares already suspended since January 2024.

Meanwhile, the property sector’s contribution to China’s economic growth, fiscal revenues and household wealth has plunged after years of double-digit falls in land sales and property prices.

Tang Yue, a tea merchant from China’s southern Guangdong province, invested 1.33 million yuan on two Evergrande flats in the city of Qingyuan in 2018 and 2019. “Everyone thought housing prices would only go up” at the time, he recalled.

Now, the properties were worth about 47 per cent less, he estimated. Worse, he might struggle to sell the flats at all, as demand from buyers remained so low. “The project is now a ‘ghost town’, with less than 20 per cent occupancy,” he lamented.

Though there have been tentative signs of a recovery in demand in some parts of the property market – such as Shanghai’s luxury sector – many Chinese households remain reluctant to pour their savings into buying a property, as so many did before the crisis.

“Even if we have extra money in the future, we absolutely won’t touch the real estate market,” Wei said. “The value of even well-built houses in the market is dropping now, let alone our stalled property. For now, we’ll just live in this broken house as it is.”

Daisy Huang, a 28-year-old worker at a foreign trade company in Shanghai, said she also had no interest in investing in the property market.

“I’m lucky because my parents bought me a house,” Huang said. “But even if I didn’t have this one, I wouldn’t buy a new one. The pressure of a mortgage is too great, and the future is full of uncertainty.

“I have a friend who recently bought a house in Suzhou, Jiangsu. Just two days after the purchase, the price dropped by around 50,000 yuan,” she added.

China cuts ties with Czech president over Petr Pavel’s birthday visit to Dalai Lama

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321694/china-cuts-ties-czech-president-over-petr-pavels-birthday-visit-dalai-lama?utm_source=rss_feed

Beijing has severed ties with Czech President Petr Pavel following his private visit to congratulate the 14th Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday last month.

The meeting on July 27 “seriously contravenes the political commitment made by the Czech Republic government to the Chinese government, and harms China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian in a statement issued on Tuesday.

He said China “strongly deplores and firmly opposes” the meeting and that Beijing had lodged serious protests with the Czech side.

“In light of the severity of Pavel’s provocative action, China [has decided] to cease all engagement with him.”

Pavel’s spokesman Filip Platos told Czech News Agency (CTK) last month: “On return from a working visit to Japan, the president took the opportunity to detach himself from the delegation to personally congratulate the Dalai Lama”.

The meeting marks the first time a sitting Czech president has met the Dalai Lama during his stay in India. Shortly after the meeting, the Chinese embassy in the Czech Republic said it “resolutely opposed” Pavel’s meeting and urged the Czech side to “abide by its one-China political commitment” and maintain healthy and stable relations.

The Dalai Lama first visited Prague in February 1990 shortly after the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia and developed close ties with the late Czech president Václav Havel.

Beijing views the Dalai Lama as a “separatist” and accuses him of inciting unrest in Tibet – particularly in the 1980s and during the 2008 protests – charges he denies.

The Czech presidential office has not immediately responded to Beijing’s announcement that it was severing ties.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted a recent downturn in bilateral relations between China and the Czech Republic in February during a meeting with his Czech counterpart in Munich, Germany. He called it “an outcome China finds regrettable”.

Wang said he hoped the Czech side would adopt a “correct understanding of China” and “take concrete steps” to rebuild mutual trust.

“The key lies in respecting China’s core interests, particularly the adherence to the one-China principle, which safeguards the political foundation of bilateral ties and enables the relationship to return to a healthy and stable trajectory at an early date,” he said.

The Dalai Lama has always been a sensitive issue for China, and this is not the first time a controversy around him has drawn fierce backlash from Beijing.

In July, senior Indian minister Kiren Rijiju stated that only the Dalai Lama and his established institution had the authority to decide his successor as the Tibetan spiritual leader.

The remarks, together with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sending birthday greetings to the Dalai Lama on social media days later, drew criticism from China twice within a week. Beijing lodged a formal protest and urged India to stop interfering in what it said were China’s domestic affairs.

The Chinese government says the reincarnation of Tibetan Buddhist leaders, including the Dalai Lama, must adhere to Chinese law and be approved by central authorities.

“The Dalai Lama’s reincarnation must follow the principles of domestic recognition, the ‘golden urn’ process, and approval by the central government, in line with religious traditions and laws,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in July.

China’s super steel for nuclear fusion, new ‘Darwin Monkey’ computer: 7 science highlights

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3321515/chinas-super-steel-nuclear-fusion-new-darwin-monkey-computer-7-science-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed

We have put together stories from our coverage on science from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider .

Chinese scientists have detailed how they created CHSN01 (China high-strength low-temperature steel No 1), deployed it this year in the construction of world’s first fusion nuclear power generation reactor and put China in a leading position in materials science.

Chinese scientists have developed an advanced electronic warfare technique that can create a zone of electromagnetic calm, similar to the eye of a storm at the heart of an intense signal jamming environment. This groundbreaking innovation could allow Chinese military forces to disable enemy communications and navigation systems while protecting their own troops and allied networks from collateral disruption.

Chinese engineers have unveiled the world’s first brain-like computer made up of more than 2 billion artificial neurons. The neuron count of the “Darwin Monkey” approaches that of a macaque and could be used to advance human brain-inspired artificial intelligence (AI), according to its developers at Zhejiang University.

Chinese engineers have unveiled the world’s first brain-like computer made up of more than 2 billion artificial neurons. The neuron count of the “Darwin Monkey” approaches that of a macaque and could be used to advance human brain-inspired artificial intelligence (AI), according to its developers at Zhejiang University.

As China scrambles to build massive internet networks in space to rival Starlink, a growing divide is quietly emerging on the ground between national priorities and local ambition. The country appears to be fast-tracking the roll-out of Guo Wang, a state-run 13,000-satellite constellation slated for completion within a decade, tightening control over launch resources and leaving other projects in limbo.

Researchers in China say they have recreated the elusive “meteorite diamond” in a laboratory – settling six decades of debate about the material’s existence. The first hexagonal-structured diamond was discovered in 1967 within the Canyon Diablo meteorite that hit Arizona 49,000 years ago. It was widely believed to have formed from graphite under the intense heat and pressure generated by its impact with Earth.

A group of Chinese scientists has overcome a challenge that stumped biologists for decades by developing a new gene-editing tool that can precisely manipulate millions of base pairs – the building blocks of DNA.

China ‘life loser’ transforms life in 1,000 days through intense training, gains online fame

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3320147/china-life-loser-transforms-life-1000-days-through-intense-training-gains-online-fame?utm_source=rss_feed

A self-described “life loser” from eastern China has turned his situation around by following a superhero workout from a Japanese manga for 1,000 days.

Li Shuangyong, from Shandong province, who is known online as Tangzhu, has attracted more than one million followers on mainland social media.

According to Jiupai News, Li was born into a rural family.

At 36, his fish farming business collapsed, leaving him in debt and ending his marriage.

He called himself a “life loser” and said he spent his days feeling lost and aimless.

During that low point, Li came across the hit Japanese manga “One-Punch Man”, which inspired him.

Its hero, Saitama, is a broke, bald guy in a shabby flat, nothing like a typical superhero.

He does not fight for glory or revenge. He just wants to be a hero, so he trains like one.

Saitama’s routine is simple but intense: 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats and a 10-kilometre run every day.

After three years, he becomes strong enough to defeat any monster with a single punch.

Li decided to follow the same plan: “I had to save myself. I could not keep living like that. It could not get any worse.”

Starting on August 24, 2021, he trained for 1,000 days.

His biggest challenge was money. Li said he ran in shoes that cost less than 10 yuan (US$1.40) and lived on eggs and instant noodles.

Li filmed his progress and shared it online, quickly building a large following and attracting sponsors.

Supporters sent him running shoes and supplements.

A fan group in Taiwan even live-streamed his runs on a campus screen and trained with him remotely.

He also met his girlfriend during a marathon, a younger woman who encouraged and supported him throughout the journey.

On July 19, Li finished his 1,000-day challenge. He had run more than 20,000km and completed more than a million repetitions of various exercises.

His body went from frail to strong, and his mindset shifted to one of confidence and optimism.

He credited his persistence to staying focused on success and said he tried to “amplify hope without limits”.

To mark the final day, Li shaved his head and dressed as Saitama, calling it a tribute to the manga hero.

ONE, the creator of One-Punch Man, praised him on X, writing: “Your willpower is incredible! Congratulations.”

Li said the 1,000-day challenge was just the beginning.

Next, he plans to go for a Guinness World Record by running a marathon every day for a full year.

One online observer said: “I cannot believe he turned an anime workout into real life. That takes insane discipline.”

“Li’s determination is inspiring, but most people should stick to more balanced, science-backed fitness and nutrition plans,” said another.

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Chinese military ‘warns off’ US destroyer from South China Sea’s Scarborough Shoal

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3321669/chinese-military-warns-us-destroyer-south-china-seas-scarborough-shoal?utm_source=rss_feed

A US destroyer has entered disputed waters in the South China Sea, less than two days after an apparent collision involving a Chinese coastguard vessel and a PLA Navy ship while the former was pursuing a Philippine coastguard vessel in the area.

The People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command said on Wednesday that the USS Higgins destroyer, type DDG-76, had “illegally entered China’s territorial waters around Huangyan Island without the approval of the Chinese government”.

The PLA Navy “has tracked, monitored, and warned the vessel to leave”, the Southern Theatre Command said in a statement.

It also criticised the US military for “seriously violating China’s sovereignty and security, undermining peace and stability in the South China Sea, and violating international law and basic norms of international relations”.

The US destroyer entered the disputed waters near Scarborough Shoal, known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines or Huangyan Island in China, where the collision on Monday is said to have occurred.

Manila claimed that a Chinese coastguard vessel sustained severe damage to its bow after colliding with a larger PLA ship the Guilin, a Type 052D guided-missile destroyer, while chasing a Philippine coastguard ship.

China has yet to confirm the collision. On Monday, Chinese coastguard spokesman Gan Yu mentioned only a move to expel the Philippine vessel.

China had taken necessary measures, including tracking, monitoring, intercepting and blocking, he said, adding that the actions were “professional, standardised, legitimate and legal”.

South Korea, Vietnam join forces amid US-China rivalry, pledge US$150 billion in trade

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321662/south-korea-vietnam-join-forces-amid-us-china-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed

Vietnamese leader To Lam’s state visit to South Korea this week has offered a first glimpse into President Lee Jae-myung’s new foreign policy direction for Southeast Asia, as both countries seek to navigate US-China rivalry and Washington’s economic upheaval.

The four-day visit began on Monday, with the two leaders pledging to deepen economic cooperation and expand bilateral trade to US$150 billion by 2030, a big boost from the current US$86.8 billion.

Lee noted that South Korea had invested heavily in Vietnam’s economic growth over the years, with about 10,000 Korean companies now operating in the Southeast Asian nation.

These companies not only contributed to economic development but fostered “mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries”, Lee said in a televised address, stressing that developing the semiconductor industry would be a joint priority.

Lam, the general secretary of Vietnam’s Communist Party, led a high-level delegation to Seoul including ministers of industry, trade, foreign affairs and technology. He called on Seoul to continue nurturing Vietnamese talent in advanced fields such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology and shipbuilding.

The visit yielded 10 memorandums of understanding, spanning cooperation in nuclear and renewable energy, financial policy, and scientific innovation, according to Lee’s office.

The summit heralded the “beginning of the Lee administration’s Asean policy”, said Lee Jae-hyon, principal research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul who specialises in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

“What really matters for strategic cooperation between the two countries is how to deal with superpower competition, the potential China threat and the weakening commitment of the US to the region and tariff imposition,” he told This Week in Asia.

Washington recently imposed a 15 per cent tariff on South Korean goods and a 20 per cent levy on Vietnamese exports, injecting fresh urgency into the region’s search for economic security.

Vietnam – already South Korea’s third-largest trading partner with US$86.7 billion in two-year trade last year – lays at the heart of Seoul’s strategy to reinforce its economic resilience. The Southeast Asian nation is also a major recipient of Korean investment, with an estimated US$92.5 billion invested over the years.

A deepening of defence cooperation is also on the cards, according to Lee, the researcher.

The two countries could explore deeper military ties and expand arms sales, particularly as Vietnam looks to diversify its defence suppliers, said Huynh Tam Sang, a lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Hanoi was keen to “strengthen defence-industrial collaboration with like-minded partners amid growing geopolitical uncertainty,” Huynh said.

“But such efforts would require careful calibration, as the new administration in Seoul has little interest in provoking Beijing and Hanoi remains cautious about any move that could undermine its relations with its northern neighbour.”

South Korea’s new president has pledged closer economic cooperation with China, in contrast to his conservative predecessor, the disgraced former leader Yoon Suk-yeol.

Vietnam, meanwhile, is renowned for its “bamboo diplomacy” – a delicate balancing act that seeks both engagement with Beijing and resistance towards its actions, particularly in the contested South China Sea.

Hanoi has been seeking to reduce its dependence on Russian arms in recent years, turning increasingly to Israel, South Korea and the United States for military procurement.

On Tuesday, South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back and his Vietnamese counterpart, Phan Van Giang, pledged to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in defence and the arms industry, with plans reportedly under way to revise existing agreements and potentially finalise a US$300 million deal to export Korean K9 self-propelled howitzers to Vietnam.

Huynh urged both sides to develop an “actionable road map for cooperation” with clearly defined outcomes. “Leveraging each side’s strengths and addressing existing challenges should remain priorities in the coming time,” he said.

A technology transfer agreement enabling Vietnam to manufacture Korean howitzers and related equipment was still pending, noted Carlyle Thayer, a Southeast Asia specialist and emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales, Canberra.

Thayer emphasised the growing role of science and technology in the bilateral partnership, with South Korean firms encouraged to invest in hi-tech sectors, digital industries, renewable energy and smart cities.

“The joint declaration mentioned that South Korea and Vietnam would expand cooperation in maritime security and training, demining operations, UN peacekeeping and information on strategic issues of shared concern,” Thayer added.

One thing is for sure: this week’s summit sets the stage for a deeper, more resilient partnership – one that will be closely watched in capitals across Asia and beyond.

Additional reporting by Reuters

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China’s ‘durian diplomacy’ expands with Cambodia’s first direct air shipments of fruit

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3321602/chinas-durian-diplomacy-expands-cambodias-first-direct-air-shipments-fruit?utm_source=rss_feed

The first Cambodian durians arrived in China’s central province of Henan by air over the weekend, marking the official launch of a direct air corridor for fresh fruit between the two nations.

The two-tonne shipment was transported using cold chain logistics in just four hours, allowing Chinese consumers to enjoy the fruit as if it were freshly harvested, according to a statement released Monday on the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia’s official WeChat account.

Durian is now the fifth fresh fruit approved for direct supply from Cambodia to the Chinese market – after bananas, mangoes, longans and coconuts – highlighting the growing agricultural trade and improved customs efficiency between the two countries, the statement said.

According to data from the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, durians are grown across more than 11,000 hectares, with annual output in the country exceeding 120,000 tonnes, the statement added.

Known for its distinctive odour and thorny rind, durians are indigenous to Southeast Asia. China has emerged as the world’s largest consumer market for the delicacy, with a premium 3-kilogram fruit priced at about 150 yuan (US$21) in urban supermarkets.

Since 2002, China has opened its market to more countries exporting the fruit, a move widely referred to as “durian diplomacy”. The growing appetite of Chinese consumers has spurred the trend, as well as Beijing’s efforts to deepen ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) amid US trade tensions.

Still, some industry insiders remain cautious about the commercial competitiveness of Cambodian durians.

“Its production is too small to compete with Thailand or Vietnam. This is more of a friendly diplomatic gesture,” said Huang Dapeng, a fruit importer from Zhejiang Province.

“The price and supply offer no real advantage, so I have no plan to import for now.”

Thailand and Vietnam dominate China’s durian supply, with Vietnam’s share rising since 2022. China also sources the fruit from Malaysia, Cambodia and the Philippines.

However, after the boom of the past two years, China’s durian imports have fallen in 2025. In the first six months of the year, official customs data shows imports decreased by nearly 15 per cent year on year to 708,190 tonnes, with Vietnam posting the sharpest decline.

Industry insiders link the drop to stricter Chinese customs inspections after heavy metals such as cadmium and alkaline yellow were detected in durians from Thailand and Vietnam.

“The peak season for Vietnamese durian imports will come in the next three months, and we hope import volumes will rebound,” said Wang Zhengbo, a durian trader from southeast China’s Guangxi.

However, prices are unlikely to return to 2023–2024 highs due to ample supply, Wang added.

Middle-class Chinese consumers are also becoming more cautious about buying imported fruits.

“I enjoy trying different imported fruits, but recently, due to my reduced income, I have indeed reduced the frequency of my purchases,” said Su Yu, a Japanese translator based in Guangzhou.

Foreign firms created 25% of emissions from all companies in China over 20 years: study

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3321564/foreign-firms-created-25-emissions-all-companies-china-over-20-years-study?utm_source=rss_feed

Carbon emissions generated by foreign firms accounted for about a quarter of the total from all companies in China in the two decades from 1997, according to a new study.

It also found that foreign companies produced more than half of their total carbon emissions in China’s less-developed inland areas in the 15 years up to 2012. Yet these regions were not seeing as much economic benefit from foreign investment as the coastal areas.

“The eastern coastal region gained more economic benefits, while the central and western inland regions bore heavier environmental pressures,” the lead institute of the study, the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, said in a statement.

“This raises new issues for scientific assessments of carbon emission responsibilities for foreign-owned enterprises,” it added.

The study was conducted by researchers from the academy, as well as Nanjing University, University College London and the University of Birmingham. They published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications last month.

“MNEs [multinational enterprises] represent a non-negligible yet frequently overlooked factor in shaping carbon inequality,” the researchers said.

“They exacerbated China’s escalating carbon inequality between 1997 and 2012 but subsequently reduced it by 2017.”

The study found that from 1997 to 2012, inland regions contributed less than 30 per cent of the economic value added by MNEs but were responsible for more than 50 per cent of MNE-related carbon emissions.

“This imbalance exacerbated regional inequality during this period,” the paper said. “A pivotal change occurred over 2012 to 2017 as MNEs increasingly relocated inland and expanded their presence in clean technology-intensive industries, significantly reducing regional inequality.”

The study found that CO2 emissions generated by foreign companies grew 266 per cent from 1997 to 2017 – going from 744 million tonnes to 2.721 billion tonnes.

The emissions came from the production and supply of electricity, gas and water, as well as the processing of metals and fabricated metal products, transport, storage and post, and mining and extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas.

The CO2 emissions “[aligned] with their contribution to value-added creation”, according to the paper.

China is the second-largest host country of foreign direct investment inflows and this has boosted economic growth including through new production activities and technology transfers.

“Investments from MNEs in China demonstrated a consistent upward trajectory from 1997 to 2017, significantly contributing to the country’s explosive economic growth and increased CO2 emissions, particularly since China’s entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001,” the team wrote.

They said the economic value added by MNEs grew from around 1.6 trillion yuan in 1997 to almost 22 trillion yuan in 2017, with annual growth of up to 14 per cent.

“Despite certain fluctuations over the 20 years, MNEs consistently contributed a significant proportion of China’s national value-added, underscoring their enduring and substantial influence in China’s economy,” they said, with the figure standing at more than a quarter of national economic value added after China joined the WTO.

Comparing different regions of the country, the team found unequal value-added and CO2 emissions.

Eastern China – in a favourable location, with preferential policy support, a robust business environment and well-established industrial systems – gained around 70 per cent of China’s total economic value added by MNEs while being responsible for around 50 per cent of the total emissions.

On the other hand, inland provinces in central and western China, far from the coast, had less than 30 per cent of the total economic value added by MNEs but were responsible for more than 50 per cent of their total emissions.

“Due to constraints such as high transportation costs, limited industrial foundation, and suboptimal policies, these provinces were not focal points for MNEs, leading to low direct contributions,” the paper said.

“However, these provinces played a crucial role as essential suppliers of natural resources and upstream intermediate inputs which are more carbon-intensive. This enabled them to emit substantial indirect CO2 for MNEs located in eastern provinces through interregional industrial linkages.”

In the decade from 2007, MNE contributions to local economic value added rose in most central and western provinces, with notable increases in southwestern regions like Sichuan, Chongqing and Guizhou as more foreign direct investment moved inland.

“As industries matured, policies became more refined, and transportation infrastructure improved, a growing number of central and western provinces actively engaged in MNE-related activities,” the researchers said.

First author of the study Tian Kailan, an associate professor at the CAS Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, noted the challenges of global industrial chain restructuring.

Given this, he said it was important to guide foreign firms, advanced tech and labour-intensive industries towards the central and western regions.

“We should break down regional barriers and build a unified national market to foster cross-regional flow of foreign investment,” he said in the statement.

In the paper, the team urged inland provinces to “improve their governance practices to cultivate a favourable business environment and augment incentives such as fiscal and taxation support to attract foreign investors”.

Nationwide, it said foreign companies might shift investment and their headquarters out of China due to “rising labour costs, geopolitical uncertainties, and concerns about the health of China’s economy”.

To prevent an “excessive exodus” and lure more foreign investment, they called for stronger political and economic ties with the United States, Europe and other countries.

Hong Kong exporters ‘relieved’ over extended US-China truce, but worries linger

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3321631/hong-kong-exporters-relieved-over-extended-us-china-truce-worries-linger?utm_source=rss_feed

Hong Kong exporters have expressed relief after a 90-day extension to a trade tariff truce between China and the US, with worries easing over potentially affected shipments bound for the world’s largest consumer market ahead of the major Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons.

But while the move provides a reprieve from the trade dispute escalating, it has not alleviated lingering uncertainties that have dampened business confidence, according to the city’s trade representatives and observers. Some companies have expanded operations to Africa and South America to reshape global supply networks.

Kennedy Wong Ying-ho, a lawmaker and honorary president of the Hong Kong Chinese Importers’ and Exporters’ Association, said the truce gave manufacturers and exporters enough time to prepare for the Thanksgiving and Christmas rush.

“I believe exporters and manufacturers will breathe a sigh of relief,” Wong said. “The year-end peak for exports will basically remain unaffected because [more expensive] flights will need to be taken if goods cannot be shipped before October.”

He added that despite the reprieve, he expected exports to decline slightly in August, following surges in May and June when companies rushed shipments before the previous 90-day truce ended in July.

He said he believed a rebound was likely to occur in September, which was a critical month for shipments by sea to North America.

However, uncertainty was prompting a strategic shift among businesses and manufacturers to seek out alternative markets in high-growth developing economies such as Asean and Africa, Wong added.

The government has attributed Hong Kong’s 3.1 per cent gross domestic product growth in the second quarter this year partly to a strong export performance.

The sustained export growth, which saw a year-on-year rise of 11.9 per cent in June and a 12.5 per cent increase for the first half the year, was partly driven by demand from mainland China and other Asian markets, while trade with Western economies, including the United States and the European Union, fell.

The recent US-China trade tariff truce was brokered after a series of negotiations held between officials in Geneva and Stockholm.

But lingering uncertainties have affected the finances of Hong Kong’s exporters.

Eric Sun Yung-tson, chairman of the Hong Kong Exporters’ Association and managing director of kitchenware manufacturer Kinox, said some of his US clients who had placed numerous orders before the initial tariffs were applied were now holding back, leading to a recent slowdown in business.

“They have begun to delay payments,” Sun said.

He added that the unpredictability and uncertainty over trade policy had significantly dampened business confidence.

Even though US businesses accounted for about 15 per cent of his company’s total revenues, with American clients known for their generous orders and quick payments, Sun said the volatile climate had already prompted his firm to mitigate risks by diversifying markets, and he himself had not attended US product expos for two years.

Alvin Ng, a partner and regional head of the supply chain and operations officers practice in Asia Pacific at consultancy Heidrick & Struggles, said that some Hong Kong companies had moved past a “wait-and-see mindset”, taking proactive steps to expand operations well beyond Asia.

This involved reaching West Asia, including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, African countries Egypt, Ethiopia and Kenya, and Latin America’s Mexico, Chile and Honduras, for better risk diversification, Ng said.

“These markets combine cost advantages with growing infrastructure, offering greater insulation from regional shocks and providing stronger proximity advantages for the target consumer markets they serve,” Ng added.

“Under the Trump 2.0 era, even bolder decisions such as exiting the US market, have been considered.”

That said, entering a new market needed a long-term view as infrastructure, regulatory hurdles, financial systems and talent pipelines require time and investment, he noted.

“It can take five to 10 years before profitability becomes clear,” Ng said.

Collision between Chinese ships expected to escalate tension in South China Sea

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321617/collision-between-chinese-ships-expected-escalate-tension-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed

More tension is expected in the South China Sea following a collision between two Chinese vessels, with analysts predicting the incident was likely to prompt Beijing to further increase its presence in the contested waterway.

Experts also warned that the incident could push China to enhance coordination between its navy and coastguard to prevent similar accidents in future.

On Monday, Manila claimed that a China Coast Guard vessel sustained severe damage to its bow after colliding with a larger People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy ship the Guilin, a Type 052D guided-missile destroyer, while chasing a Philippine coastguard ship.

The incident occurred in contested waters near Scarborough Shoal, known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines or Huangyan Island in China.

China has yet to confirm the collision. Gan Yu, the coastguard spokesman, only mentioned a move to expel the Philippine vessel on Monday, saying China had taken “necessary” measures – including tracking, monitoring, intercepting and blocking – and describing its actions as “professional, standardised, legitimate and legal”.

He said the coastguard would continue its law enforcement activities to “safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests”.

Chester Cabalza, founder and president of International Development and Security Cooperation, a Manila-based think tank, said China was likely to push for a greater maritime presence in the region to project power.

“China will try to redeem its image at sea to show they have grit in the world, and that it still possesses the largest naval armada and coastguard fleet,” he said.

He added that the South China Sea would be a setting for “security anxieties” as China’s navy and coastguard were expected to “coalesce to correct” their navigational “error and failure” in the waterway.

That view was echoed by Collin Koh, a senior fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, who said the region needed to prepare for increased tension.

“Beijing will not roll back; in fact, [it] may strengthen its posture in the area. Because when a collision like that happens, then you suddenly see yourself rolling back, what signal are you sending to your rivals in the South China Sea,” he said.

“So I [don’t] think Beijing wants to send that signal...potentially, it means more tensions in the area”.

Koh predicted that China might expand its voyages to nearly all the contested areas it deems crucial, including Second Thomas Shoal and Sabina Shoal , as a show of strength to Manila after the collision.

Scarborough Shoal is claimed by both countries but is controlled by Beijing. It is among the most hotly contested maritime features in the South China Sea and has been the subject of an increasing number of clashes between Chinese and Philippine coastguard vessels.

The triangular-shaped feature, consisting of a handful of rocks and reefs, falls within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile (370km) exclusive economic zone, while China has claimed it as part of the Zhongsha Islands, taking de facto control in 2012.

Tensions over the shoal and other contested features in the South China Sea have become more frequent. From 2021 to August 2024, at least seven collision incidents involving Chinese coastguards and either the Philippine coastguards or supply vessels have been documented.

After Monday’s incident, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said he would “never instruct any of our vessels to back out”.

“We will continue to be present. We will continue to defend our territory. We will continue to exercise our sovereign rights. And, despite any opposition from anyone, we will continue to do that as we have done in the past three years,” he said.

However, according to Koh, even though Manila was actively portraying the collision as a success for the Philippines, it would not look to make any further assertive moves to anger Beijing.

Since May, Manila has been engaged in the Kadiwa initiative to encourage fishing near Scarborough Shoal, and provides necessary supplies, such as fuel.

“For capacity reasons and mostly political reasons, the Philippines will be hamstrung in pushing any further. Assuming that the Philippines managed to muster enough coastguard and naval forces, I don’t think Manila will do anything more than … supporting fishery operations in the area,” Koh said.

Often referred to as “China’s second navy”, the Chinese coastguard is a quasi-military force that has been rapidly expanded in the past decade to become the primary enforcer of what Beijing sees as its marine rights in disputed areas.

Its navy – typically operating larger ships – focuses on security surveillance and is rarely engaged in directly handling marine disputes to avoid escalation.

Ding Duo, an associate research fellow at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said the reported collision exposed “a lack of coordination” between the navy and the coastguard and was likely to prompt more drills between them.

“[Therefore], the coordination and cooperation between the navy and coastguard vessels will be strengthened in the foreseeable future. They will improve and enhance on-site dispatching and other aspects,” Ding said.

Ding said that as the Philippines continued its operation in the disputed waters, stand-offs – or even confrontation – between the Philippines and China would continue, despite the accident.

“China will try to avoid collisions, whether it is with Chinese ships or Philippine ships. However, this will not give the Philippines much opportunity to take advantage of the situation. China will pay any price to defend its territorial sovereignty.”

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China seeks to bolster demand by subsidising interest costs on consumer loans

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3321647/china-seeks-bolster-demand-subsidising-interest-costs-consumer-loans?utm_source=rss_feed

China has launched a year-long plan to offer interest subsidies for personal consumer loans as part of Beijing’s broader efforts to unlock household spending power and shore up domestic demand.

Individuals who take out consumer loans for purchases – including single transactions below 50,000 yuan (US$6,958) and higher amounts for purchases in key sectors such as cars and education – will have part of their interest costs covered by the government, according to the plan released on Tuesday by the Ministry of Finance, the People’s Bank of China and the National Financial Regulatory Administration.

The authorities said the plan aims to “better leverage fiscal funds to support and guide consumption, lower the cost of consumer credit for households, and help unlock their spending potential”.

The plan will subsidise one percentage point of the annual interest on loans, capped at half of the contracted loan interest rate. The central government will cover 90 per cent of the subsidy cost, with provincial governments responsible for the remaining 10 per cent.

It will run from September 1 until the end of August next year, and the authorities said they might consider extending or expanding it after assessing its effectiveness.

China’s top leadership has made boosting consumption a top policy priority, with Beijing having already rolled out a 30-point policy package and allocated 300 billion yuan to a consumer goods trade‑in programme.

An official from the Ministry of Finance said in a press briefing on its website that the plan would strengthen coordination between fiscal and financial policies by providing “real cash support” to household consumption and lowering the cost of consumer credit.

“Different from previous interest subsidy policies focused mainly on supporting the investment and supply sides, this new personal consumer loan subsidy targets the demand side, directly benefiting individual consumers … enhancing their sense of well-being and satisfaction,” the official said.

Last week, Chinese authorities announced interest subsidies for businesses in eight consumer service sectors – catering and accommodation, healthcare, elderly care, childcare, domestic services, culture and entertainment, tourism, and sports – in a bid to bolster consumption.

Beijing is eager to boost domestic demand as it navigates external uncertainties exacerbated by US President Donald Trump’s trade policies and also battles persistent deflationary pressure at home.

China’s producer price index, which tracks factory gate prices, fell in July by 3.6 per cent year on year, marking the 34th consecutive month of contraction, while the consumer price index was flat. Consumer goods prices declined by 0.4 per cent from a year earlier, while service prices rose by 0.5 per cent.

Chinese military researchers seek to draw electronic warfare lessons from Ukraine jamming

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3321548/chinese-military-researchers-seek-draw-electronic-warfare-lessons-ukraine-jamming?utm_source=rss_feed

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 satellite navigation signals were one of its first targets.

The jamming started with civilian navigation systems, but within less than two weeks, military bands had been targeted as well. All satellite navigation systems in the war zone, including the US GPS system, the European Union’s Galileo, China’s Beidou and even Russia’s own Glonass, fell victim.

Western powers, led by the United States, immediately launched a counter-jamming mission to stall Russia’s attempts, according to a paper by Chinese scientists.

While this did not receive a great amount of coverage at the time, some analysts have described it as the first major bout of electronic warfare between major military powers.

It also presented a golden opportunity for Chinese observers, particularly given that Beidou was among the systems affected.

Electronic warfare has emerged increasingly as a decisive factor in modern military conflicts, as demonstrated in the latest air battle between India and Pakistan, where China’s relatively untested J-10 downed at least one French Rafale fighter jet. The electronic guidance system, powered by Beidou, was believed to be the key,according to some Chinese defence technology analysts.

Even though Beijing has not been directly involved in the Ukraine war, a study of Russia’s electronic warfare tactics and subsequent American countermeasures offers “crucial implications for addressing challenges in future wars”, according to Chinese researchers who closely studied the case.

When the war first started, only civilian satellite guidance systems were jammed, but as the Russian invasion ran into stiff resistance, the jamming grew stronger, wrote Xu Ying, a professor of Geodesy and Geomatics at the Shandong University of Science and Technology.

In the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, for instance, Russian jamming between February 24 and March 2 was only detected on civilian frequency bands from the four main global satellite navigation systems – BeiDou, GPS, Galileo and Glonass system, Xu and her team of researchers found.

But after March 2, Russia expanded the coverage to all frequencies.

“Early-stage jamming featured precise, short bursts against civilian GNSS [Global Navigation Satellite System] signals,” wrote Xu’s team, which also included researchers from the People’s Liberation Army Space Engineering University and the Beijing Institute of Tracking and Telecommunications Technology, as well as Xu’s university.

“Later stages shifted to full-spectrum, short-duration attacks across all four systems, occasionally escalating into intense, sustained interference.”

However, European and American signals suffered twice as much interference as BeiDou, according to the study, which was published last month in the Journal of Projectiles, Rockets, Missiles and Guidance.

BeiDou is the world’s largest navigation network and has both civilian and military bands. The latter, known as B3 was jammed after March 2, 2022, according to the researchers.

Why Russia jammed that frequency remains unclear. The South China Morning Post has reached out to the defence ministries of both Russia and China for comment.

It was not clear whether Ukraine’s military had been using the BeiDou service or if it had access to its military-grade system.

Despite its close ties to Moscow, China has said it is neutral in the conflict and insists it is not arming either side.

No Chinese weapons have been found in the war zone, although both sides use China-made civilian drones or components, and Beijing has imposed export restrictions on dual-use technologies.

The study did not say if or how the BeiDou system had countered the Russian jamming. But it detailed American tactics, saying that when US military bands were hit, GPS satellites boosted power over the war zone allowing Ukrainian missiles to bypass Russian jamming.

Data used in their analysis came from International GNSS Service stations in Ukraine and Russia.

Jamming activities also followed the progress of the war closely. In Kyiv, there was heavy early jamming that spiked when Russian troops withdrew on March 25.

Then it spiked again as high-ranking US officials visited Ukraine in late April and more aid for electronic defences arrived.

However, the study also said Russian forces had jammed more than their Ukrainian counterparts, adding: “Ukraine lacked air power, lacked precision strikes. It had less need for jamming.”

The paper added that “power boosts matched US military moves” as GPS signals over the war zone strengthened.

It said the jamming had not broken any BeiDou satellites and that all four systems had continued to work for users outside Ukraine.

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