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Industry

Typhoon Noul grounds 1,800 flights and halts trains as southern China hit by heavy rains

Red rainstorm alert issued as country’s strongest typhoon so far this year causes severe disruption in tech hub Shenzhen and nearby cities Noul – the strongest typhoon to hit China so far this year – made landfall at Huizhou city in Guangdong at around 3.50am on Sunday. The National Meteorological Centre issued its first red typhoon warning of the year – the highest alert level in a four-tier system – on Saturday evening. The following morning it was lowered to first orange and then yellow alert as the storm weakened. Noul brought winds of up to 162km/h (100mph), slightly higher than Typhoon Bavi, which hit the east and northeast of the country two weeks earlier. The storm is projected to slowly move northwest across central Guangdong before heading north into Hunan province by early Monday morning, weakening further along the way.

July 26, 2026

Industry

How Chinese scientists created an alloy that can survive 2,400 degrees Celsius

The tantalum alloy developed at Xian Jiaotong University could be used in aerospace, hypersonic vehicles and nuclear reactors A team of Chinese scientists says it has developed an alloy that retains strength at ultra-high temperatures using tantalum – a very hard and flexible metal. For applications in aerospace, hypersonic vehicles and nuclear reactors, materials must endure both extreme heat and heavy loads. But most metals fail above 2,000 degrees Celsius (3,632 degrees Fahrenheit) – they either melt or soften to a putty-like consistency. According to a paper published last month in Nature, a research team led by Sun Jun at Xian Jiaotong University has developed an alloy that maintains exceptional load-bearing performance at temperatures up to 2,400 degrees. For most metals, once the temperature reaches about 60 per cent of their melting point, their internal structure changes rapidly and their strength drops. For example, the nickel-based single-crystal superalloys widely used in aeroplane engines cannot cross the 2,000-degree threshold. The team’s work focuses on a tantalum alloy. Tantalum melts at nearly 3,000 degrees and alloys made using the metal are among the few materials that can carry loads above 2,000 degrees.

July 26, 2026

Industry

Shenzhen rail and air services cancelled as southern China braces for Typhoon Noul

The third typhoon to hit the country this month is expected to make landfall overnight bringing heavy rains and strong winds The National Meteorological Centre issued an orange typhoon alert – the second highest level in a four-tier system – on Saturday morning as it moved northwest across the South China Sea at a speed of 20km/h (12mph). It was expected to land somewhere between Hong Kong and Lufeng in eastern Guangdong overnight with wind speeds of up to 151km/h and then move north. Strong winds and heavy rain have been forecast for parts of Guangdong, Fujian and Taiwan, and the meteorological centre warned that boats should be docked and large gatherings cancelled, while urging residents to stay indoors as far as possible. By Saturday afternoon, the eye of the storm had started to form and its rain belts were already affecting coastal cities.

July 25, 2026

Industry

Can China’s aerospace industry overcome ‘execution gap’ in modernisation goals?

Researchers have identified four challenges that could undermine Beijing’s five-year plan for a modern military by 2030 Chinese defence suppliers are hitting a wall when it comes to translating national strategic goals into effective enterprise-level actions, according to an analysis by industry insiders. Authors Gao Xufeng and Wu Ke are strategic planning researchers from the Chengdu-based company Sichuan Tianao Aerospace Information Technology, a subsidiary of the state-owned China Electronics Technology Group Corporation and the country’s leading exporter of aerospace and drone communication equipment. The plan identifies the aerospace industry as “an emerging pillar industry”, as Beijing anticipates that it will become a key driver of defence and economic development. The study analysed a single enterprise, identifying shortcomings that included a gap between national policy and corporate implementation, as well as the conflict between rigid planning and fast-evolving market dynamics.

July 25, 2026

Industry

Will Donald Trump’s China squeeze for summit leverage actually work?

Aggressive pressure, driven by fresh tech curbs and tariffs, risks souring the high-stakes meeting with Xi Jinping, analysts say Washington’s recent wave of trade, tech and visa restrictions on China appears to be a deliberate push to build leverage ahead of the presidential summit in September, according to Chinese analysts. However, they warn that such aggressive pressure tactics risk souring the political atmosphere ahead of the high-stakes meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. The assessment comes as the two powers seek to establish a new framework of “constructive strategic stability”, in line with the agreement following the May Xi-Trump summit in Beijing. Yet, underlying friction continues to build, driven by fresh US tech curbs and tariffs on major trading partners, including China. Washington has moved to tighten exemptions for defence contractors procuring critical minerals from foreign adversaries. At the same time, officials have alleged that Chinese firms are illicitly using US artificial intelligence (AI) models to siphon intellectual property.

July 24, 2026

Industry

Why a Chinese political scientist wants the public to take a test on foreign affairs

Tsinghua University scholar Yan Xuetong is challenging people to avoid social media sensationalism and sit a 60-minute exam In an era where short-form videos and viral commentary can dominate public discourse on geopolitics, one Chinese political scientist is on a mission to correct what he calls a “negative one” level of understanding. The fourth edition of the annual exam – known as the International Relations Basic Knowledge Proficiency Test – was held on July 5 at the Liaoning International Hotel in the Chinese capital. “With the rise of short videos on social media, misleading narratives about international relations have become increasingly severe,” Yan said. Chinese authorities maintain strict scrutiny over online content. But in the field of international affairs, the controls are comparatively looser. This flexibility provides content creators with greater room to generate traffic by capitalising on international events and diplomatic issues. “In some disciplines at Tsinghua University, teaching starts from zero – introducing students to what they don’t know,” Yan said.

July 24, 2026

Industry

Trump’s latest tariff tantrum unlikely to end well for the US

After devoting the first half of 2026 to an ineffectual, expensive and inconclusive military adventure in Iran, it seems US President Donald Trump is about to turn afresh to the wars he loves best – the tariff wars he still believes can make America great again. He can’t quite walk away from the war in the Persian Gulf. Iran’s refusal to capitulate has left Trump with an awkward obligation to fight on, despite the widespread unpopularity of the conflict, even among his base, and the need to...

July 24, 2026

Industry

South Korea returns looted Qing dynasty lions to China in cultural diplomacy win

Experts believe the marble sculptures guarded an imperial residence before they were taken by Japanese invaders in the early 20th century The male and female lions, each standing 1.9 metres (6ft) tall and weighing 1.25 tonnes, were officially handed over by the Kansong Art Museum at a ceremony in Seoul on Thursday and were set to depart for China on Friday, according to the Chinese embassy. Senior cultural officials and diplomats from both nations attended the handover of the lions, which have stood at the museum’s entrance for more than eight decades. The ceremony marked the implementation of an agreement signed in the presence of President Xi Jinping and his South Korean counterpart Lee Jae Myung during the latter’s visit to Beijing in January. According to local media reports, the museum considered returning the sculptures more than a decade ago. The plan was shelved amid strained bilateral relations after the 2016 deployment of a US THAAD missile defence system in South Korea, viewed by Beijing as a security threat.

July 24, 2026

Industry

South China Sea: Beijing and Manila trade blame on second day of Scarborough Shoal clashes

Chinese coastguard use water cannon during maritime stand-off, the third with the Philippines in the South China Sea since Monday The latest stand-off came as China launched military drills in other parts of the contested waterway, which are expected to run until the end of July. The Chinese coastguard said its actions near Scarborough were “standardised and lawful”. “On July 24, the China Coast Guard [CCG] took control measures in accordance with the law towards multiple Philippine vessels engaged in illegal activities in waters under China’s jurisdiction off Huangyan Island,” the service said in a statement on Friday, using Beijing’s name for Scarborough Shoal, which is known as Panatag Shoal in the Philippines. Hours later, Philippine Coast Guard [PCG] spokesman Jay Tarriela released a statement with video, accusing the Chinese side of subjecting their vessels to “a series of water cannon attacks and dangerous manoeuvres”. He added that as of 9.30am on Friday, 10 Philippine vessels and 15 Chinese ships remained in a stand-off in the area.

July 24, 2026

Industry

Super El Nino: is 2026 an ‘extremely destructive’ prelude? Next year might be worse

This year’s weather system may rival 1997-98 event but the bigger climate impacts could hit China in 2027, forecaster warns Scientists warn that we are only seeing the prelude, and with the current event already rivalling historic climate disasters, it signals a potentially perilous future for the nation and the globe. Jiang Hua, chief El Nino forecaster at the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Centre, warned that although the most severe impacts of such an event often occurred in the following year, this year’s “prelude” had already shown “extreme destructive power”. “The entire tropical Pacific is like a pot of boiling soup,” Jiang said in an interview with the Global Times on July 22. “In terms of intensity, this year’s El Nino could already rival the historically recognised super El Nino of 1997-98.” In March, Jiang and her team detected large amounts of unusually warm water beneath the surface in the tropical regions of the northern and southern Pacific and in the Indian Ocean. These warm-water anomalies could converge towards the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, accelerating the development of the event.

July 24, 2026

Industry

China’s 15th five-year plan for renewable energy development

China unveiled its 15th five-year plan for renewable energy on Thursday. Below are the key targets outlined in the blueprint, which was released jointly by the National Development and Reform Commission and National Energy Administration. See original document in Chinese: 可再生能源发展“十五五”规划 by scmp

July 24, 2026

Industry

Fresh US tariffs on 60 economies; first China duo win Fields Medal: 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. Liberation Day 2.0? US slaps fresh wave of tariffs on China, 50-plus economies The United States imposed late on Thursday a fresh wave of tariffs against 60 countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, India and European Union...

July 24, 2026