News on China's scientific and technological development.

Eventine said:

The strategic mistake was to show their hand too soon. Cutting off chips at a more critical moment - like the start of a war between the US and China over Taiwan - would've been much more devastating, but I guess US policy makers had no patience and were tired of waiting for China to actually make a stupid move.

Click to expand...

Agreed with you on most of the points except this one.

War can break out all of a sudden but tension will need to take time to build up gradually. China certainly would not expect to keep the trade going with the US when the war starts. The war-time economy would run very differently from the one in peace time. It's difficult to tell how bad it will be for China suddenly not being able to get the west-made chips.

Thanks to the ongoing sanctions on military and some dual-use technologies by the west, China has never stopped the effort in making its war machines and MIC self-sufficient and self-sustainable. I doubt if there are still many west-made components in PLA's weapon systems that are without feasible domestic backups. Same for the critical civilian infrastructures.

A large portion of the chips bought by China eventually go back to the west, US included, in different forms of final goods. If China cannot make those final goods anymore, where can the US find the alternative suppliers in short time? Given how much the two economies are still coupled, a sudden cut-off of the trade between China and the US will have huge impact on both. IMO this is what keeps the US from going all out in its current trade and tech wars against China. Both need time to decouple from each other. Thus the danger of war will actually rise if the trade between China and the US keeps dropping. Both sides will have their hands untied when the interdependency is below certain threshold.

As a side note, while it was the the US that brought up the supply chain de-risking concept, China actually started its own de-risking earlier with the BRI. That is to create and grow new markets for China-made goods to avoid overly relying the US and its running dogs.

The world has been watching China accelerating the progress in overcoming the "neck-choking" barriers. Its dependence on western technologies is certainly not increasing. The US is fully aware of this. The US must have been regretting of not keeping the cold-war style total sanctions against China.

gadgetcool5 said:

but it would not likely be successful as the private sector would rush back to buy Western products.

Click to expand...

Which is exactly why China will likely no trust the so-called neoliberal international distribution of supply chain and start following the teachings of Friedrich List.

Chinese power plants are breaking records:

POWER Magazine

Pingshan Phase II, a cutting-edge 1.35-GW-GW ultrasupercritical coal-fired unit, achieves a remarkable net efficiency of 49.37%—making it the world’s most efficient coal-fired power plant. The state-of-the-art plant, which commenced operations in April 2022, utilizes mature 600C materials and equipment, showcasing the transformative potential of innovation in the realm of coal power.

Developed and built by Shenergy Co., the extension of the Pingshan Power Plant, located in the Huaibei Economic Development Zone of China’s Anhui Province, is a single unit built in a high-low biaxial arrangement with double reheat. Brought online in April 2022, the project operated and managed by Shenergy subsidiary Huaibei Shenergy Power Generation Co. is the largest single unit of Shenergy’s 8.3-GW coal-fired fleet.

According to Shenergy, it is also the Shanghai government-owned entity’s most innovative unit. That’s especially remarkable given that Shenergy has in recent years built several exemplary coal power projects. In 2015, POWER recognized

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

(also known as “Waisan”), a twin 1,000-MW primary reheat USC unit plant in Shanghai with a steam temperature of 600C that was brought online in 2008. And, in 2020, the magazine highlighted Shenergy Power Technology’s efforts to boost the efficiency of a 320-MW subcritical coal unit,

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

, to beyond 43.56%—higher than all existing Chinese supercritical units, and even many USC units.

Click to expand...

For Shenergy, the most significant takeaway from developing and building the pioneering project is that coal power units can “still be greatly improved on the basis of 600C-grade materials.” That’s an important consideration given cost and environmental pressures—especially because 700C-grade material technology is not mature, Li noted. “In fact, at present, the efficiency of the Pingshan Phase II engineering unit has exceeded the expected efficiency of the ultra-supercritical power generation technology of the 700C level.”

Click to expand...

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

• State TV showcases home-grown Haijing system that can seek out offshore oil reserves for China and identify ocean earthquakes
• Underwater equipment, including 10 detection cables attached to ship, operates over 2,500 sq km to collect real-time seismic data

This is the first time China has conducted seismic exploration operations in ultra-deep water areas using equipment developed in China.

Click to expand...

The data it gathers will show detailed geological characteristics of sea floor strata, providing key clues to oil and gas resource-rich areas, according to CCTV.

Click to expand...

China has been increasing its ability to explore and extract deep-sea resources, including oil and gas. For example, in the east of the

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

, CNOOC operates the Liwan 3-1 gas field up to 1,480 metres deep.

Click to expand...

The biggest mistake that the West has made in regards to China is the mixing of science and technology with politics and ideology. The idea that you can only progress in science and technology with liberal democracy and freedom of speech is just false. There is no historical evidence for this and they didn’t say that about the Soviet Union. But they made up this rule just for China. And now after more than two decades of this the idea is stuck in their heads and it can’t get out.

Physics, math, biology and chemistry works the same way in China just as in America, Europe and elsewhere in the world. So China will figure things out sooner or later. And at this point its going to be sooner rather than later as China has a lot of money, people and tools to help them do so.

Nanjing Tech University created China's first bio-based spandex fabric. They took a completely new approach that includes different molecule design and modified polymer process. The result product, while retains the performance of the original Lycra fabric, has much higher percentage of bio-based carbon at much lower cost comparing to the competing products internationally. This new product contains up to 70% bio-based carbon. Similar products from the US and SK contain less than 40%.

So far this is the only product in the world that meets the 3-star OK Biobase standard of EU for ratio of bio-based carbon contents.

Bio-based spandex fabric are made from renewable bio-mass such as corn stalks. Higher ratio of bio-based carbon in the fabric means less use of fossil carbon.

国内首款！南工大成功开发生物基氨纶新产品​

记者从南京工业大学了解到，国内首款生物基氨纶新产品诞生，成为全球唯一一款生物碳含量达到欧盟三星标准（欧盟OK Biobased标准）的生物基氨纶纤维产品！近日，南京工业大学郭凯教授团队与连云港杜钟新奥神氨纶有限公司、苏美达轻纺国际集团携手，设计并开发出全新生物基氨纶材料新结构、新产品，所开发的生物基氨纶纤维各项性能达到优等品级，成本远低于国际同行，生物碳含量远高于国际同类产品。项目还开发形成了三个牌号的生物基氨纶新品种，相关产品的新结构已获授权国内外发明专利保护。

氨纶被誉为纺织品中的味精，纺织服装行业素有“无氨不成布”的说法，全球含有氨纶纤维的纺织品，其产值每年超过3300亿元。与常规氨纶相比，生物基氨纶采用可再生的生物质为原材料，取代不可再生的石油基原料，具有环境友好、原料可再生、生产碳足迹少、可降解等优势，符合纤维制造绿色、可持续化发展理念，是国际纺织材料领域的重点在研产品。然而，现有的美国和韩国同类产品价格极高，生物碳含量低于40%。

“常规的制备生物基氨纶的思路是以生物基的聚四氢呋喃来制备生物基氨纶，其工艺路线长，产品成本高。我们采用完全不同于聚四氢呋喃生物基氨纶路线，利用全新的生物基原料和氨纶制备思路，经过分子结构设计和聚合工艺改造，氨纶纤维70％的成分来自生物基原材料，与由化石原料制成的同等产品相比，其碳足迹最高可减少44％，同时保持了与传统莱卡纤维相同的性能参数。”该项目团队成员、南工大孙戒教授介绍，氨纶纤维对纺丝原料和产品性能的要求极为苛刻，纺丝原液粘度要适中，所纺出来的纤维性能在伸长率、回复率、张度、张力衰减率等方面均要达标，“比如20D的生物基氨纶纤维丝极细，9000米长的纤维丝仅重20克，同时还要兼顾穿着舒适性、材料弹性、纺丝成品率等综合要求，开发难度极大。我们经过近5年的联合攻关，数百次调整实验方案、技术配方、工艺路线，才开发出这款生物基氨纶新产品。”

江苏是纺织服装生产制造大省，高端纺织是江苏省的16个先进制造业集群之一，品牌服装是江苏省30条优势产业链之一。“为了进一步加快生物基氨纶产品工业化进度和加大市场推广力度，为江苏培育世界级高端纺织集群和实现品牌服装产业链卓越提升作出新贡献，为我国双碳战略的推进提供新支撑，日前，我们联合连云港杜钟新奥神氨纶公司、苏美达轻纺国际集团和南京先进生物材料与过程装备研究院，就‘生物基氨纶研发、工业化及推广’项目进行进一步合作。”郭凯教授介绍道。

据悉，南工大将包含8项发明专利的技术包进行授权交底，连云港杜钟新奥神氨纶公司、苏美达轻纺国际集团投入超2亿元专利许可费和技术研发费。目前四方联合申报的“奥美南Omina”生物基氨纶商标已经进入国家工商总局审查阶段，下一步，四方将着力进行生物基氨纶纤维的工业化生产、面料与服装的市场推广。

Franklin said:

The idea that you can only progress in science and technology with liberal democracy and freedom of speech is just false. There is no historical evidence for this

Click to expand...

There are many historical evidences. Giordano Bruno and Trofim Lysenko come to my mind as the most outstanding ones. China also had its own dark times in history of science and technology when politics or the ruler's own will and preference were forced upon scholars and researchers.

The west is wrong at that they wishfully think China as a replica of Soviet Union. The west did not get the fact that China, CPC included, has learned the lessons that politics do not mix well with natural sciences. The even bigger mistake of the west is that they now start politicizing sciences and technologies within their own borders.

A battery powered bionic ornithopter from NW PolyTech of China sets a new world record of flight endurance again. The "homing pigeon", the latest model, flew more than 3 hours on a single charge. The "homing pigeon" is smaller and lighter than its predecessor with half of wing span and a quarter of weight.




9月28日，记者从西北工业大学获悉：由该校科研团队研制的“信鸽”仿生飞行器续航时间突破3小时，刷新了扑翼式无人机单次充电飞行时间吉尼斯世界纪录。该团队研制的“云鸮”仿生飞行器曾创下2小时34分38秒的续航纪录。

“信鸽”由西北工业大学仿生飞行器研究团队研制，翼展70厘米，起飞重量260克。记者在科研人员拍摄的现场视频中看到，9月22日上午8时54分12秒，在国家级认证机构工作人员的见证下，“信鸽”在西北工业大学长安校区扇动翅膀轻盈起飞，在空中时而振翼疾飞，时而盘旋，时而随风滑翔。11时59分42秒，“信鸽”顺利滑翔降落，保持了3小时5分30秒的续航时间。据了解，与2022年11月15日创造吉尼斯世界纪录的“云鸮”相比，“信鸽”机身更小，翼展不足“云鸮”的一半，重量约为“云鸮”的四分之一。

“信鸽”刷新世界纪录是西北工业大学仿生飞行器研究团队在该领域长期深耕的结果。20多年来，该团队从鸟类翅膀结构、扑动方式与飞行性能的内在机理研究入手，详细研究了鸟翼结构、运动形式等对飞行性能的影响机理，突破了仿生飞行器设计中扑动翼、驱动机构、飞控系统设计等关键技术，先后研制了“小隼”“云鸮”“信鸽”等不同特点的仿生飞行器，并在全国10余个地区完成了1500余架次的飞行任务，在多个方面达到国际领先水平。

“仿生扑翼飞行器模仿鸟类等生物扑动翅膀的方式飞行，因其质量轻、体积小、噪声弱等特点，具有仿生性、隐蔽性和便携性，一般为手抛起飞、滑翔降落，起降不受场地限制，可应用于局地复杂环境应急救援信息获取、野外生物科考等多个领域。”该团队首席科学家宋笔锋教授介绍，“此次续航时间的大幅提升不仅验证了飞行器的性能，更使小型化仿生飞行器应用场景进一步扩大，有助于该类飞行器早日走向实际应用。”

Xi Jinping would much rather bribe international judges than give them away pay Chinese liberals for their important work.

In a span of six months since its inception this year, Web3 Hub@Cyberport has attracted more than 100 Web3 companies. It has now grown into a world-class hub for Web3 start-ups with more than 180 Web3-related enterprises, spanning Web3 applications and content such as NFTs and metaverse; fintech including virtual asset trading platforms and decentralised finance; foundational services; and middleware such as blockchain development tools and data analytics.

“Among the 190 companies, 80 per cent are local while 11 per cent are from mainland China and 9 per cent from overseas,” says Chan. “Founders come from the mainland and more than 15 countries and regions, including North America, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia.”

The MoU has already given rise to fruitful collaborations between Cyberport start-ups and companies in the region. Here’s a look at some of them:

Negawatt Utility, a smart building specialist, signed a MoU with Abu Dhabi smart city, Masdar, and its start-up accelerator, Catalyst, for green city planning, which entails monitoring data in energy consumption and corresponding adjustment for energy efficiency, and rolling out gamification to raise public awareness of energy conservation and decarbonisation.

Click to expand...

SleekFlow, an omnichannel social marketing platform, was invited to join the L'Occitane accelerator programme of L’Occitane MENA, French luxury brand focusing on smart retail solutions, and is going to set up a branch office in the Middle East.

Click to expand...

Animoca Brands, a global leading Web3 company that advances digital property rights for the open metaverse, partnered with Manga Productions, an animation company in Saudi Arabia, to cooperate on a Web3 project, facilitated by Cyberport’s Asia MENA Culture Technology Economic Collaboration Forum organised in December 2022. Animoca Brands has also announced its investment of seed funding into Nuqtah, the first NFT trading platform in Saudi Arabia, to promote Web3 and digital asset development in the Middle East.

Click to expand...

Hex Trust, a digital asset management company, has launched its operations in Dubai after receiving a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) licence from Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA), acting as the first fully operational virtual asset custodian in Dubai, and provides virtual asset custody and staking services for corporate clients and sophisticated investors.

Click to expand...

Farmacy, specialising in urban farming and development of smart mobile farms that grow vegetables hydroponically, has successfully secured business partnership in the Middle East and is planning to enter the local market later this year.

Click to expand...

Agritech company Farm66 provides hydroponic technology to the Middle East countries, which can produce 9,000 vegetables per month to improve local agricultural self-sufficiency. Farm66 built a container laboratory in a factory on the mainland, equipped with an automated system to remotely control the planting environment. Then the container is transported to Abu Dhabi, where vegetables can be produced on the spot.

Click to expand...

Interactive customer engagement platform VIMOS represented Hong Kong to participate in the Entrepreneurship World Cup 2022 in Saudi Arabia and has successfully entered top 20 finalists, paving the way for expansion into the Middle East market.

Click to expand...

Across China: Xinjiang teenager shifts from sheep grazing to robot racing in just two years..​

Rozimemet Turghun has made an incredible journey in just two years, transforming from a sheepherder on pastures to a robotics enthusiast competing on the national vocational skills stage.

Representing his hometown team from Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the 18-year-old man stood among more than 4,000 contestants at the second Vocational Skills Competition, which closed Tuesday in North China's Tianjin municipality.

Although he didn't secure a medal in the mobile robotics category at the contest, his enthusiasm remained unwavering.

"While there's still some ground to cover when compared to the top-notch participants, I pushed through and successfully completed the entire event, leaving me feeling thrilled," Rozimemet Turghun said.

Born in Aktokay village, Xinjiang's Aksu prefecture, Rozimemet Turghun didn't leave his rural upbringing until he entered Aksu Technical College two years ago.

"My parents made a living from herding, and I used to accompany them to the mountains to tend to the sheep," he said, adding that he couldn't have imagined leaving his remote village and leading a life different from his parents at that time.

During his leisure hours, Rozimemet Turghun developed a penchant for tinkering with household electronics. Even without formal instruction, he could methodically troubleshoot and repair electronic devices like lamps and radios.

After completing middle school, he enrolled in Aksu Technical College.

The turnaround came in March 2022 when Zhao Pengfei, vice dean of the electrical and mechanical engineering department, started assembling a team for a skills competition.

Rozimemet Turghun's remarkable hands-on skills caught the eye of Zhao during the selection process. He was handpicked to join the team, focusing on technologies related to industrial robot applications.

"I initially thought that a middle school graduate might struggle to grasp the knowledge needed for the competition. However, Rozimemet Turghun quickly understood the content explained by teachers and could put it into practice," Zhao said.

"His most valuable trait is his tenacity," Zhao added.

The competition involved programming industrial robots, a formidable challenge for someone with little experience with computers. Undaunted, Rozimemet Turghun acquired the essential skills, memorized the position of each component, and practiced each assembly step, day and night.

In April, Rozimemet Turghun, alongside his teammate Peng Ruixue, took their inaugural steps onto the competition field. They clinched the first-place position in the mobile robotics category at a prefectural vocational skills competition.

A month later, they secured a bronze medal during the Xinjiang tryout for the second Vocational Skills Competition. He astonished everyone by completing the disassembly and assembly of a mobile robot in just 2 hours and 12 minutes -- an achievement beyond his wildest dreams just two months ago.

China has long put vocational education high on its policy agenda. According to the education ministry, secondary and higher vocational schools in China produce approximately 10 million graduates annually. This consistent supply of skilled workforce has helped staff up production lines and outlets nationwide.

"With the advancement of technology and upgrades in manufacturing equipment, the complexity of electrical devices is increasing, and the precision required for installation and debugging is also higher," Zhao said. "Skilled talents are in greater demand than ever."

Zhao aspires to introduce cutting-edge technologies in the competition to remote classrooms and benefit more students in Xinjiang.

As the countdown reached zero on the day of the competition in Tianjin, Rozimemet Turghun couldn't tear his eyes away from the robots on the field. He lingered, reluctant to leave the grounds.

For him, each competition has not only honed his skills but has also shaped his future. "When I herded sheep as a child, I never thought about the future. Now I hope to refine my skills and step onto even broader stages."