Chinese satellites appear to dock in orbit for historic refuelling mission

Two Chinese satellites may have docked in geostationary orbit for a historic refuelling mission, an autonomous satellite servicing feat the United States has yet to achieve. Advertisement China’s Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 “appeared visually merged in optical sensor data” between July 2 and July 6, US-based space situational awareness software provider COMSPOC said on Saturday in a social media post. “Given the prolonged RPO time, SJ-21 and SJ-25 may have docked,” it said, using the acronym for “rendezvous and proximity operations”. The two probes were observed carrying out such operations in…

Chinese team says carbon dioxide can be turned turned into sugar

Chinese scientists have developed a method to turn the alcohol methanol into white sugar, which they say could allow captured carbon dioxide to be converted into food. Advertisement The team’s biotransformation system produces sucrose without the need to grow sugar cane or sugar beets – crops that require large amounts of land and water resources. Their method to convert methanol – which can be derived from industrial waste or made by hydrogenating carbon dioxide – into sucrose using enzymes was also adapted to make other complex carbohydrates, including fructose and…

‘No tunnel, no waste’: China’s Inner Mongolia uranium mine signals nuclear leap

China has made a breakthrough in uranium mining and processing by unlocking complex sandstone deposits once seen as too challenging to develop, as Beijing ramps up efforts towards a green transition and energy security. Advertisement The country’s largest natural uranium project had yielded its first barrel, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced on Saturday. The “National No 1 Uranium” demonstration project was launched a year ago in the Ordos basin of northern Inner Mongolia, home to China’s largest natural uranium deposits. State news agency Xinhua said the successful mining marked…

Will China hit its mid-year growth target?

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. China GDP figures for the first half of the year are published on Tuesday, providing the latest indication of whether US President Donald Trump’s trade war is weighing on the economy. Despite trade tensions and deflationary pressures, the country is widely expected to report a strong figure. A Bloomberg poll of economists still forecasts the country to grow 5.3 per cent in the first six months of 2025, in line…

Will Dalai Lama succession row put China-India thaw at risk?

The fallout between China and India over the 14th Dalai Lama’s succession plan has put a strain on their improving relations, but observers say the dispute is unlikely to completely jeopardise the thaw between the neighbours. Advertisement The dispute was triggered last week by comments from a senior Indian minister, Kiren Rijiju, who said only the Dalai Lama himself and the institution he established had the authority to identify his successor as the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. Then on Sunday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended 90th birthday greetings…

Why China’s luxury hotels are selling street food to survive

Catering at luxury hotels typically involves high-end banquets and formal entertainment, with exquisite decor and masterfully crafted dishes often seen as worth the high price tag. Advertisement But for many consumers in China, that is changing. In July, the five-star Zhongwu Hotel in Changzhou, Jiangsu province – ranked second among 10 luxury hotels in the city on Trip.com – surprised observers when it launched a street vendor service offering budget meal boxes prepared by its catering team. “You must first solve the problem of survival. If you can’t even solve…

Meituan’s daily orders hit record 150 million amid rivalry with JD.com, Alibaba

Meituan, mainland China’s top on-demand delivery giant, said on Sunday that daily orders on its platform have surged to another all-time high – a sign that the company has managed to fend off competition from rivals like JD.com and Alibaba Group Holding. Advertisement The Beijing-based company said daily transactions had reached 150 million, just days after surpassing 120 million last week. The firm’s record daily orders for both food and retail goods delivery comes at a time when major Chinese e-commerce players are investing heavily to boost transaction volumes in…

Can China’s kindergartens survive steep drop-off in prospective pupils?

The government-affiliated kindergarten that Lily Wang works for in northeastern China used to be reserved for the children of officials, but China’s plunging birth rate means it is having to cast its net wider nowadays. Advertisement “The leadership has shifted its approach, enlarging the enrolment base and learning from the southern regions by adopting group-based management,” said Wang, a senior teacher at the kindergarten in Harbin, Heilongjiang’s provincial capital. It began recruiting pupils from the general populace in autumn last year. While it still gives priority to officials’ children when…

China widens kindergarten lead poisoning probe as central government weighs in

China has expanded the probe into a kindergarten lead poisoning scandal that has shocked the nation, with the central government getting involved in a rare intervention in a provincial investigation. Advertisement On Saturday night the authorities in Gansu said the investigation would be led by provincial leaders working alongside a task force from the State Council, the country’s cabinet. Parents said local tests had not highlighted that anything was amiss and the problem only came to light when the children were tested in another province. The local police said on…

Will China’s mega dam in Tibet bring a water crisis to India? Study gives hint

Advertisement But politicians in India, sitting downstream, have voiced fears the dam could be a “water bomb” exacerbating floods in monsoons, or that it could steal water in dry seasons. Since Beijing approved the project in December last year, there have been lots of discussions, but little proof. Now a joint study by Hohai University and China’s Ministry of Water Resources suggested the dam’s impact on the Yarlung Tsangpo could be opposite to India’s fears. The study draws data from two large dams already working upstream: Zangmu and Jiacha. Measured…