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01:41

China’s civil aviation authorities granted a Production Certificate (PC) to the homegrown EH216-S passenger-carrying pilotless electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft on Sunday.

The certificate, issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), is the world’s first PC granted in the global eVTOL industry, marking a significant leap towards mass production for the eVTOL aircraft and the following commercial operations.

The EH216-S, developed and produced by Guangzhou-based EHang, the world’s leading urban air mobility (UAM) technology platform company, obtained the Type Certificate (TC) and standard airworthiness certificate (AC) from the CAAC last year, according to the company.

The CAAC issues the production certificate for EH216-S to EHang, Guangzhou City, south China’s Guangdong Province, March 7, 2024. /EHang

The CAAC issues the production certificate for EH216-S to EHang, Guangzhou City, south China’s Guangdong Province, March 7, 2024. /EHang

The aircraft can be widely applied in fields like passenger transportation, air tours, air logistics and medical emergency response. The mass production quality management system for the EH216-S encompasses raw materials, supplier management, production organization, production quality control, aircraft pre-delivery test and after-sales repair and maintenance, the company said.

The system establishes clear guidelines and documentation for each step in the production procedure, ensuring comprehensive traceability and safety control to guarantee that each aircraft and its components rolling off the production line strictly comply with the approved type design and safety requirements.

The aircraft is 1.93 meters tall and 5.73 meters wide, with a maximum takeoff weight of 620 kilograms, which is designed to carry two passengers with luggage. With eight foldable arms and 16 propellers, it can travel for up to 30 kilometers at a maximum speed of 130 kilometers per hour.

A view of China’s homegrown EH216-S passenger-carrying pilotless electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, Guangzhou City, south China’s Guangdong Province. /CFP

A view of China’s homegrown EH216-S passenger-carrying pilotless electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, Guangzhou City, south China’s Guangdong Province. /CFP

Low-altitude economy boom

The low-altitude economy is an economic concept that relies on low-altitude airspace, with the general aviation sector playing a dominant role. It involves economic sectors such as low-altitude flight, air tourism, passenger transportation, general aviation services, scientific research and education, among others.

Xu Dan, deputy district mayor of the Huangpu district in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, said that “obtaining the production certificate marks a significant stride towards industrializing our city’s low-altitude economy manufacturing sector.”

Hu Huazhi, founder, chairman and CEO of Ehang, echoed that by saying that “the issuance of the production certificate is pivotal for the EH216-S as it opens the door to mass production and is a crucial step for our advancement towards commercial operations.”

According to Hu, the Guangzhou-based company’s vision is to introduce a safe and reliable pilotless eVTOL aircraft to the global market, thereby offering everyone safe, autonomous and eco-friendly air mobility services.

China has stepped up endeavors to push for the low-altitude economy in recent years, and the country is going to hold the 8th Drone World Congress 2024 from May 24 to 26 in the southern metropolis of Shenzhen. The congress, with a theme of “Low-altitude Economy, The Future,” will see the participation of nearly 500 enterprises from home and abroad, according to the organizers.

01:15

China’s engineering prowess has reached new heights with trailblazers building bridges in astonishing mountainous areas, setting fresh records in mega project construction through innovative technologies.

Eighty-one individuals and 50 teams were bestowed the National Engineer Awards for their outstanding contributions to the field of engineering technology in Beijing on Friday.

One of the teams winning recognition is made up of engineers based in rugged mountainous province of Guizhou in southwest China. Developing seven state-of-the-art technologies, the pioneers have also built 12 world-leading bridges despite difficult geographic conditions, fragile ecological environment and other challenges.

With unwavering commitment and resourcefulness, the engineers have accomplished stunning achievements which have not only facilitated local transportation but also brought about ecological and economic benefits, boosting tourism and rural revitalization in the region.

The construction site of Wumengshan grand bridge on Nayong-Qinglong Expressway in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, January 11, 2024. /Xinhua

The construction site of Wumengshan grand bridge on Nayong-Qinglong Expressway in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, January 11, 2024. /Xinhua

The construction site of Wumengshan grand bridge on Nayong-Qinglong Expressway in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, January 11, 2024. /Xinhua

The construction site of Wumengshan grand bridge on Nayong-Qinglong Expressway in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, January 11, 2024. /Xinhua

The construction site of Wumengshan grand bridge on Nayong-Qinglong Expressway in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, January 11, 2024. /Xinhua

The construction site of Wumengshan grand bridge on Nayong-Qinglong Expressway in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, January 11, 2024. /Xinhua

A world first 

The Wumengshan grand bridge, a majestic arch spanning a deep canyon, stands as a testament to their ingenuity. It boasts the world’s first fully prefabricated hoisting technique in a mountainous region, a feat that conquered the challenges of terrain and minimized environmental impact.

On January 11, the joining of the main arch of the Wumengshan grand bridge on the Nayong-Qinglong Expressway was completed. Zhang Shenglin, a member of the award-winning engineering team, told China Media Group (CMG) that in canyons within mountains, tunnels are built on both ends of the bridge.

“Traditionally, we have to use a large bridge erecting machine for construction. Instead, we adopted a hoisting system to install all of the components, which has improved efficiency,” said Zhang, who is also the chief engineer of a highway group affiliated to Guizhou Communications Construction Group. 

Defying daunting conditions, the team used to transport materials by hand and horseback in the past. Han Hongju, leader of the award-winning engineering team, told CMG that “when we built the Beipanjiang Bridge on the Guanxing Highway, there was no road (to the planned location).”

“All materials were transported by humans or horses. It is more than 10 kilometers from our base to the planned bridge and it took about four hours (for us to travel between them). We went out to the construction site early in the morning to do measure work, and returned after two or three hours,” added Han, who is also a chief engineer at Guizhou Communications Construction Group.

The construction site of the Huajiang grand canyon bridge in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, August 2, 2023. /Xinhua

The construction site of the Huajiang grand canyon bridge in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, August 2, 2023. /Xinhua

The construction site of the Huajiang grand canyon bridge in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, August 2, 2023. /Xinhua

The construction site of the Huajiang grand canyon bridge in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, August 2, 2023. /Xinhua

Workers at the construction site of the Huajiang grand canyon bridge in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, August 3, 2023. /Xinhua

Workers at the construction site of the Huajiang grand canyon bridge in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, August 3, 2023. /Xinhua

Highest in the world

A suspension bridge across the grand canyon over the Huajiang River in Guizhou, the Huajiang grand canyon bridge, promises to rewrite the record books with its planned 2025 opening.

This behemoth of Huajiang grand canyon bridge, upon completion, will be the world’s highest suspension bridge, a stunning symbol of China’s engineering ambitions.

Han Hongju told CMG that the bridge has a total length of 2,980 meters, a bridge floor that is 625 meters above the water surface and a main span of 1,420 meters.

The main structure of the bridge is expected to be completed by the end of 2024, and it’s set to be put into use in early 2025, said Han. 

Upon operation, it will cut the travel time across the canyon from 70 minutes to just one minute, promoting tourism and rural revitalization in the region, Han added. 

A view of the bridge across Jiangjie River in southwest China’s Guizhou Province. /CFP

A view of the bridge across Jiangjie River in southwest China’s Guizhou Province. /CFP

A view of the bridge across Jiangjie River in southwest China’s Guizhou Province. /CFP

A view of the bridge across Jiangjie River in southwest China’s Guizhou Province. /CFP

A view of the bridge across Jiangjie River in southwest China’s Guizhou Province. /CFP

A view of the bridge across Jiangjie River in southwest China’s Guizhou Province. /CFP

Eco-friendly engineering

The bridge across Jiangjie River in Guizhou, constructed by the award-winning team, has not only facilitated local transportation but also brought about ecological and economic benefits.

“When I first joined the project, people living on both sides of the river [had] to spend a whole day walking from one village to another. They [had] to walk, take a carriage or a boat when passing different areas,” Zhang Shenglin told CMG.

Fortunately, the Jiangjie River bridge has ended all the inconvenience, and this filled me with a strong sense of accomplishment to encourage me to continue my work, added Zhang. ‬

The Jiangjie River bridge, while facilitating transportation, also fosters harmony with nature. Using eco-friendly materials and minimizing ecological disruption, the engineers demonstrate a responsible approach to infrastructural development.

Mu Jinwei, another member of the engineering team, told CMG that “the materials we use for construction are all recycled earth and stone waste from roadbed construction. We have done detailed analysis and research, as well as a lot of experiments and engineering applications, to produce huge economic benefits.”

“With the breakthrough in machine-made sand concrete technology, the use of bridge construction alone has exceeded 100 million cubic meters, saving over 23 billion yuan (about $3.19 billion) in construction funds and offsetting carbon emissions by more than 3.3 million tonnes,” added Mu, who is also deputy general manager and chief engineer at Guizhou Communications Construction Group.

The world watches with admiration as China’s bridge builders defy limitations and redefine the boundaries of engineering excellence, and the pioneers have carved their names in history by constructing awe-inspiring bridges.

Looking ahead, the impact of these Chinese achievements will transcend borders, offering valuable lessons for sustainable infrastructure development and inspiring collaboration across nations facing similar geographical challenges.

04:43

Digital art has become deeply integrated into public life. A group of young artists in China have been pushing the boundaries of digital art, with Da Qiuyan among them.

Also known as DaDa, her prior experience – which includes adding digital effects to the stage design for the Grammy Awards in 2015 and being part of the design team for the “8-minute Hangzhou” performance at the Jakarta Asian Games in 2018 – has taught her the value of learning from the best and collaborating with talented individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Ahead of the release of her cherished art piece “Being” in 2022, she said she hoped to convey to audiences her inner quest for spirituality and heightened awareness. CGTN reporter Yang Yan spoke with Da Qiuyan to learn more about her artistic journey and how she developed her passion into a career.

The United Nations expressed concern on Monday about the effects of the drought in Southern Africa, after Zimbabwe became the third country in the region to announce a state of emergency.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Zimbabwe joins Zambia and Malawi suffering the effects of El Nino on the state of emergency list.

The OCHA said that more than 2.7 million people in Zimbabwe are facing food insecurity because of the drought, despite the government and humanitarian partners investing in programs meant to head off the worst impacts of drought.

The United Nations expressed concern on Monday about the effects of the drought in Southeast Africa, leading Zimbabwe to become the third country in the region to announce a state of emergency. /CFP

The United Nations expressed concern on Monday about the effects of the drought in Southeast Africa, leading Zimbabwe to become the third country in the region to announce a state of emergency. /CFP

“The humanitarian community in the country is also concerned that the scarcity and depletion of safe water sources could lead to an uptick in communicable diseases,” said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. “The United Nations and its partners stand ready to scale up life-saving assistance in Zimbabwe but need adequate funding to do so.”

He said a flash appeal for the humanitarian response to the drought in Zimbabwe is being drawn up and will launch soon.

Southern Africa is suffering from drought more than usual this time of year because of the higher temperatures caused by global warming in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the naturally occurring El Nino phenomenon.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has wrapped up a six-day trip to China, her second since July 2023.

Yellen’s visit, against the backdrop of intensifying China-U.S. economic, technological and trade competition, is considered a positive step towards stabilizing ties between the world’s two largest economies.

However, Chinese experts say the efforts may be impeded by unfavorable policies towards China by the White House amid U.S. presidential elections. 

‘Postive role’ in stabilizing China-U.S. ties

In China, Yellen visited southern coastal metropolis Guangzhou and the capital city Beijing. She held talks with high-ranking Chinese officials including Premier Li Qiang, Vice Premier He Lifeng and Minister of Finance Lan Fo’an.

Focusing on the implementation of the important consensus between the two countries’ heads of state, the two sides had candid, pragmatic and constructive discussions on the macroeconomic situation of the two countries and the world. 

“Yellen’s visit to China has played a threefold positive role in stabilizing China-U.S. relations,” Yan Zhanyu, a scholar on international relations at China’s University of International Business and Economics, told CGTN.

“First, Yellen’s visit consolidated the strategic communication mechanism initiated by both countries during her last year’s visit to China in September, facilitating bilateral discussions on economic and financing policies,” Yan said.

Two significant new initiatives were launched during Yellen’s latest China trip: one is the Exchange on Balanced Growth in the Domestic and Global Economies; the other is the Joint Treasury-People’s Bank of China Cooperation and Exchange on Anti-Money Laundering.

“The launch of two new initiatives will facilitate the progress of working together on the common good and resolving differences in a pragmatic manner,” Gao Zhijun, an assistant research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in a commentary to CGTN.

The technical nature of such exchanges will also mitigate political and ideological influences, ensuring both teams concentrate on the practical issues, Gao added.

What’s more, Yellen’s visit to China will also inject new vitality into the future development of China-U.S. relations as the trip has demonstrated positive signals of people-to-people exchanges, according to Yan.

In Guangzhou and Beijing, Yellen’s order at local restaurants went viral on Chinese social media platforms.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, April 7, 2024. /Xinhua

Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, April 7, 2024. /Xinhua

Posibility of holding back ties

During this trip, Yellen had “extensive, frank, and productive” meetings with key Chinese officials and voiced firm opposition to China-U.S. decoupling on several ocassions, warning a bid to decouple from China would be “disastrous.”

However, Yellen also raised concerns over certain aspects of the Chinese economy, particularly overcapacity in emerging industries such as electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and solar energy.

“China is now simply too large for the rest of the world to absorb this enormous capacity,” she stated at a press conference in Beijing on Monday, pointing to potential global spillover effects.

Compared to her last visit, Yellen paid much more attention to this issue, according to Gao.

“Yellen’s visit to China is a demonstration of ‘good cop, bad cop strategy’ used by the U.S. in its hard-line strategy against China,” Yan said. It is an effort by the U.S. to maintains normal channels of high-level communication with China to stabilize economic ties, while conveying Biden’s tough policies against China, he noted.

“Amid the year of a U.S. presidential election, it is possible that the White House will deploy new sanctions to pressure the Chinese side to garner political support. This will hold back the progress of stabilizing the bilateral relationship,” said Gao.

(Cover: U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a press conference in Beijing, China, April 8, 2024. /CFP)

Beijing has launched an artificial intelligence (AI) public computing platform to meet the increasing needs of AI enterprises. The launch comes at a time when expanding the supply of computing power becomes a key focus for China as computational power needs mount with the rise of AI.

The platform, located in Yizhuang, Daxing district of Beijing, is the largest of its kind in the city. It will provide 3,000 petaflops of computing power to support the research, development and application of large-scale AI models, the Beijing Daily reported.

As a part of a broader strategy to develop domestic alternatives to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the new platform enables large language models (LLMs) of AI start-ups in Beijing to train their models quickly, said Yan Min, general manager of the Beijing Yizhuang Smart City Research Institute Group, which is the platform’s developer.

However, as the AI arms race intensifies, tech giants like Meta, Google and OpenAI may run out of data to train their models. According to Epoch, an AI research institute, by 2026, all the high-quality data could be exhausted.

High-quality data is the core element for the development of AI, Liu Gang, chief economist at the Chinese Institute of New Generation AI Development Strategies, told the Global Times on Monday.

“China boasts its data center cluster, which provides assistance for the training of LLMs and the development of AI-related products.

“It’s important to firmly grasp the core of our own AI development. The more data that’s available to train a large language model, the better it would perform,” Liu said.

“China has a strong manufacturing industry, with huge datasets from these enterprises. This is one of our biggest advantages and also the most critical issue for our future industrial competitiveness,” Liu said.

Chinese experts have highlighted the importance of building critical computing power infrastructure to develop and train AI systems.

“AI has become an important driving force of the new round of technological and industrial revolution,” Yu Xiaohui, head of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, told the Global Times on Monday.

Although China ranks second in the scale of computing power globally, there are challenges such as an imperfect match between supply and demand, as well as regional disparities in computing power resources, Yu said.

To resolve such shortages, many regions in China are speeding up the development of the computing power industry. For instance, Shenzhen in South China’s Guangdong Province approved an action plan for accelerating the high-quality development of AI in June 2023. It vows to build urban level intelligent computing power platforms to coordinate the deployment and use of computing resources for AI projects.

China deployed a project called Artificial Intelligence for Science in March 2023, to promote the use of AI in cutting-edge research. Under the project, authorities will promote the innovation of AI models and algorithms for major scientific problems, develop platforms for typical research fields, and build a national open innovation platform for the next generation of AI public computing power, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Artificial intelligence the deciding factor in autonomous driving and manufacturing

Cutting-edge technology like artificial intelligence is key to boosting the advantages of China’s new energy vehicle industry, auto experts and executives noted at an industry forum in Beijing.

Ouyang Minggao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that it is crucial to seize the opportunities presented by AI by promoting advanced driving-assist technology and advancing fully autonomous driving.

He made the remarks at the China EV100 Forum in Beijing earlier this month.

Ouyang, also a Tsinghua professor and vice-president of the China EV 100, said that the application of AI across the life cycle of NEV design, manufacturing, management and recycling is crucial to achieving better quality industry-wide, reduced costs and better efficiency.

China has led automotive electrification worldwide as the global penetration rate of new energy passenger vehicles is around 18 percent, while China’s has surpassed 35 percent.

BYD founder and CEO Wang Chuanfu said at the forum that as Chinese carmakers are strengthening the research and development efforts in NEVs, the number of new vehicle launches is rapidly increasing.

Wang noted that NEVs accounted for more than 48.2 percent of car sales during the week from March 3-10. He estimated that the percentage of NEVs will exceed 50 percent within the next three months, becoming dominant in the market.

Wang said: “Only by laying a solid foundation in electrification can we construct the skyscraper of automotive intelligence.”

As the world’s largest NEV producer, BYD has reduced prices on several models since March, with some priced lower than gasoline-powered vehicles in the same segment.

An Conghui, chairman of Geely Auto Group, said intelligent connected NEVs represent a more advanced form of productivity, not just a replacement for traditional fuel vehicles.

“Electric vehicles may appear to have fewer components than traditional gasoline vehicles — they actually contain billions of lines of code and hold countless diverse demand scenarios waiting to be explored,” he said.

An said Geely aspires to “become Volkswagen AG in the era of NEVs “because of its capabilities in global synergy.

Among Chinese carmakers, Geely ranks first in terms of globalization with a big number of brands, from its namesake Geely, Lynk & Co and Zeekr to Lotus, Polestar and Volvo.

EV startup Xpeng is considered the leading driving-assist solution provider nationwide. Its advanced driving-assist system XNGP had an 83 percent monthly active user rate as of February. It also excels in controlling costs for intelligent driving and aims to achieve a 50 percent cost reduction by the end of 2024 through technological innovation, according to CEO He Xiaopeng.

He said that the next decade will be about competition in intelligence. The turning point for advanced intelligent driving will arrive within the next 18 months.

He added that intelligent driving currently requires human intervention around 10 times per 100 kilometers on average, but this should drop to at least once in the future.

Xpeng’s AI driving large model will be integrated into vehicles in the second quarter of this year, the first mass-produced implementation of its kind in the auto industry.

He also announced at the forum that Xpeng will launch a new brand with vehicles priced at 100,000 yuan ($13,890) to 150,000 yuan, which will feature the company’s high-level intelligent driving-assist system, aimed at the younger generation.

Cars with similar prices might be developed into fully autonomous vehicles in the future, he said.

Xpeng’s success with XNGP was contested by Huawei. Yu Chengdong, head of Huawei’s smart vehicle unit, said at the forum: “Xpeng has shown excellence domestically in intelligent parking and driving, but we aim to innovate with our advanced intelligent driving system, and our cabin and driving experiences are acknowledged as top-notch.”

Yu Chengdong added that due to supply chain issues and other factors, Huawei’s intelligent driving system remains relatively costly, posing challenges for vehicles to be priced below 300,000 yuan.

Huawei’s smart car business, which lost 6 billion yuan in 2023, is expected to turn a profit this year, thanks to strong sales of high-end models codeveloped with partners like Seres.

Horizon Robotics founder and CEO Yu Kai said that competitive next-generation autonomous driving systems should be evaluated on their pass rate in standard scenarios, efficiency of passage and humanlike behavior to ensure comfort and familiarity for people.

The chipmaker seized a 35.5 percent share in the driving-assist segment in 2023, second only to Nvidia.

There are more than 110 models that sport their chips, with the number continuing to increase. Its clients include BYD and Li Auto, Yu Kai said.