Day: March 25, 2024

Chinese scientists analysing Chang’e 5 lunar rock samples find clues to moon’s past in super-hard material

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The process might be more complicated than scientists had previously thought, a team from the Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in Guiyang reported in Matter and Radiation at Extremes journal last month. 01:28 China’s Chang’e 5 lunar mission returns to Earth with moon samples China’s Chang’e 5 lunar mission returns to Earth with moon samples “The unique mineral was likely produced in the Aristarchus crater, and then ejected northward to the Chang’e 5 sampling site,” said the paper’s lead author Du Wei. “Our work reminded us that nature…

Under new security law, Hong Kongers fear ‘saying the wrong thing’

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As the Hong Kong government tries to reassure the city’s 7 million residents that they have little to fear from the latest national security law, residents say they now live in greater fear of a misstep that could land them in jail. The Safeguarding National Security Law, known as “Article 23,” took effect on March 23, and has been billed by the government as a way to protect the city from interference and infiltration by “hostile foreign forces” that Beijing blames for waves of mass popular protests in recent years.…

China’s ‘low-altitude economy’ on the rise as southern city named focal point

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China has designated the capital city of Guangdong province, its economic powerhouse in the south, as the nexus of its unmanned equipment industry – a part of broader efforts to spearhead technological advancement and advance its plans to be a global player in drones, autonomous vehicles and civil aviation. Nansha, a district in Guangzhou, has been selected to develop a citywide management system for unmanned vehicles as well as industry standards for what has been deemed the “low-altitude economy”, according to a document recently released by the National Development and…

Japan relaxes defence export rules to allow sales of new fighter jet

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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Japan has eased rules on weapons exports to allow sales of a fighter jet it will develop with the UK and Italy to other countries, marking a new milestone in Tokyo’s more proactive defence policy. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s cabinet on Tuesday approved the revision to export controls, clearing a hurdle for the Global Combat Air Programme to achieve an ambitious timeline of delivering a highly advanced combat aircraft by…

New Zealand parliament targeted in China-backed hack in 2021, spy agency says

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A group backed by the Chinese state targeted New Zealand government services in a cyber-attack in 2021, New Zealand’s intelligence agency has said. The government and intelligence agency – the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) – confirmed the breach on Tuesday after the UK and the US accused China of similar attacks. “This is the first time we have attributed state-sponsored malicious cyber activity to the People’s Republic of China, for intrusion into New Zealand government systems,” said the GCSB director, Andrew Clark. In August 2021, the GCSB’s cybersecurity centre…

China’s solar billionaire feels the heat as sector faces upheaval

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In December last year, Chinese solar panel billionaire Li Zhenguo addressed the UN climate change conference in Dubai, promising a “benevolent and equitable” energy system to support the world’s decarbonisation. “The opportunities for everyone to contribute to the fight against climate change through renewable energy solutions are boundless,” Li said. But three months later, the founder of Longi Green Energy Technology has been forced into retreat as a result of a global supply glut, firing thousands of factory workers and new office staff as the industry grapples with a collapse…

Who gains from India’s endless election?

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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. In less than a month India will embark on the world’s biggest democratic election. There will be a record 968mn eligible voters. And, for reasons almost unique to India, they won’t be in a hurry. The vote, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking re-election to a third term, will be held in seven phases over more than six weeks, starting on April 19 and ending on June 1.…

US, UK Bring Charges, Sanctions in Response to Chinese Hacking Operation

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American and British authorities announced criminal charges and sanctions on Monday against seven hackers believed to be living in China and linked to the Chinese government. The operation was carried out by a hacking group called Advanced Persistent Threat 31, or APT31, an extensive Chinese state-backed operation targeting U.S. officials, journalists, corporations, pro-democracy activists and the United Kingdom’s election watchdog. The campaign, which started in 2010, sought to spy on and intimidate high-level political figures and critics of the Chinese government. It also intended to gather trade secrets from American…

China’s zombie car plant problem

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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Policymakers from Brussels to Washington are fretting over the security and economic risks posed by a fast-rising wave of Chinese electric vehicle imports.  But for Xi Jinping’s administration in Beijing the rapid emergence of the nation’s advanced EV industry has created a different dilemma: how to manage the terminal decline of the sector devoted to internal combustion engines? China’s auto industry is the world’s biggest across sales, production and, since…