Astronauts from the China National Space Administration (CNSA) are preparing to partake in four crewed missions this year, the Associated Press has reported. China is working towards completion of its first permanent orbiting station. The Chinese Space Station will be approximately one-fifth the mass of the ISS at 80-100 tonnes. Under the CNSA’s timetable, it will … Read more
The UAE’s Hope probe is expected to reach Mars tomorrow, just hours before China’s orbiter-rover combo and a week ahead of Nasa’s probe. The Hope Probe, which was launched from Japan last year, will orbit Mars for more than two years and beam back data about the Martian atmosphere. It will observe the Martian atmosphere from an … Read more
China has opened an investigation into e-commerce giant Alibaba over alleged anti-competitive behaviour, regulators announced this week. Despite keeping a relatively low profile in Western countries, Alibaba Group is one of the world’s largest corporations, with offerings span e-commerce, AI, cloud computing, gaming, and financial services. Its success has made founder Jack Ma – a … Read more
A China National Space Administration spacecraft has touched down successfully on the Moon and started to collect its first rock samples, state media has reported. The lunar probe, known as Chang’e 5, was launched last week from the tropical island of Hainan. The uncrewed mission aims to retrieve 2kg of lunar samples from a previously … Read more
China’s push to increase the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) could curb the growth in oil demand by 70 per cent by 2030, a report from financial think tank Carbon Tracker has found. It reports that transport in emerging markets will account for more than 80 per cent of all expected growth in oil demand … Read more
According to a Reuters report, Shenzhen-based tech giant Huawei is planning to sell its budget smartphone subsidiary Honor to a consortium led by the government of Shenzhen and Digital China Group. Honor was established by Huawei in 2013, offering a range of budget-friendly smartphones mostly targeted at young consumers as an alternative to high-end Huawei-branded … Read more
Under the governing Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s next five-year plan, China will promote “scientific and technological self-reliance” and a sustainable, low-carbon future. The key strategic pillars of the five-year plan for 2021-2015 were published this week, following four days of private meetings between President Xi Jinping and the CCP’s top decision-making body, the Central Committee. … Read more
Huawei’s new range of smartphones could be the company’s ‘last hurrah’ outside China, according to an industry expert, as US sanctions continue to squeeze its business. Huawei unveiled its new Mate 40 line-up of smartphones yesterday, along with a new smartwatch – the GT 2 – and augmented reality glasses. However, the ongoing sanctions imposed … Read more
China’s largest chipmaker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), is in discussions with the US Bureau of Industry and Security after being notified that it will be subject to export restrictions. Last week, reports emerged that the White House had imposed sanctions against Shanghai-based SMIC – requiring its US suppliers to obtain a license from the government – … Read more
Demands from President Donald Trump that TikTok must be quickly sold to a US company or face a nationwide ban sparked frantic talks between TikTok parent company ByteDance and US companies, including Microsoft, Twitter, Walmart and Oracle. These talks have been disrupted by complications, including Trump’s insistence that the US government should receive a financial “cut” of … Read more