Month: August 2026

Routine Chinese activities are increasingly being framed as threats by Indian intelligence agencies, raising the risk of New Delhi miscalculating and taking “unilateral countermeasures” against Beijing, a Chinese academic has warned. India has stepped up intelligence-gathering as ties with neighbouring China turned sour in recent years, according to Zhao Ruoxi, a researcher with the Macau University of Science and Technology. Zhao made the remarks in a paper analysing India’s intelligence operations focused on China from 2020 to 2026. It was published on July 31 in the Chinese-language Journal of Intelligence,…

Chinese scientists have developed a new tabletop X-ray ghost imaging method that allows them to capture real-time “see-through” video of fast-moving objects. The team’s system could be used to capture dynamic objects such as rotating aircraft engines or biological movements like a beating heart. Importantly, this could all be accomplished with a lower radiation dose and simpler set-up than traditional X-ray methods. “In contrast to other available X-ray imaging techniques for moving objects, our method can be implemented with a conventional tabletop X-ray source,” the team said in a paper…

“History doesn’t repeat itself but it often rhymes.” This famous quote, widely attributed to Mark Twain, keeps playing in my mind as China mourns the death of former premier Zhu Rongji and reflects on his legacy. It was early afternoon on August 12 when I received a message from a friend on the mainland that made my heart sink: “Our much-respected Premier Zhu left us this morning!” As we anxiously waited for the official confirmation that would launch us into a frantically busy news day, my mind went back to…

Chinese archaeologists will carry out their first joint field project in South America by exploring sites dating back thousands of years in Peru as Beijing steps up its efforts to deepen cultural ties with the region. The Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said it had signed a cooperation agreement with the Caral Archaeological Zone of the Peruvian Ministry of Culture and the Professional School of Archaeology at the National University of San Marcos to explore sites related to the Caral civilisation. The collaboration will include…

Next time you spot a vivid orange-yellow crust spreading across a rock in your garden, on a country wall or along a hiking trail, take a closer look – you might be standing on a fortune. A Chinese research team has found that a humble lichen could serve as a visible field indicator of unknown rare earth deposits around the world. The researchers said the lichen’s distinctive colour made it easy to spot on exposed rock, and the discovery could be combined with unmanned aerial vehicles and hyperspectral remote sensing…

China’s historic Chang’e-7 mission to drill for ice near the moon’s south pole has been delayed, the country’s human space flight programme authority said on Sunday. The Chang’e-7 – carrying an orbiter, a lander, a rover and a hopper – was expected to lift off aboard a Long March 5 rocket from the Wenchang spaceport in southern China’s Hainan province as early as Monday. The China Manned Space Agency said on Sunday evening that the mission would be postponed following a comprehensive assessment to adhere to principles of safety and…