Listen to the traditional folk song I Have a Dream (我有一个梦), made in honor of the creator of hybrid rice, Yuan Longping (袁隆平).
Geopolitics
Huawei overcomes US sanctions and resumes production of 5G phones with technology believed to be out of reach for China
Experts confirmed that the Mate Pro 60 has a 7-nanometer chip developed by Huawei’s subsidiary, HiSilicon, with technology also from China’s SMIC. Huawei couldn’t use its previous 5G chip, Kirin 9000, because it was produced by Taiwan’s TSMC with US equipment and technology, which, combined with other sanctions, caused Huawei to plummet from its global leadership in cellphone sales in 2020.
US Commerce Secretary says export restrictions for “national security” are non-negotiable
Gina Raimondo described her visit to China as an “important start” in managing tensions, and the two countries have created a mechanism to assess how to jointly address sensitive trade and technology restrictions in the coming months. After the visit, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that with export restrictions, the US is acting with a “zero-sum Cold War mentality”.
National Politics
Nine ministries call on retirees and veterans to return to their hometowns to contribute to rural revitalization
The request was aimed at retirees with experience in public service, education, healthcare, and technology, and military veterans to take on roles as village development advisors. The policy may have a very limited effect because urban retirees cannot buy, sell or inherit homes in rural areas.
New foreign state immunity law will allow cases against foreign states in Chinese courts
China’s previous position was that states and their properties were immune from the jurisdiction of other states’ courts. The Civil Procedure Law has also been amended to allow embassies to collect evidence in foreign countries if requested by a Chinese court.
Economy
Real estate market giant Country Garden recorded a record loss in the first half of the year of nearly $7 billion
Despite having less debt than Evergrande, the company – which ranked first among China’s 100 largest developers in sales in 2021 and 2022 – plays a larger role in China’s real estate market due to its wider presence in smaller cities. The company’s shares fell 67% this year, reducing its market value to $3.1 billion.
Manufacturing sector hits fastest pace since February in August, with employment growing at its quickest pace in over 13 years
The Caixin Purchasing Managers’ Index shows that new orders expanded in August due to improvements in the domestic market, while new export orders continued to shrink. The services sector grew for the eighth consecutive month but recorded its slowest pace of the year.
Agriculture and Environment
Abundant harvest of giant rice in China’s Guanxi region could play a key role in ensuring food security in the country
The farmer in the Zhuang Autonomous Region of Guangxi planted just over 13 hectares and harvested up to 3,000 kg per hectare more than in previous years of the hybrid variety of “giant rice”. In addition to higher yields, the variety has other advantages such as drought tolerance and resistance to flooding, diseases, and pests.
For the first time, China replaces Europe in offshore wind power capacity, with more than 31 GW
Of the total of 64.3 GW of offshore wind power capacity generated worldwide in 2022, Europe was responsible for 47%, and China for 49%. Europe’s offshore wind industry faces supply chain problems and high interest rates following the pandemic and the start of the crisis in Ukraine that increased costs for everything from turbines to labor.
People’s Life and Culture
China’s population lives two years longer due to air pollution control
Pollution levels fell by 42% between 2013 and 2021 thanks to various government measures, according to the latest Air Quality Index report from the University of Chicago. Responsible for 30% of global industrial production, China is the world’s 13th most polluted country, and Beijing’s particle pollution still far exceeds WHO guidelines, 40% higher than that of the most polluted country in the world, the US.
Research by Chinese scientists published in Science found that humans were on the brink of extinction a million years ago
During the “transition from early to middle Pleistocene”, which lasted over 100,000 years, only 1,300 individuals of reproductive age remained on Earth, a common evolutionary phenomenon called a “bottleneck”. This “ancient human census” was possible thanks to a new method that allows for determining demographic footprints through analysis of current human genomes.
Particle pollution in China’s main regions between 1998 and 2021, and changes in life expectancy by region between 2014 and 2021.
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