Industry — 729 insights
Could mystery Shanghai vessel be a mothership for China’s underwater drones?
Industry

Could mystery Shanghai vessel be a mothership for China’s underwater drones?

Satellite images show an unusual craft under construction that analysts say may be designed to deploy very large uncrewed submarines An unusual vessel taking shape at a Shanghai shipyard has been assessed as a possible mothership for China’s large uncrewed submarines – a capability that, if confirmed, could enable Beijing to operate the drones far from its own coast for sustained periods. An experienced military imagery analyst who reviewed the same September 10 imagery for the South China Morning Post said he could independently identify the apparent stern launch-and-recovery system.

September 18, 2026
Xi-Trump summit, China AI at Brics, Asian Games
Industry

Xi-Trump summit, China AI at Brics, Asian Games

Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to the US for a summit next week, which is likely to include talks about artificial intelligence (AI), tariffs and a potential trade-war truce extension. Final details will be firmed up in New York on Sunday at a meeting between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, the Financial Times reported, citing an unidentified US official. Bessent has said that talks are scheduled for this...

September 18, 2026
North Korea’s nuclear tests awaken fault lines pointing to huge volcano at China border
Industry

North Korea’s nuclear tests awaken fault lines pointing to huge volcano at China border

Researchers find evidence of persistent earthquake activity that has also steadily intensified along two distinct paths The joint Chinese and South Korean study, which appeared on Thursday, found that the five nuclear explosions conducted between 2013 and 2017 at the Punggye-ri test site beneath Mount Mantap fundamentally altered the region’s geological stability. Instead of fading quickly, the earthquake activity had not only persisted for nearly a decade, it had also steadily intensified, the researchers found. It is now propagating along two distinct parallel fault zones heading directly towards the China-North Korea border. At the end of those fault lines is Changbai Mountain, known on the Korean peninsula as Mount Paektu, a dormant but restless volcano that had its last major eruption in AD946 – one of the largest on the planet in the past 2,000 years.

September 18, 2026
Chinese paint cuts wall temperature by 25 degrees Celsius in summer test: report
Industry

Chinese paint cuts wall temperature by 25 degrees Celsius in summer test: report

The super-coating, which can help cool buildings, goes into mass production, making the leap from lab to industry China has begun mass production of a super-coating that can cut wall temperatures by 25 degrees Celsius in summer, according to the state-run Science and Technology Daily. The coating may also have potential for broader use in public infrastructure and homes. The need to reduce the effects of heat on buildings was apparent in Europe this summer when record heatwaves left many residents sweltering in homes without air conditioning.

September 18, 2026
Could Chinese explorers have settled New Zealand before the Maori?
Industry

Could Chinese explorers have settled New Zealand before the Maori?

For generations, the narrative of New Zealand’s human settlement has held that Polynesian voyagers – the ancestors of the Maori – arrived and settled the islands in the 13th century, followed by European explorers in the 17th century. This timeline underpins New Zealand’s history and its political model. The Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840 between the British Crown and about 540 Maori chiefs, served as New Zealand’s founding document, paving the way for Britain to claim sovereignty and...

September 18, 2026
China launches Pinglu Canal; Hong Kong unveils first 5-year plan: SCMP’s 7 highlights
Industry

China launches Pinglu Canal; Hong Kong unveils first 5-year plan: SCMP’s 7 highlights

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China launches Pinglu Canal, slashing transit time to Southeast Asia China officially opened its landmark Pinglu Canal to navigation on Wednesday, creating a new maritime gateway for the country’s southwestern hinterland and providing...

September 18, 2026
US families ramp up efforts for loved ones’ release from China ahead of Xi’s visit
Industry

US families ramp up efforts for loved ones’ release from China ahead of Xi’s visit

Cases of US citizens detained in China gain greater attention as their families increase pressure on Trump administration to help them For more than 670 days, his wife, Rong Yufang, and other family members have not been able to see or speak with him. “Sometimes I realise I can no longer clearly remember the sound of his voice, and that breaks my heart,” Rong told the South China Morning Post. “Our home feels empty without him and the uncertainty surrounding his future has become a prison for our family as well.”

September 17, 2026
US trade chief pressed Brazil to review Anglo American nickel sale to China
Industry

US trade chief pressed Brazil to review Anglo American nickel sale to China

Jamieson Greer asked Brasilia to curb ‘non-market’ buyers of critical minerals in exchange for relief from Trump’s tariffs First reported by Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo and CNN Brazil on Thursday, the proposal would have given Washington advance notice of mining asset sales before those deals closed, subjected transactions involving rare earths to US review, and opened a window for American companies to buy the assets before any sale won approval. Greer also asked Brasilia to limit investment by “non-market actors” and foreign entities of concern in mining, refining and other critical industrial sectors. Brazilian officials read the phrase as a reference to China, the country’s largest trading partner and a growing source of investment in its mining sector.

September 17, 2026
US sanctions boost China’s science-driven innovation by over 70%, study finds
Industry

US sanctions boost China’s science-driven innovation by over 70%, study finds

US-sanctioned Chinese companies are increasingly turning to open-source research to innovate and reverse-engineer restricted foreign technology, with a 72 per cent surge in scientific literature citations in their patent applications, according to a new study. While the United States said it expanded its Entity List to safeguard national security and preserve its technological edge, an analysis of Chinese patent filings over the 12 years until 2022 showed that US restrictions on access to...

September 17, 2026
Rare honour: Trump will greet Xi at Joint Base Andrews, not just White House
Industry

Rare honour: Trump will greet Xi at Joint Base Andrews, not just White House

US President Donald Trump will personally greet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews when Xi lands in Washington next Wednesday, a rare airport reception, a US official confirmed on background. Trump will attend Xi’s arrival ceremony at Andrews, where the Chinese president’s aircraft is expected around 4pm local time on September 23. The president almost never meets visiting heads of state at the airfield. He typically waits at the White House. The gesture is not a...

September 17, 2026
China hits back as US Congress approves tariffs on top buyers of Russian energy
Industry

China hits back as US Congress approves tariffs on top buyers of Russian energy

Passed just ahead of Xi Jinping’s expected US visit, the bill gives Washington power to penalise Beijing over its Russian fuel imports Beijing has pushed back after the US Congress passed a bill on Wednesday that would allow US President Donald Trump to sanction Russia and its largest energy importers, including China. In response to a question about the bill, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing had always opposed “long-arm jurisdiction” lacking a basis in international law and authorisation from the United Nations Security Council.

September 17, 2026
‘Provocation’ could accelerate Taiwan reunification, retired PLA major general says
Industry

‘Provocation’ could accelerate Taiwan reunification, retired PLA major general says

Island’s leader William Lai has ‘challenged our red lines’, Luo Yuan says on sidelines of Beijing’s Xiangshan Forum Speaking on the sidelines of the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing on Wednesday, Luo said the timeline for reunification with mainland China was shaped by “the development of our national strength, our defence needs, the global security environment, as well as the degree of provocation from Taiwan”. Luo’s remarks came amid heightened cross-strait tensions since Lai, of the independent-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), took office in 2024.

September 17, 2026