China Scientist Awards Blog

  The returner of the Chang'e 6 lunar probe is opened during a ceremony at the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation in Beijing, June 26, 2024. The returner of the Chang'e 6 lunar probe was opened at a ceremony in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon.  A total of 1,935.3 grams of lunar samples were retrieved by China's Chang'e 6 robotic probe from the moon's far side, the China National Space Administration announced on Friday morning, as the space authority handed over the scientifically invaluable substances to scientists. The weight of the samples, the most asked question by science and space enthusiasts over the past two days, was revealed by the space administration at a handover ceremony at its Beijing headquarters. Put in a special container, the lunar dusts were handed over by Zhang Kejian, head of the space administration, to Ding Chibiao, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, at the ceremony. ...

  Recovery personnel check the reentry capsule of the Chang'e 6 probe on Tuesday after it landed in Siziwang Banner in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region. The Chang'e 6 mission has brought back to Earth the first samples ever collected from the far side of the moon.  President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message on Tuesday on the success of the Chang'e 6 mission, which for the first time brought scientifically precious samples from the moon's far side back to Earth. On behalf of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission, Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the CMC, extended warm congratulations and sincere greetings to the Chang'e 6 mission headquarters and all those who participated in the historic mission. In his message, the president noted that the Chang'e 6 probe realized the world's first sample-return endeavor from the lunar far ...

  A Long March-2C rocket carrying an astronomical satellite, the Space-based Multi-band Variable Object Monitor (SVOM), blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan province on June 22, 2024.  A cutting-edge astronomical spacecraft jointly developed by China and France was launched into its preset orbit on Saturday afternoon to capture and observe gamma-ray bursts — the most distant explosions of stars — the China National Space Administration said. The Space Variable Objects Monitor spacecraft is a combination of small telescopes. It was placed in a low-Earth orbit by a Chinese Long March 2C carrier rocket launched at 3 pm from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province, the administration said in a news release. The 930-kilogram spacecraft was built by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Innovation Academy for Microsatellites in Shanghai. It carries four scientific payloads: the ECLAIRs coded mask camera and the Microchannel X-ra...

  As the host city of the 2024 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-Level Meeting for Global AI Governance, Shanghai is set to present the city's trajectory as a global epicenter of AI innovation and showcase its innovative solutions to steering the AI landscape toward responsible and sustainable growth through the event, scheduled from July 4 to July 7. Co-hosted by nine ministries and national agencies in collaboration with the Shanghai municipal government, the four-day event stands as a premier platform for deliberating on the latest breakthroughs, hurdles, and prospects in the realm of artificial intelligence, according to a news conference by the event organizers in Shanghai on June 20. Themed "Governing AI for Good and for All," the conference promises a dynamic agenda spread across four days, encompassing forums, exhibitions, awards ceremonies, and interactive engagements. The conference will be not only a comprehensive showcase of cutting-edge AI tec...

  The workshop on China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Cooperation is held in Sanya, South China's Hainan province on June 12, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua] Agricultural science and technology cooperation between China and Africa is steadily gaining momentum, promising mutual benefits, participants said at a recent event held in Sanya, in South China's Hainan province. The workshop on China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Cooperation, under the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's South-South and Triangular Cooperation Framework, aimed to bolster agricultural technology cooperation and facilitate the modernization of agriculture across Africa. "Science and technology play a fundamental role in transforming agriculture and enhancing food security. Africa, with its vast potential for innovation, can benefit from adopting advanced agricultural technologies," said Sun Tan, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. He added that Ch...

  An AI robot writes Chinese characters like a calligrapher at the exhibition hall of Siasun Robot and Automation Co Ltd in Shenyang, Liaoning province, June 12, 2024. [Photo by Zhu Xingxin/chinadaily.com.cn] Upon 'hearing' voice messages, an AI robot can write accordingly the Chinese characters like a calligrapher at the exhibition hall of Siasun Robot and Automation Co Ltd in Shenyang, Liaoning province. "This is one of the achievements where we deeply integrate collaborative robots with artificial intelligence technology," said Han Tianwen, head of Siasun's AI research institute. "It can engage in voice interactions with people and accurately decipher the emotions or expectations behind the voice initiator through AI large model technology, generating corresponding calligraphy works," he explained. We are thrilled to extend a warm welcome to the China Scientist Awards! Join us for the China Scientist Awards, a premier event in the realm of research. W...

  A Long March 3B rocket carrying a multi-mission communication satellite for Pakistan blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Southwest China's Sichuan province, May 30, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua] China successfully launched a Pakistani communication satellite, PakSat MM1, on Thursday using a Long March 3B carrier rocket at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Southwest China’s Sichuan province. The mission is a turning point in the two nation’s technological cooperation. Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission and China Great Wall Industry Corporation collaborated on the design and development of the satellite. Strengthening Pakistan's communication infrastructure is the main goal of the PakSat MM1satellite. This will open up new opportunities for connectivity, help the underprivileged, and advance tele-education, tele-health, tele-medicine, tele-governance, and e-commerce while establishing Pakistan among the global leaders in digital technology. T...

  A Chinese flag is unfurled on June 4, by the lander of the Chang'e 6 probe on the far side of the moon. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY China has yet again proved its spacefaring prowess with another successful moon landing, this time for the unprecedented Chang'e 6 lunar far side sample return mission. Indeed, as I write this, the precious cargo of an anticipated 2 kilograms of moon rocks from the lunar far side has already started its long journey home, with the Chang'e 6 ascender having lifted off from the lunar surface on June 3 at 23:38 GMT. This is only two days since, with the support of the Queqiao 2 relay satellite, the lander and ascender combination successfully landed at a predetermined landing site in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon, according to the China National Space Administration. The ascender docked with the orbiter and reentry capsule combination and transferred a vacuum-sealed container holding the lunar samples to the reentry capsule...

  On Friday, Liaoning University in Shenyang, Liaoning province, played host to the successful fourth Cultural Relics and Technology Innovation Forum, a pivotal component of the 2024 Cultural and Natural Heritage Day main city event. Spearheaded by the Science and Technology Education Department of the National Cultural Heritage Administration and hosted by Liaoning University, the forum was designed to disseminate cutting-edge developments in cultural relics technology, fostering a platform for scholarly discourse and collaboration on pivotal national research endeavors. Drawing a distinguished assembly of over 130 experts and scholars from prestigious institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Museum of China, Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Fudan University, the event served as a melting pot of intellectual exchange and innovation. Welcome to the China Scientist Awards 2024! We are thrilled to extend a w...

  Wu Yunkun, president of Chinese cybersecurity company Qi-Anxin. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] As generative artificial intelligence technology is expected to be applied to various industries, greater efforts are needed to fend off rising potential cyberattacks and safeguard cybersecutiry, participants said at the 2024 Beijing Cyber Security Conference. Chinese cybersecurity company Qi-Anxin Technology Group has launched an initiative with more than 60 leading tech companies, including Lenovo Group, Dawning Information Industry Co and ZTE Corp, to jointly promote the safe, healthy, orderly and sustainable development of AI technology and bolster its application in a wide range of industries at the conference. The initiative also includes accelerating the innovation and adoption of digital security technology and improving the level of digital security governance in order to ensure the data security of governments, enterprises, and individuals and facilitate the development...

  A student works in the Makerspace at the University of Manchester on May 17, 2024. The Makerspace is a facility that offers students the space and tools to create, manufacture, design, and collaborate. It also supports large-scale coding events focused on robotics and sustainability.  A projected increase in the number of 16- to 18-year-olds in England is poised to drive a surge in school-leavers pursuing further and higher education by the end of the decade, coinciding with a pressing need for enhanced technical skills across the nation. Leaders in the education sector have emphasized the necessity for increased government funding to accommodate this increase, particularly as the demand for proficiency in artificial intelligence, or AI, and excellence in other technical skills is growing. A report published in April by the Association of Colleges, or AoC, which represents technical colleges and institutions that offer apprenticeships, made clear how the nation's need for te...

  People visit the booth of Chinese carmaker Xpeng during the 2023 International Motor Show, officially known as the IAA MOBILITY 2023, in Munich, Germany, Sept 5, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua] Close attention is being paid to whether or not the European Commission will impose additional tariffs on imports of China-made electric vehicles (EVs) after its anti-subsidy investigation. From a protectionist perspective, additional tariffs may offer a temporary shield for European automakers. But in the long run, they will ultimately erode their competitiveness on the global stage. Before going deeper into the issue of possible new tariffs on China's EVs, it may be helpful to review the findings of the book "Prosperity Through Competition" by Ludwig Erhard, a former chancellor of Germany. In this globally influential economics book, Erhard emphasized the importance of free competition as a driving force for economic growth and prosperity. "Competition is the most promising means to ...

  A view of the booth of GCL during an expo in Shanghai. [Photo provided to China Daily] Chinese solar power giant GCL Technology said on Monday it may launch its first granular silicon project in the United Arab Emirates, amid a growing trend that the Middle East is becoming a new hot spot for Chinese photovoltaic firms. GCL said it is now in discussions with Mubadala Investment Co PJSC to explore potential cooperation, including the establishment of an integrated silicon ecosystem in the region, which GCL said may incubate the world's largest granular silicon research, development and manufacturing base. In May, GCL's Suzhou branch signed a cooperation agreement with MDC Power Holding Co LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mubadala Investment, to develop the UAE's first polysilicon production facility. "The UAE offers excellent solar conditions with an average of 3,000 to 4,000 hours of solar power generation per year, providing significant opportunities for large-scal...

  BEIJING - China's software and information technology service industry reported double-digit year-on-year growth in terms of both revenue and profits in the first four months of 2024, official data showed. Total profits of the sector jumped by 14.3 percent year-on-year to 431.4 billion yuan ($60.69 billion) during this period, while combined revenue rose by 11.6 percent to 3.8 trillion yuan, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Total revenue of the information technology service sub-sector increased by 13.2 percent year-on-year to around 2.5 trillion yuan, contributing 65.9 percent of the total revenue of the industry as a whole. Specifically, combined revenue of cloud computing and big data services surged by 14.3 percent compared with the same period of 2023, reaching 410.7 billion yuan. The data also revealed that revenues from software products and information security had increased by 8.7 percent and 9.3 percent, respectively, year-on-year. Welco...

Hong Kong: The Biden administration plans to put guardrails on U.S.-developed artificial intelligence (AI) models that power popular chatbots like ChatGPT to safeguard the technology from countries such as China and Russia, Reuters has reported. But China in the past year has built its own domestic generative AI industry and has been urging its companies to avoid foreign technology. OpenAI's key AI services such as ChatGPT and the DALL-E image generator have not been officially rolled out in mainland China. An OpenAI spokesperson told Reuters last year that it was unable to do so in certain countries due to local "conditions". However, a large number of companies and engineers have accessed OpenAI's services using proxy tools like virtual private networks (VPN) to mask their network addresses. As such, many Chinese companies have been able to build software and applications on top of OpenAI's models. Chinese companies also frequently benchmark their own AI models...