China’s automotive industry has found an unlikely hero after the Wuling Hong Guang Micro electric vehicle (EV), a joint venture between General Motors (GM) and SAIC Motor, outsold the Tesla Model 3 in China. Chinese EV manufacturers eager to be the ”next Tesla” have had to find ways to ride the momentum created by the…
China said it would offer aid and assistance to its African trade partners in their prolonged battle with the Covid-19 pandemic. It has also committed to build on existing economic partnerships across the continent. Speaking at the virtual China-Africa Cooperation summit on 27 August, Zhao Xiyuan, an official from China’s embassy to Kenya, told…
A team of Chinese researchers has developed a biodegradable plastic replacement which promises to lessen the burden placed on the planet by excessive plastic use and waste. Professor Xu Jiachao and his team of researchers at the College of Food Science and Engineering at the Ocean University of China are using an abundant oceanic resource…
Pinduoduo, the world’s largest e-commerce platform and China’s second busiest online marketplace, has announced its plans to sell $145 billion worth of agricultural produce in 2025. The bold claim came shortly after it was announced that Chinese consumers had bought $58 billion worth of agricultural produce online in 2019 – a 27% increase, according to…
Ugandan owned Kiira Motors, an electric bus startup with its roots in plug-in electric vehicle (EV) hybrids, is building Africa’s first e-bus factory, making use of Chinese battery technology. The small bus company based outside the Ugandan capital, Kampala, is already negotiating several contracts for its newest offering, the Kayoola EVS. The company’s origins lie…
Tianjin-based vaccine producer, CanSino Biologics, has won patent approval for its Ad5-nCOV vaccine candidate. The Covid-19 vaccine was approved in Beijing on 11 August, Chinese state-owned media reported citing documents released by China’s Intellectual Property Administration. The Ad5-nCOV candidate was co-developed by CanSino Biologics and a team of infectious disease experts, led by Chen Wei,…
Global wind farm capacity is likely to grow nearly 800% by the end of 2030 – with China at the head of the pack, according to two recent reports. A report by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) indicates stronger than originally forecasted growth for the sector. The Energy Council had to review its latest…
China is host to the most valuable startups on the planet in the annual Hurun Global Unicorn Index from the Hurun Research Institute. In a year largely interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China, the world’s second-largest economy, has 227 unicorns as of March this year – around 35% of the world’s unicorns. A unicorn is…
China has built the largest seaplane the world has seen since Howard Hughes’s legendary ‘Spruce Goose.’ The Asian superpower’s first-ever attempt at the feat, the AG600, made its maiden voyage on July 26. The AG600, also known as ‘Kunlong’, has been in development since 2009, but the public has seen it only a handful of…
Hengli Petrochemical, one of China’s largest privately-owned companies, has announced a move to turn coal into fabric. The $20 billion undertaking will produce polyester yarn, used in everything from clothing to packaging and bottling, from China’s vast coal reserves. In June, the chemical giant said it would make the multi-billion dollar transition into the coal-to-chemical…