As part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the launch of the China-Iran Railway represents a pivotal shift in global trade, challenging traditional U.S. dominance in the region. The 1,350-kilometer railway opens new trade routes for BRICS nations, challenging U.S. influence while enhancing China’s access to Iranian oil and gas. The railway creates a direct corridor between BRICS-members Iran and Continue reading

A new breakthrough in battery recycling has emerged from a team of researchers in China that has developed an eco-friendly way to recover nearly all valuable materials from depleted lithium ion batteries. The innovative process uses glycine, an amino acid, to extract 99.99% of lithium and significant percentages of nickel, cobalt, and manganese from old Continue reading

BYD invented a way of charging electric cars as quickly as refuelling a petrol vehicle, it was revealed last night. A five-minute charge will provide enough power to travel 400 km (249 miles), said founder Wang Chuanfu at an event livestreamed from the company’s HQ in Shenzhen. The new charging device, called Super E Platform, Continue reading

We know that China contributed about 25% of the new green area added globally. So what did China do in 2024?The Office of the National Greening Committee of China released the “2024 China Land Greening Status Report” on March 12. Here are some key takeaways: —— In 2024, the country completed 4.446 million hectares of Continue reading

China expanded its greening efforts in 2024, adding 7.67 million hectares through tree planting and land restoration, advancing afforestation and high-quality development, according to a bulletin released by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Wednesday, which is the 47th National Tree Planting Day in China.A total of 4.446 million hectares of forest were planted Continue reading

In 2024, China made substantial progress in green finance through strategic policies and regulatory advancements. Key initiatives included the “Opinions on Comprehensively Promoting the Construction of a Beautiful China” and the “Green and Low-Carbon Transition Industry Guidance Catalogue.” These policies aimed to bolster green financial systems, including green bonds, the carbon market, and ESG disclosures. Continue reading

After more than a decade in the United States, nuclear physicist Liu Chang, whose research has been crucial in the journey to achieve fusion energy, has left Princeton University for a position at Peking University in Beijing. Last month, Liu joined the Institute of Heavy Ion Physics at Peking University’s School of Physics as an Continue reading

As anyone who has direct experience of wind turbines will know, “turbine syndrome” was always only ever a psychological “problem” for a handful of people. A Polish study by researchers from the Adam Mickiewicz University who are specialists in neuroscience and acoustics found that wind turbine syndrome has no basis in science. This study is Continue reading

Over 60 researchers from institutions across China, who made 33 dives into the deep ocean’s hadal zone with a manned submersible collecting samples of sediment and seawater, discovered an amazing complex of deep ocean microbial biodiversity. The hadal zone, also known as the hadopelagic zone, is the deepest region of the ocean, lying within oceanic trenches. Continue reading

The 2025 Pritzker Prize, dubbed the Nobel for architecture, has been awarded to China’s Chengdu-based Liu Jiakun, who was recognised for designs that celebrate “everyday lives”. “The task of architects is to provide a better living environment for human beings” Born in 1956, Liu has worked on more than 30 projects in China, ranging from Continue reading

On 8 Feb 2025, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that the international scientific Nature Index has ranked the world’s top high-quality physics research centres. The only non-Chinese institutions among the top 10 being from Europe, with the US’ highest-ranked institution coming in at No 13. The Index – maintained by the prestigious science journal Nature – ranks research institutions based on Continue reading

The chart below compares energy capacity of the world’s top ten countries in renewables generation. Three of the top 4 are BRICS member nations – China (world leader), Brazil and India – while the other is the USA. China is setting the stage for another significant leap in renewable energy development in 2025, aiming to add over Continue reading

A study published in Environmental Research Communications reveals that globally, more land is dedicated to golf courses than to wind or solar energy projects. While renewable energy developments often face criticism for their land requirements, the research shows that countries like the U.S. and U.K. allocate significantly more space to golf—an activity serving a relatively Continue reading

2024 was a record year for Chinese BRI engagement, with US $70.7 billion in construction contracts and about USD51 billion in investments. Cumulatively, Chinese BRI engagement has reached US $1.175 trillion since 2013. Preliminary data on Chinese engagement through financial investments and contractual cooperation for 2024 in the 149 countries of the Belt and Road Continue reading

A July 2022 investigation published by MintPress News exposed the sheer scale of the integration of Facebook with US intelligence agencies. Facebook management, in short, is swarming with US intelligence-trained assets. Facebook has recruited dozens of individuals from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), as well as many more from other agencies like the FBI and Department of Defense Continue reading

Explore why Thailand joining the powerful BRICS bloc is a game-changer for global trade and diplomacy. Thailand will become an official BRICS partner from January 1, 2025. The counrty is understood to have submitted a formal request at the October 2024 BRICS Summit in Russia to become a full member of BRICS. The Thai Ministry of Continue reading

US state department officials have been refused permission to participate in an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) meeting in China next week, Axios reported. A contract for an IPCC working group technical support unit was “recently terminated by NASA”, according to Axios, which also reported that NASA and NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Continue reading

The ecological floating islands of Qiandao Lake in East China’s Zhejiang Province welcome their first harvest of the year on February 18, 2025. Known as “Floating Gardens,” the grid-like vegetable plots are neatly arranged, allowing workers to harvest fresh and tender water celery. The roots of plants enhance the water purification capacity and further improve Continue reading

CEN Newsletter 19-02-2025 Continue reading

   Tanzania and Burundi have entered into an agreement with two Chinese companies to construct a railway line to transport metals, including nickel, to the port city of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. The $2.15bn project will be developed by China Railway Engineering Group and China Railway Engineering Design and Consulting Group, with financing support Continue reading

A Chinese state-led consortium is developing a 300 MW/1200 MWh compressed air energy storage (CAES) project in Xinyang, Henan province, featuring an entirely artificial underground cavern—China’s first of its kind. The project consortium is reported by PV Magazine to lead by local state-owned enterprise Xinyang Construction Investment Group and CAES technology specialist China Energy Storage National Engineering Research Center and backed Continue reading

Industry news media Renewables Now reported that China’s BYD Energy Storage has signed contracts with the Saudi Electricity Company to deliver 12.5 GWh in five Battery Energy Storage System projects, marking the world’s largest grid-scale storage deployment to date. A battery energy storage system (BESS) is a type of energy storage technology that uses a group of batteries in the grid to Continue reading