Day: June 10, 2025

China’s J-20 stealth fighter has tripled its radar detection range, thanks to semiconductor advancements over the past two decades led by Shandong University scientist Xu Xiangang, according to the university. Advertisement A silicon-carbide (SiC) semiconductor material developed by Xu’s team had powered a threefold increase in the detection range of phased array radar systems, allowing Chinese radars to swiftly detect enemies and gain the first-mover advantage, the university said on its social media page. “From the J-20’s on-board systems to advanced weaponry, this ‘Chinese chip’ is crucial for national security,”…

Eve Energy, China’s fifth-largest producer of electric vehicle (EV) batteries, plans to raise fresh capital on the Hong Kong stock exchange, following the lead of its bigger rival Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) as international investors show a growing appetite for the country’s industrial gems. Advertisement The Shenzhen-listed company said on Tuesday that its board had endorsed a fundraising plan aimed at bolstering its international expansion, but details about the share offering were still in the works. The flotation would “enhance the company’s capital strength, overall competitiveness and international brand awareness”,…

Beijing’s imposition of rare earth export restrictions from April – playing its trump card in the face of Washington’s intensifying tariffs and tech curbs – helped send a message to Washington ahead of this week’s discussions over bilateral export-control issues. Advertisement Considered a trump card because rare earths have an outsized impact on auto, electronics and defence industries, and China dominates the supply chain, the trade in such critical minerals is widely expected to be among the key topics this week in discussions between high-ranking US officials and Chinese Vice-Premier…

For decades, China’s talk of letting the private sector bid for defence orders had mostly been just that: talk. Advertisement State-owned conglomerates had dominated the sector for decades, but in the middle of 2016, Beijing started to step up its military-civilian fusion strategy, publishing an official list of the sectors where private firms were being encouraged to contribute, such as swarming drone technologies. The plan is a central pillar of China’s ambition to develop a modernised military by 2035 and world-class armed forces by 2049. Most details of the military-civilian…

European Union officials used a major security conference in Brazil on Tuesday to present the bloc as a stable and predictable partner, citing growing instability tied to the strategic rivalry between the United States and China. Advertisement Speaking at the Forte de Copacabana International Security Conference, Brian Glynn, the European External Action Service’s managing director for the Americas, said the EU was not seeking to distance itself from either power. “The export-led, fossil fuel-driven economy is the past,” said Glynn, referencing China’s growing trade presence in Latin America. “What we…