Day: May 18, 2026

Chinese scientists landed on a disputed South China Sea reef over the weekend in the latest assertion of Beijing’s sovereignty claims. The Philippines said the Chinese-flagged research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 33 had been spotted near the reef on Saturday, escorted by two coastguard ships. Advertisement Jay Tarriela, a spokesman for the Philippine coastguard, said “Chinese personnel were observed landing and conducting illegal activities”. He added that the coastguards carried out a “maritime domain awareness flight” on Sunday to “address and drive away unauthorised marine scientific research activities”, adding that…

Chinese scientists have identified a new type of rare earths formation in the nation’s frigid northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang and Jilin – a discovery that could challenge assumptions about how rare earths occur across the country. Unlike the clay-heavy deposits of southern China – which require chemical leaching to release the elements – the northern formations consist of loose sand and gravel formed by natural freeze-thaw cycles. This difference could make extraction more efficient, less costly and better for the environment. Advertisement The discovery of the new deposits “could potentially…