• Can China and India give small Indian Ocean region nations what they really need?
• China targets ‘industries of the future’ in 2024, humanoid robots and biomedicines to drive high-quality economic growth
• Ice-breaking direct US-China military talks a ‘good step’ but serious disputes remain
• China to cut back access to court rulings, sparking concerns about judicial transparency
• China cracks down on fentanyl as drug control talks with US restart after Xi-Biden summit
• China’s home-grown C919, ARJ21 aircraft need more support, manufacturer says, as Boeing 787 Dreamliner returns
• China’s yuan stability pressure creates ‘limited space’ for economic policy moves, risks in turning on money tap
• Chinese university faces backlash after notice mandating students to donate blood but school denies, saying rule targets party members
• Learning from polar bears, China’s aerogel fibre weaves a way for ultra-thin winter clothing
• China’s Shenzhou 17 crew repairs solar panels outside Tiangong station in space first
• China’s air quality worsened this year for the first time in a decade
• [World] China: Outrage over doctor punching patient during surgery
• China to tighten controls on video gaming industry, prompting sell-off in Tencent and NetEase shares
• Mainland China allows Taiwan grouper fish imports to resume just weeks before island’s elections
• ‘My car is like a tractor’: China buyers pay US$3,200 for fake Porsche full of problems like faulty handbrakes, noisy engines causing much hilarity online
• Beijing flexes its muscles in South China Sea, cold spell hits Hong Kong, how to survive Christmas: SCMP’s 7 highlights of the week
• China-US relations: can people-to-people cooperation resume if Trump decree still stymies student exchanges?
• To shoot or not to shoot: Chinese-developed ‘golden veil’ could make deadly missiles look like passenger planes
• Disabled China boy, 12, abandoned as baby, faces another tragic loss after death of adoptive father, garners public sympathy and help in time of need
• South China Sea: Marcos shrugs off Beijing’s warning, says Philippines will assert maritime rights
• Amid US-China rivalry, Vietnam’s sweet spot diplomacy is a master class
• Ending long freeze, top Pentagon general talks to Chinese counterpart
• China and Russia vow to press on with plans for wide-bodied passenger jet and Arctic shipping route

Can China and India give small Indian Ocean region nations what they really need?

https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3245781/can-china-and-india-give-small-indian-ocean-region-nations-what-they-really-need?utm_source=rss_feed

The Indian Ocean has been receiving considerable attention recently, with a conclave of naval chiefs of littoral nations meeting in Bangkok under the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium banner. The symposium is an Indian initiative begun in 2008 and seeks to further maritime cooperation among the regional navies of the Indian Ocean.

Earlier, China convened a maritime conference in Kunming to enhance blue-economy cooperation with select Indian Ocean nations under the theme of “Boosting Sustainable Blue Economy to Build Together a Maritime Community with a Shared Future”. Organised by China’s International Development Cooperation Agency, the geopolitical subtext of the conference was visible in different ways.

The Indian Ocean region was referred to as the “China-Indian Ocean Region”, perhaps to avoid identifying the ocean with India. Furthermore, India was not among the invited nations. This is indicative of the brittleness of the relationship between the two Asian giants.

The agreements arrived at in Kunming are unremarkable and seek to foster greater cooperation between China and the smaller Indian Ocean region littoral nations. Four sub-forums were held to address cooperation in the blue economy, cooperation in maritime disaster prevention and reduction, biodiversity and maritime ecology protection, and sustainable development of the island countries of the Indian Ocean.

The Maldives – an archipelago in the southwestern Indian Ocean with a population of less than 600,000 people and a total land area of less than 300 square kilometres – has emerged from the ranks of smaller islands nations as a symbol of China-India competition in the region. Traditionally seen as benefiting from close cooperation with India, a tightly contested election in September resulted in a China-friendly party taking power in Male.

Hussain Mohamed Latheef, the newly appointed vice-president of the Maldives, was among those invited to Kunming and said, “The president and the government is committed to strengthen the ties with China that have been long-standing and built upon the foundation of mutual respect and shared goals.” He said Beijing had played “a pivotal role” in the development of the island nation in recent decades.

This endorsement of China came after new Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu called for an end to India’s limited military presence in his country. Since gaining independence from Britain in 1965, the Maldives has had a close relationship with India; New Delhi has been a first responder to crises in the Maldives.

Against this backdrop, it is instructive that the Maldives attended the Kunming conference for the first time after the previous government chose not to attend the inaugural edition in 2022. It is also significant that the new Maldives government doesn’t appear to have sent a national security adviser-level representative to the Colombo Security Conclave, which took place at the same time in Port Louis, Mauritius.

The conclave is an Indian Ocean forum that brings together the national security advisers of India, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Mauritius. From an Indian perspective, it is troubling that the Maldives has adopted an anti-India posture, as this could harm Indian security interests.

Chinese forces will not replace Indian troops, Maldives leader says

Given its constrained maritime geography, the geopolitics of the western Pacific and its profile as a major economy dependent on trade and energy flows, China has long resolved to secure access to the Indian Ocean. Its vast trade and energy supplies depend on the stability of its sea lanes. When China became a net importer of energy earlier this century, it voiced its concern about the “Malacca dilemma” and its vulnerability in this maritime domain.

As a result, China has sought to enlarge its regional footprint over the years, with the Gwadar port in Pakistan one of many important investments. In a similar fashion, China-built ports in Sri Lanka and Myanmar are part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative and are also viewed as being encompassed by its “string of pearls” maritime strategy.

China’s naval presence in the Indian Ocean region has grown steadily – from the Chinese navy joining anti-piracy patrols off Somalia in 2009 to being a near-permanent feature of Beijing’s military outreach, which includes its first overseas military base in Djibouti. China is now a credible regional presence whose power is likely to consolidate in ways that will irk India.

Bringing the Maldives into a closer relationship is a major feather in the cap for China, the more so when this has been done at the expense of India.

One tenet of maritime strategy is that distant bases can overcome the constraints of geography and act as launching pads for military initiatives, which can be seen in the investments major powers have made in the oceans of the world over centuries. As such, the strategic significance of certain small island states in the Indian Ocean Region – with their being near critical sea lanes and choke points – is being burnished. The Maldives is now a symbol of China-India competition in the maritime domain.

Pitting major states against each other can benefit small island states, but the real challenge for major powers will be dealing with exigencies that go beyond hard security issues. If global warming leads to rising sea levels, the Maldives could be among the first nations to submerge, creating a new climate refugee crisis. Do Beijing and Delhi have the intent and ability to create an appropriate response?

While China and India remain hostage to their geopolitical insecurities, the maritime domain is fraught with complex challenges that call for collaborative efforts among major powers. Whether the current political leadership can rise to the occasion is debatable.

China targets ‘industries of the future’ in 2024, humanoid robots and biomedicines to drive high-quality economic growth

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3246040/china-targets-industries-future-2024-humanoid-robots-and-biomedicines-drive-high-quality-economic?utm_source=rss_feed

Beijing has set developing “industries of the future” as one of its key missions for the year to come, as it ramps up efforts to explore frontier technologies as a major driving force for China’s economic growth.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said at a meeting on Thursday that it would boost a wide range of tech-heavy sectors from new materials to biomedicines and high-end equipment to press ahead with China’s advanced manufacturing development and ensure high-quality growth.

“An action plan for the development of industries of the future will be introduced,” the ministry said in a statement.

The plan would target sectors including humanoid robots and quantum information, and focus on breakthroughs in key technologies, cultivating products and expanding application scenarios, it added.

With a rapidly ageing population, various Chinese technology firms have announced plans for humanoid robots development and production in the past year, along with supportive policies from local governments.

But there is still considerable progress needed to achieve high volume production and commercial application.

China’s industrial output is expected to increase by 4.3 per cent this year, compared to a 3.6 per cent rise in 2022, the ministry said.

The world’s second-largest economy has struggled to find its footing in the past year, despite Beijing lifting its stringent pandemic controls in January.

China’s ‘involuted’ new-energy industry awash with self-defeating overcapacity

The real estate sector, which was once China’s biggest economic engine and contributed around 25 per cent to the national gross domestic product, has continued to falter, becoming the heaviest drag on the economy despite rounds of policy stimulus.

Beijing has provided substantial support for the new energy sector – represented by photovoltaic and electric vehicle industrial chains – as the new economic drivers.

While the sector did spark an investment spree, which has enabled China to achieve a near monopoly in the global supply chain, overcapacity problems have emerged amid limited domestic demand and rising trade barriers.

At the annual tone-setting central economic work conference earlier this month, China’s top leaders acknowledged that “overcapacity in some industries” was one of the major economic challenges to tackle in 2024.

And on Thursday, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also vowed to “strengthen regulatory guidance for industries with overcapacity”, while “consolidating the leading position in advantageous industries”.

Detailed plans include supporting battery-swapping models for new energy vehicles and promoting a comprehensive electrification of public sector vehicles in pilot areas, as well as strengthening standard guidance and quality supervision in the photovoltaic industry.

It also pledged to promote high-end applications of rare earths, including in aerospace, electronic information and new energy sectors.

Is the EU sharpening its ‘trade weapons’ toward China with carbon import tax?

The meeting set promotion of large-scale applications of 5G technology, strengthening 6G pre-research and accelerating the deployment of intelligent computing facilities as key missions for 2024.

It also vowed to promote low-carbon industrial development and strictly restrict new production capacity in iron and steel, cement and flat glass.

China is grappling with its carbon emission reduction targets and also a new carbon tax implemented by the European Union.

The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which was introduced in a transitional form requiring only reporting from October ahead of a full rollout in 2026, would reduce the price competitiveness of Chinese products imported to the bloc.

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Ice-breaking direct US-China military talks a ‘good step’ but serious disputes remain

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3246066/ice-breaking-direct-us-china-military-talks-good-step-serious-disputes-remain?utm_source=rss_feed

Military talks on Thursday between China and the United States – the highest level in more than a year – were a “good step” towards restoring strained ties, but it remained to be seen what concrete actions would follow, Chinese analysts said.

“It was a significant step towards restoring relations between the two militaries,” said Wu Xinbo, director of the American Studies Centre at Fudan University in Shanghai. The discussions would not resolve “hardcore” geopolitical disagreements over Taiwan and the South China Sea but could help to avoid a crisis, he said.

The US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles “CQ” Brown, talked with China’s General Liu Zhenli for the first time on Thursday via video link. The Chinese defence ministry said Liu, the chief of the Joint Staff Department, had raised those contentious issues, while Washington said they discussed unspecified global and regional security issues.

Taiwan warned PLA is watching after Beijing sends up more satellites

The joint staff chiefs of China and the US last met 17 months ago in July 2022. Their defence ministers, who outrank the joint staff chiefs, last met in November 2022, three months after Nancy Pelosi travelled to Taiwan. Infuriated by the visit, Beijing then halted calls between theatre commanders, as well as defence policy meetings and maritime safety discussions.

Those communication lines were restored after Chinese President Xi Jinping met his counterpart Joe Biden near San Francisco on November 15.

Pelosi, then US speaker of the House, had led a US delegation to Taiwan to show support for the island’s democracy. Beijing described the trip as US support for the Taiwanese independence movement.

On the call on Thursday, Liu put the onus of improving US-China military ties on Washington, saying it was key for the US to “understand China correctly” and respect China’s “core interests and major concerns”, according to the defence ministry.

It quoted Liu as saying that “foreign forces” must not interfere in the issue of Taiwan and that the US should respect Beijing’s territorial claims and sea rights in the South China Sea.

The US statement said Brown had talked of the importance of the two military powers managing competition and keeping dialogue open, including restarting telephone calls between leaders of the US Indo-Pacific Command and China’s Eastern and Southern Theatre Commands.

Beijing rebukes Washington after warning off US warship in South China Sea

Pentagon spokesman Major General Patrick Ryder said on Thursday that he had nothing to announce when asked if the hotline between the US and Chinese militaries would be reactivated.

However, Fudan University’s Wu said: “Resuming military dialogue will not lead to a change on both sides over their positions on the Taiwan Strait or the South China Sea.”

Beijing sees Taiwan as a breakaway province to be united with the mainland, by force if necessary. The US and most other countries do not recognise Taiwan as independent, but Washington opposes any attempt by Beijing to take the island by force.

Washington has supported the Taiwanese government’s participation in international affairs and is required by US law to help arm the island for self-defence.

But Wu said dialogue between theatre commanders could help to prevent a military crisis by allowing US troops to directly and quickly speak to frontline Chinese troops of the Eastern and Southern Theatre Commands.

Taiwan falls within both commands, while the Southern Theatre Command oversees the South China Sea, which Beijing claims most of despite an arbitration ruling in The Hague that invalidated its claims in 2016.

The US and its Asian allies have complained about “dangerous” and “unprofessional” manoeuvres by the People’s Liberation Army including close intercepts in and over the South China Sea. But Admiral John Aquilino, the US Indo-Pacific commander, said on Monday that China had not had a close encounter with US military ships or planes since Biden and Xi’s meeting.

“A good beginning does not necessarily mean [the deal is] half-done,” Zhou Bo, a senior fellow at Tsinghua University’s Centre for International Security and Strategy, said of Brown and Liu’s call.

The call was meaningful because the two counterparts were directly in charge of military actions, the retired PLA senior colonel said. This first meeting between them could help to facilitate communication and avoid misjudgment, Zhou said.

“The actual impact of the talks and the resumption of military dialogue is yet to be very clear,” he said. “Is it old wine in a new bottle or a mixture of old and new wine?”

He said he was unsure of the new developments in maritime safety talks, adding that China and the US still needed to map out the details for the theatre commander talks, such as their geographical scope and the personnel responsible.

“Both sides agree that conflict should not happen but they disagree deeply on what can be done to prevent conflict,” he said.

Sources have told the South China Morning Post that Liu was likely to replace Li Shangfu, who was Chinese defence minister from March until his unexplained dismissal in October.

Liu is ranked behind the defence minister in China’s Central Military Command, the top military decision-making body. Unlike other countries, China’s defence minister is mostly a diplomatic role and has minimal involvement in combat commands.

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China to cut back access to court rulings, sparking concerns about judicial transparency

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3246067/china-cut-back-access-court-rulings-sparking-concerns-about-judicial-transparency?utm_source=rss_feed

China said it would be increasingly selective in sharing court judgments on a public database set up a decade ago, raising concerns about a scaling back in efforts to increase transparency in the country’s judicial system.

The country is also setting up two new archives for court rulings that will offer only limited access or information to the public.

The first is a national court judgments database that only court staff and police can access, which will go online next month.

The second is an archive of legal precedents selected by the Supreme People’s Court. It was set up three months ago, and 2,000 legal precedents have been posted there so far.

Millions of court rulings removed from official Chinese database

The internal court judgment database has raised concerns about whether the country’s courts will stop uploading their decisions to the public database China Judgments Online (CJO), which was set up by former Supreme People’s Court chief justice Zhou Qiang in 2013 in an attempt to promote judicial transparency.

Courts were required to upload rulings to CJO within a week, except those involving state security, minors or other cases the top court deemed to be exceptions.

A document announcing the establishment of the internal archive earlier this month sparked an outcry from legal scholars and practitioners, who expressed worries about the future of CJO and whether court rulings would still be accessible by the public.

Chinese supreme court judge jailed for 12 years for corruption

On Friday, the website of Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily quoted the Supreme People’s Court as saying that the public database would continue to function.

But it said courts had drastically scaled down the number of judgments uploaded in recent years – from 19.2 million in 2020 to 10.4 million in 2022 and just 5.1 million since January this year.

It said the large volume of information online posed a security threat to China.

“The massive amount of information uploaded online contains a large amount of information about the country and society, and it eventually becomes a source of information for different parties,” it said.

According to the top court, some companies have mined the database to extract personal and corporate information, compile the data and sell it for purposes such as helping lenders assess a person’s creditworthiness or even for illegal uses such as blackmail.

The disclosure of personal information had also caused family and business disputes, the court said.

It also said the massive amount of information online had made it difficult for legal practitioners and court staff to search the database because there were discrepancies about rulings by different courts.

It added the new database of legal precedents would function as an “upgraded version” of CJO to provide reference for litigation and rulings.

Chinese man convicted for building bridge ignites public debate over judicial power

The court did not say if the legal precedent database would be open to the public, but it noted it would be accessible by government departments, law schools, researchers and legal practitioners.

The new internal database of court judgments will help the government analyse big data, according to the People’s Daily report.

A total of 143 million judgments from courts around the country are now available on CJO.

The Supreme People’s Court did not mention how many previous rulings had been removed from the public archive.

But overseas observers and human rights groups said rulings with potential to embarrass the party, such as cases involving the crime of “provoking troubles and picking quarrels” for challenging the government, had disappeared from the public archive.

Many jurisdictions, including Australia, Britain, Singapore, the US and Hong Kong, allow public access to court judgments online.

Lao Dongyan, a law professor at Tsinghua University, wrote on the social media platform Weibo that although sharing court rulings might bring about some problems, these should be addressed directly instead of ending the disclosures, which would only undermine the credibility of the judiciary.

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China cracks down on fentanyl as drug control talks with US restart after Xi-Biden summit

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3246063/china-cracks-down-fentanyl-drug-control-talks-us-restart-after-xi-biden-summit?utm_source=rss_feed

China says it is gradually resuming narcotics control talks with the United States and has carried out campaigns against fentanyl production.

Drug control agencies of the two countries had resumed regular contact, in keeping with an agreement reached between the US and Chinese presidents last month, the foreign ministry in Beijing said on Friday.

“Since the Americans have withdrawn their sanctions on relevant Chinese law enforcement departments, China has recently promoted some special operation on fentanyl-type substances and their precursor chemicals,” ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.

The US removed the Chinese Ministry of Public Security’s Institute of Forensic Science from a trade blacklist a day after the November 15 summit between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping outside San Francisco. The institute, comprising a national network of crime labs, was blacklisted in 2020 over China’s alleged human rights violations against the Uygur Muslims and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities.

China uncooperative on fentanyl crisis until body was off blacklist: US official

The lifting of the sanctions came as Xi pledged to crack down on the makers and exporters of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals.

Wang said actions taken by China included cracking down on the smuggling, manufacture, trafficking and abuse of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals, personnel and equipment inspection at key enterprises, rectifying web information on fentanyl sales, and prevention of smuggling and trafficking of relevant chemical substances outside the country.

Fentanyl, an opioid painkiller, has rapidly become the leading cause of drug overdoses in the US, accounting for more than two-thirds of drug-related deaths in the country. China had been considered a primary source of fentanyl until 2019, when it imposed stricter export control of fentanyl-related substances upon a request from the US.

Washington said although the final production capacity of fentanyl had mainly moved to Mexico, the primary materials continued to be sourced from China, and had kept up pressure on Beijing to tighten its control of relevant chemical suppliers.

US-China cooperation on fentanyl and other drug control drives was interrupted in August last year, as Beijing cut off a range of exchanges in retaliation for then US House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

The US had since imposed multiple sanctions against Chinese entities and individuals it accused of being involved in fentanyl trafficking, a charge consistently rejected by China.

But communication has resumed since the presidential summit, the two leaders’ first face-to-face talks in a year.

Wang said Beijing had briefed Washington on progress of the crackdown and taken action to verify case leads as requested by the US side.

“The two sides are maintaining close communication on the establishment of a working group on anti-drug cooperation,” he said.

“The hard-won progress in the resumption of anti-drug cooperation between China and the US should be treasured by both sides. We hope that the Americans will demonstrate sincerity, work with the Chinese side and continue to carry out practical anti-drug cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.”

China’s home-grown C919, ARJ21 aircraft need more support, manufacturer says, as Boeing 787 Dreamliner returns

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3246050/chinas-home-grown-c919-arj21-aircraft-need-more-support-manufacturer-says-boeing-787-dreamliner?utm_source=rss_feed

China’s domestic aircraft manufacturer preceded the arrival of Boeing’s first direct delivery of a 787 Dreamliner to the country since 2019 by calling for more support to boost the market presence of its home-grown airliners at home and abroad.

“China’s home-grown planes are still in the market introduction stage, and we suggest the government increase policy support for their development, which would be centred on purchases and uses of domestically produced aircraft, and research on incentives to airlines and airports,” said Zhou Xinmin, president of the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac).

“Meanwhile, we need to further enhance the aircraft airworthiness certification capabilities, to support domestic-made airliners to go [overseas],” he said at a meeting held by the Civil Aviation Administration of China on Thursday.

Comac designed and manufactured China’s first home-grown narrowbody passenger, the C919, as well as the ARJ21 regional equivalent.

The C919 completed its maiden commercial flight in May, with a third aircraft delivered to China Eastern Airlines earlier this month, although it has yet to enter the international market due to the lack of international airworthiness certification from the United States and Europe.

China is increasing its push for aviation technology self-reliance, but it is hard to challenge the dominance of Airbus and Boeing, which are expanding their Chinese fleets.

Juneyao Airlines, one of China’s largest private airlines, took delivery of its newest widebody 787 Dreamliner from Boeing on Thursday and it landed in Shanghai on Friday afternoon.

China’s long-range widebody airliner, the C929, is still in the initial development stage.

The aircraft was originally a joint project between China and Russia after the two nations first discussed plans to develop a plane in 2017, but Russia was widely believed to have dropped out earlier this year.

A joint communique released on Wednesday by Beijing and Moscow, though, said the two countries had agreed to proactively cooperate on developing a long-range widebody passenger aircraft.

The narrowbody Boeing 737 MAX, which is one of the biggest rivals to the C919, is expected to resume deliveries to China after it received clearance from the aviation regulator earlier this month, according to The Air Current trade publication on Wednesday.

What is China’s C919 passenger jet and can it take on Airbus, Boeing?

Boeing had previously not delivered any of its 737 MAX or Dreamliner aircraft directly from its factories to China since 2019, with the last 787 arriving in 2021 via a US-based leaser to China Southern Airlines.

It set up a joint venture completion-and-delivery centre with Comac in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, in 2018 to meet the growing demand from the Asia-Pacific market, making its first 737 MAX delivery from the facility to Air China in December 2018.

The 737 MAX was grounded worldwide in 2019 following two fatal air crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that occurred less than five months apart, killing 346 people.

And while other countries resumed 737 MAX flights in 2020, China was the last major aviation market to give it the all-clear, and it only returned to service in January.

China’s ARJ21, which has been flying domestically since 2016 and internationally since Comac delivered an aircraft to Indonesia at the end of 2022, had carried 10 million passengers by the end of November, data from CCTV showed.

Comac is also aiming to introduce the ARJ21 to Central Asia via China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, it said during a signing ceremony with the local government in September.

China would need 8,560 new commercial planes until 2042, while its commercial fleet would more than double to nearly 9,600 jets over the next 20 years, accounting for one-fifth of the world’s plane deliveries in the next two decades, according to Boeing’s forecast in September.

China’s yuan stability pressure creates ‘limited space’ for economic policy moves, risks in turning on money tap

https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3246035/chinas-yuan-stability-pressure-creates-limited-space-economic-policy-moves-risks-turning-money-tap?utm_source=rss_feed

Excess yuan volatility against the US dollar could influence China’s ability to ease monetary policy in the coming months amid growing pressure on economic growth.

The world’s second-largest economy is expected to meet its growth economic target of “around 5 per cent” this year, but its recovery has been bumpy and it continues to be challenged by domestic risks and external headwinds.

In November, the International Monetary Fund said China’s gross domestic product growth could slow to 4.6 per cent in 2024 because of continued weakness in the property sector and subdued external demand.

But while expectations are high that Beijing would further ease its fiscal and monetary policies to shore up growth, there may be limited room for such manoeuvres, especially when it comes to measures that could pressure the yuan exchange rate, analysts said.

China, ‘pummelled’ yuan could feel ripple effects as Fed signals 2024 rate cuts

“The degree of flexibility of [the yuan and US dollar] exchange rate determines the room for our expectation of monetary easing,” said analysts at Soochow Securities on Thursday.

Soochow Securities said if the yuan appreciates quicker than expected against the US dollar next year, it may also dampen consumption and inflation in China, “forcing” the PBOC to ease monetary policy further.

The yuan has lost as much as 6.2 per cent against the US dollar since the start of the year, weakening past 7.3 in September and again in October.

Pressure on the yuan has since eased, and it has hovered around 7.13 to 7.17 against the US dollar in recent weeks.

The US Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged last week, and signalled that the historic tightening of US monetary policy over the last two years was at an end, with lower borrowing costs anticipated in 2024.

Japanese investment bank Nomura believes there is “limited space” for rate and reserve requirement ratio cuts, with the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) likely to use targeted measures to expand its balance sheet.

The central bank could use its medium-term lending facility to manage short- and medium-term liquidity in the banking system, while it could also use its pledged supplementary lending facility to better target medium-term lending rates, helping boost liquidity to specific sectors, Nomura said.

A quantitative easing programme that may see the PBOC bail out many residential property projects that cannot be completed on time is unlikely, Nomura added, due to potential depreciation pressure on the yuan, as well as other factors such as moral hazard concerns.

“Without relying on the PBOC’s money printing, a massive programme of rescuing development projects could push up market interest rates and crowd out other borrowers,” Nomura said earlier this month.

“However, if Beijing asks the PBOC to turn on the money spigot, the yuan would be subject to even stronger depreciation pressures, which could trigger capital flight and endanger Beijing’s campaign for yuan internationalisation.”

Bank of China Securities global chief economist Guan Tao said while maintaining a stable yuan exchange rate would help to “buy time” for economic recovery, such measures would not be able to replace the “necessary policy stimulus and structural adjustment”.

“On the one hand, stabilising the exchange rate may mean sacrificing the independence of monetary policy to a certain extent,” the former official at China’s exchange regulator said in a blog post earlier this month on the website of the Economist 50 Forum, a Beijing-based think tank.

“On the other hand, stabilising the exchange rate means either depleting foreign exchange reserves or strengthening capital controls.”

Guan said a “flexible” exchange regime should “help enhance the autonomy of domestic macro policies” and reduce the need to implement capital control measures, thereby boosting the confidence of foreign investors in making long-term commitments in China.

Chinese university faces backlash after notice mandating students to donate blood but school denies, saying rule targets party members

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3245925/chinese-university-faces-backlash-after-notice-mandating-students-donate-blood-school-denies-saying?utm_source=rss_feed

A university in China sparked public backlash after allegedly mandating student blood donations, calling them “non-negotiable political tasks”, and linking participation to rewards, recognition, and party membership.

A whistleblower shared screenshots on December 12 from a counsellor from Harbin Finance University in northern China’s Heilongjiang province in which she repeatedly urged students to donate blood and decried their low participation.

In the messages, the woman explicitly said that students who were members of the communist party or filled class leadership roles would lose their eligibility for various recognitions and awards. She even threatened that party members could lose their membership.

One message said: “Donating blood is a political task. Each class must have at least five donors, including class leaders and party branch secretaries. If that is insufficient to meet our goals, then students who want to work towards party membership should participate.”

Moreover, the counsellor insisted that each class submit a list of who donated, and class leaders who could not give blood were required to provide a valid excuse.

“If class leaders do not lead by example and donate blood, they will be immediately removed from their positions,” she warned.

The spread of these messages immediately caused a stir online. Many online viewers acknowledged that, while donating blood is commendable, it should be voluntary and not coerced as a political obligation.

Responding to the public backlash, a university staff member told the media platform Xin Huang He that the blood donation was intended to be voluntary and that non-participation would not impact student evaluations or awards.

“We are simply encouraging students to donate blood, but it’s not compulsory. It is voluntary. We want our party members and class leaders to play a pioneering and exemplary role in the blood drive,” the staff member said.

However, this explanation from the university was met with scepticism, especially because the school had set a blood drive quota.

One person asked: “How can the drive be voluntary with a set quota? How can the school explain that?”

Another said: “They say donating blood is not compulsory, but there are countless ways to make a student ‘volunteer’.”

Learning from polar bears, China’s aerogel fibre weaves a way for ultra-thin winter clothing

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3245886/learning-polar-bears-chinas-aerogel-fibre-weaves-way-ultra-thin-winter-clothing?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese scientists have created a breakthrough fibre that can be woven into warm, lightweight clothing using aerogel, a thermal insulation material mainly used in the aerospace industry.

The development of the biomimetic fibres, notable for their performance and durability, could have various applications.

Aerogel, the world’s lightest solid material, has long been valued for its thermal insulation properties.

Traditional aerogel, made by replacing the liquid in a gel with air, is extraordinarily light, resembling a solid cloud of smoke. Its high porosity gives it exceptional heat resistance, but this also makes it brittle and challenging to process, limiting its use in civilian applications.

Until now, it has been used in engineering, particularly in the aerospace industry. The China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation as well as Nasa have used aerogel in Mars rovers, which endure extreme temperatures ranging from thousands of degrees during the Martian landing to -130 degrees Celsius (-202 degrees Fahrenheit) on the planet’s surface.

But now, researchers at Zhejiang University have overcome aerogel’s fragility – after being inspired by the structure of polar bear hair.

Led by associate professor Gao Weiwei and professor Bai Hao, the team published its findings in the peer-reviewed journal Science.

Polar bear hair has a unique core-shell structure, with each strand consisting of a porous core enclosed within a dense shell. This structure provides outstanding thermal insulation while maintaining strength and flexibility, key to keeping the fur warm and dry.

“We designed an encapsulated aerogel fibre (EAF) with similar thermal insulation mechanisms and developed a facile two-step fabrication route to mimic the core-shell structure,” Bai outlined in the paper.

The team developed a strong polymeric aerogel fibre with lamellar pores and cased it within a thin, stretchable rubber layer. This approach retained the thermal insulation properties of traditional aerogel while improving its suitability for mechanical applications like knitting or weaving.

Unlike conventional silica aerogel, which is brittle,, the EAF can be bent and twisted.

“Despite its high internal porosity of over 90 per cent, our fibre is stretchable up to 1,000 per cent strain, significantly outperforming traditional aerogel fibres, which stands at about 2 per cent strain,” Bai said.

They showed the practicality of EAF by weaving a jumper and comparing its thermal insulation to common textile materials. The thermal insulation of the EAF jumper was comparable to that a traditional down jacket but only one-fifth as thick.

In an experiment, a volunteer wore textiles made of EAF, down, wool, and cotton in a -20 degree Celsius environment. The surface temperatures of these materials were 3.5 degrees, 3.8 degrees, 7.2 degrees, and 10.8 degrees respectively, indicating the superior insulation of EAF.

As well as being strong and stretchable, EAF can also be washed and dyed, improving its use in practical applications.

Traditional silica aerogel will absorb water and collapse on itself. As a result, it quickly loses its thermal insulation qualities in wet or humid environments. However, EAF maintains its performance even after machine washing.

“The fibre also retains its properties after 10,000 stretching cycles, indicating its potential for multifunctional use beyond thermal insulation textiles,” Bai said.

Professor Zhang Xuetong of the Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, highlighted the potential of the aerogel fibres in advanced thermal textiles. However, he noted the gap between existing technology and capacity for mass production.

“Challenges exist regarding how to develop fast spinning technology and resolve the continuous fabrication that is necessary for mass production,” he said.

As well as its potential for civilian use, EAF fibre also holds promise for industries that are already familiar with aerogels.

“EAF textiles feature excellent thermal insulation and multifunction and have great potential in areas such as military uniforms and spacesuits in extremely cold environments,” Bai noted in the paper.

China’s Shenzhou 17 crew repairs solar panels outside Tiangong station in space first

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3246036/chinas-shenzhou-17-crew-repairs-solar-panels-outside-tiangong-station-space-first?utm_source=rss_feed

Shenzhou 17 spacecraft crew have repaired damaged solar array panels on the Tiangong space station, in the first such extravehicular activity by Chinese astronauts.

The mission, lasting about 7½ hours, was carried out by the three-member team on Thursday, with the help of the space station’s robotic arm and ground engineers, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

Two of the crew ventured outside Tiangong’s Tianhe core module to access and mend the front and outer sides of the solar panels, the agency said. Mission commander Tang Hongbo rode the robotic arm to reach the damaged panels, as Tang Shengjie moved along a hand rail to provide back up and assistance.

The third crew member, Jiang Xinlin, stayed within the core module to oversee the movements of the robotic arm.

“This extravehicular mission is of extraordinary significance and very challenging. It is real business,” Tang said.

Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the agency, had said in October that the Tiangong’s array panels had suffered minor damage from the impact of “small space debris”.

The flexible and bendable panels, also known as “wings”, can utilise the sun’s rays to help meet Tiangong’s power needs.

The Shenzhou 17 crew would “conduct the first extravehicular experimental maintenance of the space station [to repair the damage]”, Lin told an official press conference on October 25, a day before the launch of the spacecraft in what was China’s 12th manned space flight.

Tiangong, a space station in low-Earth orbit, is made up of three modules – the Tianhe core module launched in 2021, and the Wentian and Mengtian experimental modules, both launched last year. All three are all equipped with two pairs of panels, covering a total area of over 800 square metres (8,611 sq ft).

“The space station will operate for more than 10 years and will inevitably be hit by space debris and micrometeors … these gigantic bendable solar panels are easily hit, so it requires very delicate maintenance to maintain stable operation,” aerospace analyst Pang Zhihao said.

The European Space Agency estimates that more than 130 million pieces of space debris are currently in orbit, including 36,500 pieces larger than 4 inches (10.2cm). As they circle the Earth faster than bullets, even the smallest fragments can cause significant damage to spacecraft.

The extravehicular maintenance task posed several challenges, including the limited time available. Ding Rui, a developer at the China Academy of Space Technology, said that it takes around 90 minutes for the Tiangong to orbit the Earth once. Of this, more than 50 minutes are spent under the rays of the sun.

Exposure to solar rays would induce the panels to produce electric currents, endangering the maintenance mission. So the crew could only work while the space station was in the Earth’s shadow.

China shows full structure of Tiangong space station in first panoramic images

“Although this time it was said to be experimental, we actually achieved the purpose of [extravehicular] maintenance,” Dong Nengli, deputy chief designer of China’s Manned Space Engineering Project, told state broadcaster CCTV.

He applauded the astronauts for successful completion of the mission, saying it had “laid a solid foundation for us to ensure the safe, reliable and stable operation of the space station”.

The Shenzhou-17, featuring China’s youngest ever space crew, docked at Tiangong on October 26 for a six-month stay.

Apart from station maintenance, the team will continue the work of the previous Shenzhou 16 crew, which conducted 70 experiments in areas including space medicine, biotechnology, ecology, fluid physics and materials science. They also carried out a spacewalk and several payload missions.

China’s air quality worsened this year for the first time in a decade

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/22/china-pollution-worse-coal/2023-12-22T03:09:46.118Z

Hazardous air pollution rebounded in most major Chinese cities this year, research showed, after a surge in coal burning and industrial activity upended a decade of progress toward cleaner skies.

Compared to 2022, levels of microscopic particles spewed into the air from burning fossil fuels were up 7.7 percent by the end of November, the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air, a Finland-based nonprofit, said on Friday.

When inhaled, these tiny pieces of pollution known as PM 2.5 can be severely harmful to health. One study estimated that air pollution caused 1.85 million deaths in China in 2019.

While unfavorable wind patterns and rainfall may be partially to blame, the rise was concentrated in areas of the country’s coal and heavy industry hubs, according to the group’s analysis of air quality readings alongside industrial and power generation data.

China is close to peak emissions, but it doesn’t want to talk about it

After decades of prioritizing the economy over the environment, public concern about the dangerous pollution became impossible to ignore around the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Disclosure of air quality data by the United States Embassy and local activists eventually forced Chinese authorities to confront the smog that engulfed Chinese cities every winter.

In 2014, top officials launched a “war on pollution” that combined real-time monitoring with strict punishment for factories and local officials failing to make improvements. In its early years, the campaign was remarkably successful. In 2021, the average concentration of fine particulate matter was 40 percent lower than in 2013.

But in recent years the rate of progress has slowed and now stalled. Even after years of improvement, the average levels of air pollution nationwide remain five times above the World Health Organization guidelines.

The problem is the same one that makes China the world’s largest emitter of atmosphere-warming greenhouse gases: its economic reliance on coal-fired power and polluting heavy industries such as steel, aluminum and cement.

China’s huge network of coal mines, already responsible for more than half of global production, has churned out record volumes of the black rock this year in response to demands from Beijing to make sure the country has a stable supply of electricity.

China’s powerful leader, Xi Jinping, has said that the fossil fuel will remain the “mainstay” of the Chinese power system in the near term, even as the country installs massive amounts of wind, solar, hydro and nuclear power.

Before China’s coal is even burned, its mines are warming the planet

An obsession among policymakers about energy security has been worsened in recent years by power shortages exacerbated by heat waves and freezing winters causing spiking power demands.

After a cold snap plunged temperatures to record lows across northern China this month, electricity demand hit its highest ever daily level on Dec. 17, with 70 percent of supply for households being met by coal, Chinese state media reported.

In an apparent attempt to regain momentum in the fight against air pollution, China last month announced a plan to ensure that concentrations of fine particulate matter fall 10 percent nationwide and 20 percent in Beijing and its surroundings between 2020 and 2025.

Pei-Lin Wu and Vic Chiang in Taipei, Taiwan, contributed reporting.

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[World] China: Outrage over doctor punching patient during surgery

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-67769254?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

China to tighten controls on video gaming industry, prompting sell-off in Tencent and NetEase shares

https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3246011/china-tighten-controls-video-gaming-industry-prompting-sell-tencent-and-neteast-shares?utm_source=rss_feed

Beijing is moving to curb excessive spending on video games across the country, according to a new draft regulation, dealing another blow to the world’s largest video gaming market that is still recovering from the government’s previous industry crackdown.

Online games must not offer rewards that entice people to excessively play and spend, including those for daily logins, first top-ups and consecutive top-ups, according to draft rules published on Friday by industry regulator the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA).

All video games must put a cap on how much players can top up their accounts and alert users about “irrational consumption behaviour” via a pop-up window, according to the NPPA.

The proposed regulation immediately prompted investors to dump shares in major Chinese video gaming stocks. Tencent Holdings, the world’s largest video gaming company by revenue. saw its shares fall nearly 15 per cent on Friday’s trading session in Hong Kong, while NetEase dropped more than 20 per cent.

The NPPA, which has also directed video game operators to meet a range of requirements covering content moderation and users’ real-name verification, is seeking public comments on the draft rules until January 22.

The draft regulation marks the first time the Chinese government is specifically targeting the gaming industry since Beijing tightened its scrutiny of the sector in late 2021 amid a wide technology sector crackdown.

China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism previously issued a regulation for the gaming industry in 2010, but the measures were abolished in 2019. The new regulation stated that NPPA will be responsible for supervising China’s gaming activities.

Cui Chenyu, a senior analyst at research firm Omdia, said the new regulation signals that “the gaming industry is still under a strict regulatory environment despite the normalization of new game approvals”, as it has made a comprehensive set of rules on how the video games could sell themselves to consumers with all age groups, not only just to people under 18.

“The first thing to look at is the ban on many top up functions within the games. It has put a limit on a major way of marketing,” said Cui, adding that it will especially have an impact on the revenue streams of recent new games in the genres of “role-playing games and hyper-casual games”.

Meanwhile, the fate of domestic gaming companies will depend on how the draft is finalized and enacted.

“The draft does not have a specified rule on the number of times or the amount of money allowed for user recharging. The whole industry will keep an eye on this,” said Cui from Omdia.

China’s video game industry revenue increased 14 per cent this year to 303 billion yuan (US$42.7 billion), the highest yearly sales since the data became available in 2003, according to a report released earlier this month by the Game Publishing Committee of the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association.

The strong growth came on the heels of a slump in 2022, when China’s total gaming industry revenue declined 10.3 per cent year on year thanks to economic headwinds, slower user growth and regulatory scrutiny.

The NPPA, in charge of licensing video games in the country, in late 2021 stopped approving new games for months before resuming a normal pace of granting new licences this year.

Tencent, the world’s largest video game company by revenue, reported an 11 per cent jump in sales for the first three quarters this year, driven by growth in advertising and game sales, while rival NetEase’s revenue increased 7 per cent in the same period.

Mainland China allows Taiwan grouper fish imports to resume just weeks before island’s elections

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3246013/mainland-china-allows-taiwan-grouper-fish-imports-resume-just-weeks-islands-elections?utm_source=rss_feed

Beijing has announced weeks before the Taiwanese elections that it will allow imports of high-value fish from the island – an issue specifically raised by the Kuomintang, the main opposition party, during a visit to mainland China earlier this year.

The General Administration of Customs will once again allow imports of grouper fish – a high-value aquaculture product in Taiwan – from registered farms on the island from Friday, according to a notice on the customs website.

Taiwan ramps up penalty for spying amid concern of espionage by mainland China

Beijing suspended imports in June last year, saying it had discovered banned chemicals and excessive levels of oxytetracycline, a type of antibiotic, in the fish, an accusation denied by the Taiwanese authorities.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said the decision was based on “a comprehensive assessment of relevant corrective measures”, after Taiwanese industry representatives to the mainland had provided information about measures taken to address the problem and expressed the “strong hope” that imports could resume, according to state news agency Xinhua.

Some Taiwanese grouper farming enterprises have already registered with the mainland customs authorities and will be able start exporting immediately, according to the report.

Beijing’s announcement came just weeks before the island’s presidential election on January 13, which is poised to shape future cross-strait relations following years of tension after President Tsai Ing-wen, from the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, came to power in 2016.

Beijing sees self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway territory that must be united with the mainland – and has never renounced the use of force to do so. Meanwhile, most countries do not officially recognise Taiwan as independent but many, including the United States, are opposed to a forcible change in the status quo.

Andrew Hsia Li-yan, one of the KMT’s vice-chairman, raised the problems Taiwanese food importers faced – including the grouper ban – during a visit to the mainland in February.

During his 10-day visit, Hsia met top Taiwan affairs officials, including Wang Huning, head of China’s top political advisory body and the number four in the Communist Party hierarchy, and Song Tao, head of the State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office and Party’s Taiwan Work Office.

Hsia is now on another trip to the mainland, during which he reportedly met Taiwanese businessmen in several mainland cities, and is expected to return to Taiwan on Friday.

The lifting of the import ban also comes on the heels of Beijing’s announcement on Thursday that it would suspend tariff cuts on 12 Taiwanese products covered by the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement.

The agreement, a landmark trade deal signed in 2010, includes a list of 806 items approved for tariff reductions.

Meet the group trying to get Taiwanese to take risk of war seriously

Zhu told Xinhua that the “two sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family” and that “family matters can be discussed and resolved” as long as there was clear opposition to Taiwanese independence.

“We are willing to work with the relevant parties on the island to continue to provide assistance in resuming the importation of Taiwan’s agricultural and fishery products into the mainland,” she said.

‘My car is like a tractor’: China buyers pay US$3,200 for fake Porsche full of problems like faulty handbrakes, noisy engines causing much hilarity online

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3245701/my-car-tractor-china-buyers-pay-us3200-fake-porsche-full-problems-faulty-handbrakes-noisy-engines?utm_source=rss_feed

A group of residents in central China have become a source of national amusement after they bought fake Porsche cars at an extreme discount only to discover that the vehicles were fraught with problems.

Their dilemma spread throughout China after they complained on Henan TV that they struggled to contact the manufacturer or dealer to fix or refund the cheap imitations.

The vehicles, which were sold under the brand Da Ka Yan (a transliteration of the Porsche Cayenne), only cost 23,000 yuan (US$3,200) but were designed to appear similar to a Porsche.

However, there were subtle differences in the vehicle branding.

For example, the English lettering inside the Porsche logo was changed to the pinyin words xin neng yuan, which means “new energy”. A deer in the replica car also replaced the famed Porsche horse in the logo.

The buyers, most of whom live in Henan province in central China, said they bought the car after they were convinced by a live-streaming event selling the automobiles.

During the live-stream, one hostess said: “This Da Ka Yan is a premier electric vehicle. It looks magnificent and only costs a bit over 20,000 yuan. Moreover, you do not need a driver’s licence to use it.”

After receiving the cars, the buyers found a lot of problems when they tried to drive them.

Some said the car would continue to move after they pulled the handbrake, while others said their electric-petrol hybrid vehicle would run out of juice after very short distances.

Most of the vehicles did not have safety belts, and their fuel tank could only hold several litres of petrol.

“I felt so embarrassed after an electric bike driver helped me tow my Da Ka Yan home after it stopped three times in the middle of the road. I only drove it for less than 40km,” a woman, surnamed Wen, said in the video report.

The woman added that the car’s engine vibrated aggressively and made loud noises.

“My car is like a tractor,” said Wen. “I don’t feel safe when driving this car. It has too many safety hazards.”

A man, surnamed Wang, who lives in northern China’s Hebei province, said he was stopped by police, and the vehicle was impounded the first day he took it out for a spin.

“The officer reprimanded me for having no driving licence, and he said my car plates were illegal. The car factory has installed the plate, and they were already attached to the car when I received it,” said Wang.

The buyers said operators would hang up the phone immediately when they tried to call the numbers provided to complain about the flaws. Their messages on WeChat were also ignored.

In the report on Henan TV, an employee, unaware she was being recorded, admitted that the company had fabricated the vehicle standard certifications.

“We sell 30 to 50 of our cars every day. Our larger factories sell about 100 a day,” she said.

Besides Porsche, the reporter also discovered counterfeits of other car brands, such as Tesla and Land Rover. The vehicles had already been manufactured and were ready to be shipped to buyers across China.

The news of the knockoff cars soon became a hot topic on social media in mainland China.

“I admire them for their courage to buy a ‘high-end car’ at this low price,” one person said.

Another said: “Oh God, grandpas and grandmas in rural China are all driving luxury vehicles. What a scene!”

Finally, a third suggested: “The authorities should crack down on those factories to prevent more people from being swindled.”

Beijing flexes its muscles in South China Sea, cold spell hits Hong Kong, how to survive Christmas: SCMP’s 7 highlights of the week

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3245950/beijing-flexes-its-muscles-south-china-sea-cold-spell-hits-hong-kong-how-survive-christmas-scmps-7?utm_source=rss_feed

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider .

China is likely to ramp up its actions in stand-offs with the Philippines in the South China Sea amid Manila’s “assertive transparency” tactic, observers say, while also warning Beijing to carefully calibrate any escalation to avoid drawing in the US to defend its Southeast Asian ally.

Emergency workers responding to a massive deadly earthquake in northwestern China have shifted focus to housing and treating survivors, with rescue operations “basically over”, as the death toll from the disaster stood at 134 lives.

As the year draws to an end, more foreign investors may be pondering as they look into the years ahead: is China uninvestable or irreplaceable? While the answer differs from industry to industry and company to company, a general trend is that foreign enterprises are divesting their China operations.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said his government will bar vessels owned by Israeli shipping firm Zim from docking and unloading cargo at its ports, along with any ship bearing the Israeli flag, as global outrage surges over the mounting Palestinian death toll in Gaza.

5

Hongkongers can expect chilly weather in the run up to Christmas, with the city’s weather forecaster saying the winter monsoon would continue to bring cold and dry weather to southern Chinese coastal areas over the next few days.

The taxi trade has long been frustrated by what it describes as government inaction in cracking down on the popular but illegal ride-hailing platforms, complaining that the likes of Uber, with its easy-to-use app, comfortable cars and credit card payment, were threatening the livelihoods of cabbies.

Christmas is a time of year when we are expected to be joyful and relish the opportunities to spend time with friends and family. But for some, family duties and financial pressures can be crushing.

China-US relations: can people-to-people cooperation resume if Trump decree still stymies student exchanges?

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3245714/china-us-relations-can-people-people-cooperation-resume-if-trump-decree-still-stymies-student?utm_source=rss_feed

Brian Wang, an associate professor at the University of Florida, was frustrated when application season approached and he and his colleagues could not make offers to postgraduates or postdoctoral candidates from China under a new state law.

The law, which came into effect in July, prohibits public higher education institutions in the state from collaborating in academia or research with anyone from seven “foreign countries of concern”, including China.

Faculty members at the university started a petition this month to urgently ask the institution to develop clear guidance on hiring procedures and allow for continued recruitment of graduate assistants, postdocs and visiting scholars, regardless of national origin.

Wang, a Chinese faculty member at the university, signed the petition together with more than 300 of his colleagues. The university has not yet responded.

“Individual students, rather than the governments of the countries of concern the law touts to curb, are getting harmed the most,” Wang said.

While top leaders in China and the US have agreed to reboot people-to-people cooperation between the two countries, the situation at the University of Florida highlights the resistance to educational exchanges.

During his recent visit to the US, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a speech that he and US President Joe Biden had agreed to boost people-to-people and educational exchanges with measures to ease visa application procedures and increase direct flights.

In past years, the number of Chinese and Americans studying in the other’s country has declined on both sides because of the pandemic and the tension between US and China.

From 2019-20 to 2022-23, the number of Chinese studying in the US fell by 22 per cent, according to Open Doors Data. And this year marks the first time in 15 years that China is no longer the leading source of international students in the US – there were more than 336,000 active Indian students as of November, compared to about 263,000 from China, according to data from the US Department of Homeland Security.

While there were 11,639 American students studying in China five years ago, the number dropped to fewer than 1,000 by 2021-22, according to Open Doors Data. Jeff S. Lehman, vice-chancellor of New York University Shanghai, told a conference on December 15 that about 800 American students had come to China to study this year.

Beijing is keen to reverse the trend as Xi indicated that China planned to invite as many as 50,000 young Americans to visit in the next five years.

Baohui Zhang, a professor of government and international affairs at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, said boosting education exchanges between the two countries could be more difficult than expected.

“Florida’s block is one example of how a state government can hold an opposite side on US-China relations against the federal government and is capable of having a negative impact on educational exchanges,” Zhang said.

Survey of 30 years of Chinese students in US reflects pressures, satisfaction

Florida is dominated at the state level by Republicans, who hold both the governorship and a majority in the state legislature. According to a poll from YouGov Data in 2023, more Republicans than Democrats consider that the US should seek a more distant relationship with China.

“While China’s intention is straightforward as they want to stabilise the relations between the two sides, the US’s attitude is a complexity due to the different voices in its power-sharing structures.”

A select committee of the US Congress represented another resistant voice towards educational exchanges. On December 3, the select committee on the Chinese Communist Party accused the University of Montana of receiving funds from a foundation – which it considered a “detriment to America’s national security” – reputedly linked to the Communist Party.

The foundation –namely the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) – and the university’s law school plan to co-host a two-week programme for American students to study in China next summer, with the “very few” expenses nearly all covered by the foundation, according to the school.

The committee was established by the House of Representatives in January in an attempt to oversee economic and security threats from the Chinese Communist Party.

The committee said: “Beijing uses nominally private civic organisations like the China-US Exchange Foundation to sway public opinion and build influence” and urged the University of Montana to terminate any ties with the foundation.

In the statement the committee emphasised that Tung Chee-hwa, the long-time chair of the foundation, was not only the former Hong Kong chief executive but also the former vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, a top political advisory body to Chinese leaders.

CUSEF, a foundation established in 2008, describes itself on its website as an independent non-governmental organisation committed to a positive and peaceful relationship between the two countries.

While being asked about its sponsorship to the summer program, CUSEF said in a statement to the South China Morning Post: “We do not receive funding, direction or other support from any government. Our work is made possible by the generosity of private donors in Hong Kong where we are based”.

The Post also contacted the University of Montana’s Blewett School of Law for this article but has not yet received a response.

Experts said it remained to be seen whether Biden was committed to embracing Chinese students in the US.

Xinbo Wu, director of the Centre for American Studies at Fudan University, said: “Though the US and China have agreed to boost exchanges, so far the US government has made no progress in providing better conditions for the educational exchanges”.

Former US president Donald Trump issued a proclamation in May 2020 blocking Chinese students and researchers hailing from universities associated with the People’s Liberation Army from studying in the US.

“I planned to study abroad in the US because computer science studies are fine there, but I have to give up because of the proclamation,” said Jim Li, a senior who majored in computer science at one of the blocked universities. “Many of us were denied visa applications, even though they had received offers from US universities.”

Chinese students beat stress by turning to Southeast Asia universities

The Biden government has largely continued the curbs on exchanges with China while the US has made few announcements about adjusting or cancelling Trump’s policy.

Zhang said: “The continuation of the block proves there are still restrictions for Chinese students to study in the US. Therefore, it remains to be seen whether China’s prospect to stabilise the relations by boosting exchanges can be achieved”.

Nevertheless Wu, who is also dean of the international studies institute at Fudan University, has seen greater interest in communication between universities from the two countries. He has received visitors from several US institutions to discuss resuming cooperation and launching new summer programmes for American students to study in Shanghai.

“Education exchange is an important channel for the US and China to better understand each other and improve communication,” Wu said. “By letting young people study at the other side, biases could be reduced.”

To shoot or not to shoot: Chinese-developed ‘golden veil’ could make deadly missiles look like passenger planes

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3240861/shoot-or-not-shoot-chinese-developed-golden-veil-could-make-deadly-missiles-look-passenger-planes?utm_source=rss_feed

A gold-plated camouflage veil that can make a cruise missile look like a passenger plane on a radar screen could “change the face of war”, according to the team of Chinese scientists behind the design.

The low-cost technology can confuse expensive air defence systems and significantly reduce the time available for military commanders to respond – if at all.

Developed by a research team in northwest China, the project is part of an ongoing effort by China to build up a wide range of ways it can penetrate air defence systems in the first island chain, Guam or even the US homeland.

While China’s overall military posture remains defensive, such abilities would serve as an effective deterrence against foreign intervention in regional affairs such as Taiwan or the South China Sea, according to some Chinese military experts.

The veil is made of fine metal threads which are gold-plated, according to Zong Yali and her colleagues in a paper published in the peer-reviewed Chinese Journal of Radio Science last month. The golden threads then form a web of complex geometry to reflect radar signals.

Laboratory testing has suggested the device can boost the radar cross-section of a flying target from less than one to over 30 decibels per square metre, said Zong, who is an associate professor of radar science with the Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xian, Shaanxi province.

This is similar to the radar signature generated by a large aeroplane such as a Boeing 737 or an Airbus A320 when being viewed from certain angles.

Radar reflectors are already being used by the US on some of its missiles, such as the ADM-160 MALD, to make them appear as aeroplanes on radar screens.

Stealth military aircraft, such as the F-22 fighter and B2 bomber, also carry removable reflectors known as Luneburg lenses most of the time so they can become visible to civilian air traffic control and hide their true radar signature.

“Electronic warfare has become more complex than ever. New electronic countermeasure equipment and tools are entering service at an unprecedented speed,” Zong said in the paper.

“They are changing the face of war,” she added.

But what makes the veil different from existing radar reflection technology is its flexibility, according to the team.

It can be deployed or folded repeatedly in a way that is similar to an umbrella, so the missile or aircraft can switch between visible and stealth modes at will throughout the flight.

The folding and supportive structure is made of carbon fibre materials and they can provide sufficient strength for military service, the researchers said.

The veil can also change its shape and size randomly, generating some strange patterns to confuse computer or radar operators.

Another key advantage of the veil is its relatively low cost and weight.

While there are smart, powerful transmitters that can also generate signals to confuse enemy radar, the technology is complex and the price for high-performance electronics is usually very high.

The veil is mostly made of low-cost materials that are widely available in China’s industrial production chain.

And the entire device weighs only about 1kg (2.3lb) – just a fraction of the weight of most reflectors currently in use or under development, according to the researchers.

This lower weight means the missile can fly a longer distance or carry a bigger warhead. The veil can also be mounted on warships or land vehicles.

The low cost, low weight and versatility of the device means that in the future, demand for it could be huge.

Chinese scientists achieve laser weapon technology ‘breakthrough’

But Zong’s team said their next challenge is to bring the veil to mass production. Achieving uniform performance in a large number of products will be difficult, unless the manufacturing process can be done mostly by machines.

China’s state media released unusual footage last month that showed an autonomous factory for cruise missile production.

Cruise missiles are assembled manually due to their complexity, according to openly available information in the US and other countries. But in the Chinese plant, it seems most of the jobs have been replaced by machines.

The robotic missile plant can operate 24 hours a day and produce a large number of weapons at low cost and to high-quality standards, according to the report.

The Chinese government believes that a new arms race with hi-tech, low-cost weapons, including cruise missiles and drones, would not only boost the fighting power of the PLA, but could also drag opponents into bankruptcy.

Disabled China boy, 12, abandoned as baby, faces another tragic loss after death of adoptive father, garners public sympathy and help in time of need

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/article/3245692/disabled-china-boy-12-abandoned-baby-faces-another-tragic-loss-after-death-adoptive-father-garners?utm_source=rss_feed

The challenging life of a 12-year-old boy — who was born with a foot disability and abandoned by his biological parents — is trending on mainland social media after his adopted father died in October, with many people expressing worry about his fate.

Tan Zonglu was discovered as an infant by a young girl next to a rubbish pile in Sichuan province in southwest China in 2011. Next to him was a baby bottle and a note revealing his birth date as January 31, 2011.

The girl who found Tan brought the baby to her mother, surnamed Luo, who never left Tan’s life even though she could not afford to raise him with three daughters at home.

Luo told Star News that Tan was freezing cold when they first found him, and she had to undress him so she could clean the baby and warm him up, which is when she discovered his feet had developed abnormally.

“He might not have survived the night if he had not been found,” said Luo.

Luo could not afford to raise the infant, so she asked her neighbour, Tan Yuegui, who did not have a family of his own if he would adopt the boy, which he did.

Over the next 12 years, Tan’s adoptive father worked hard to support the family while the boy’s adoptive grandfather cared for him at home. The boy formed a deep bond with both of them.

The video published on Star News featured entries from Tan’s diary in which he expressed his deep affection for his father, writing: “I can see his white hair and tired eyes on video calls. But his eyes light up when he sees me and asks if I have eaten and am doing well. He always cared about me despite his hardships. I love my dad.”

Tan’s adoptive grandfather passed away in April 2022.

On October 20, the boy’s life was thrown into turmoil when his adoptive father died of liver cirrhosis, which was made worse by the family’s inability to afford timely hospital treatment.

Thankfully, Luo was still a part of Tan’s life, and the woman took on the responsibility of ensuring the boy remained cared for. She arranged for Tan to live at his school on weekdays, and the boy returned to her home on the weekends.

Deng Zhigang, an online blogger who goes by the pseudonym, Bro Gang is a Girl, learned about Tan’s predicament and made heartwarming videos about his story, which quickly drew sympathy and attention online.

After watching the video, a viewer named Lv Qiao, who was similarly abandoned by her biological parents, felt a strong connection with Tan and expressed a desire to adopt him.

As the owner of a hair salon and mother of two sons, Lv welcomed the boy into her home with the consent of both Luo and the boy.

In addition, Wan Yuan Ren He Hospital offered to perform corrective surgery on Tan’s feet for free, and doctors successfully completed surgery on December 2.

Lv spoke of Tan’s resilience during his surgery, stating: “He didn’t make a sound at night, no matter how much pain he was in. He is a sensible and strong boy, making it heartbreaking to see him endure pain.”

His story has also touched countless people online.

One person commented: “The child is so mature for his age. I hope he can walk normally after being discharged from the hospital. Keep fighting!”

Another viewer remarked: “I cried watching this news. I hope the rest of his life is peaceful!”

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South China Sea: Marcos shrugs off Beijing’s warning, says Philippines will assert maritime rights

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3245945/south-china-sea-marcos-shrugs-beijings-warning-says-philippines-will-assert-maritime-rights?utm_source=rss_feed

The Philippines will continue asserting its rights in the South China Sea, President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said after China warned the nation against causing “trouble” in disputed waters.

The Southeast Asian nation “remains a force and voice of reason” despite “many attempts at provocation,” Marcos said in a statement quoting his speech before the military on Thursday. He also said that his country exemplifies “responsible and dignified behaviour in resolving issues in accordance with international law.”

The Philippine leader’s remarks came after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the two nations’ ties are “facing serious difficulties.” Wang also said Manila “must act with caution” and warned against colluding with “malicious external forces.”

Tensions between China and the Philippines have escalated, with their vessels clashing in the South China Sea several times in recent months. Manila has protested what it describes as Beijing’s harassment, while China has maintained its actions are lawful.

Manila risks Beijing’s wrath with ‘non-starter’ South China Sea mini pact plan

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Romeo Brawner Jnr was aboard a Philippine boat that was rammed by a Chinese coastguard vessel in the contested waters earlier this month.

“The recent incidents involving no less than our AFP chief of staff is worrisome,” Marcos said. “But it is a proud demonstration of Filipino courage against coercion and our firm resolve to protect, preserve, and uphold our territorial integrity.”

The Philippines is planning multilateral patrols with nations like France, India, Canada and the UK next year, Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said in a CNN Philippines interview earlier Thursday. An access agreement with Japan is also possible in 2024, he added.

A day earlier, Teodoro rebuked China and said “no country in the world” supports its maritime claim. The United States and other Western powers have condemned China’s coastguard for confronting and blocking Philippine vessels in Manila’s exclusive economic zone.

Marcos has strengthened ties with Washington, including expanding US access to his military bases while seeking assurances on the extent to which America will defend his country from attack – moves that have irked China and emboldened Manila’s defence top brass.

He met Chinese President Xi Jinping last month on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in San Francisco, where the pair discussed the maritime territorial disputes.

Marcos later told a forum in Hawaii the Philippines would not give up “a single square inch of our territory”.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse

Amid US-China rivalry, Vietnam’s sweet spot diplomacy is a master class

https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3245635/amid-us-china-rivalry-vietnams-sweet-spot-diplomacy-master-class?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Hanoi last week underpinned Vietnam’s growing global profile, with major powers courting the Southeast Asian country.

Vietnam recently upgraded its ties with the United States and Japan to “strategic comprehensive partnerships”. During Xi’s trip, it endorsed China’s vision of a community with a “shared future”. Beijing’s three new projects – the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilisation Initiative – also reportedly got Hanoi’s nod. Support was renewed for the China-backed Lancang-Mekong Cooperation.

By keeping all the major actors engaged and invested, Vietnam is embedding itself in global supply chains, growing its regional importance and strengthening its strategic autonomy. This shows the way for neighbours and others navigating great power rivalry.

Vietnam is in a sweet spot and not wasting it. It is the new darling of foreign capital and a rising manufacturing hub. It is emerging as an early winner of “de-risking”, cornering companies diversifying from China. Geopolitics and rising production costs in China are driving investors to relocate to Vietnam.

Vietnam’s continued success may hinge on its ability to tap opportunities from both the East and West. While the US and China are both vying for influence over Hanoi, in Vietnam, the economic interests of bitter rivals can converge – as long as the Southeast Asian nation deftly exercises its agency.

Xi’s two-day trip revealed how both sides are enmeshed geographically, politically and economically. The 36 cooperation documents signed show the breadth and depth of their ties.

Both share a contiguous land border that facilitates transboundary supply chains, set to be boosted by deals to upgrade railway and road connections. Both are communist countries that have pursued reform and opening up. Both are single-party regimes whose legitimacy lies in their ability to maintain domestic stability and deliver prosperity.

Vietnam aims to be a “socialist-oriented developed country with high income by 2045”, while China’s second centenary goal is to become a “modern socialist country in all respects” by 2049.

During Xi’s tour, both sides vowed to deepen inter-political party relations. Among the 36 agreements, the Hai Phong party committee will hold exchanges with the Yunnan party committee while the party committees of the Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Cao Bang and Ha Giang provinces will work with their Guangxi counterpart to deepen bilateral cooperation.

In recent years, Vietnam and China have become more economically intertwined. Vietnam has become China’s largest trading partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). Hong Kong and mainland China have become top investors in Vietnam.

Re-routing products and production in Vietnam allows Chinese companies to bypass US sanctions. Chinese joint ventures and technology transfers help Vietnam climb up the manufacturing value chain. Vietnam is looking at establishing a consulate general in Chongqing, and more trade promotion offices may be put up in other Chinese cities.

Both countries are members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the world’s largest free trade agreement. Hanoi’s support may buoy Beijing’s bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). These political, subnational and economic intersections can provide the guardrails to enable relations to weather differences.

This is critical as tensions in the South China Sea simmer and great power competition intensifies.

Vietnam is pragmatic and has shown a willingness to work with China where its big neighbour has an edge and can make a difference. This includes infrastructure, logistics, telecommunications, digital economy and agriculture.

During Xi’s visit, both sides agreed to link their connectivity blueprints – Vietnam’s “Two Corridors, One Belt” framework and China’s Belt and Road Initiative. President Vo Van Thuong attended the third Belt and Road forum in Beijing in October, indicating interest in Xi’s signature project.

This may also reveal growing impatience with Western alternatives, especially as Chinese-built airports, highways and railways in Cambodia, Laos and Indonesia enter service.

Vietnam warms towards Belt and Road Initiative as Laos, Cambodia reap benefits

There are plans to upgrade the Kunming-Hai Phong railway line and cooperation on 5G infrastructure. Access to the world’s largest consumer market would be a windfall for Vietnamese farmers. A protocol on quarantine requirements for the export of Vietnamese watermelons to China was signed during the visit.

One of the long-standing fixations of China’s neighbourhood diplomacy is to forestall the formation of a hostile periphery.

Vietnam’s growing security ties with the US and Japan may have unsettled Beijing, but Hanoi is not one to needlessly antagonise China, not when China’s role in its economy and influence over neighbouring Cambodia and Laos has grown, as has its power projection in the South China Sea.

In their joint statement, both sides identified areas of confluence in choppy waters. This includes fisheries law enforcement, search and rescue missions, aquaculture and marine environment protection. Joint patrols and a fisheries agreement in the Gulf of Tonkin can provide possible templates for the South China Sea. Both sides also agreed to set up a hotline to handle fisheries incidents.

At the same time, Hanoi reaffirmed its commitment to finalising an Asean-China code of conduct in the South China Sea, which may undercut Philippine overtures to Vietnam to reach a mini code among Asean claimants.

So far, while Manila struggles to resupply its crumbling ship outpost in the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, Vietnam’s reclamation in the disputed Spratlys, goes undisturbed. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr was the first head of state hosted by Beijing this year, but Hanoi is Xi’s last stop after Russia, South Africa and the US. Vietnam’s importance in Beijing’s calculus is rising.

Vietnam’s case can offer valuable lessons to Manila and other countries dealing with China in the age of great power rancour.

Ending long freeze, top Pentagon general talks to Chinese counterpart

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/12/21/pentagon-china-communication-taiwan/2023-12-21T17:31:11.724Z

The U.S. military’s top general spoke with his Chinese counterpart Thursday, the Pentagon said, a thawing in a long freeze after China broke off military-to-military communication more than a year ago following pointed disagreements.

Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with Gen. Liu Zhenli, chief of the joint staff for the People’s Liberation Army, Pentagon officials said. It marked Brown’s first meeting with his Chinese counterpart and the first time that a Joint Chiefs chairman had done so since Gen. Mark A. Milley, Brown’s predecessor, held a similar call in July 2022.

Brown focused on the “importance of working together to responsibly manage competition, avoid miscalculations, and maintain open and direct lines of communication,” said Navy Capt. Jereal Dorsey, a spokesman for Brown. The chairman also reiterated the need for China to engage in “substantive dialogue to reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings” between the two nations, and reaffirmed the importance of opening lines between U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and Chinese military commanders, Dorsey said.

The Chinese Defense Ministry confirmed the call in a statement, saying the discussion occurred after President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached an agreement in a summit in California last month to resume military-to-military communication in an effort to promote stability.

But the ministry’s statement hinted at deeper issues, too, noting that Beijing wants no foreign interference in Taiwan, the democratic self-governed island that Xi has promised to reunify with the mainland. Biden has said U.S. forces would defend Taiwan if China invades, infuriating Beijing, which sees the island as a breakaway province.

Top-level military discussions between the two superpowers have become increasingly rare amid rising tensions. In Washington, a broad bipartisan swathe of officials see China as the chief competitor to the United States — and are vocally calling for more coercive economic and military pressure.

House committee calls for reset on China-U.S. economic relations

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has not conversed with his Chinese counterpart since November 2022 and probably will not do so until at least this coming spring, when Xi is expected to name a new defense minister after the October firing of Li Shangfu under the cloud of a corruption probe.

While relations have been frosty for some time, China cut communication in August 2022 after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) made a trip to Taiwan.

The lack of communication with China at the most senior levels of the Defense Department has been considered especially urgent as the two nations navigate disputes that include China flying a surveillance airship across the United States this year; provocative intercepts of American aircraft; and an increasingly tense territorial dispute in the South China Sea with the Philippines, an American ally.

After last month’s summit, the White House said that while Biden emphasized that Washington and Beijing are in competition, the two world leaders had agreed to resume cooperation to combat drug manufacturing and trafficking and continue “high-level military-to-military communication.”

Brown, speaking this month at the Reagan National Defense Forum, said he was “standing by” to hear from China and saw dialogue with “our adversaries” as important “to understand what we are both doing and prevent that miscalculation.”

Army Lt. Col. Martin Meiners, a Pentagon spokesman, said Thursday that the Defense Department wants to see “open lines of military communication at all levels” with China, including with Adm. John C. Aquilino, the chief of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. In October, the Pentagon dispatched Cynthia Carras, a defense official focused on China, Taiwan and Mongolia, to attend a forum in China to discuss similar issues, Meiners said.

“We’re ready to deliver on what President Biden announced,” Meiners said.

The Pentagon’s annual report on China, released in October, said Chinese defense officials declined, canceled or ignored numerous invitations to communicate with the United States over the last 18 months. But there were exceptions. In April, the report said, Chinese military officials requested U.S. assistance to evacuate Beijing’s diplomats from Khartoum, Sudan. The Pentagon offered evacuation routes in response.

China and Russia vow to press on with plans for wide-bodied passenger jet and Arctic shipping route

https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3245900/china-and-russia-vow-press-plans-wide-bodied-passenger-jet-and-arctic-shipping-route?utm_source=rss_feed

China and Russia have agreed to work together in developing widebody passenger jets, Arctic shipping corridors and artificial intelligence after their leaders vowed to broaden cooperation amid tensions the United States.

These sanctions had previously raised speculation that Russia had pulled out of a joint project to develop a long-haul jet for fear they would have a knock-on effect on the project.

With a project ‘dead’, China has ‘new motivation’ for tech self-reliance

The two countries agreed to strengthen their “no-limits” strategic partnership and pledged to enhance trade and cooperation on technology at a meeting between their heads of government this week.

“We will actively promote cooperation projects in the joint development of long-range widebody passenger aircraft and heavy helicopters,” a joint communique released on Thursday said. It did not say how they would cooperate and which companies would be involved.

Beijing is hoping to develop next-generation wide-bodied passenger planes – a move that would further challenge the dominance of Boeing and Airbus in China .

The two nations first discussed the plans to develop a plane in 2017, when the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation set up a joint venture in Shanghai to focus on building a wide-bodied airliner called the CR929.

The Russian side was widely believed to have dropped out earlier this year, partly because of the sanctions imposed by the US and its allies over its invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian airline company was put on the US sanction list last summer, which could result in secondary sanctions on the Chinese project because many parts are still supplied by Western firms.

In September Comac announced that it had set up a laboratory to design what it now called the C929, rather than the CR929 – with the absence of the “R” suggesting to many analysts there would be no further Russian involvement.

The joint communique also put the exploration of the Northern Sea Route – a plan to link the Baltic to the Bering Sea via the Russian Arctic – back on the agenda, saying: “We will further boost specialised cooperation in the Arctic shipping corridors.”

China had identified the route as one of the three main sea lanes for its Belt and Road Initiative back in 2015.

According to some forecasts, including one by the Russian nuclear power firm Rosatom, the route could become ice-free as soon as the summer of 2035 as a result of global warming – a development that several studies suggest could cut the time taken to ship goods from China to Europe by 30 to 40 per cent, compared with the route via the Suez Canal.

The two countries also agreed to work on cooperation in digital trade, biomedicine, the low-carbon economy and supply chain security during talks between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

They also plan to engage in regular discussions on AI cooperation and open-source technologies, saying: “We will both explore the application of AI in emerging fields such as medical science.”

In the first 11 months of the year, trade between the two countries rose by 26.7 per cent year on year to reach US$218.2 billion, according to Chinese customs data.

China is now Russia’s largest energy buyer and is expected to purchase more given its rising domestic demand. Meanwhile, its car makers are taking advantage of the withdrawal of foreign competitors to expand sales in Russia.

China and Russia pledge to defend core interests as Moscow faces new sanctions

China is also increasing its exports of electromechanical products, home appliances and clothing while importing more Russian energy, ores, timber and agricultural products, according to China’s ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.

Chinese visitors also accounted for a quarter of the total inbound tourists to Russia thanks in part to a mutual visa waiver, Zhang told Russian state-owned news agency Sputnik on Tuesday.

He also said Chinese firms are willing to work with Russian oil companies to find new investment opportunities.