Criticisms of BRI are ‘absurd, malign and unfair mischaracterisations’ Published 2022/06/10 Contrary to Western view, the Belt and Road Initiative is not some form of Chinese “offensive”, much less an insidious instrument of Chinese expansionism. In the following article, Sholto Byrnes writing in the United Arab Emirates newspaper The National, looks at at the nature Continue reading

Water imbalance in Third Pole to pose “great challenge to water resources in downstream regions” – scientists Published 2022/06/09 Rapid climate warming has caused water imbalances in the Third Pole region, leading to greater water demand in densely populated downstream countries, according to a new study. With the largest global store of frozen water after Continue reading

Farmers in China use salt-tolerant wheat to increase output in barren land Published 2022/06/08 Farmers in China have harvested salt-tolerant wheat in fields that used to be barren as harvesting season starts. Varieties of salt-tolerant wheat have been specifically designed to grow in saline and alkali soils, as soluble salts such as sodium, calcium affect Continue reading

Published 2022/06/01 “New pollutants” refer to pollutants that pose risks to the environment or human health, but are not managed yet or cannot be managed through existing measures so that the risks are contained. These include various toxic chemicals including persistent organic pollutants, endocrine disrupting chemicals and antibiotics. By the end of 2022, the Ministry Continue reading

Published 2022/06/01 Microplastics pose a threat even to remote cryospheric (frozen) regions The discovery of microplastics on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has led to unexpected revelations and shed light on the global transmission of pollutants. A new study analyzing these tiny particles on the plateau and in other key regions found that microplastics pose a threat Continue reading

Published 2022/05/29 On 28 March, China published a policy document on further greening the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It is the third policy document on this theme issued by the government in less than a year, so one can be excused for finding it difficult to keep up. The new document – “Opinions on Continue reading

Published 2022/05/08 How might global warming put our planet in jeopardy in the near future? A research group examined the situation 300 million years ago and revealed a scenario with a significant drop in biodiversity. A recent study by a team of scientists from China, the United States and New Zealand published in the Proceedings Continue reading

Rich countries must phase-out fossil fuels by 2034 to meet IPCC target Published 2022/04/01 A new report titled Phaseout Pathways for Fossil Fuel Production, argues rich nations must phase out fossil fuels by 2034 if the world his to have any chance of keeping global warming to the 1.5 degrees centigrade Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Continue reading

Published 2022/03/25 Chinese authorities on Wednesday released a plan on the development of hydrogen energy for the 2021-2035 period as the country races toward its carbon peaking and neutrality goals. By 2025, China will put in place a relatively complete hydrogen energy industry development system, with the innovation capability significantly improved and the core technologies Continue reading

Published 2022/02/12 China’s per capita water resources are less than one-third of the global average. China plans to develop a stricter water conservation framework by introducing regional usage caps and water rights trading schemes amid depleting resources, according to the Ministry of Water Resources. In a notice Tuesday, the ministry said that specifying regional water Continue reading

China domesticated geese 7000 years ago – first bird domesticated for food in the world Published 2022/03/12 New research findings suggest that the inhabitants of Tianluoshan, an ancient rice cultivation village in the lower Yangtze River valley in China, domesticated geese 7,000 years ago, making them the oldest domesticated poultry species in the world. The Continue reading

Rich nations must reduce consumption to eradicate global poverty & cut global carbon emissions Published 2022/02/20 We often hear from Western commentators that actions taken by Europe or the US are meaningless when compared to the industrial emissions of China, or the effects of rapid population growth in Africa. New research exposes these claims as wilfully Continue reading

Reducing ground-layer ozone pollution will significantly increase East Asia grain yield: Chinese scientists Published 2022/02/13 Rising pollution from surface or ground ozone (O3) – technically, ozone in the “boundary layer” of the troposhere – is having a devastating impact on agriculture in East Asia, causing a crop production loss of nearly $63 billion annually, which Continue reading

Published 2022/02/09 With over 150 countries and international organizations participating in the Belt and Road, the initiative will be built into a more open and innovative one. Compared with nine years ago, when the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was first proposed, the current international landscape has greatly changed with both favorable and unfavorable factors Continue reading

Published 2022/02/07 China outlined a modern comprehensive transportation system over the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period in a circular rissued on Jan 18, 2022. According to the circular, by 2025, China will have generally realized integrated transportation development, achieved breakthroughs in pursuing intelligent and green transportation, and made prominent improvements in overall capability, service quality Continue reading

Geothermal green heating part of China’s decarbonization plans Published 2022/01/27 China is adopting geothermal because geothermal district heating is by far the most economic means of heating available … It also answers China’s fundamental policy of carbon neutrality and combating air pollution.” CITY OF XIAN GEOTHERMAL DISTRICT HEATING The city of Xian’s geothermal district heating Continue reading

China and UN Food & Agriculture Organization agree to implement South-South Cooperation – Phase 3 Published 2022/01/20 The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has signed an agreement with the Chinese Government officially launching Phase III of the FAO-China South-South Cooperation (SSC) Programme. The agreement marks the official launch of Phase III Continue reading

Published 2022/01/17 On 4 January 2022 China’s CGTN media network posted a short video announcing that a team of Chinese scientists has arrived at the Zhongshan Station and the Great Wall Station to conduct the 38th expedition in Antarctica to carry out scientific research. In this post we provide background information on China’s Antarctic Program Continue reading

Published 2022/01/15 INTRODUCTION Zhou Enlai was China’s first Premier, serving from the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949 to his death in 1976, as well as the People’s Republic first Foreign Minister, from 1949-58. The 46th anniversary of his death fell on January 8th. He is still remembered with boundless respect and affection by Continue reading

Published 2022/01/13 China has not seen the emergence of urban slums as in many capitalist countries, but instead, there has been a narrowing gap between urban and rural areas. The Chinese government is committed to rural revitalization and to reducing the urban-rural income gap and developmental imbalance. The attached article proposes a concept of “Neo-ruralism” Continue reading

Published 2022/01/12 In January 2021, Shanghai mayor Gong Zheng announced that Shanghai’s days as a unified city were numbered. Instead of one sprawling city covering the entire municipality, Shanghai is planning to build five new cities within its boundaries, as the suburban districts of Jiading, Songjiang, Qingpu, Fengxian, and Nanhui are turned into what Gong Continue reading

Published 2022/01/12 Data collected for a study conducted by researchers from 14 institutes in China, the United States and Italy, published 11 January 2022 in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, has found that 2021 was the hottest for the world’s oceans in recorded human history. They researchers found that the upper 2,000 meters in all Continue reading

Published 2022/01/12 Two Chinese applied mathematicians have developed a spatio-temporal model to help determine criteria for water quality necessary to maintain a healthy aquatic ecology. The model could offer the basis for effective decision-making tools for water and environment managers, and help develop future policy guidelines surrounding specific target species and toxicants. When designing environmental Continue reading

Published 2022/01/07 China connected its first small modular nuclear reactor to its power grid, making it the first country in the world to draw power from such a machine, a report from Bloomberg reveals. China Huaneng Group Co.‘s 200-megawatt unit 1 reactor at Shidao Bay is connected to the grid in the Shandong province. The company is Continue reading

Published 2022/01/01 “China should shut all the coal power plants”, say many. Well yes, that is a very valid statement, if we ignore any underlying hostility/racism or comically sincere expectations from ivory towers. Focusing on the reality in China, you will know coal is indeed used a lot, especially for heating during winters, and the Continue reading

Published 2022/01/01 China’s first facility for immobilizing high-level radioactive waste in glass went into operation in the city of Guangyuan, Southwest China’s Sichuan province, on September 11, 2021. This has made China one of few countries to master this technology and is of landmark significance for the green development of China’s nuclear industry. This is Continue reading

Published 2021/12/31 Photo: Shidaowan Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Shandong province of east China – high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power plant demonstration project The state-run China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced on December 20, 2021 that at the Shidaowan Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Shandong province of east China, the world’s first High Temperature gas cooled Reactor Continue reading

Published 2021/12/30 Singapore and China reached 14 deals at Wednesday’s (Dec 29, 2021) Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation meeting, the biggest haul in recent years from this high-level platform set up in 2004. Among them are these agreements: URBAN GOVERNANCE Singapore’s Ministry of National Development (MND) and China’s state planner, the National Development and Reform Continue reading

Published 2021/12/25 The number of smokestack projects approved by government is expected to have declined this year as China forges ahead with its ambitious climate goals, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said on 23 Decxember 2021. The number of such projects going through environmental impact assessments this year is estimated to have decreased by 30 Continue reading