Category: China

China has completed production on its largest-ever tunnel-boring machine (TBM), named Jianghai, meaning “river and ocean” in Chinese. This giant machine measures 16.64 meters (54.5 feet) in diameter and spans 475 feet (145 meters) in length, weighing approximately 5,000 metric tons (11 million pounds). Built through a partnership between China Railway Construction Heavy Industry (CRCHI) and China Railway 14th Bureau Group, Jianghai is the most massive TBM developed domestically in China to date.

The new TBM is set to tackle a challenging tunneling project beneath the Yangtze River in Jiangsu Province. The machine will bore a tunnel linking Nantong and Suzhou, a key section of a planned 24-mile (39-kilometer) highway scheduled for completion by 2028. At a depth of up to 246 feet (75 meters), the tunnel will extend roughly 7 miles (11.2 kilometers) under the Yangtze River. Due to the difficult terrain, which includes soft soil, underground water, and silt, traditional manual tunneling is unfeasible. Instead, Jianghai will proceed at a daily pace of 12 to 16 meters (39 to 52 feet), with the entire tunneling phase expected to last two and a half years. Precision is crucial for the project; to protect nearby river dams, the TBM’s path must stay within 1 centimeter (0.4 inches) of specifications.

Beijing-based Space Transportation, also known as Lingkong Tianxing Technology, has announced the successful test flight of its Yunxing prototype—a commercial transport plane capable of flying nearly twice the speed of Concorde, the world’s first supersonic passenger plane. The Yunxing prototype can reportedly reach speeds of Mach 4, or approximately 3,069 miles per hour, and a follow-up engine test is planned for next month, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP). The company aims to complete a full-sized model by 2027.

When the Concorde launched, it set groundbreaking standards for supersonic travel, becoming the first passenger airliner to reach twice the speed of sound. Powered by Rolls-Royce Olympus engines, the Concorde was capable of speeds up to 1,330 miles per hour, enabling passengers to fly from New York to London in about three hours. Now, Space Transportation intends to shatter this record with a supersonic jet that could complete a journey from Beijing to New York in roughly two hours.

China has officially announced the termination of most international adoptions, reflecting its shift from tackling overpopulation to addressing a dramatic decline in birth rates. This marks the end of an era in which tens of thousands of Chinese-born children found homes with families in the U.S. and other countries.

China’s international adoption program began in the 1990s, largely as a solution for families who wanted to avoid penalties under the country’s strict one-child policy, which was abolished in 2015. During this time, international adoptions provided relief for parents facing government restrictions while also addressing overpopulation concerns. However, in the years since, China has been grappling with a sharp decline in birth rates. Fewer than 10 million babies were born in 2022, compared to 16 million in 2012.

The Pearl River estuary, where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea, is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. It encompasses Hong Kong, Macao, and nine cities in Guangdong, separated by wide bodies of water, making travel a significant challenge. The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link is designed to remedy this by providing a streamlined connection across the estuary.

Spanning 24 km (15 miles), the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link connects the cities of Shenzhen and Zhongshan, situated on opposite banks of the Pearl River estuary. The link is not a single long bridge; instead, it features an underwater tunnel in the middle, flanked by two artificial islands, with bridges connecting each island to the respective city.

In a groundbreaking achievement, China has successfully installed an 18 MW wind turbine, the largest in the world by power rating. This monumental feat was accomplished by the state-owned Dongfang Electric Corporation on June 5 at a coastal test base in South China’s Guangdong province.

As the global push towards renewable energy intensifies, wind turbines are becoming increasingly vital. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are now focused on building larger and more efficient turbines to harness the powerful winds of the seas, capable of supplying energy to numerous households with each rotation.

China has made a significant stride in next-generation nuclear reactor technology by successfully commissioning the world’s first Generation IV commercial nuclear reactor. Situated at the Shidao Bay Nuclear Power Plant in Shandong Province, the HTR-PM high-temperature gas-cooled (HTGR) pebble-bed reactor began operations after a successful 168-hour demonstration run on December 6, as reported by China’s National Energy Administration (NEA).

The HTR-PM Demo project is a collaborative effort led by Tsinghua University for research and development, primary components/systems design, with China Huaneng Group Co. as the plant owner and operator, and China National Nuclear Co. (CNNC) serving as the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contractor and fuel manufacturer.

In a remarkable technological breakthrough, Chinese navy engineers have unveiled an electromagnetic rail gun capable of firing multiple projectiles at hypersonic speeds without sustaining damage. This advancement, detailed in a recent paper, not only showcases China’s prowess but also ushers in a new era in naval warfare, potentially reshaping the global balance of power.

The rail gun, as reported by SCMP, achieves an astounding speed of 2 kilometers per second (Mach 6) and boasts an impressive range of 100-200 kilometers, aligning with conventional artillery capabilities. During rigorous testing, the rail gun successfully fired 120 rounds, surpassing the durability and operational efficiency of even the most advanced American prototypes. Professor Lu Junyong, leader of the research team at the National Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Energy, emphasizes the paradigm shift from chemical to electromagnetic power, marking a crucial advancement in continuous firing capability.