The Dragon's Silk Road: China's High-Tech Diplomacy Reshapes Global Landscape

BRI projects bring benefits to Serbia.

Serbia's economy and people have enjoyed "multiple" outcomes from its cooperation in the Belt and Road Initiative, Serbian Ambassador to China Maja Stefanovic said, expressing her confidence that her country will continue to benefit from these projects. Serbia is one of the first countries to have joined the BRI, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has attended all three Belt and Road Forums for International Cooperation that have been held. She said the plan's objective is "realizing mutual benefit, win-win outcomes, and common development" by implementing relevant cooperation projects. In a meeting with Xi in Beijing in 2018, Vucic said the revival of the steel mill is a successful example showing that the BRI has boosted employment and economic growth in Serbia. Looking into the future, Stefanovic said her country is ready to explore cooperation with China in cutting-edge areas such as artificial intelligence, information technology, and green development.

China launches new original technology innovation hub construction to speed up industrial upgrades.

In the latest move, SASAC will urge central enterprises to bolster efforts in constructing innovation hubs and expedite 11 action plans to achieve original breakthroughs in fields such as quantum information, 6G, deep-sea exploration, controllable nuclear fusion, and advanced materials, Xinhua reported. China has been vigorously pushing for its high-quality development, driven by new, high-quality, productive forces, and state-owned enterprises play a crucial role in advancing this process. SASAC's move marked the latest progress in this ambitious initiative, following the first batch of 29 key-supported technology innovation pilot projects launched since the plan was announced. Official data shows that centrally administered enterprises completed investments totaling 2.18 trillion yuan ($301.8 billion) in strategic emerging industries last year, representing a year-on-year growth of 32.1 percent, with a slew of key projects implemented in sectors such as photovoltaic hydrogen production, carbon fiber manufacturing, and automotive chips, according to media reports. At an on-site promotion meeting on April 28 for deepening state-owned enterprise reform, Wang Hongzhi, deputy director of SASAC, urged eligible companies to focus on key areas such as computing power and algorithms, and strive for innovation and progress, in a bid to elevate tech-driven applications to expedite tech upgrades and growth momentum transformation.

‘More EW Than We Have Ever Seen Before’ in Ukraine, Space Force Official Says.

Russia has interfered with signals in an attempt to disrupt global positioning system satellites that help Ukraine employ guided aerial and artillery munitions, many of which have been provided by the U.S. U.S. officials have acknowledged even the high level of electronic warfare in Ukraine could dwarf what the U.S. could face in a conflict with China, which would likely attempt to interfere with the satellites the U.S. military relies on for essential functions such as navigation and timing—perhaps kinetically. “The PRC has also deployed and continues to develop an expansive electronic warfare suite designed to disrupt our ability to effectively use our C4ISR [command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance]. The service’s new force generation model, SPAFORGEN, is built upon a need to take Guardians off the front line of day-to-day work and allow them time to build up their expertise through a readiness phase devoted to training. The Air Force general who oversees the nation’s land-based nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile fleet said he is firmly committed to an ongoing study of cancer cases among crews who worked around ICBMs.

High-speed rail improves travel and the economy of the Balkans.

More than 140 years later, a 342-km high-speed railway linking the capitals will travel at a top speed of 200 km/h and, upon completion, will shorten the trip to three hours from the current eight. In Serbia, the 80-km Belgrade-Novi Sad section of the railway began operation on March 19, 2022, and has facilitated the movement of people and even brought a new commuter lifestyle. "The safe, efficient, convenient, and comfortable high-speed railway has created a better passenger travel experience and has been widely favored by people along the line. The volume of passenger trips has continued to increase significantly, with the train occupancy rate remaining at a relatively high level," the company said. The railway facilitates the movement of people, cargo, capital, and information, driving the development of commercial and tourism industries.

China's industrialization rate of patents for inventions improves.

The industrialization rate of patents for inventions reached 39.6 percent in 2023, an increase of 2.9 percentage points compared to the previous year, and has been staying in a steady growth trend for five consecutive years. The industrialization rate of patents for inventions from enterprises reached 51.3 percent last year, up 3.2 percentage points year-on-year. The model of industry-university-research cooperation has effectively improved the country's industrialization rate of patents for inventions. The model of industry-university-research cooperation plays a vital role in tackling key core technologies, with the proportion of enterprises solving key technologies or core components to tackle key issues through the model reaching, at the highest, 56.1 percent, said the report. In 2023, the proportion of Chinese patentees who have experienced patent infringement was 6.7 percent, down 1.0 percentage points from the previous year.

Shanghai Ocean University debuts manta ray-shaped bionic fish.

Wen Yao, an intelligent, soft-bodied bionic fish designed in the shape of a manta ray, was unveiled by Shanghai Ocean University. An intelligent, soft-bodied bionic fish in the shape of a manta ray named Wen Yao was unveiled by Shanghai Ocean University on Saturday after over 10 years of research and development. "Based on the behavior of the real fish, we made bionic efforts in various aspects such as its form, movement, structure, and materials, and achieved Wen Yao's biological outer contour fitting and dynamic motion simulation," said Chen Xinjun, head of the university's School of Marine Living Resources and Management. Equipped with high-precision sensors, imaging sonar scanning devices, and other artificial intelligent technologies, it can help with underwater monitoring and analysis more flexibly with lower costs. According to the university, the bionic fish will be equipped with smart chips in the future and is expected to provide support in sectors such as marine science, environmental protection, and economic development.

Cargo drone begins carrying seedlings from Hainan.

Yun emphasized that this enables the company to maximize its benefits, as it minimizes road crossing and labor costs and reduces packaging expenses because of the shorter transportation time. Equipped with the advanced BeiDou III integrated management platform, the FP-98 is designed to operate day and night, even in challenging weather conditions such as heavy rain, fog, and wind, and function in temperatures from-40C to 55C. "It will play a pivotal role in boosting the distribution of high value-added agricultural products and sideline items from the island," said Wang Kangliang, deputy general manager of Hainan Aerospace City Industrial Investment Holding. It primarily involves utilizing civilian manned and unmanned aircraft for various low-altitude flight activities. It spans industries from general aviation manufacturing, logistics, and tourism to agriculture, emergency rescue, and trade. With over 300 flyable days each year, the province is a prime candidate for the development of general aircraft trade, commercial short-haul transportation, low-altitude tourism consumption, and the advancement of the marine economy, said Liu Chong, director of the Wenchang International Aerospace City Administration.

China’s first ‘AI cheating’ case in video games publicly adjudicated; defendant sentenced to years of imprisonment for selling illegal AI plug-ins.

The defendant was sentenced to three years in prison with a five-year probation for profiting via illegally invading and controlling a computer system that disrupted the video game's operation. Upon completion, Wang utilized agents, including Chen and Zhang, to sell the programs, thereby making a profit from the sale of "AI cheating" gift card passwords. The program source code was found to intercept mouse data instructions, calculate and analyze these instructions, and send the computed results back to the computer's USB port, enabling automatic movement and clicking of the computer mouse pointer. Confiscation of illegally obtained proceeds and tools used in the crime were forfeited and turned over to the state treasury. The court made the judgment as mentioned above as Wang's provision of specialized programs or tools for invading or illegally controlling computer information systems, leading to substantial profits, committed a crime, and his confession and voluntary admission of guilt and the return of illicitly obtained proceeds warranted a lighter punishment.

SPACECOM Boss Warns China Is Moving ‘Breathtakingly Fast’ During Pacific Visit.

Gen. Stephen N. Whiting’s trip to the Indo-Pacific is his first overseas visit since taking command of SPACECOM in January. “Over the last six years, they have tripled the number of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance satellites in orbit, and they have used their space capabilities to improve the lethality, the precision, and the range of their terrestrial forces,” said Whiting. “When that achieves initial operational capability, we expect that will provide both of our countries an enhanced understanding of what China is doing in space.” Whiting also mentioned the ongoing partnership with Japan to deploy hosted payloads to conduct space domain awareness missions in a satellite factory in greater Tokyo. Whiting engaged with South Korean leaders to discuss ways to increase joint domain awareness and closely monitor Pyongyang’s ongoing space projects. “We had a good discussion with Admiral Kim, the Republic of Korea chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, about how we can better collaborate.

Massacre survivor passes away at 93.

The passing away of a 93-year-old survivor of the Nanjing Massacre on Sunday, the number of survivors has declined to only 35, according to the Memorial Hall of the Victims of Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders. When she was 3 years old, her father passed away, and she relied on her grandparents for support, who were living on Tongren Street in Nanjing. "We dug a hole with mud in Gaopozi on Shanghai Road and hid inside," Liu once recalled. In her teens, impoverished Liu became a child bride and raised three daughters and a son. During an interview before her passing, she said, "We must not forget the suffering we endured in the past.

Navy Shoots Four LRASMs in ‘Graduation Exercise,’ as Air Force Ramps Up Multiyear Buy.

Lockheed Martin revealed the milestone in an April 3 release, saying it occurred during the “12th Integrated Test Event,” but provided no details on where and exactly when it was conducted. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told reporters when the 2025 budget request was rolled out last month that “fiscal constraints” meant that not all programs could be bought as efficiently as the USAF would have liked in the coming years, and “we pay a bit more for the same number” of items in some categories. A few weeks after downing swarms of drones to defend Israel from Iran, the 494th Fighter Squadron is back home at RAF Lakenheath, U.K.—and sporting some intriguing new paint. Testing of the B-21 bomber and AGM-181 nuclear cruise missile is going well, and some “key” developments with the Raider are expected later this year, Air Force acquisition executive Andrew P. Hunter told a Senate committee on May 8. The Air Force must move forward on replacing its E-4B “Doomsday” aircraft to keep the capability “viable” into the next decade and beyond, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Intelligent heavy-haul electric locomotives roll off production lines in China.

China's first intelligent heavy-haul electric locomotive officially rolled off the product line in Zhuzhou, Hunan Province. China's first intelligent heavy-haul electric locomotive rolled formally off the product line in Zhuzhou, Hunan Province, on Thursday. Compared with a traditional electric locomotive, this newly produced model can increase capacity by nearly 1,200 metric tons and annual capacity by almost 280,000. The eight-axle locomotive is equipped with the world's first high-power silicon carbide converter with adjustable switching frequencies ranging from 500 hertz to 2,000 Hz, which can adapt to more complex power grid conditions. With three world-leading technologies, the freight train can save 330,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually while its drive overhaul intervals are increased from 1.2 million to 2.4 million kilometers.

China-US trade remains stable in the first four months of 2024, rising 1.1% in yuan terms.

"Although there have been fluctuations in China-US foreign trade during the past two years due to the US-initiated tariffs war against China, commerce has maintained an overall growth trend. That underscores the complementary and win-win nature of the Chinese and US economy," Huo told the Global Times on Sunday. "Faced with persistent inflation pressure, the US needs more quality but relatively cheaper Chinese goods to meet American consumers' demand. The US revival of the domestic manufacturing sector also needs more imports of intermediate products and other materials from China," Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Thursday. Lately, the US reportedly revoked licenses, allowing companies including Intel and Qualcomm to ship chips used for laptops and handsets to China's Huawei Technologies to stymie its growth.

APA Citations:

BRI projects bring benefits to Serbia (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ecns.cn/news/economy/2024-05-08/detail-iheafqys1339975.shtml

China launches new original technology innovation hub construction to speed up industrial upgrades - Global Times (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202405/1312040.shtml

High-speed rail improves travel, economy in Balkans (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ecns.cn/news/society/2024-05-09/detail-iheafqys1341979.shtml

China's industrialization rate of patents for inventions improves (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ecns.cn/business/2024-04-17/detail-ihczqxet2000730.shtml

Shanghai Ocean University debuts manta ray-shaped bionic fish (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ecns.cn/news/sci-tech/2024-04-22/detail-ihczvctz4225863.shtml

Cargo drone begins carrying seedlings from Hainan (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ecns.cn/news/sci-tech/2024-05-07/detail-iheafqys1337434.shtml

China’s first ‘AI cheating’ case in video games publicly adjudicated; defendant sentenced to years of imprisonment for selling illegal AI plug-ins - Global Times (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202405/1311806.shtml

SPACECOM Boss Warns China Is Moving ‘Breathtakingly Fast’ During Pacific Visit (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.airandspaceforces.com/spacecom-boss-china-breathtakingly-fast-pacific-visit/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=spacecom-boss-china-breathtakingly-fast-pacific-visit

Massacre survivor passes away at 93 (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ecns.cn/news/society/2024-04-22/detail-ihczvctz4225674.shtml

Navy Shoots Four LRASMs in ‘Graduation Exercise,’ as Air Force Ramps Up Multiyear Buy (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.airandspaceforces.com/navy-shoots-four-lrasm-air-force-multiyear-buy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=navy-shoots-four-lrasm-air-force-multiyear-buy

Intelligent heavy-haul electric locomotive rolls off production line in C China (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ecns.cn/news/cns-wire/2024-05-10/detail-iheafqys1345616.shtml

China-US trade remains stable in first four months of 2024, rising 1.1% in yuan terms - Global Times (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202405/1311966.shtml

List of Titles:

BRI projects bring benefits to Serbia

China launches new original technology innovation hub construction to speed up industrial upgrades. 

‘More EW Than We Have Ever Seen Before’ in Ukraine, Space Force Official Says

High-speed rail improves the travel economy in the Balkans

China's industrialization rate of patents for inventions improves

Shanghai Ocean University debuts manta ray-shaped bionic fish

Cargo drone begins carrying seedlings from Hainan

China’s first ‘AI cheating’ case in video games publicly adjudicated; defendant sentenced to years of imprisonment for selling illegal AI plug-ins - Global Times

SPACECOM Boss Warns China Is Moving ‘Breathtakingly Fast’ During Pacific Visit

Massacre survivor passes away at 93

China News Service Website - Headlines, stories, photos and videos

Navy Shoots Four LRASMs in ‘Graduation Exercise,’ as Air Force Ramps Up Multiyear Buy

Intelligent heavy-haul electric locomotive rolls off production line in China

China-US trade remains stable in the first four months of 2024, rising 1.1% in yuan terms