China’s influence across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has steadily been increasing. Seventeen countries have signed documents related to its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Many countries, including Lebanon, Tunisia, Egypt, and Iraq have seen dramatic increases in Chinese engagement, leading some to question if they are on the verge of becoming Chinese client states. More recently, China has dramatically and visibly increased its aid to a number of MENA countries in response to the recent COVID pandemic.
China’s push towards greater civil-military integration in science and technology appears to be gaining momentum as reflected in the 20-22 September Military and Civilian Equipment Technology Achievement Exhibition held in the Chinese city of Xian: the hub for much of the country’s aerospace industry.
The state-owned China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) revealed in a 21 August announcement on its official WeChat social media account that its 716 Research Institute – also known as the Jiangsu Automation Research Institute (JARI) – has launched a new catamaran-hulled multirole unmanned surface vessel (USV).
by Luo Weiteng , China Daily 10 Jul 2020
Each day for nine months, Bi Fang got up at the crack of dawn and spent three hours writing the next chapter of her wuxia novel before making a mad dash off to work.
Oct 2020
According to market survey organization iiMedia's report, in 2019 there were about 1,000 newly opened study lounges nationwide and the number of paid users soared from 850,000 in 2018 to 2.3 million in 2019. No wonder some media outlets called 2019 the "first year" of study lounge startups.
The sector's rapid growth last year could be attributed to the increasing pressure of employment and shortage of public facilities such as public libraries. According to the 2019 Statistical Bulletin of Culture and Tourism Development of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, there are 3,196 public libraries nationwide, meaning more than 438,000 people sharing one public library.
by Michael Keane, Feb 1 2020. China is intent on consolidating a digital civilization; which has widespread implications for industry, governance, population management, and international relations.
"Fang Shinan, a professor at Soochow University in the eastern city of Suzhou, wrote in an essay published July in the party-backed journal Governance"
"Ryan Manuel, managing director of Hong Kong-based research firm Official China, which analyzes Communist Party governance."
Age of Decline? 50,000 manuscripts, scrolls, booklets and paintings on silk, hemp and paper were found literally stuffed into it.
One of the manuscripts was the Diamond Sutra, the world's earliest dated, printed book (868).1
The Ukraine – a decisive transfer of the balance of power from west to east
By Cameron Leckie
Mar 30, 2022
The 2022 Russo-Ukraine is also a proxy war between Russia and the Western world. We should be prepared for a decisive transfer of the balance of power from West to East.
Reuters 23.2.2023. US News is a recognized leader in college, grad school, hospital, mutual fund, and car rankings. Track elected officials, research health conditions, and find news you can use in politics, business, health, and education.
Asked about prospects for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Zelenskiy told a news briefing in Kyiv: "We would like to meet with China."
"This is in the interests of Ukraine today," he told the joint briefing with visiting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.