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☆ C919: Why China's answer to Boeing and Airbus isn't as 'homegrown' as it seems
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hong Kong CNN —China is claiming a historic win this week after its answer to Boeing and Airbus, the C919, took to the skies for its first commercial flight. But instead of boosting China’s global stature in technology innovation, experts say the C919 is a symbol of its continued reliance on the West. COMAC’s first commercial plane, by comparison, is a much smaller regional jet called the ARJ21, which can only fly up to 3,700 kilometers (2,300 miles) and accommodate up to 97 passengers. Technicians working on a COMAC C919 aircraft under assembly at the COMAC Shanghai Research and Development Center in 2017. Boeing and Airbus also depend on “high-quality global suppliers,” state-run newspaper China Daily said in an editorial Wednesday.

Persons: ”, Scott Kennedy, Scott, Shukor Yusof, it’s, Kennedy, “, Qilai Shen, Yusof, VCG, Parker, Rockwell Collins, America’s, COMAC, COMAC hasn’t, there’s, ” Yusof Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Boeing, Airbus, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Endau, CNN, China Eastern Airlines, Shanghai Research, Development Center, Bloomberg, China, Global Times, GE, CFM, China Daily, America’s Boeing, US, TransNusa, “ Airlines Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, North America, Europe, Washington, Shanghai, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Asia, United States, European, Malaysia, Indonesia

☆ China launches Shenzhou-16 mission to Chinese space station - state media
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China Daily via REUTERSBEIJING, May 30 (Reuters) - China sent three astronauts to its now fully operational space station as part of crew rotation on Tuesday in the fifth manned mission to the Chinese space outpost since 2021, state media reported. The astronauts on Shenzhou-16 will replace the three-member crew of the Shenzhou-15, who arrived at the space station late in November. China has already announced plans to expand its permanently inhabited space outpost, with the next module slated to dock with the current T-shaped space station to create a cross-shaped structure. Leading the Shenzhou-16 mission was Jing Haipeng, 56, a senior spacecraft pilot from China's first batch of astronaut trainees in the late 1990s. Also by the end of 2023, China is due to a launch space telescope the size of a large bus.

☆ Shenzhou-16 launch: China sends first civilian astronaut to space
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —China sent its first civilian astronaut into orbit on Tuesday, as it launched the Shenzhou-16 mission to its space station for its second in-orbit crew rotation, marking another step forward for the country’s ambitious space program. It is China’s fifth manned mission to the space station since 2021. Several media outlets on Monday responded to the online discussion over how a person without perfect vision could be physically cleared for a space mission. This could make it the sole in-orbit outpost for scientific research after the expected end of operations for the International Space Station in 2030. Tiangong’s core module first entered orbit in 2021, marking the first major step in a space station dream envisioned by the government since 1992.

☆ Li Hui: Beijing attempts to play peacemaker with planned trip by special envoy to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

A source within the Ukrainian government told CNN earlier this week that a Chinese envoy would be in Kyiv Tuesday and Wednesday, though Ukraine has not released further details. Beijing’s ties with Moscow have been under close scrutiny over the past week as European officials discussed a recalibration of the bloc’s China strategy. On Monday ahead of Li’s expected arrival in Ukraine, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen called for Ukraine’s peace plan to be the basis of efforts to resolve the conflict. It is therefore the one that should set out the core principles for a just peace,” she said in Brussels. Ukraine, the US and more than 100 nations have called for peace predicated on the unconditional withdrawal of Russia troops from Ukrainian territory.

☆ China's factory activity skids in April on weak demand - Caixin PMI
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s factory activity unexpectedly dipped in April, a private sector survey showed on Thursday, due to softer domestic demand and suggesting the manufacturing sector is losing momentum amid a bumpy post-COVID economic recovery. FILE PHOTO: Employees work on a production line manufacturing metal parts for furniture at a factory in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China April 30, 2020. China Daily via REUTERSThe Caixin/S&P Global manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to 49.5 in April from 50.0 the previous month prior. The reading echoes a similarly disappointing official PMI released on Sunday and reflects the uneven nature of China’s economic recovery, with services consumption, a key growth driver in the first quarter, outperforming manufacturing. “This suggests that China’s economic recovery significantly slowed after COVID-19 infections peaked at the start of this year,” said Wang Zhe, economist at Caixin Insight Group.

☆ China's skidding factory sector taps brakes on economic recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Ellen Zhang | Ryan Woo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING (Reuters) -China’s factory activity unexpectedly contracted in April as orders fell and poor domestic demand dragged on the sprawling manufacturing sector, a private survey showed on Thursday, imperilling the broader economic outlook for the second quarter. China Daily via REUTERSThe Caixin/S&P Global manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to 49.5 in April from 50.0 in March. The latest PMIs may lower expectations for the economy in the second quarter, said Zhou Hao, economist at Guotai Junan International. “But to what extent the economic recovery momentum will weaken, the market is not sure,” Zhou said. “The manufacturing sector will be under pressure in the second quarter, and won’t get any relief at least until June.”

☆ China has kicked off one of its first long post-pandemic holidays, and an industrial town with cheap barbecue is so popular that authorities are telling people to go elsewhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Zibo's popularity exploded after videos of its affordable local barbecue went viral on social media. It's so popular that Zibo city authorities are urging people to visit during off-peak periods or to consider going to other places in the Shandong province instead. Zibo's popularity exploded over the last two months after college students' videos of the city's affordable local barbecue went viral on social media, according to state-owned China Daily. "Some customers arrived in the morning and waited until evening to enjoy a barbecue supper," Yang Benxin, the owner of a local barbecue eatery, told the Chinese Communist Party-owned People's Daily on Saturday. Zibo's vibrant tourism scene mirrors a recovery in the sector in China with 240 million trips expected over the five-day holiday, according to the government-backed China Tourism Academy, per Xinhua.

☆ China factory activity unexpectedly shrinks in April
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Ellen Zhang | Ryan Woo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING (Reuters) -China’s manufacturing activity unexpectedly shrank in April, official data showed on Sunday, raising pressure on policymakers seeking to boost an economy struggling for a post-COVID lift-off amid subdued global demand and persistent property weakness. That missed expectations of 51.4 tipped by economists in a Reuters poll and marked the first contraction since December, when the official manufacturing PMI was at 47.0. The world’s second-biggest economy grew faster than expected in the first quarter thanks to robust services consumption, but factory output has lagged amid weak global growth. The manufacturing sector, which employs about 18% of China’s workforce, remains under pressure due to slack global demand. The composite PMI, which includes manufacturing and non-manufacturing activity, dropped to 54.4 from 57.0.

☆ China factory activity unexpectedly cools in April
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Ellen Zhang | Ryan Woo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

☆ China Celebrates Economic Recovery, Pledges More Help on Jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Jason Douglas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

China’s Politburo says it aims to strengthen the country’s lead in electric vehicles with brands such as Leapmotor, whose cars are assembled at a factory in Jinhua, China. Photo: CHINA DAILY/via REUTERSSINGAPORE—The top policy-making body of China’s Communist Party pledged to nurture the country’s economic recovery after better-than-expected growth in the first quarter of the year, signaling optimism over the outlook for the economy while acknowledging problems such as local-government debt and youth joblessness. The world’s second-largest economy is expected to expand at a healthy clip this year after Beijing ditched its strict approach to controlling Covid-19 late last year. The upbeat projections offer support to a global economy beset by slowing growth in the U.S. and Europe as rising interest rates, stubborn inflation and the specter of financial-sector instability bear down on consumer and business spending.

☆ China to test out 3D printing technology on moon to build habitats
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, April 24 (Reuters) - China will explore using 3D printing technology to construct buildings on the moon, the official China Daily reported on Monday, as Beijing solidifies plans for long-term lunar habitation. In the 2020 Chinese lunar mission, the Chang'e 5, named after the mythical Chinese goddess of the moon, an uncrewed probe took back to Earth China's first lunar soil samples. China, which made its first lunar landing in 2013, plans to land an astronaut on the moon by 2030. China wants to start building a lunar base using soil from the moon in five years, Chinese media reported earlier this month. The race to set foot on the moon has intensified in recent years, particularly with the United States.

Expressed in terms of annualised run-rates, China's output of 39.9 million tonnes last month was the lowest in a year and down by 1.6 million tonnes from August's record 41.5 million. China's aluminium production is now highly dependent on weather patterns in the south of the country. China's average daily aluminium output and monthly annualised changePRAYING FOR RAINYunnan province accounts for around 12% of China's aluminium capacity and produced 4.2 million tonnes in 2022. WESTERN PRODUCTION FLAT-LINESPrimary aluminium production outside of China was flat year-on-year in the first quarter. WEATHER WATCHHowever, China's dominant position in the global aluminium picture means that it holds the key to future production patterns.

☆ 'Era has passed' as Beijing subway drops mandatory COVID mask rule
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"It's as if an era has passed," a user said on China's popular social e-commerce app Xiaohongshu, as social media was abuzz with news of the rules being eased. Staff at a Beijing subway station tore down signs reminding people to wear masks, Beijing Daily reported. Some people on social media voiced concerns over the relaxation of mask rules, saying the virus remains a threat. "Let's hope there will not be a second wave of infections," a user on China's Twitter-like social media Weibo site said. Chinese cities have been scrapping mask mandates for several weeks, including Hong Kong, which ended mask requirements on March 1.

The last time Cook visited China was in 2019. We also have a thriving App Store,” the Apple chief was quoted as saying in state-run China Daily. On Friday, Cook had posted a picture of himself smiling with customers and staff at the Apple store in the shopping district of Sanlitun on China’s Twitter-like social media site Weibo. “TikTok CEO was under siege at the US hearing, while Apple CEO was enthusiastically welcomed by people at its flagship Chinese store. China’s commerce ministry said Thursday that a forced sale of TikTok would “seriously damage” global investors’ confidence in the United States.

For Saudi Arabia, a deal could mean improved security. Saudi Arabia, Washington's most important Arab ally, began exploring ways to open a dialogue with the Islamic Republic two years ago in Iraq and Oman, said a Saudi official. In a bilateral meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the president expressed his desire to broker dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Iran. CHINESE MEDIATION 'BEST OPTION'An Iranian official said the deal covered a range of issues, from security concerns to economic and political issues. "China was the best option considering Iran's lack of trust towards Washington and Beijing's friendly ties with Saudi Arabia and Iran.

☆ China’s Model of a New Diplomacy Scores a Win With Iran-Saudi Deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( James T. Areddy | Charles Hutzler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, center, in Beijing on Friday with counterparts Musaad bin Mohammed Al Aiban of Saudi Arabia and Ali Shamkhani of Iran, in an image provided by China Daily. News that China brokered a Mideast diplomatic breakthrough offered the most tangible evidence to date that Beijing is willing to leverage its global influence to help resolve foreign disputes. In a statement issued along with China, rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran said Friday they agreed to re-establish diplomatic ties that were severed in 2016. To propel the agreement, China hosted an unannounced four-day negotiating session between the Middle East adversaries in Beijing, where the parties pushed an agreement over the finish line.

White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday that while Washington was not directly involved, Saudi Arabia kept U.S. officials informed of the talks with Iran. NUCLEAR TALKSThe agreement comes as Iran accelerates its nuclear program after two years of failed U.S. attempts to revive a 2015 deal that aimed to stop Tehran producing a nuclear bomb. "Saudi Arabia is deeply concerned about Iran's nuclear program," he said. "If this new opening between Iran and Saudi Arabia is going to be meaningful and impactful, it will have to address the concerns about Iran's nuclear program - otherwise the opening is just optics." Friday's agreement also offers hope for more durable peace in Yemen, where a conflict sparked in 2014 has widely been seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

☆ Saudi, Iran restoration of ties a 'victory for dialogue'-China’s Wang Yi
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China Daily via REUTERSBEIJING, March 10 (Reuters) - The successful talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Beijing are a victory for dialogue and peace, China's top diplomat Wang Yi said on Friday, following the major diplomatic coup for China in Middle East geopolitics. Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed on Friday to re-establish relations after seven years of hostility which had threatened stability and security in the Gulf and helped fuel conflicts in the Middle East from Yemen to Syria. In the statement, the three parties expressed their willingness to make "every effort" to strengthen international and regional peace and security. "As a good-faith and reliable mediator, China has faithfully fulfilled its duties as the host," Wang said. Reporting by Ethan Wang and Ryan Woo; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China's so desperate to boost its birth rates, it's even cracking down on customary betrothal gifts for brides to help people get married more easily
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China's cracking down on the custom of the "bride price" to facilitate marriages and boost birth rates. These betrothal gifts include cash, jewelry, cars, and even real estate. A delegate from the state-backed All-China Women's Federation proposed that authorities look into measures to curb expensive betrothal gifts, the women's rights organization said in a Wednesday statement. Still, nearly three-quarters of marriages involve the custom of betrothal gifts, according to a 2020 survey of 1,846 China residents by Tencent News. This is because betrothal gifts — which are typically given after negotiations between the two families — can include cash, jewelry, cars, and even real estate, according to the Tencent News survey.

☆ Beijing pulls the plug on ChatGPT over fears it could help spread US 'disinformation,' reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

China has reportedly clamped down on access to ChatGPT by its citizens, Nikkei Asia reported. The bot is not officially available in China but some have found ways to use it. Regulators have instructed major Chinese tech firms to cut off such access, per Nikkei Asia. Beijing uses its "Great Firewall" to block many foreign websites and applications, including the full version of Google Search. Earlier this week, China Daily, a state-controlled media outlet, released a video called "How the US uses AI to spread disinformation," according to Forbes.

Hong Kong CNN —Several popular Chinese apps have removed access to ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot that has taken the world by storm even as major Chinese tech companies race to develop their own equivalent. Two other apps, ChatgptAiAi and Chat AI Conversation, said their ChatGPT services went offline due to “relevant business changes” and policy changes. Meanwhile, Hanwang Technology and Beijing Deep Glint Technology, both developers of AI products and services, closed 10% and 5.5% lower respectively. Despite these concerns, the success of ChatGPT has spurred a global AI race. In the absence of foreign competition within the domestic market, Chinese tech companies have since grown into major international players — many of which are now revving their gears with an eye toward AI.

☆ Chinese provinces give 30 days' paid 'marriage leave' to boost birth rate
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A newly wed couple pose for pictures on Valentine's Day at a marriage registration office in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China February 14, 2023. China Daily via REUTERSHONG KONG, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Some Chinese provinces are giving young newlyweds 30 days of paid leave in the hope of encouraging marriage and boosting a flagging birth rate, the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily Health said on Tuesday. China's minimum paid marriage leave is three days, but provinces have been able to set their own more generous allowances since February. "Extending marriage leave is one of the effective ways of increasing the fertility rate," Yang Haiyang, dean of the Social Development Research Institute of Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, was quoted as saying. Yang said a host of other supporting policies were still needed, including housing subsidies and paid paternity leave for men.

☆ Archeologists in China 'burst into laughter' after unearthing a 2,200-year-old flush toilet
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Archeologists in China discovered a flush toilet between 2,200 and 2,400 years old. The ancient toilet is "deceptively advanced" because of the water drainage system. "Everybody at the site was surprised, and then we all burst into laughter," an excavation team member said. He added it was that servants would have had to pour water into the toilet bowl every time it was used. "It is the first and only flush toilet to be ever unearthed in China.

☆ Analysis: Why China's reopening isn't inflationary
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

However, economists see no challenge to global inflation, pointing instead to Chinese President Xi Jinping's new blueprint for self-sufficiency, broader prosperity and a socialist ideology as checks on big-ticket shopping. The slack in China's labour markets and Beijing's growth priorities will also take the edge off inflation, they say. "I don't think China's recovery or the reopening will cause any significant global inflation," said Chi Lo, senior market strategist for Asia Pacific at BNP Paribas Asset Management. BNP's portfolio managers are positioning for China's rebound to boost regional tourism, but not export price rises for manufactured goods. "I'm very much of the view that (China's reopening) will be positive for the world in terms of either not being too inflationary, but more widely having deflation in some key new goods and services," Westpac senior economist Elliot Clarke said.

Unlike rivals Anglo American (AAL.L) and Rio Tinto (RIO.AX), (RIO.L), London-listed Glencore is still mining coal. Activist investor Bluebell Capital Partners last year argued that Glencore should spin off the coal division, following in the steps of Anglo American. His plan is to hang on to coal and keep annual production steady at around 110 million tonnes up to 2025. Over the longer term, he’ll then start shutting coal mines, with at least a dozen closures planned before 2035. EBITDA from Glencore’s coal operations rose to $17.9 billion from $5.2 billion the previous year due to increasing prices.

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