china

China is building the largest telescope in the world. The question is why he is doing it in secret

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In the select club of first level astronomical observatories, all projects They are advertised to hype and saucer decades in advance. China instead is building a gigantic telescope of 14 and a half meters on the Tibetan plateau without having officially announced it. US suspicions. An article of Wall Street Journal He has raised the hare. A telescope of that size would not only rival the most powerful observatories in the West, but, if it was terminated in time, it would temporarily become the largest terrestrial optical telescope in the world. The question that, according to the Journal, resonates in Harvard’s halls and NASA is not whether they are building it, but why they do it stealthily. The clues that arrive from China. Robert Kirshner, Emerrito Professor of Harvard and leader of the thirty -meter telescope, The American project that Spain now wantsit has been one of the main detectives in this plot. The clues, although discreet, are overwhelming: In January, the state company Nanjing Astronomical Instruments published on social networks that it had gained a tender of 22 million dollars to build the dome of a telescope with a mirror of 14.5 meters In April, some students who visited a scientific institute mentioned in another publication that the researchers had shown them the configuration of the mirrors for a telescope of that same size An outstanding Chinese astronomer declared state media that one of its objectives was to finish “the 14.5 meter telescope” before its retirement Beijing has adopted a low profile. The anomalous thing about this case is that Chinese institutions also do not celebrate their technological sovereignty with the usual triumphalism in this type of project. China, which does not hesitate to celebrate other space milestones, here has opted for a low profile. A clear trace of tenders. Technical documents are scattered, but paint a clear image of an advanced development project. The main test is the tender of its most visible component: the dome. A public announcement of the Chinese Academy of Sciences He was looking for offers for the “Project to Acquisition of the Dome of the Optical/Infrared Telescope of 14.5 m”, with a deadline set for November 2024. On the other hand, a memorandum of China National Astronomical Observatory It justifies the purchase of infrared detectors, describing the project as “a great astronomical telescope to achieve the top of science and technology.” In parallel, published job offers For “the general purpose of the general major caliber in construction in our country.” I even looked for personnel for the system engineering file managementan unequivocal sign that the design phase had given way to the construction. Why not announce it then? Matt Mountain, president of the Aura organization, which manages the Observatorios Hubble and James Webb for NASA, raises two hypotheses. The first is military: A telescope capable of obtaining crisp images of a galaxy to millions of light years can also observe with an unprecedented resolution The spy satellites of other nations in space. The domain of heaven is not only scientific, but also strategic, as We have been seeing in the Earth’s orbit For years. The second hypothesis is a long -term play for technological leadership. Mountain describes it brilliantly: “Astronomy is the entrance drug for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.” Investing in inspiring projects such as a giant telescope is the best way to encourage a whole generation of young people to study Stem races, ensuring that China can overcome the United States in the coming decades. The biggest telescope for a while. To understand the magnitude of this project, you have to put it in context. The Hubble space telescope mirror measures 2.4 meters; The Webb, 6.5 meters. The four largest optical telescopes on Earth are around 10 meters in diameter. If China completes its 14.5 meter telescope soon, it would dwarf all existing observatories until the new generation They will see the light. Precisely these days the thirty -meter telescope (TMT) has been on everyone’s mouth (TMT) that the United States was going to build in Hawaii. After becoming one of the victims of Trump’s science cuts, the Government of Spain has offered 400 million euros To be built on the island of La Palma, in the Canary Islands. Although its final location is yet to be decided. Image | Universidad de Pekín In Xataka | For the first time we have pointed to heaven with a 3,200 megapixel camera. In just 10 hours he has done several years

While in the West we continue to discuss whether to use in class, China wants students to use it more and more

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In many Chinese university campuses, the use of artificial intelligence is no longer discussed: it is used. According to a mycos institute surveyonly 1 % of teachers and students claimed not to use generative tools. The remaining 99 % do and almost 60 % declare to use them frequently. It is a notable turn with respect to two years ago, when accessing Chatgpt It involved resorting to mirrors and VPN. Today the movement is the opposite: the centers drive their use. As Mit Technology Review points outthe transition has been fast, but planned. At the University of Zhejiang, an introductory subject of AI is mandatory for all students since 2024. Others such as Fudan, Renmin or Nanjing have opened transverse courses to any discipline, beyond computer science or engineering. Beijing marks the passage for AI The focus is in the use with criteria: internal guides, concrete examples, recommendations on what tasks can rely on generative models and which human judgment should prevail. Interaction with the machine is treated as one more skillcomparable to other technical literacy. McKinsey estimates that China will need 6 million professionals with AI domain for 2030 Several universities are developing their own courses focused on local alternatives to Chatgpt. Centers like Shenzhen and Zhejiang have launched teaching programs on Deepseeka model that seeks to position itself as a national reference in generative. Others are already forming their students in the use of Doubao, the chatbot developed by Baidu and one of the most widespread in academic environments. In April 2025, The Chinese Ministry of Education issued national guides for Primary and Secondary, aimed at promoting critical thinkingdigital fluidity and practical application in these academic stages. For its part, Beijing has already mandatory the teaching of AI in all centers of the city, from primary to high school. For the University, these general recommendations have resulted in plans of each institution and the creation of internal courses and regulations. Spain is already moving In Spain there are universities that have gone from the debate to action: new degrees focused on AI and tutors based on AI that accompany the study Without giving the answer made. All with an objective: to train professionals who work with ia without losing critical thinking. If we focus on the rest of the West, the use is massive, but the rules not so much. Let’s deepen a little. USA: Ohio University He has made mandatory The training in AI for all its first year students. In California, programs such as Chatgpt Edu are arriving at public universities to offer free access to generative models. Europe: the European Commission promotes the Digital Education Action Plan 2021–2027with ethical guides and teacher training. Universities such as Maastricht, Gothenburg or Edinburgh have approved their own frames. Networks like Yerun or the US work to harmonize criteria and share good practices. Decisions, for now, remain mostly decentralized: They depend on each institutionof each faculty … and, in many cases, even of each teacher. It is a flexible model, with advantages and disadvantages, compared to the most structured approach that China has adopted. Two different paths to address the same reality: AI has come to stay, and mastering these tools will be key. What is still being defined is how to teach them, when and under what criteria. Images | Xataka with Gemini 2.5 Flash | Igor Omilaev In Xataka | There are those who believe that the best AIs become more silly over time. It is no madness

1,800 years ago China had one of the most intriguing technologies. Now is the point of resuscitating the dragon that detects earthquakes

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Almost two thousand years ago, during the Han dynastythe Chinese scholar ZHANG HENG He designed a device that, according to historical chronicles, could detect distant earthquakes and even point out his address. That invention, called HouFeng Didong Yiit was a mechanical gadget that had the dragon as the main actor. Now China is about to resurrect what a legend was believed. A erased prodigy of time. We talk about a mechanical system (an ornate vessel surrounded by eight dragons with suspended bronze balls, oriented towards mouths of toads) that would have been able to register imperceptible earthquakes in Luoyang, the imperial capital, with a precision that “touched the divine”, according to THE BOOK OF THE Subsections. However, its sudden disappearance of historical records and the impossibility of replicating it exactly led to its total elimination of the Chinese educational curriculum in 2017, relegating it to the field of legend. Today, a team led by Professor Xu Guodongfrom the Hebei Disaster Prevention Institute, seeks to recover not only its operation, but also Your place in history of science. The rebirth of a prodigious machine. To the question: How the hell will they replicate it? The researchers They explain that from ancient literary fragments and principles of modern structural dynamics. Thus, Xu and his team have proposed a functional model of the earthquakescomposed of three key subsystems: structure of excitementtransmission and closure. In the heart of the device he was A “Capital Pilar” that should not be interpreted as an unstable column, but as a pendulum -like arm (a kind of gigantic stick anchored to the ground) that amplified the seismic vibrations. With just 1 mm of displacement at the base, the tip of the pendulum moved up to five times more, activating a “L” levers system that released a ball in the mouth of the toad corresponding to the direction of the epicenter. A blocking mechanism prevented other dragons from reacting, thus respecting the Original description of “a dragon who speaks and seven that shut up.” Mathematical Wisdom. Team simulations indicate that the system responded reliably to displacements just 0.5 mmwithout emitting false alarms. Although modern knowledge of propagation of seismic waves suggest that a single instrument cannot determine with total precision the direction of the epicenter, Xu argues that the Historical records coincide with optimal geological alignments. As proof, appointment The Longxi earthquake From the year 138 AD, when the instrument would have detected a tremor 850 kilometers away, without feeling in Luoyang. The initial skepticism of the officials vanished when messengers on horseback confirmed The shaking days later. Even more revealing, he explains, is the jump in the frequency of earthquakes registered in the capital after the implementation of the artifact: in the previous 8 years they were only documented three local earthquakes; In the 58 years later, there were 23, in a region considered low seismicity. Zhang HENG: astronomer and political victim. ZHANG HENG It was not any inventor. His appointment as a great imperial astrologer in 115 (a position equivalent to the director of a modern national observatory) and his creation of an armilar sphere Able to map the sky with precision, they prove their domain in mathematics, astronomy and mechanics. But his invention could have been politically uncomfortable. In a context where natural disasters were interpreted as signals from heaven and threats to the mandate of the emperor, an instrument that “predicts” earthquakes could have been seen as subversive. Some scholars suggest that HENG’s abrupt retirement in 138 and his death the following year They were not casual. Xu duck that the loss of the original earthquakes (along with its technical diagrams) could be due to wars, political chaos or even the greed of powerful aristocratic families that would have hidden its existence. Recovered legacy. In a gesture loaded with symbolism, xu He recalled that only two bronze objects have been defined in Chinese history: Nine cauldrons of the Xia dynasty and this earthquakes. Now, the objective is ambitious: rebuilding the instrument using only materials and technical Advanced knowledge reached in ancient China. Beyond the material restoration, the project aspires to reinsert this jewel of engineering in the global narrative of science, as proof that humanity had already tried, long before satellites or artificial intelligence, unravel the Mysteries of the tremor From Earth. Along the way, the Heng’s featerased for centuries of oblivion, it could be closer to recovering its place among the great milestones of human thought. Image | KowlooneseSSPL In Xataka | The most revolutionary and rare writing machine was lost in 1940. Until someone received a message In Xataka | Of the Wright brothers to Wu Zhongyuan, a homemade helicopter

Now we know Russia’s trick to multiply his drones. It is called “cooling units” and comes direct from China

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If the question is how far Beijing’s help comes to Moscow with the Ukraine War in the background, the answer is very wide. We knew through documents obtained By Bloomberg that the production of Russian drones was being favored by the use of intermediary companies with China as main actor bound. Now we know something else. The engineering of deception to overcome sanctions. Clandestine flow. I told it in Exclusive Reuters. Apparently, Russia has managed to maintain and expand the production of its drones Kamikaze Garpiya-A1despite the sanctions imposed by the West, thanks to a sophisticated undercover import scheme that involves Chinese companies. Customs documents, internal contracts and invoices reviewed by the medium reveal that the L550E engines manufactured by the Chinese company Xiamen Limbach Aviation Engine Co. continue to arrive at the Russian state company IEMZ KUPOLnow through a Signature called Beijing Xichao International Technology and Trade. To avoid detection, engines are tagged as “Industrial cooling units” in transport documents, which has allowed Your shipment From Beijing to Moscow (and from there to Izhevsk, headquarters of the Kupol plant) without alerting Chinese customs authorities or formally infringing the country’s export legislation. Mass expansion. An internal Kupol document confirms that the company has signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense to manufacture More than 6,000 Garpiya In 2025, tripling the production of the previous year. For April, more than 1,500 units had already been delivered. These drones, long -range and great precision, are regularly employed to Attack civil infrastructure and military deep in the Ukrainian territory. According to kyiv’s intelligence, Russia is using some 500 Garpiya per month. Based technologically on the Iranian Shahed, the Russian model has become a fundamental tool of Kremlin’s war effort, now enhanced by Chinese components that include not only the engine, but also Navigation and control systems. Ghost Companies Network. The path of engines to Russia is carefully disguised. After initial shipping from China, He had Reuters that engines are received by a Russian cover company called SMP-138owned by Abram Goldman, which in turn forwards them to another Russian company, Libss, final responsible for supplying Kupol. A contract between Libss and Kupol Reviewed by means Specifies specifically that the products should be identified as these “cooling equipment” to avoid suspicions. Chinese commercial companies Sichuan Airlines and China Southern Airlines have been used to transport these pieces Criticism of Russia since October 2023, despite the penalties in force. None of these airlines or the companies involved answered the Reuters questions. Ambiguous position. The Chinese Foreign Ministry, in response to the environment, He denied knowledge of these shipments and reiterated that the country strictly apply export controls of double -use goods, in addition to oppose sanctions Unilateral not endorsed by the UN. However, the reality of the continuous flow of military technology towards Russia calls into question that narrative. The Xiamen Limbach company was sanctioned in October of 2023, after an earlier Reuters report that already identified its role in the manufacture of the Garpiya, which caused new intermediaries such as Xichao They assumed the relief. In spite of these measures, or Xiamen or Xichao have given explanations, and the trail of responsibility is more than diffuse among layers of screen companies, documentary opacity and legally ambiguous trade routes. Diplomatic warnings. Plus: Revelation arrives at a time of Growing diplomatic tension Between the European Union and China. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will meet with Xi Jinping and Li Qiang at a summit marked by Chinese support suspicions to Russian military machinery. European diplomacy, headed by Kaja Kallas, He has warned Beijing that allowing this type of trade puts the security of the continent at risk. China, meanwhile, insists that He has not exported Lethal weapons and that, if Russia uses its civil products for war, the same could be said of Ukraine. However, according to three senior European security officials, the case of Garpiya demonstrates that the Chinese supply It is not accidental or marginalbut part of a functional network that actively supports Kremlin’s military effort. European deterrence and strategic game. Experts Like Meia Nouwensof the International Institute for Strategic Studies, point out that China’s priority interest is to keep the United States focused on Ukraine, thus avoiding a direct confrontation in the Indo-Pacific. The implicit strategy would be to prolong the European conflict to gain margin of maneuver in Asia. For Brussels, however, the immediate priority is Cut the flow of critical components. Although the EU does not require China to break economic relations with Russia, it does insist that it reinforces its customs and financial controls to avoid the transit of sensitive products. For now, the proliferation of undercover engines and fictional companies shows that, on the Ukrainian battlefield, the China’s technological shadow is increasingly difficult to ignore. Image | Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, State Border Guard Service of Ukraine In Xataka | Ukraine has opened Russia’s last drone and does not leave his astonishment: it is the first time that China does something like that In Xataka | Ukraine has found a solution to China’s veto in drones: it’s called Hell, it’s a “home” missile and bends the scope of the attack

China will premiere its new Hong Kong in December. And Europe is not prepared for what is coming

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December will mark a turning point in the Chinese commercial strategy. The island of Hainan will launch its large -scale independent customs operation, becoming The new nerve center For international trade with China. A movement that arrives five years after Hong Kong lost his historical role as a bridge between the East and West. The western entrance door to China. Hong Kong has lost much of its appeal to Western companies since 2020, when Beijing The National Security Law imposed In the territory. This change in Hong Kong has been one of the ingredients that have contributed to the cooling of foreign investment in China, and that adds to a list that includes The growing geopolitical tensionsminor growth prospects and increased risk perceived after Trump’s return to power. The former British colony, which for more than two decades had worked as the privileged entrance door to China, no longer offers the predictable commercial environment sought by Western multinationals. A new commercial bridge. Hainan is presented as the “new and improved Hong Kong”, and The figures They support it more and more: 74% of Tariff lines They will have tariff -free products, compared to current 21%. Tax free items will go from 1,900 to 6,600. In addition, imported products that experience at least 30% added value when processing in Hainan will be able to enter Chinese continental territory without tariffs. That is, China is creating its freer economic zone just when the rest of the countries are fragmented in commercial blocks. Prepare, Europe. European companies now face a dilemma: maintain coherence with the geopolitical positions of their governments or take advantage of a real economic opportunity. While Europe debate A separation Of its financial connections on the country, Beijing is offering commercial conditions that will be difficult to reject for many multinationals. The Chinese strategy is clear: to turn Hainan into an irresistible magnet for foreign investment at a time when geopolitical tensions are at its highest point. The signals are already there. First semester data show that companies with foreign investment in China registered A 2.4% growth In its commercial value, reaching 751,720 million euros. The number of foreign companies with commercial activities in China amounted to 75,000, the highest figure for the same period since 2021. Switzerland, Japan, the United Kingdom and Germany increased their direct investment by 68.6%, 59.1%, 37.6% and 6.3% respectively. What comes now. Europe has not shown a clear strategy yet. While the United States maintains a more defined position in Its strategic competition with ChinaEuropean countries are debated among their economic ties with the Asian giant and pressures to align with Washington. Hainan represents the Chinese commitment to demonstrate that it can offer better conditions than any other emerging market, precisely when its economic model is most questioned. The countdown has begun. December 18China will officially open its new gateway to the world. Cover image | Denny Ryanto In Xataka | China has a prey capable of changing the rotation of the earth. Now they are building an even bigger

Extremadura promised them very happy with its powerful Spanish tomato industry. Until China arrived

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More than market fluctuationsthe production costs or the rain. If there is something capable of removing the dream from Spanish farmers dedicated to tomato cultivation, China is. The Asian giant is the great tomato garden of the world and it is increasingly difficult to compete with its prices. Hence, in Extremadura, the region that More hectares dedicated to industrial plantations, recognize That today the competition of the Asian vegetable is its “biggest problem.” The big question is … What to expect from now on? Tomato “Made in Extremadura”. If we talk about Spanish tomatoespecially from industry oriented, Extremadura is the king. In the 2023 campaign, the 75% of the surface of cultivation of the country, at a considerable distance from Andalusia (11.3%) and Navarra (7.9%). And the percentage is even greater if we talk about production volume. In 2021 the regional government estimated that the surface dedicated to the crop was around 23,000 hectares. Throughout Spain it was around 31,000. A sector with swings. The tomato industry is powerful, but like many other crops is subject to the fields of the field and the market. In January, for example, Extremaduran farmers They alerted that the price of the fruit was below the cost of production: the vegetable ton was quoted at 107 euros in the private industry and 115 in cooperatives, far from the 140 reached in 2024 or the average cost of production of recent years, which It was 128. “The situation of tomato is unbearable. If urgent measures are not taken, many farmers will be forced to abandon the crop, which will seriously affect the sustainability of the sector and employment in the Extremaduran field,” warned At the beginning of the year Juan Metidieri, president of Aigg Extremadura Asaja. This year the culture surface will be reduced by several hectares, Precise The economistamong other reasons to avoid stock accumulation. China slopes. In the sector there is, however, something that rests so much or more than production costs or fluctuations in the price of the vegetable. Farmers have been concerned for a long time. Heavyweight of the world tomato market, China, which leads the “Top 4” next to the United States, India and Türkiye. According to data from World Population Reviewits production exceeded in 2022 the 68 million tons and a large part of that fruit ends in the world market -oriented market circuit. The problem is not so much the huge production of China and its prices and the pressure they exert in the sector. A few months ago, during An interview with Financial TimesFrancesco Mutti, the executive director of the sauce manufacturer who takes his last name, warned that much of the cheap tomato paste that arrives from China occurs in the Xinjiang region, where companies benefit from “very, very low labor costs.” That panorama and the different requirements facing European and Asian crops They worry Also in Extremadura. “It’s the biggest problem”. Its effect on the market worries so much that Domingo Fernández, president of APIS Group and manager of Agrifood Cooperatives of Extremadura, recognized recently to The economist that right now the Chinese tomato represents “the biggest problem.” The reason? In his opinion, the differences in controls in Spain and China derives in a “unfair competition.” Similar opinion shared Recently in Today José A. Gutiérrez, Farmer: “What we can not compete in the supermarket with products that enter Spain without those limitations. Compites against a Chinese tomato that has no traceability. It requires controls that are not appreciated in the market.” Are you worrying alone in Extremadura? At all. The sector has been on guard for Asian competition for years, something that is seen with concern both in Extremadura and in other regions or countries of Europe. In 2016 the Las Marismas Cooperativa, in Andalusia, He warned Of the challenges that Spanish farmers face: “They ask us for European quality at the price of Chinese tomato, something impossible taking into account the costs for the industry.” If someone has expressed themselves in a resounding and achieved echo manner in the sector, it is, however, the Italian Francesco Mutti, at the head of a business conglomerate dedicated to food that only in 2023 he billed 665 million of euros. Restrictions, tariffs? “We should stop the importation of Chinese tomato paste or add a 60% tax so that its cost is not so different from Italian products,” Mutti advocates before insisting that “more than 90%” of China’s tomatoes occur in Xinjiang, a region subject to scrutiny of the United Nations allegations of Human Rights against the Uigur minority, including episodes of forced labor. “We must protect them”. According to FTin 2024 China monopolized 23% of the global tomato production, several points above 18% of the previous year. Its production is also much cheaper: Chinese tomato paste costs about half that created in Italy. “We must teach our farmers to grow better, but also protect them from unfair competition. Otherwise, the result will not be a better environment, but to transfer our production abroad,” Mutti advocateswho has already sent his concerns to Brussels. The panorama, Remember Antonio Lucas MarínProfessor of Sociology and Economist, it does not seem simple: China The flow of Chinese tomato paste has been growing after the increase in energy and fertilizers in Europe. In the case of Extremadura, Asian competition will not be felt alone in Spain. The export community Thousands of tons of prepared or preserved tomato. “The Extremadura Tomato Transformation Industries have become the leading agri -food export sector Extremadura, ahead of the fruit. More than 80% of the total is allocated to the export market, with prominent markets such as France, the United Kingdom or Germany among many others,” he says A report on the production and economic footprint of the sector published in 2022. Images | Sue Thompson (Flickr), /Ricardo (UNSPLASH) and Lid (Flickr) In Xataka | The science of finding tomatoes that really know Tomate, that increasingly elusive holy grail

A quick look at the ten best -selling car brands in the world offers a dramatic conclusion: China has already won

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17.29 million. That is the amount of electric cars and plug -in hybrids that, according to Autovista24they were sold last year. Suppose we take all those cars and reduce them to ten. What brands would be the most popular? Surely, don’t surprise us to find Tesla, Byd or BMW, but what will get attention is that of those ten cars that we have in front, six are Chinese. Of course, it has all the meaning of the world. The cast. According to the data of EV volumeslast year the electric cars represented 62.5% of the total electrified vehicles sold globally. PHEV, AKA plug -in hybrids, 37.5%. It is a sensitive change compared to the previous year, when the percentages were 69.3% and 30.7%, respectively. Why does an electric car have less autonomy than the announcing The list. The crown, of course, is for China byd with a 22.2% market share. It follows, and from afar, Tesla with 10.3%. It is the maximum exponent of the Western electric car, since BMW, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz just add up to 8% between the three. The rest of the brands are from China, as reflected in the graph shared by Rest of the World: Global Electric Car market share | Image: Rest of the World Normal. That China leads this ranking is completely normal, especially if we take into account that, So far this year58.1% of electric car records and 70.1% of plug -in hybrids have been in China. In the United States, which is the second country in the ranking, the figures are 9.5% and 5.2%, respectively. Spain does not appear in the electric cars ranking, but in hybrids with 1.6%. China had, and has everything necessary to eat the electric car market. Has a government that offers incentives for adoptioneconomic resources that They are invested in high -level infrastructure, competitive prices derived from the two above factors, supply chains and, something important, The production of about 80% of lithium batteries. International expansion. The most obvious success case is that of Byd, which in just a few years He has managed to overcome Tesla In sales. In China, meanwhile, Tesla is the third best selling brand with a 5.9% share. Byd dominates with a 31.4% quota followed, very far from Wuling (6%). The next natural step was, of course, expanding to the rest of the world and that happens, in the first instance, through Europe. The company’s idea is that 50% of its sales come from our market, which is why it wants to establish factories in Hungary and Türkiye. Other brands such as Omoda, Jaecoo and Mg They have also opted strong for our borders. Best -selling electric cars worldwide | Image: Highway24 The best selling is still Tesla, but … The photo changes even more if we look The best -selling electric cars listbecause on that list only one brand competes (and strong) against China: Tesla. Elon Musk’s signature stays with gold and silver thanks to his Tesla Model and and Model 3that so far this year have been the best -selling Bevs. All others are signed by Chinese brands, highlighting Byd, Geely and, curiously, Xiaomi, whose Xiaomi Su7 It has been the sixth best -selling electric car of the year. Cover image | Byd In Xataka | The 35 cheapest electric cars that can be purchased (2025)

China has many garbage incinerators. So many, they don’t have enough garbage to burn

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A few years ago, China was the world landfill. Since the 80s, countries around the world exported their garbage to China and processed them as raw materials for their industry. Today, China has a problem with waste management, but very different. What is left over is not garbage, but incinerators to burn it. Hungry incinerators. China has more than 1,000 garbage incineration plants for electricity generation. Combined, they have an ability to burn more than one million tons of garbage per day. Currently, according to a report from Cinda Securities These incineration plants are working at an average of 60% of their capacity, which represents an important underutilization of their resources. Because. The amount of waste continues to grow in China, the problem is that it does so at a lower rate than their management industry. According to South China Morning Post, Since 2019 solid waste has increased more than 10%, but incineration capacity has doubled. The reasons for this lag are, on the one hand, an economy in recession where it is urbanized at a slower pace, and on the other an excess of optimism of the past. On fire. Although they started building incineration plants much earlier, it was in the 2000s when China began a more powerful expansion. In 2015, China already had 223 plants working And he intended to double his ability. And what if they got it. In October of last year there were 1,010 incineration companies throughout the country. And all despite the numerous population protests and the Criticism of environmental organizations They estimate that, only in 2022, this industry issued more than 100 million tons of CO₂. It was seen coming. China did not count on a point where the population (and therefore the waste) would not grow so quickly. In addition to the Covid caused the migration of cities to less populated areas. This excess of optimism could have a pass in the first years, but according to statements by climate activist Chen Liwen to SCMPin 2020 it was already evident that there was a problem. Energy garbage. It is not just about eliminating waste, but also extracting energy in the process. The garbage incineration plants for energy production were part of the Chinese government plan for renewable energy. They offered many subsidies to companies that generated electricity with this system, which caused many companies to see a profitable business. It is estimated that such a plant takes ten years to recover the initial investment, so the situation of many of these plants is critical. Image | Chatgpt In Xataka | The European waste industry has been lying for years: in 2018 everything jumped through the air and we have not yet recovered

China already has a robot that installs 1,000 solar panels per day. It is your weapon to continue dominating renewables

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The world is converting deserts into photovoltaic oasis. In recent years, we have stepped on the accelerator to achieve ambitious objectives of decarbonization (That the amount of energy consumed by AI are slowing down) And they are being built ‘Solar farms‘Absolutely demential. Many are in Chinacountry that has taken renewables seriously, and to build at the rhythm they needhuman labor is not enough. That’s where robots come into play, and they already have one that places 1,000 panels up to date. Saturn. Sunpure is a company that is dedicated to the integration of robots in the photovoltaic industry. We have already talked about them because the key point of a solar farm is not so much the amount of panels it has, but If these are clean. For example, they have a solar energy fed robot that is responsible for Keep panel ranks clean to optimize your energy generation. But they also have the Saturn. Presented A few weeks ago, this robot has a head that allows to raise a pallet of solar panels and an arm capable of taking those panels and placing them in the rails. Precision. Those responsible claim that it takes less than five seconds to calculate the position in which the panel should go, it fixes it with an accuracy of about five millimeters and the four -meter arm allows to operate with both large panels and very large guide structures. Its autonomy is 72 hours and claim that it is between three and four times more efficient than a human by being able to place between 600 and 1,000 panels per day. He is already working in some solar plants and seeing it in action is a hypnotic: Essential. This integration of robotics into photovoltaic farms is striking, but much less is new or original. In Spain we have Robots-Jardineros that take care of the plants, but we are also installing panels with Sunpure saturn robots similar. In the United States, more of the same. There they have maximum, A robot that also works tirelesslyraising and installing panels of up to 40 kilos in trial fields that, according to its creators, will be essential for the future of world energy. Reason does not lack, since the estimate is that 15,000 solar modules per hour are being installed in the US with a weight of 225,000 tons and the objective is to increase that rhythm by 2035 to 50,000 panels per hour. 24/7. The problem? We want more renewable energies, but there are difficulties in finding labor. That’s where this type of robots come into play. In the United States, 90% of solar energy companies have admitted complications When finding qualified personnel for the installation of these farms. With robots that have autonomy for several days, they work tirelessly thanks to sensors that allow operating in any condition of light and protection against water and dust, humans are relegated to “simple” observers, controlling that the machine does its work correctly. Dominate the market. Beyond having robots, whether the first or not, that China is investing in automating the placement of panels to increase the rhythm, responds to a clear declaration of intentions: that of Continue dominating the market with iron fist. The Asian giant has established itself as the greatest power in green energy, with investments of more than 625,000 million dollars in clean energy in 2024 (three times more than what was invested, and that were very focused on it), and that energy already represents 10% of its GDP. In addition to direct implications, it is something that implies that 90% of the Global Polisilicio Production80% of Lithium batteries and about 70% of the magnets of Rare earthall key both renewable and electric car is under its control. And this huge industrial infrastructure is allowing that China handles very interior prices for technology and has become the great supplier of the world in energy matters. And, in the end, it translates into the fact that it produces so cheap that the rest of the countries buy them instead of competing with their own developments. In Xataka | The tractors have competition in the field: El Solix, a solar robot that spreads herbicides, is the test

China already has its “invisible hunt” ready for action, and twice

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There is no official announcement. But China leaves clues again. This time they arrive from a Photography published in Weibo and replicated in x: two J-35 They fly in closed formation. What differentiates them from the prototypes seen so far are their construction numbers, “0011” and “0012”, clearly visible in the fuselage. It is a solid indication that the program has entered a limited series production phase, the typical LRIP prior to the operational deployment. LRIP registrations, emblems and a shark in the tail. The image seems to come from an official channel of the Chinese Navy. To the numbers are added other details that reinforce the hypothesis: national emblems in the vertical fins, a tactical gray free and a reason for a shark in drift. The specialist Andreas Ruprecht, Consulted by specialized means like War Zonehas repeatedly indicated these visual winks in Chinese naval aircraft. Click to see the publication in x The pilots also give clues: they carry bright blue helmets, exactly the type of helmet used by J-15 aviators in first-line units. All this suggests that these J-35 are already assigned to the Navy and in the validation phase prior to their entry into service. From FC-31 to J-35: the navalized variant that China needed. The J-35 derives from the FC-31, Shenyang’s furtive project for a more compact hunt than the J-20. The first navalized prototype flew in 2021; The second was seen in 2022 with a gray gray scheme of low visibility and, in 2023, blurred images of what could have been a third device emerged. Now, with the 0011 and 0012 specimens, we talk about units that already fit an initial serial configuration. The design is designed to operate from carckeners with catapults, such as Type 003 Fujianeven in tests. It is the logical step in an army that has been training in land facilities that simulates Catobar covers for years. Motors: WS-19 against WS-21, a puzzle still unsolved. The motor plant is still unknown. Some suggest that the land version, J-35a, already mounts the final WS-19, identifiable by darker nozzles. On the other hand, the naval specimens, with clear nozzles, could be driven by the WS-21, an evolution of the WS-13 used in the initial prototypes. There is no official confirmation and it is likely that Shenyang continues to adjust the engines in parallel to the progress of the program. Both airplanes carry a screwed Luneburg lens under their belly, a radar reflector that is installed when no total observability is required or when you want to mask the real firm of the device before third parties. Tests on aircraft carrier? For now there are no photos that demonstrate it. With airplanes apparently already in the hands of the Navy, the embarked essays are the next logical step if they have not already begun. There is also talk of a possible public presentation in September, during the acts by the 80th anniversary of the Japanese defeat in World War II. We will have to see if Beijing takes that occasion to exhibit it. One more piece in the puzzle of Chinese embarked air power. The J-35 adds to the KJ-600 early alert embarked the poaches that China has in development. Everything indicates that the country wants a more complex shipped air wing and comparable to that of the United States. It must know how long it will take to achieve real operational capabilities with this new generation of platforms. Images | Thomas Aseyroux | 沙丘里的回声 (Weibo) In Xataka | There is a city that maintains much of Russia’s economy in times of war. And it is on the Chinese border

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