भारतीय रोज़ नई ख़बरें – भारतीय रोज़ न्यूज़ भारत की सबसे अधिकारपूर्ण, समय पर और विश्वसनीय समाचार सलाहकार वेबसाइट है

Self-sufficiency via technology: China-made petrochemical machines changing energy dynamics

A view of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) Fushun Petrochemical Company, Fushun City, Liaoning Province, northeast China. /CGTN

China’s capabilities in ensuring energy security has constantly improved over the past decade, with the country’s energy self-sufficiency rate maintained at more than 80 percent. What role does self-developed technology play for the country’s energy security?

In one of China’s oldest oil refineries, the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) Fushun Petrochemical Company, some of its equipment couldn’t stand the test of time. Located in Fushun City of northeast China’s Liaoning Province, the plants are fed with oil from China’s Daqing field and Russia’s Siberia. Its traditional products include paraffin, solvent oil and ethylene. And the new upgraded equipment brings a new line of business – jet fuel.

Lu Chuantao, the deputy manager of Refinery No. 3 in CNPC Fushun Petrochemical Company talks to CGTN reporter, Fushun City, northeastern China’s Liaoning Province. /CGTN

An illustration shows how the refineries convert crude oil into petroleum products for use as fuels for transportation, heating, paving roads, and as feedstock for making chemicals. /CGTN

Staff on duty at CNPC Fushun Petrochemical Company in Fushun City, northeastern China’s Liaoning Province. /CGTN

“A lot of equipment was replaced by domestically made ones… like hydrotreaters and deaerators. The purity of aviation fuel is of vital importance. It means better engine performance and lower wear and tear costs. We are confident about the potential of this new business division due to the post-pandemic air travel recovery,” Lu Chuantao, the deputy manager of Refinery No. 3 in CNPC Fushun Petrochemical Company told CGTN.

With a few inefficient, polluting, less valuable capacities still in place, the industry needs to upgrade and restructure for greener development. Refineries convert crude oil into petroleum products for use as fuels for transportation, heating, paving roads and as feedstock for making chemicals. In the world of refinery, hydrocrackers are particularly valuable in terms of maximizing production and reducing residual fuel oil.

A view of the world’s largest hydrocracker reactor developed by China First Heavy Industries Group. /CGTN

The hydrocracker upgrades low-quality heavy gas oils into high-quality, clean-burning jet fuel, diesel and gasoline. /CGTN

The new reactor is capable of treating large amounts of distillate to obtain kerosene, naphtha and gasoline, hence increasing the efficiency for refinery operations. /CGTN

In May, the largest hydrocracker reactor ever manufactured in the world was completed by China First Heavy Industries Group. The handover of the 3,000-tonne iron giant – the equivalent of 100 Boeing 737 – has broken many world records for forging, welding and delivery.

With a length exceeding 70 meters and a wall thickness of 320 millimeters, welding engineer Zhu Lin from China First Heavy Industries Group (Dalian) and his team has performed a consistent, precise and reliable weld throughout the entire operation.

Zhu told CGTN that “the reactor consists of three tubes, with each weighing over 1,000 tonnes. So, two welding teams have to carry out the work simultaneously. Every step and technique has to be identical as the three tubes are heated and rotated at exactly equal speeds – like a set of twins. Also, both teams have to ensure the detection and rectification of flaws before they become critical.”

Welding engineer Zhu Lin from China First Heavy Industries Group (Dalian), northeast China’s Liaoning Province. /CGTN

Worker from China First Heavy Industries Group (Dalian), northeast China’s Liaoning Province. /CGTN

In simple terms, the hydrocracker upgrades low-quality heavy gas oils into high-quality, clean-burning jet fuel, diesel and gasoline. The expansion of China’s refining sector accelerated for many years to meet its fast-growing domestic demand. Because of the size of the new reactor, it is capable of treating large amounts of distillate to obtain kerosene, naphtha and gasoline, hence increasing the efficiency for refinery operations.

For decades, China has relied heavily on foreign technologies to build the more sophisticated processing units that can convert the country’s heavy crude oils into various petrochemical products. The 3,000-tonne domestically built hydro cracker reactor helps reduce such reliance.

Zhang Lin, the deputy chief engineer from China First Heavy Industries Group (Dalian), talks with CGTN reporter, Dalian City, northeast China’s Liaoning Province. /CGTN

Workers on duty at hydrocracking reactor production line of China First Heavy Industries Group (Dalian), northeast China’s Liaoning Province. /CGTN

“Hydrocracking reactor design is a proprietary technology with each licensor having his own specific design based on operating experience, catalyst technology and engineering expertise. In addition, each reactor’s design is somewhat unique in the refining industry due to a combination of process requirements. The project has broken the longtime foreign monopoly on the manufacturing of high-end refinery equipment,” Zhang Lin, the deputy chief engineer from China First Heavy Industries Group (Dalian), told CGTN.

China is becoming more self-sufficient in energy supplies thanks to rising domestic oil and gas production in recent years. However, with more than 70 percent of its crude oil feedstock from overseas, experts say that refinery efficiency has played an integral role in China’s quest for energy security. No doubt, getting the most out of each barrel at a lower cost and with less emission requires more technological breakthroughs.

China slams alleged “overcapacity” as groundless

The alleged“overcapacity” in China’s new energy sector is “contrary to common sense” and completely groundless and untenable, He Yadong, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, said on Thursday.

Generally speaking, the global new energy industry is still in its initial stage of development and undergoing rapid growth. Instead of overcapacity, the production capacity of the industry is relatively insufficient, He said at a regular press conference.

He pointed out that the demand for new energy products will continue to expand even as green and low-carbon industries become mainstream alongside the global green transformation.

In line with international trade practices, the emergence and development of international trade means that countries would carry out division of labor and cooperation based on their comparative advantages, which can effectively improve the efficiency and well-being of the global economy, He said.

Talk to Sinologists: What makes a book a classic?

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In the world of education and cultural promotion, the importance of teaching often goes hand in hand with the need for promotion. This rings especially true when the aim is to enlighten a broader audience about the core principles of Taoism. Just as crucial as imparting knowledge is the active dissemination of it, ensuring that the profound insights and wisdom of Taoist philosophy are widely accessible.

This balance between teaching and promotion is exemplified by the work of Misha Tadd, associate professor at Nankai University’s College of Philosophy and director of the Global Laozegetics Research Center. In his capacity, Tadd not only delves into the scholarly exploration of Taoist texts but also takes on the essential role of sharing these discoveries with a wider audience.

The term “Global Laozegetics” encapsulates the dual mission of the center, Tadd explained, highlighting its aim to adopt a worldwide perspective while also addressing tangible realities. Over time, Tadd has undertaken a global endeavor to gather all the diverse translations of the “Tao Te Ching” in various languages. This ancient text has undergone many translations and publications, with the count growing rapidly each year. Presently, there are over 2,052 translations available in 97 languages, making it one of the most translated books in history.

Tadd noted that what makes a classic is not just its age but its enduring relevance – each generation finds new value in these ancient words. For instance, the “Tao Te Ching” struck a chord with him as a 14-year-old American, and its resonance persists into the 20th century.

Furthermore, exploring these historical encounters, such as how renowned figures like Leo Tolstoy drew inspiration from the “Tao Te Ching,” unveils a vast and captivating topic. It highlights the universal allure of Taoist wisdom and its capacity to inspire and enlighten individuals across diverse cultures and eras.

(Cover image designed by Yu Peng; video edited by Qi Jianqiang)

A shared maritime future: China’s efforts in advancing marine ecology

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Will a plastic bottle drifting in the sea become waste that endangers marine life, or will it become a recycled resource?

A Chinese environmental initiative named the Blue Circle has an answer to this question. Using blockchain technology and the Internet of Things (IoT), the initiative comprehensively monitors the entire life cycle of plastic pollution, encompassing collection, regeneration, re-manufacturing and re-sale.

Last October, the UN Environment Programme honored the initiative with the 2023 Champions of the Earth award for its innovative marine plastic treatment technology.

Based on the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature, China protects marine biodiversity, as well as develops and utilizes marine resources in an orderly manner.

A shared maritime future: China’s efforts in promoting marine economy

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Promoting the development of the marine economy is essential to building a maritime community with a shared future.

Over the years, China has continuously strengthened the blue partnership and deepened practical maritime cooperation and sci-tech exchanges.

In the future, China will continue to build a platform for open cooperation and win-win sharing for coastal countries around the world and promote maritime connectivity and pragmatic cooperation for the development of the blue economy.

Kremlin on Shoigu’s New Post: This is High Government Post With Wide Range of Tasks

The position of Secretary of the Russian Security Council, to which former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has been appointed, is a high government post with a wide range of tasks and implies direct contacts with the head of state, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

“This is a very high government post, with a very wide scope of tasks, and is of great importance for the entire country. Of course, the head of this body is constantly in direct contact with the head of state and bears great responsibility,” Peskov told reporters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed appointing Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov as the minister of defense replacing Sergei Shoigu, who is now appointed the chief of Russia’s Security Council.

‘Go online’ strategy

Having spent around a year to develop an online digital project that exhibits legacies in the “Sutra Cave” of China’s Mogao Caves, it has recently launched its international version, allowing users mainly in Europe to virtually experience the rise and fall spanning more than a millennium of the cave that is also known as the Dunhuang Library Cave.

A screen shot of a 3D image depicts a “wine ledger” relic discovered in Dunhuang, Gansu Province. Photo: Courtesy of Tencent

Due to its cultural importance and extreme fragile nature, the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, Northwest China’s Gansu Province, already underwent digital restorations early back to the 1990s. Led by the Dunhuang Academy, the site’s “go-online” strategy, however, is always updating along with rapidly progressing China’s digital technology.

‘Dunhuang Library Cave’

The “Sutra Cave” is one of the Mogao Caves that is more commonly known as “Grotto No.17.” The Dunhuang culture boasts 45,000 square meters of mural arts and more than 2,000 painted sculptures, yet Grotto No.17 that is also dubbed as the “Dunhuang Library Cave” still seems to be an “unfamiliar gem” to most people, Zhao Xiaoxing, director of the Literature Research Institute of the Dunhuang Academy said.

“It has witnessed Dunhuang’s history during the 4th to 11th centuries. If other grottoes have depicted Dunhuang’s culture through images, then the ‘Sutra Cave’ tells Dunhuang’s story with words and texts,” Zhao remarked.

Since April 2024, overseas users are now able to get access to the “unfamiliar gem” by clicking on the website of “Digital Dunhuang.”

Including the introductions to relics, all information on the website have been translated into English and French.

Prior to it going international, in March 2022, the Dunhuang Academy partnered with Chinese technology giant Tencent to develop the online digital cave program through a “cloud gaming” technology.

Compared to traditional digital projects that mainly allow people to browse relics online, the gaming approach allows viewers to be at the virtual Mogao sutra cave. It is like the script play themed on “Dunhuang,” and viewers have six roles to choose from, and they can also interact with eight non-player characters in the game.

The project was carried out under the instruction of China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA). It was entirely technology-oriented to have adopted other methods like high-definition digital scanning and AI technologies starting from its first step of collecting organic site’s data.

Recalling scenes of Mogao Caves’ digital journey from the 1990s to the present, Su Boming, director of the Dunhuang Academy said that it has progressed from “collecting and restoring digital data” to “seeking creative data applications.”

According to Yu Tianxiu, deputy director of the academy’s cultural relics digitalization institute, the academy has completed the digital photographing of around 278 caves and 3D reconstruction of 145 painted sculptures until 2022.

Such a change is commended by cultural heritage management expert Dou Siming as the “2.0 version of relic digitalization” in China.

“The fact that such projects can be achieved in China is inseparable to the country’s digital innovative industry and non-cultural Chinese company’s growing sense of cultural responsibility,” Dou emphasized.

In April 2023, the program debuted to domestic Chinese users. Around 1.4 million users were seen tapped into the project’s online mini program, within which more than 400,000 of users have experienced the digital Dunhuang Library Cave online.

“Through such digital creative projects, we discovered that the popularization of Dunhuang culture increased massively, far more than what we had imagined,” Su emphasized. He also revealed that the academy is willing to cooperate with digital companies to continue other projects like the “cloud tour at Dunhuang.”

Cultural creative industry expert Yao Yu told the Global Times that such a new academy-corporation collaboration mode can shed light on sectors of “public cultural education, and help the industrial upgrading of technological companies.” He emphasized that more and more Chinese technological companies are starting to realize the “importance of cultures.”

“We help in not only bringing the country’s non-renewable cultural resources to life, but also by promoting Chinese culture globally,” said Guo Kaitian, senior vice president of Tencent.

“We are taking an exploratory step in exchanging the Chinese civilizations with the world, and also dedicate to promoting mutual learning between different cultures,” Guo remarked.

Zhao Xiaoxing (left) shows and introduces the replicas of documents unearthed from the Dunhuang Library Cave to a journalist at the Dunhuang Art Gallery in Lanzhou, Northwest China’s Gansu Province. Photo: VCG

Nationwide efforts

Adopted by not only the Mogao Caves, the Yungang Grottoes in North China’s Shanxi Province has also experimented on the “digitalization + relics” programs marked by a milestone that in 2012, a digital research department was officially established as part of the heritage site.

Over years of developments, the site has made achievements like successfully collecting data of the grottoes’ façades, and also completed a sensational digital project in 2023, to which the site’s statue of Amitabha from the Cave No.3 has been 1:1 3D printed and made into a replica to be displayed at Qingdao, East China’s Shandong Province.

“Around 10,000 photos of the original cave were taken in order to create a digital model,” Wang Shanshan, an insider with the project told the Global Times.

“Cultural relics are like doors closed, and the technology is the key to opening these doors,” Hang Kan, director of the Yungang Research Institute told media.

Philippines likely to increase illegal resupply activities to grounded warship in Ren’ai Jiao in 2024: report

This photo taken on November 10, 2023 shows Philippine coast guard personnel and journalists sailing onboard a rigid inflatable boat (left) as they head back after filming the BRP Sierra Madre grounded at Renai Jiao in South China Sea. Photo: AFP

The number of illegal resupply activities to the illegally grounded warship in the South China Sea by the Philippines will continue to increase in 2024, an expert from Chinese think tank Grandview Institution warned based on a report the institution released on Tuesday.

According to the report, in 2022, the Philippine Navy conducted 11 illegal resupply activities to the Ren’ai Jiao (Ren’ai Reef), while in 2023, the number increased to 14 with more disguised approaches.

On May 9, 1999, the military vessel BRP
Sierra Madre illegally intruded into China’s Ren’ai Jiao, or what the Philippine side calls as the Second Thomas Shoal, running aground due to purported “technical difficulties.”

According to the latest report of the Grandview Institution, the vessel
Sierra Madre has been grounded in the Ren’ai Jiao for a long time with over ten Filipino soldiers stationed and this has constituted actual encroachment of the Ren’ai Jiao. The Philippine military’s Western Command is responsible for commanding the grounded troops and the Philippine Navy sends ships to resupply the grounded troop.

As for whether the number of supply missions to the Ren’ai Jiao by the Philippines will continue to increase in 2024, Liu Xiaobo, director of the ocean research center of the Grandview Institution, told the Global Times. He noted before 2023, the Philippine Navy supplied the grounded military vessel once a month, but after that, the number of illegal resupply activities increased.

The current trend shows that the illegal supply actions in 2024 will continue to increase, according to Liu. “In order to reduce sensitivity, the Philippines has rented civilian ships – instead of sending military vessels – to supply the stranded ship under the escort of coast guard ships, but the Philippines has been reportedly taking advantage of the opportunity of resupplying troops to transport illegal construction materials to the grounded ship and China firmly opposed such attempt.”

In addition, the Philippines currently invites international media to board transport ships and openly hype up China’s so-called “interception actions” against them in order to gain sympathy and support from the international community. However, images accompanying the report show that compared to before, the main deck of the vessel
Sierra Madre as been partially reinforced and renovated in 2023, indicating that the Philippines had secretly transported building materials long ago.

The report also points out that the Philippines has enhanced construction on the islands it occupied in the South China Sea. Apart from Ren’ai Jiao, the Philippines has illegally occupied eight islands and reefs in China’s Nansha Islands, namely, Mahuan Dao, Feixin Dao, Zhongye Dao, Nanyao Dao, Beizi Dao, Xiyue Dao, Shuanghuang Shazhou, and Siling Jiao. In June 1978, it unilaterally went beyond its territorial scope to set up the so-called “Kalayaan Island Group,” which violates China’s territorial sovereignty.

Before 2022, the Philippines conducted less construction on the occupied islands and reefs. But in March 2022, the Philippines built a new helicopter landing pad on the Mahuan Dao; and in May of that year, the Philippine Coast Guard established command observation stations on the Mahuan Dao and others. These command observation stations monitor surrounding vessels and report information to the Philippine Coast Guard headquarters, according to the report.

In January 2024, Manila’s military chief Romeo Brawner told media that the Philippines would develop islands in all the nine islands and reefs in the South China Sea that it considers part of its territory to make them more habitable for troops.

The Philippines Coast Guard recently claimed that China was attempting to build an “artificial island” in the Ren’ai Jiao. In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a press conference on Monday “the Philippines has repeatedly spread rumors, deliberately vilified China and tried to mislead the international community. None of those attempts will succeed.”

Wang also urged the Philippines to stop making irresponsible remarks, face up to the facts and return to the right track of properly handling maritime disputes through negotiation and consultation.

Liu believes the Philippines will continue to advance its confrontational South China Sea policy in 2024. He points out that main factors contributing to the escalation of the disputes between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea include the pro-stance of the Marcos government, the increased assistance from the US and its allies to the Philippines, as well as the joint defense commitment of the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty that backs and encourages the Philippines’ provocative actions of encroachment.

In addition, the Philippines has strengthened its maritime military capabilities in recent years, providing it with confidence, Liu said. But ASEAN countries will continue to be important forces in maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea with China as resolving disputes through peaceful means and maintaining regional peace and stability remains a consensus between ASEAN countries and China despite the differences in their concerns and positions on the South China Sea issue, Liu noted.

First-ever Olympic Qualifier Series to open in Shanghai; top athletes set to vie for places at Paris 2024

Shanghai, China Photo: VCG

A total of 464 top global athletes, including seven Tokyo 2020 Olympic champions, have gathered in Shanghai to vie for quota places at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The “Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS) – Shanghai” will kick off on Thursday at the city’s iconic Huangpu riverside. The athletes, evenly divided between men and women, are going to compete in BMX freestyle, breaking, skateboarding, and sport climbing from Thursday to Sunday.

This is the first-ever OQS event being held to serve as a final qualification stage for these four sports for the Games. “[People] will see an incredible level of competition in these four sports,” said Pierre Fratter-Bardy, Olympic Games strategy and development associate director, at an OQS press conference on Wednesday.

“We have the very best athletes in the world,” Fratter-Bardy added, noting that spectators can also try these sports.

In the past, quota places for the Olympics were decided through forms including tournaments, said Liu Dongfeng, a professor in sport management at Shanghai University of Sport.

“And now the OQS, as a multi-sport event of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is expected to attract wider attention, and to stimulate the interest in these four sports among more people, particularly young people,” Liu told the Global Times.

Representing a significant milestone in athletes’ journeys to Paris, the OQS employs a points system to determine which athletes will secure the quota places. Athletes in the four sports get the OQS points by competing in Shanghai this week, and in Budapest in June.

As a key project under Olympic Agenda 2020+5, the OQS in Shanghai aims to offer the Olympic candidates a high-standard competing area, and also to bring the public an immersive Olympic experience that merges sport, art, music and culture.

A public sports festival, named Urban Festival, will also be held at Huangpu riverside during the OQS, consisting of a variety of experiences and shows built around the four OQS sports, and their culture and scenes. The Urban Festival will let spectators of all ages have an inspiring experience while watching high-level competition, said the OQS organizers.

“Reaching out to and engaging with the young audiences around the world has been a very clear part of the innovation related to the Olympic program,” said IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell at an online media roundtable on Tuesday prior to the OQS. “What we’ve done is add to the more traditional sports by bringing in some of these really youth-focused sports and disciplines that we’ll see in Shanghai and Budapest,” said McConnell.

BMX freestyle, breaking, skateboarding, and sport climbing share common highlights that make them popular among young people, Liu said. “They are dynamic, fashionable street sports with some extreme sports elements.”

Liu praised the creative combination of the OQS and the public sports festival, which he thinks is a meaningful effort in promoting Olympic sports and events. “To Shanghai citizens, it is not a merely a competition, but also sort of an interactive carnival that allows everyone to participate and enjoy the charm of sport,” he told the Global Times.

One person shot dead in New Caledonia unrest: official

A fire in the street after a supermarket was looted and shops vandalized in the N’Gea district of Noumea, May 14, 2024. /CFP

One person was shot dead and two others were wounded on Tuesday night as violent protests and looting rocked New Caledonia, according to the high commissioner of the French Pacific territory.

“Of the three wounded admitted to emergency, one is dead, the victim of a gunshot,” High Commissioner of the Republic Louis Le Franc told reporters, adding that the deceased was not from the police or the gendarmes.

Unrest erupted Monday in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia as protesters demonstrated against a constitutional reform being debated in the national assembly in Paris that aims to expand the electorate in the territory’s provincial elections.

Local authorities on Tuesday announced a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. following overnight riots.

Under the Noumea Accord signed in 1998, the French overseas territory was granted the right to three referendums on its future political status.

All of the three referendums, held in 2018, 2020 and 2021, rejected independence.

The pro-independence Indigenous Kanaks rejected the result of the last referendum, held in December 2021, which they had boycotted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ABC News reported.

The latest voting reform, which triggered Monday’s violence, proposes the residency requirement to qualify for New Caledonian citizenship to be reduced to 10 years.

(With input from agencies)