In past years, when the calendar turned to September, China’s power-generation groups set out to replenish their coal inventories ahead of the cold winter months.This year, coal is so scarce that they are struggling to merely keep the lights on. And some are failing even at that.As of September 21, the total stockpile of thermal coal – used to generate electricity – held by the nation’s six major power-generation groups stood at just 11.31 million tonnes – which is capable of meeting demand for…

As the administration of US President Joe Biden passes the eight-month mark, questions are swirling in China circles over whether and in what form a review of the US-China policy will take place.The appointment of veteran diplomat Kurt Campbell to the newly created position of Indo-Pacific coordinator within the National Security Council was seen as a step toward reviewing what worked and was worth keeping from the preceding administration of Donald Trump toward crafting a more organised and…

A top US military official defended two phone calls he made to a Chinese counterpart in the final days of former president Donald Trump’s administration to reassure Beijing that the US would not launch an attack on the country.Testifying before the Senate, General Mark Milley, said that the calls were made in coordination with other defence department officials, including then defence secretary Mark Esper and then acting defence secretary Christopher Miller. He added that he was “certain that…

Ericsson’s China chief said the Swedish telecoms equipment giant’s operations in the country have been affected by geopolitical tensions after Sweden banned equipment made by Huawei Technologies Co from its 5G network but the company remains optimistic on its prospects.“Companies don’t want to be taken hostage by politics, we hope to run businesses according to logic and the rules of the market, but unfortunately that’s not the reality,” said Zhao Juntao, Ericsson China CEO, in a press…

Researchers at an institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a way to artificially create starch from carbon dioxide much quicker than plants can naturally, potentially cutting the amount of farmland needed for starch crops.But more research is needed for the process to be industrialised and other scientists said the energy source would determine if the energy-intensive method was sustainable.The researchers at the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology said they had…

China’s power restrictions threaten to disrupt production at Apple’s supply chain in the country and the broader domestic electronics manufacturing industry, including semiconductors, ahead of the busy Christmas shopping season.The power shortage, which has turned critical in recent days, has come at the most inopportune time, as manufacturers scramble to meet orders across the globe, according to Gu Wenjun, chief analyst at Chinese semiconductor and electronics market research firm ICwise, in…

Self-sufficiency is one of the key themes at China’s biggest air show, which opened in the southern city of Zhuhai on Tuesday after a pandemic-induced delay.Among the exhibitors is Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (Comac), the state-owned manufacturer of the C919 jetliner.China has spent tens of billions of dollars developing the C919 jet, which is designed to compete with the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.But the C919 has faced headwinds, with tough US export rules threatening to delay…