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CNN —A Taiwan-based book publisher has been placed under investigation in China on suspicion of “endangering state security,” Beijing said Tuesday amid mounting concern over his disappearance. Li’s detention comes at a tense moment in cross-strait relations, and several Taiwan citizens have been detained in China on state security grounds in recent years. CNN has reached out to Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Office to inquire about Li’s citizenship status. One of them, Lam Wing-kee, has said he was kidnapped by Chinese “special forces” after crossing the border into mainland China from Hong Kong. Hong Kong used to be a hub for publishing politically sensitive books that would be banned in mainland China.

☆ China says its newest aircraft carrier will be able to launch 'new-type aircraft'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jack Lau | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Chinese navy currently operates two aircraft carriers. Neither carrier features the Fujian's signature catapult system, which allows planes to launch more frequently and carry more fuel and munitions. Despite plans for the navy to gain the ability to operate globally, the CCTV report only referred to operations in domestic waters when saying that China would build more aircraft carriers. "But due to China's vast oceans, the demand cannot be met with only three aircraft carriers — the Liaoning, Shandong and Fujian. Therefore, new aircraft carriers are bound to be built in the future."

LONDON, March 31 (Reuters) - China’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports fell sharply in 2022 because of the disruption caused by lockdowns to control the coronavirus epidemic and the massive exit wave of infections when they were lifted. But the import rebound could be smaller than some analysts anticipate because domestic gas production is rising strongly and the country has mostly completed its transition to natural gas for urban residents. Both LNG and pipeline imports remained subdued in the first two months of this year with any rebound delayed until later in 2023. China’s LNG purchasers have proved price-sensitive and will likely wait for prices to decline before increasing imports and refilling storage. PIPELINES NOT LNGThe shift from LPG and especially gasworks gas has turbocharged consumption of natural gas over the last decade.

☆ China's navy is looking to junior high schools as it scrambles to find pilots for its growing aircraft carrier fleet
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Minnie Chan | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Chinese Navy's youth aviation schools have recruited about 4,500 boys aged 15 to 16 this month. China's navy needs pilots for its fleet of aircraft carriers, which grew to three ships in June. The navy draws on talent from the 14 schools for its aircraft carrier cadet pilot programme. AFP via Getty ImagesIt is unclear if this is the first year that students so young will attend the aviation schools. The average age of the newest crop of cadet pilots is 20, much younger than in previous years.

The project is expected to cost 83.7 billion yuan ($12.2 billion), partner Panjin Xicheng Industrial Group said in a statement on WeChat on Sunday. Construction at the complex will start in the second quarter after the project secures the required administrative approvals, Aramco said. Before the pandemic, Aramco signed two other initial agreements for refinery-petrochemical investments in China. The other is with Shandong Energy that includes a potential crude supply agreement and chemical products offtake deal, as well as exploring collaboration on an integrated refining and petrochemical complex in China. Earlier in March, Saudi Aramco also broke ground on a $7 billion project to produce petrochemicals from crude oil at its South Korean affiliate S-Oil Corp's (010950.KS) refining complex in the port city of Ulsan.

☆ Thick sandstorms shroud Beijing and several provinces in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, March 22 (Reuters) - Capital Beijing and several provinces in China will be affected by thick, dense sandstorms that will severely affect visibility, Chinese weather authorities said on Wednesday. The Central Meteorological Observatory issued yellow warning signals from Wednesday to early morning Thursday for Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu, Anhui and Hubei provinces. Many areas will have low visibility, weather forecasters said, cautioning drivers on speed. China has a four-tier, colour-coded weather-warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue. Beijing, which was also issued a yellow sandstorm warning, has experienced sand and dust storms over the past several days, causing pollution levels to drastically increase.

☆ Fact Check-Viral clip shows tree catkins, not ‘rain of worms’ in China - scientists
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A viral clip online likely shows the catkins, or flower spikes, of poplar trees covering cars in northern China, not a “rain of worms” as social media posts and some news reports have claimed, experts told Reuters. One tweet saying: “China citizens told to find shelter after it looked like it started to rain worms” has been viewed more than 18 million times at the time of writing (here). There can be thousands of poplar catkins per tree, Claire Thomas Federici, a botanist and plant geneticist at the University of California, Riverside (here), said by email. China has a “distinctively rich” variety of trees in the poplar family, particularly in northern China, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (here), (here). Experts say the video from China likely shows catkins from poplar trees instead of a “rain” of worms or caterpillars.

China's four new vice premiers:Ding Xuexiang, 60, is the first-ranked vice premier who also sits in the ruling Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee, China's top echelon of power. Wang Zhigang, 65, remains minister of science and technology. Huai Jinpeng, 60, remains minister of educationPan Yue, 62, remains head of the National Ethnic Affairs CommissionWang Xiaohong, 65, remains minister of public securityChen Yixin, 63, remains minister of state security. Considered a Xi ally, he had worked with Xi when the latter was party chief of Zhejiang province from 2002-2007. Tang Dengjie, 63, remains minister of civil affairsHe Rong, 60, remains minister of justiceWang Xiaoping, 59, remains minister of human resources and social securityWang Guanghua, 59, remains minister of natural resourcesHuang Runqiu, 59, remains minister of ecology and environmentNi Hong, 60, remains minister of housing and urban-rural developmentLi Xiaopeng, 63, remains minister of transportLi Guoying, 63, remains minister of water resourcesTang Renjian, 60, remains minister of agriculture and rural affairsHu Heping, 60, remains minister of culture and tourismMa Xiaowei, 63, remains head of the National Health CommissionPei Jinjia, 59, remains minister of veterans affairsWang Xiangxi, 60, remains minister of emergency managementHou Kai, 60, remains auditor-general of the National Audit OfficeReporting by Yew Lun Tian, Ziyi Tang, additional reporting by Albee Zhang; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China is scrambling to find pilots to fly from its growing aircraft carrier fleet
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

China's fleet of aircraft carriers has grown quickly, expanding from one to three in a decade. To use that fleet effectively, China's navy also has to train pilots to operate carrier aircraft. "Starting in 2023, the Navy will select carrier-based aircraft pilots from fresh graduates from local ordinary colleges and universities," according to a Chinese navy brochure. Yet it takes more than ships to build an effective carrier fleet. In fact, the Chinese navy ended up copying a Russian carrier jet without permission to give its carrier program a boost.

☆ They Poured Their Savings Into Homes That Were Never Built
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Isabelle Qian | Agnes Chang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +13 min

We talked to four people who emptied their life savings and took out huge loans for homes that have not been completed. “It was a simple dream — to have a home, a family,” Mr. Tang said. Mr. Tang, who works in a restaurant, sold a small place he had out in the countryside. “When I think about the unfinished apartment, it’s as if I’m falling from heaven to hell, ” Mr. Tang said. Homeowners atop one of the unfinished apartment towers call for construction to fully resume.

☆ As Russia's only aircraft carrier falls apart, some Russians want to undo a shady ship deal with China 25 years ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia's sole aircraft carrier has been sidelined for years and may not see action again. A Russian lawmaker has proposed trying buying China's Liaoning aircraft carrier as a replacement. Liaoning began life as a Soviet carrier, but China acquired it in a shady sale in the late 1990s. Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning during a drill in the western Pacific in April 2018. A 40-year-old aircraft carrier in the Black Sea won't provide much value.

☆ China's navy is showing off a huge new ship designed to carry other warships around
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Liu Zhen | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Yinmahu is a semi-submersible heavy-lift ship that could ferry equipment and damaged ships. Chinese state TV recently showed the ship doing various maneuvres but didn't reveal its specifications. Footage showed the Yinmahu's departure, submerging, ship loading, lifting and transporting. The Chinese navy's first heavy-lift vessel, the Donghaidao (hull number 868) is known to have entered service in 2015. The semi-submersible heavy-lift ship can carry vessels over 100,000 tonnes.

☆ China’s Covid wave threatens another snarl of U.S. medical supply chain
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Shannon-Pettypiece-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Shannon Pettypiece | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

“We’re looking a lot for potential early warning signs in the medical supply chain for any kinds of disruptions,” said an administration official. “One major concern throughout the entire pandemic has been that because of China’s zero Covid policy, shutdowns greatly reduced manufacturing capacity in China. Despite efforts over the past two years by the Biden administration to bolster the country’s domestic medical supply chain, the complexity, costs and regulations involved in health care manufacturing has limited companies’ ability to shift production. I think that would be a natural response,” said Douglas Kent, executive vice president of corporate and strategic alliances at the Association for Supply Chain Management. Health care officials say they hope that the U.S. is in a better place to withstand any shocks from China.

☆ Japan says it scrambled jets to monitor Chinese aircraft carrier operations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Japan said on Monday it scrambled jet fighters and dispatched aircraft and warships over the past two weeks to keep tabs on China's Liaoning aircraft carrier and five warships that conducted naval manoeuvres and flight operations in the Pacific. Japan monitored the operations after the Chinese naval group, which included missile destroyers, sailed between the main Okinawa island and Miyakojima island into the Western Pacific from the East China Sea on Dec. 16, Japan's Ministry of Defence said in a press release. Before returning the same way on Sunday, the Chinese carrier conducted more than 300 take-offs and landings of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, added the ministry, which did not report any incursions into Japanese territorial waters or skies. Japan also reported that it had detected flights by a Chinese WZ-7 drone close to Miyakojima on Sunday and again on Monday, the first time it has spotted the high-altitude drone in the area. Reporting by Tim Kelly; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The incident reflects what the U.S. calls a concerning trend of unsafe intercept practices by the Chinese military. The U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft was in international airspace on Dec. 21 when it was intercepted by a J-11 fighter jet from the Chinese navy, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement. The Chinese jet positioned itself about 10 feet from the RC-135’s wing and then drifted within 20 feet of its nose as the American plane maintained its course and speed, leading it to take evasive maneuvers. China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, where it has territorial disputes with Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and others. Austin also raised the issue at a meeting in November with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe.

☆ An 120 million-year-old dinosaur fossil with the bones of its final snack still inside of it reveals its enjoyed eating our ancestors
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Paleontologist Hans Larsson found a small mammal foot in the rib of a dinosaur fossil. The reptile was carnivorous and bird-like, according to McGill University. It's one of only 21 dinosaur fossils ever found with its food inside of it. Only 20 other fossils have been found with the fossilized bones of their meals inside, according to McGill, and this is the first time a fossil has shown that any dinosaur ate mammals, the Economic Times reported. Scientists have speculated that the species likely died out because it had four wings, and the two additional wings created drag when it moved.

☆ Column: Key coal import hubs in China perk up as economy reboots: Maguire
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

China coal use seasonallyBut recent measures aimed at lifting movement restrictions and reviving economic activity in China are already resulting in increased coal import activity at key usage hubs, which stand to impact global coal flows, prices and emissions in 2023. Between January and October, the province cut thermal coal use by 51 million tonnes from the same period in 2021. As a result, many Southern China coal plants are almost overwhelmingly reliant on imported coal. And all major coal ports in that region are now starting to show signs of a recovery in coal import volumes compared with mid-2022, when lockdowns were common throughout the country. And much of that increased coal demand will be fulfilled by imports, which will serve to tighten global coal markets, boost China's coal sector emissions, and potentially raise prices for other coal consumers.

☆ The US's experimental 'lighting carriers' are 'much more capable' than China's current carriers, top US admiral says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Lighting Carrier conceptAn F-35B launches from USS Tripoli in April 2022. A light aircraft carrier embarks with fewer jets than a fleet aircraft carrier — as many as 20, compared to more than 50 on a fleet carrier — but it costs much less and is more versatile. US Marine Corps F-35Bs approach and land on USS Tripoli during an exercise in June. "There is no comparison between a J-15 and an F-35B," Thomas said, referring to China's main carrier aircraft. US Marine Corps F-35Bs aboard USS Tripoli on June 10.

☆ ‘White paper’ protests: China’s top stationery supplier says it’s still selling A4 sheets
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN Business —The rare protests that spread across China over the weekend often featured demonstrators holding pieces of blank white paper, a phenomenon that has caused problems for the country’s top stationery chain. A4 refers to a standard paper size commonly used in countries outside of the United States and Canada. After M&G issued its filing, some social media users said they weren’t able to order A4 white paper sheets from the company’s online stores. Following the stock exchange filing, shares in M&G Stationery clawed back some losses, but were still down 1% at Monday’s close. ‘White paper’ protestsThe protests were triggered by a deadly fire last Thursday in Urumqi, the capital of the far western region of Xinjiang.

☆ China’s ‘white paper’ protests cause headaches for country’s top stationery supplier
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN Business —The rare protests that spread across China over the weekend often featured demonstrators holding pieces of blank white paper, a phenomenon that has caused problems for the country’s top stationery chain. M&G Stationery is based in Shanghai and sells its products in over 50 countries and regions around the world, according to the company’s website. After M&G issued its filing, some social media users said they weren’t able to order A4 white paper sheets from the company’s online stores. Following the stock exchange filing, shares in M&G Stationery clawed back some losses, but was still down 1% by Monday’s close. ‘White paper’ protestsThe protests were triggered by a deadly fire last Thursday in Urumqi, the capital of the far western region of Xinjiang.

☆ China's 'social credit' system ranks citizens and punishes them with throttled internet speeds and flight bans if the Communist Party deems them untrustworthy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Katie Canales | Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Since China doesn't have a central social credit system, many local government agencies have been experimenting with what the system could look like. But the plan is for the social credit system to eventually be mandatory and unified across the nation, with each person given their own unique code used to measure their social credit score in real-time, per Wired. In fact, a national social credit system is currently being proposed. Companies will also be at risk if China passes on its Establishment of the Social Credit System law. Citizens with good social credit can also get discounts on energy bills, rent things without deposits, and get better interest rates at banks.

☆ Take a look at the J-15 fighter jet, the $61 million copy of a Soviet plane picked to wage war from China's aircraft carriers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Marielle Descalsota | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The Shenyang J-15 is China's carrier-borne fighter jet. J-15 fighter jet preparing to land on China's first operational aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, during a drill at sea. It was manufactured by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, a subsidiary of the state-owned defense conglomerate Aviation Industry Corporation of China. The J-15 is China's first carrier-borne fighter jet, meaning that it was primarily designed for China's growing fleet of aircraft carriers. These improvements led a Chinese military expert to suggest the fourth-gen J-15 could be considered a "fourth-generation-plus" fighter jet in discussions with China's Global Times.

☆ China's Sept crude oil imports fall, fuel exports hit 15-mth high
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Chen Aizhu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/StringerSINGAPORE, Oct 24 (Reuters) - China's crude oil imports in September were 2% below their level a year earlier, data showed on Monday, as independent refiners curbed throughput amid thin margins and lacklustre demand. The world's largest crude importer brought in 40.24 million tonnes of crude oil last month, equivalent to about 9.79 million barrels per day (bpd). While state refineries have mostly returned from outages and planned maintenance, independent refiners, which make up about one-fifth of China's crude oil imports, have continued to hold down production. However, the data showed that exports last month of refined fuel - including diesel, gasoline, aviation fuel and marine fuel oil - soared 36% from a year earlier to 5.64 million tonnes. Year-to-date exports were down 27.6% at 35.45 million tonnes, as a result of Beijing's policy adopted in late 2021 to limit fuel exports and excessive refinery processing.

☆ Li Xi gets graft-busting role on China's new Standing Committee
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Li Xi, the Communist Party chief of the economic powerhouse Guangdong province, assumed two new titles on Sunday when he was elevated to the elite Politburo Standing Committee and put in charge of the party's influential graft-busting body. Li's ties to Xi stem in part from his indirect links to Xi's late father, the Communist Party revolutionary Xi Zhongxun. His career took off in 2015 when he was appointed party secretary of Liaoning province in China's northeast. In 2017, he was named Guangdong party boss, a coveted role that propelled him onto the 25-member Politburo. All but one of the last five party chiefs in Guangdong, which borders Hong Kong, have subsequently joined the Standing Committee.

☆ A fighter pilot's promotion shows how China's navy is learning from the US as its aircraft carrier fleet grows
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Minnie Chan | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The promotion of flying officers to command positions on China's carriers mirrors the US approach. A CCTV documentary highlights another similarity, with the Chinese navy now training its own pilots. "As a user of ship-borne weapons, I would share my [naval flight experiences] with comrades working in the equipment department and try efforts to improve our operational system, finding a better way to help China's aircraft carrier undertaking," Xu told a documentary on CCTV. The launch in June of China's third and most advanced carrier, the Fujian, has increased the demand for more outstanding carrier-based pilots like Xu. The new aircraft combat platform's electromagnetic catapults — similar to those on the USS Gerald R. Ford supercarrier — means the PLA Navy will have to master a new launch and recovery system.

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