‘Core research and development capabilities’ are still subpar in China’s home-grown engines and high-value-added ships, warns NPC delegate and shipbuilding expert after South Korea retakes monthly lead in orders.

Premier Li Qiang is preparing to deliver his maiden annual government work report in March, and China’s No 2 official stepped up preparations this week by soliciting opinions during symposia.

Domestic demand is far from able to absorb all of the new EV batteries and solar panels, so Chinese manufacturers have little choice but to sell overseas – if they can.

Industrial robotics, already experiencing tremendous growth as firms in China adopt the technology for their production lines, could also be part of the solution to the country’s much talked about demographic crisis.

“Curbs [from the United States] have inevitably impacted our supply chain, but at the same time it has also offered opportunities to develop our local industrial chain

The buildings and construction sector must cut emissions massively, according to a new report by UNEP and the Yale Center for Ecosystems and Architecture.

Like young monarchs, suddenly thrust at the helm of their family’s legacy, China’s Gen Z and millennials are returning home to oversee decades of business growth in difficult times.

China produces more gross tonnes per year than South Korea and Japan and is home to the biggest shipbuilder in the world, but some Western countries are wary of an overreliance on Chinese manufacturing.

After a year of war in Ukraine, pandemic disruptions and technological-containment efforts by the West, many international firms are struggling to map out a future in which their China operations remain intact.

Adora Magic City, a 135,500-tonne liner that undocked in Shanghai on June 6 ahead of a series of sea trials, is China’s first home-grown large cruise ship.

While China holds a commanding lead in total container vessels produced, South Korea still has an edge in making more advanced and expensive carriers for liquefied natural gas - for now.

Sichuan was mostly spared from nationwide power cuts in 2021 that resulted from a lack of coal, but now droughts are crippling the hydroelectric power supply that the province depends on.

Seven industrial sectors in China have been assigned targets to cut energy consumption and boost recycling to reach peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030.

Beijing had vowed that ‘stability’ would be the top priority this year, but analysts say ‘2022 has been anything but stable’, and leadership ‘must feel so disappointed’.

The founder of Chen Hsong Holdings rose to wealth and fame with a plastic blow-moulding machine that could handle two colours, and later became known for his charitable giving.

China’s private sector contributes the lion’s share of its GDP and tax revenue, but it’s feeling the economic strain, while central state-owned enterprises report “best profitability growth in history”.

The shortages have hit power supplies across the country and disrupted industry.

After poor planning by local governments and grid operators, a severe shortage of coal continues to fuel questions about when the rolling blackouts will come to an end.

China relies on massive amounts of coal to sustain its people and economy, but some provinces can’t even keep the lights on amid high prices, production cuts and Beijing’s determination to cut emissions.

More provinces are expected to raise power prices in the coming weeks as China reels from widespread power outages brought on by record coal prices and attempts by local governments to meet carbon emissions targets.

China’s top economic planner vows to increase coal imports and release coal-production capacity to address the nation’s worst power crunch in years, while analysts say power companies must be allowed to charge more.

But for China’s rust-belt region to become a destination for advanced manufacturing, some analysts say it must rely on American technology – a difficult task amid strained bilateral tensions.