eChina.news

Industry

Could China’s new transport-tanker capability boost PLA power beyond first island chain?

Convertible Y-20B aircraft give PLA Air Force operational flexibility to project power deeper into the western Pacific China has confirmed that its new Y-20B heavy transport aircraft can be converted into an aerial refuelling tanker, potentially boosting PLA Air Force capacities deeper into the western Pacific. The official confirmation aligns with long-standing open-source intelligence. Andreas Rupprecht, an aviation analyst who specialises in the Chinese military, said observers had tracked the capability since the third Y-20B prototype was spotted with in-flight refuelling pods in January 2022. Further evidence emerged in April 2023, when the first Y-20B in standard military grey appeared at Kaifeng airbase bearing characteristic refuelling alignment markings. The significance lies in what the capability could mean operationally.

August 14, 2026

Industry

Chinese museums left red-faced after caption errors mar Communist Party-themed displays

Blunders such as getting the name of the Red Army or revolutionary leaders wrong have prompted a flurry of public criticism Such mistakes are especially embarrassing given the high importance the authorities attach to Communist Party history and come amid an ongoing push to promote “red tourism” or revolutionary-themed attractions. The mistake by Zhejiang Provincial Museum in Hangzhou was one of a number of similar blunders highlighted by visitors in recent weeks, prompting a flurry of public criticism and even warnings that such mistakes could spread misinformation. According to Chinese media reports, multiple errors were spotted at an exhibition of Long March-themed woodcuts in the museum. The Long March, which started in 1934, saw Communist forces retreating from the advancing Nationalist forces, travelling around 10,000km (6,000 miles) over two years before the survivors established a new headquarters in Yanan in a remote part of Shaanxi province.

August 14, 2026

Industry

China urged to avoid ‘us or them’ split with US over AI governance

Both superpowers have set up their own international blocs, fuelling concerns that other countries will be forced to pick sides China should try to make sure that its new international artificial intelligence (AI) body is not seen as “naturally opposed” to the United States and its allies in case it puts off prospective members, analysts have warned. Although China has repeatedly insisted that Waico was designed to advance “AI for good and for all”, it has come under intense international scrutiny amid claims that it was a strategic move by Beijing to rally friendly capitals against Washington in the race for global AI leadership. Pax Silica, which has 24 members and core objectives that include building “supply chain security”, is widely perceived as being, at least in part, an effort to build a tech bloc that is walled off from China. The emergence of the two blocs has also raised concerns that the global AI landscape will become polarised between two rival camps.

August 14, 2026

Industry

US organ donation organisation’s shutdown invokes Chinese students’ worst fears

Network for Hope, which assists millions of American donor recipients, is accused of harvesting organs from living patients The scandal has sent shock waves through Chinese communities and validated growing fears among Chinese students and parents. On August 5, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the immediate decertification of the Network for Hope, the nation’s 16th-largest OPO, which coordinated organ donations for nearly 7 million people across Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia. The decision followed a comprehensive review that flagged “concerning features” in 103 of 351 pending donation cases – nearly 30 per cent – including 73 patients who exhibited neurological signs incompatible with a diagnosis of death. “Some potential donors may not have been deceased at the time organ procurement was initiated – raising serious questions,” the HHS said in a statement. The investigation also uncovered poor neurological assessments, questionable consent practices and misclassification of causes of death, particularly in drug overdose cases.

August 14, 2026

Industry

China claims New Zealand’s spy report is product of foreign interference

Chinese embassy hits back at espionage claims, alleges Wellington is serving as a ‘pawn for anti-China forces’ China’s embassy in Wellington has rejected New Zealand’s latest security assessment as the product of “foreign interference” and a “Cold War mentality”, as tension grows in a relationship already strained by geopolitical and security concerns. The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service’s annual threat report identified China as the only country conducting espionage “at scale”. In the Thursday report, the agency’s director general Andrew Hampton described the current threat environment as “the most challenging of recent times” and warned that “the frequency of espionage activities [is expected] to increase over the next 12 months”. The report also alleged that China was “the most active at conducting foreign interference in New Zealand”. The Chinese embassy said the report “once again fabricates and hypes the so-called ‘China interference’ and ‘China threat’ narratives”. “Its false allegations against China either smear normal exchanges and cooperation as so-called espionage or interference, or are entirely groundless and fabricated out of thin air. We firmly oppose this and will never accept it.”

August 14, 2026

Industry

The death of Zhu Rongji, China’s economic reformer

From world leaders paying their respects to his economic legacy, here is some of the SCMP’s reporting on Zhu Rongji’s death Credited as a co-engineer of one of the greatest economic reforms in human history, former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji died on August 12, 2026, at the age of 97. “Regardless of what lies ahead – be it a minefield or a deep abyss – I will forge ahead unswervingly, dedicating my entire life and energy to the country until my dying day.” Those words, spoken at the dawn of his premiership, came to define Zhu Rongji, China’s towering economic reformer who died in Beijing at the age of 97. Turn-of-the-century images of Zhu Rongji alongside former US president Bill Clinton have largely accompanied coverage following the former Chinese premier’s death. The moment in April 1999 was more than a diplomatic milestone. Hong Kong’s leader has expressed his profound sorrow over the death of former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji, paying tribute to him for supporting the city in challenging times including the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

August 14, 2026

Industry

China tests canal link to Southeast Asia; rocket failure concerns: 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 completes milestone test of US$10.8 billion canal link to Southeast Asia Chinese authorities have conducted the first full transit test along a 134.2km (83.4-mile) canal megaproject linking a vast inland region with Southeast...

August 14, 2026

Industry

How AI is helping to open a new chapter for ancient Chinese literature

The technology is being used for everything from digitising rare manuscripts to helping break down barriers to understanding classical texts For generations, working with ancient Chinese texts has been a painstaking task. Specialists would spend years deciphering unfamiliar characters, copying manuscripts by hand, adding punctuation to texts written without it, comparing different editions and tracing references scattered across thousands of years of records. But artificial intelligence (AI) is now changing that process, not only by helping to preserve fragile manuscripts but also by transforming how ancient texts are recovered, studied and shared. As China accelerates its efforts to digitise a vast collection of ancient works, universities, technology companies and volunteers are taking part in a nationwide effort to turn the country’s rich literary heritage – once largely the preserve of specialists – into an open digital resource. An example of how this works in practice is Shidian Guji, an online database of more than 70,000 ancient works, all of them freely available to the public, that was launched in 2022 and jointly developed by ByteDance and Peking University.

August 14, 2026

Industry

US accuses Chinese exporters of masterminding ‘Great Transshipment Scam’

White House alleges that companies are systematically routing trade through third-party nations to evade US tariffs The Trump administration on Thursday released a sharply worded report accusing Chinese exporters of orchestrating a system of “illegal transshipment” through more than 40 third countries to dodge US tariffs, branding the practice “The Great Transshipment Scam.” The 25-page document claims Chinese firms have systematically diverted goods through lower-tariff jurisdictions since the US kicked off its trade war with China in 2018. It alleges that exporters use limited assembly, relabelling, repackaging, re-invoicing and false country-of-origin declarations to disguise Chinese-origin products and secure more favourable tariff treatment on entry into the US. The White House report says that Chinese exporters have “increasingly routed goods through third countries … where limited assembly, finishing, repackaging, relabelling or documentation changes could create the appearance of a different national origin.” The report cited a range of third-party estimates for the annual value of goods involved in illegal or suspect transshipment, spanning roughly US$40 billion to US$303 billion.

August 13, 2026

Industry

Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan Mecca pact ‘far from’ Nato-style defence alliance

Observers say diverging strategic interests and a weak mutual security capacity will be the main challenges facing the agreement The Mecca pact’s statement that an armed attack on any of the three would be viewed as an attack on all was technically similar to the defence principle outlined in Article 5 of the transatlantic security alliance, Turkey’s top diplomat Hakan Fidan said on Saturday. However, he also stressed that the deal was not directed against Iran or any other country – as long as the pact’s member states were not attacked. Despite agreeing to resume negotiations, Washington and Tehran have continued to exchange fire. Most recently, both sides have made fresh demands and opposing claims over the Strait of Hormuz, further dimming hopes for a comprehensive deal to end the war soon.

August 13, 2026

Industry

The 11 key achievements of China’s ‘iron premier’ Zhu Rongji – in his own words

Known for his sharp intellect, no-nonsense demeanour and relentless drive for reform, China’s former premier Zhu Rongji was the primary architect of the country’s transition from an isolated, rigidly planned economy to a market-driven titan connected to the rest of the world. During his tenure from 1998 to 2003, he engineered an economic “soft landing”, steered the nation through the Asian Financial Crisis and secured entry into the WTO, laying the groundwork for the country’s historic...

August 13, 2026

Industry

Zhu Rongji reforms fuel China’s economic transformation

Former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji, the driver of the nation’s economic reforms, died on Wednesday aged 97 following an illness. Zhu spearheaded China’s 2001 accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), paving the way for an export boom that fuelled the country’s transformation into the world’s second-biggest economy. He also oversaw domestic market reforms that included closing hundreds of loss-making state enterprises and laying off some 30 million workers. The former Shanghai mayor was...

August 13, 2026