Author: Media Library

China’s drive to grow 90 per cent of its own grain by 2032 just gained a critical weapon: an unmanned ratoon rice farm that produces 50 per cent higher yields. By harnessing smart seedling care, sowing, growing and harvesting, a Chinese biotechnology company and scientists from several institutes have built the world’s first smart farm for regenerated rice. Located in the Datong Lake District in China’s central Hunan province, the smart rice farm has enabled an ancient but technically challenging technique of harvesting the second rice crop grown from the…

Beijing is prioritising “strategic material security” under its new 15th five-year plan that elevates the supply and domestic stockpiling of critical resources to a matter of national security. Under the blueprint, Beijing is positioning “key commodities” on the same strategic footing as food and energy security, saying China will take a more active role in strengthening “energy and resource supply security” by “preventing and mitigating major risks in systemically important areas”. To achieve this, the Asian economic giant aims to address “weak links” in its supply chains, which are areas…

But for China, an unusual advantage is coming into focus: the ability to predict grain output more than six months in advance with striking accuracy. That capability – refined over decades – could allow Beijing to move early, reshaping risk into strategic leverage. Advertisement The Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global energy and commodity flows, has emerged as a key vulnerability. Roughly a third of global urea exports pass through the corridor, linking fertiliser markets directly to geopolitical stability. Urea production depends heavily on natural gas, meaning any…

Beijing has urged global commitment to opening up, while pledging to create more blue ocean markets in a world engulfed by protectionism. Delivering the opening address to the China Development Forum on Sunday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said, “protectionism is by no means a panacea for solving problems”, instead calling for opening up and technological progress to drive new market growth. “[Now,] power politics is running rampant, acting with impunity; at the same time, calls to uphold fairness and justice continue to grow louder,” Li said, without naming any specific…

As China undergoes a sweeping economic transition, its regions are also in the process of embracing change. The powerhouses of yesteryear must adapt or risk falling behind, as traditional industries become less reliable growth drivers and new sectors take prominence. In this series, we explore three representative areas of the country as they attempt to navigate this rapidly changing environment. After a 900km (559-mile) journey at the end of last month’s Chinese New Year holiday, 24-year-old Ma Xuan stood outside the gates of a Foxconn factory in Kunshan in the…

China has announced major discoveries of various critical minerals, including rare earths and fluorite, bolstering its reserves of the resources essential for the hi-tech, new energy and defence industries. At the Maoniuping mine in Sichuan province’s Mianning county, authorities announced the discovery of 9.7 million tonnes of rare earth oxides, bringing the site’s total proven reserves to 10.4 million tonnes, state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday. Surveys also revealed 27.1 million tonnes of fluorite and 37.2 million tonnes of baryte, qualifying the site as a “super-large” deposit for both…

Washington’s deployment of an amphibious assault ship from Japan to the Middle East could signal a temporary reduction in US military capacity in the Indo-Pacific region but will not necessarily diminish its deterrence of China, according to analysts. According to American media reports, the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli has left its home port in Japan and is making its way to the Middle East, carrying 2,500 marines on board. According to Marinetraffic.com, which monitors ships based on automatic identification system data, an “unspecified US warship” was last tracked departing…