Month: July 2025

On a quiet river in central China’s Anhui province, villagers in Hanshan county stopped to stare as a sleek black shape sliced through the water with a low mechanical growl. Advertisement It was not a military test or an industrial prototype. It was a home-made submarine – designed, built, and piloted by Zhang Shengwu, a 60-year-old farmer with no engineering degree and no blueprint to follow. Zhang’s boatbuilding has become a viral sensation in China. Photo: Handout “I’d watched boats all my life,” Zhang told Dawan News, a government-affiliated outlet,…

Chinese economists have called for more pro-market reforms to tackle economic imbalances and vicious intra-industry competition, as a new report has revealed a decline in a major index tracking the country’s marketisation. Advertisement In a new assessment from the National Economic Research Institute, a Beijing-based think tank, China’s overall level of marketisation – measured by five criteria, including government-market relations – stood at 5.62 out of 10 in 2023, slipping by 0.1 from 2019 and by 0.4 from 2021, the index’s four-year peak. The index, typically published every two years,…

China has unveiled a tail-sitter drone – which takes off and lands on its tail like a rocket – during a disaster rescue drill, according to state media. Advertisement In its debut, the new unmanned aerial vehicle’s sensors and cameras were put to the test for reconnaissance and real-time situational awareness operations in a mountainous region of Sichuan province, the official Science and Technology Daily reported on Tuesday. The drone’s Wenyao intelligent control system was also on show, with the drill demonstrating capabilities such as autonomous target allocation, automatic route…

The trafficking of materials to make the drug fentanyl – the issue cited by the US in its initial tariff escalation against China in March – is set to be back in focus for future talks, analysts said, after two previous rounds did not appear to broach the subject. Advertisement Speculation over the drug’s presence in future negotiations was fuelled by US President Donald Trump’s remarks on the topic Wednesday, making reference to China’s “big steps” – including the threat of the death penalty for smugglers – to curb the…

Brazil’s rare earth exports to China tripled in the first half of 2025 just as Chinese imports surged to a record high, fuelling concerns that Beijing-Washington trade tensions may be quietlyreroutingg the world’s supply chains through emerging economies. Advertisement The figures are part of a report released on Thursday by the China-Brazil Business Council (CBBC) that shows Brazil’s exports to China fell 7.5 per cent compared to the same period last year, reaching US$47.7 billion. Imports from China rose 22 per cent to US$35.7 billion. As a result, Brazil’s trade…