China’s investment in its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has dropped more than 50% since the Covid-19 virus was identified in Wuhan early last year. However, funding into green BRI projects seems set for a significant boost. Chinese investment in its 138 BRI partners dipped 54% from 2019 to 2020 to $47 billion overall, according…
Chinese researchers have developed a way to send uncrackable “quantum keys” between ground stations and low-orbit satellites, which is considered one of the most significant breakthroughs in the field. In 2018, researchers from the University of Science and Technology in China (UTSC) devised a way to share quantum keys in secret between a series of…
Chinese scientists have developed a new gene therapy that increases the strength and lifespan of older mice – and may one day have an impact on humans. The Beijing-based Institute of Zoology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) specialising in regenerative medicine, focused on isolating and inactivating the kat7 gene. This particular gene, found in…
Warren Buffet-backed BYD, the world’s largest electric bus manufacturer, has secured a contract from the city of Bogota, Columbia, for more than 1 000 new buses – the single biggest order of BYD electric buses outside of China ever. The contract was awarded to BYD after the Bogota City Public Transport Authority (Transmilenio) released a…
A magnetic levitation – or maglev – bullet train prototype which could carry passengers across China almost as fast as a commercial aircraft was unveiled this month. Researchers from China’s Southwestern Jiaotong University unveiled the prototype on a 165m custom-built section of rail in China’s Chengdu region in early January. The maglev train, designed to…
Chinese fossil fuel mega firm Sinopec has teamed up with renewable energy companies to create ‘green hydrogen’ as part of China’s continued push towards the goal of carbon neutrality. The move is a necessary step for the oil-focused firm as the fossil fuel industry is becoming a thing of the past while renewables and clean…
Two of China’s largest companies are teaming up to disrupt the automotive industry. Internet giant Baidu, and Chinese car manufacturer Geely, have announced a collaboration, continuing the trend of big tech companies diversifying into the future of passenger transportation. On 11 January, Geely, the largest car manufacturer in China, said the two mega-firms would collaborate,…
A team of researchers from China’s Jinjiang University and the University of Edinburgh has taught a robot a fundamentally human trait: learning from mistakes through trial and error. Jeuyjing, the robot dog created for the experiment, uses the memory of real-world experiences to react to external stimuli it encounters. This is a departure from traditional…
Mauritius and China have signed the first Sino-African Free Trade Agreement, opening the African island nation to new trade opportunities with the globe’s second-largest economy. The deal, which was made official on Friday, coincides with the signing of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) which went into effect on the first day of 2021.…
China’s Chang’e-5 moon mission has returned safely to terra firma with the planet’s first lunar sample in more than four decades. China has said it would share its findings with the global scientific community. The 23-day mission was a success after the Chang’e-5’s return capsule landed in the freezing deserts of Inner Mongolia on 17…