Day: November 13, 2025

China has successfully deployed the world’s largest power-generating kite, capable of harnessing the potential of energy-dense, high-altitude winds to provide cheaper power than traditional surface turbines. Advertisement The 5,000 square-metre (53,820 square-foot) high-altitude wind power capture kite was unfurled at a test site at Alxa Left Banner in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Wednesday, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Resembling a parachute, the power-generating kite was developed by the China Energy Engineering Corporation as part of the country’s first national research and development project for high-altitude wind power. Tethered…

China’s economic indicators posted mixed results in October as markets were gripped by uncertainty ahead of the late-month summit between the US and Chinese presidents. Advertisement National fixed-asset investment fell by 1.7 per cent, widening from the 0.5 per cent drop recorded in the first nine months and underperforming Wind’s forecast of a 0.71 per cent decrease. Retail sales, a major gauge of consumer spending, grew by 2.9 per cent year on year in October, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Friday. The figure…

Three astronauts on board China’s Tiangong space station – whose launch back to Earth was delayed last week after suspected space debris struck their vessel – are set to make their return on Friday on the new crew’s spacecraft. Advertisement The Shenzhou-20 crew are expected to land at the Dongfeng Landing Site in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Friday aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft, the China Manned Space Agency said. The CMSA said all three astronauts – Chen Dong, Wang Jie and Chen Zhongrui – were in good health and…

China’s first drone-carrying Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, began sea trials on Friday, after its launch in December last year, according to state news agency Xinhua. Advertisement The ship is seen as a key asset for the PLA Navy’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations because of its electromagnetic catapult launch system and is often described as the world’s first drone carrier. The sea trial will test the reliability and stability of the engine and power system, Xinhua said. Named after the southwestern Chinese province and bearing the hull…

As companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin make headlines for sending non-astronauts into space on pricey private tours, a Chinese state firm is expected to unveil its own space tourism programme this week, joining other domestic enterprises as they attempt to make headway in the rapidly emerging – and US-dominated – market. Advertisement China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), the primary contractor for the country’s space programme, will unveil details of its inaugural tour at the China Hi-tech Fair, which opens on Friday in the southern tech hub of…

One of the architects of former US President Joe Biden’s tech export controls warned on Thursday that Washington needs better coordination with allies to deny China access to high-end chips and cutting-edge products, criticising a plan by US President Donald Trump’s administration to allow sales of certain Nvidia chips. Advertisement Citing Beijing’s massive spending on efforts to establish China’s technological leadership, former commerce secretary Gina Raimondo said in a panel discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations that the US government should do it in a more precise way to…