Chinese lidar manufacturer Hesai Technology Co officially filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Defense on Monday over being added to a list of companies for allegedly working with the Chinese military, the Global Times learned on Tuesday.
In the complaint filed with the Washington Federal Court, Hesai stated that its inclusion on the so-called 1260H list had led to "damaged reputation, substantial stock price decline, and missed business opportunities." Hesai, which is listed on the Nasdaq, urged the court to order the US Department of Defense to remove it from the list or declare the list unconstitutional.
Hesai is known for its leading radar products, which are primarily used in advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) for both passenger and commercial vehicles. It was included on the list by the US Department of Defense in January, along with over a dozen other Chinese companies including Yangtze Memory Technologies Co.
"Hesai lidars are designed for civilian use only. We have no affiliation with the Chinese military and remain committed to correcting the record and protecting our reputation," a spokesperson for Hesai told the Global Times on Tuesday.
The spokesperson added that the US government has yet to offer any meaningful response to requests from the Chinese company or made any attempts to resolve the issue outside of court.
While the list itself doesn't impose specific sanctions at present, according to the US media, the associated legislation will prevent the US Department of Defense from engaging in contracts with any of the listed companies for the foreseeable future. Observers said this also poses substantial reputational risks for Chinese companies and could potentially compel the US Treasury Department to levy sanctions against the firms.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin voiced strong opposition to the US Department of Defense's update of the "Chinese Military Company List" in February.
"China firmly opposes the US overstretching the concept of national security, setting up all kinds of discriminatory lists, going after Chinese companies and disrupting normal economic and trade cooperation between China and the US," he said.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce said on May 10 that China would take all the necessary measures to defend the legtimate rights of Chinese companies in response to US abuse of export control measures.
China urged the US to immediately cease the relevant incorrect practice, which is disrupting the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains.
Recently, upon entering the production workshop of Roselot in Ningjin County, Dezhou City, Shandong Province, people would find 200 robotic arms and 180 intelligent machining centers independently processing. In the flickering flames, fitness equipment is gradually being assembled. The increasingly stable power supply has given us the confidence and determination to introduce high-tech and promote 'Robots instead of Labor'. Currently, the workshop has been able to achieve 24-hour on-site unmanned automated production, saving nearly 500 workers, reducing operating costs by 30 percent, reducing product defect rates by 23 percent, and increasing production capacity by nearly 5 times compared to ordinary production workshops.
Since the beginning of this year, Ningjin County has pursued the path of "Digital Economic" development, centering on the traditionally strong local industries of "Hardware and Furniture," focusing on enterprise "Intelligent and Digital Transformation," adhering to innovation driven growth, accelerating the promotion of industrial enterprises "Going cloud-ward to empower intelligence with data."
That is to promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional manufacturing industries with "intelligence" and "digitization", and help the overtaking of county's digital economy through government attracting platforms which to empower enterprises. The upgrading of industries cannot be separated from the support of a stable power grid.
In order to fully ensure the electricity supply for production in the park, State Grid Dezhou Power Supply Company strengthens its visits to enterprises in the park, to understand their electricity needs, assist them in identifying safety hazards, and develop electricity plans based on the current production situation of the enterprise to ensure the safety and reliability of electricity supply for production.
"In order to meet the development needs of the industrial park, we have also planned ahead and increased the construction of the power grid," said Li Haimeng, a representative of State Grid Dezhou Power Supply Company. "A new 110 kV substation and 13 kilometers of 10 kV transmission lines have been built for the industrial park, fully ensuring the development and electricity demand of the industrial park." Overlooking the industrial park, new photovoltaic panels are scattered on top of each factory building, shining brightly in the sunlight and illuminating the path of Ningjin's fitness industry to prosperity. "After the introduction of photovoltaic power generation, the roof area of the factory has been effectively utilized, the monthly electricity expenses have been greatly reduced, and the net profit of the enterprise has also been further improved." The person, in charge of Maibaohe Fitness Equipment Co., Ltd. in Ningjin County, Dezhou City, Shandong Province, said happily.
"By implementing TOU price and cooperating with enterprises to reasonably introduce photovoltaic new energy, the average monthly electricity cost for business can be reduced by tens of thousands of yuan, helping enterprises to lower costs and increase income." said Wang Haitao, a marketing representative from State Grid Dezhou Power Supply Company. In recent years, State Grid Dezhou Power Supply Company has implemented "fixed person, regular, and customized" services to deeply understand customer power needs. It provides one-on-one energy-saving consulting, comprehensive energy efficiency analysis and other electricity services to solve customer electricity problems, help enterprises optimize energy consumption methods, reduce energy costs, and inject sufficient electricity into efficient production. In 2022 alone, the total output value of the local fitness equipment industry was about 8.76 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.2 percent.
The Biden administration seems to see cracking down on the Chinese shipbuilding industry as a panacea for struggling shipyards in the US. However, isn't the idea of forcing China to take the medicine for what ails the US merely further evidence of the bleak future of the American shipbuilding sector?
A Sunday report by the Financial Times, citing industry insiders, said that the US investigation into the Chinese maritime, logistics and shipbuilding industries, which could lead to duties for Chinese-built ships calling at US ports, may help shipyards in South Korea and Japan, but will probably do little to boost US shipyards.
Professionals in the shipbuilding and maritime industries could easily see the absurdity of the US fantasy to revive its dormant shipyards by attempting to suppress China. Even if the US were to cause Chinese shipyards to lose orders through port charges, it would not benefit the struggling US shipbuilding industry. Instead, it would only lead to higher maritime trade costs for the US.
The fact that even American shipowners are reluctant to place orders at home is sufficient evidence to indicate the lack of competitiveness of the industry. For nearly 100 years, a federal law known as the Jones Act has restricted water transportation of cargo between US ports to ships that are built by American shipyards.
According to Clarksons Research, American shipowners own about 3,000 Jones Act vessels, with an average age of 23.7 years, compared with the global fleet average of 12.7 years.
Due to high costs, American shipowners have been slow to update their fleets, with more than half of the vessels being more than 25 years old, and 700 vessels even being more than 50 years old.
Against this backdrop, instead of trying to improve its industrial competitiveness, the US is trying to contain China's manufacturing, a typical display of its hegemonic mindset.
But the decline of the American shipbuilding industry cannot be reversed through protectionism or repression of others. The rise of China's shipbuilding industry is an indisputable fact, which has been verified by the market. In 2023, China's shipbuilding output climbed 11.8 percent year-on-year, accounting for 50.2 percent of the world's total, while new orders surged 56.4 percent, taking up 66.6 percent of the world's total, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
By comparison, US commercial shipbuilding capacity is only 0.13 percent of the global total, according to the US Naval Institute.
It is regrettable that the success of China's shipbuilding industry may have pricked some sensitive nerves in the US, leading to the accusation about China's "unfair, non-market policies and practices."
While there is nothing we can do about reviving the US shipbuilding industry, the fact that the decline has lasted for several decades may help relax the nerves of some people. How much worse could it be?
Let's clarify a few more facts. The decline of America's shipbuilding industry began in the 1980s, when American shipyards became dependent on government orders as the Reagan administration ended the commercial shipbuilding subsidy program in 1981. The 1980s saw the US shipbuilding industry shed 40,000 jobs, with the collapse of the commercial sector, according to Marine Link.
After that, Japan and South Korea dominated the global shipbuilding market for many years. It was not until 2010 that China's shipbuilding sector became a rising star in the global market.
Is blaming China a tactic the shipbuilding industry uses to get government support? Don't industry players know how obsessed politicians in Washington are with the new topic of suppressing Chinese manufacturing and how evasive these people are about solving real industry problems?
This distorted attitude, which persists from the government to the industry, is perhaps the root cause of the downfall of the American shipbuilding sector. No one is willing to confront the real problems and find solutions, leading to an inevitable and self-inflicted decline in the industry.
Let's see if the US strategy of blaming China can revitalize the industry. However, it is highly likely that this will negatively affect the US shipping industry. Ultimately, the key to treating an illness lies in finding the right remedy, not in paranoia and blaming others.
Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal said on Wednesday that China and Pakistan are deepening collaboration on the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), with a focus on green energy and technology cooperation, among others.
Iqbal arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for a visit, in the first high-level visit by a Pakistani official to China since Pakistan’s new government came to power. During the visit, Iqbal also held meetings with various Chinese officials.
“China is a historical friend of Pakistan, and has supported us in difficult times,” Iqbal said as he arrived in Beijing, according to a press release sent to the Global Times on Wednesday.
Iqbal said that in the first phase of the CPEC, Pakistan’s energy and infrastructure sectors were upgraded, and in the second phase, the agriculture, industry, green energy and technology sectors will be promoted.
In terms of green energy cooperation, Iqbal said in a meeting with China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong in Islamabad on Tuesday that Pakistan’s aim is to establish industrial zones for the manufacturing of electric cars in collaboration with China, leveraging Pakistan's competitive advantages to reduce overall production costs and create employment opportunities for Pakistani workers, according to a separate press release.
During meetings in Beijing, Iqbal also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the high-quality development of the CPEC, outlining future cooperation in such priority sectors as information technology, agriculture modernization, textiles, minerals and renewable energy.
Iqbal also revealed details about enhanced security measures taken by Pakistan to ensure the security of Chinese personnel, according to the press release.
Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Zeekr Intelligent Technology Holding Ltd (Zeekr) on Friday saw its share price soar 34.57 percent at the close of its opening day on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
The surge came after a report on Friday stating that the Biden administration is planning to levy tariffs on Chinese EVs and other high-tech industries.
The US capital market response suggested that good quality and reasonably priced EVs remain in good demand, a rebuttal of the alleged "overcapacity" narrative targeting Chinese green energy products, observers noted.
Zeekr's stock price finished at $28.26 at Friday's close, $7.26 above its opening price of $21. It was reportedly the largest stock price increase among Chinese companies listing at the NYSE in three years.
Zeekr is a premium brand owned by Chinese automaker Geely which also owns Sweden's Volvo and the UK's Lotus. As of December 31, 2023, Zeekr has shipped a total of 196,633 vehicles, a majority of which are in the Chinese market, the company's file submitted to US Securities and Exchange Commission showed.
In terms of US' potential tariff increase to be imposed on Chinese EVs, Wu Shuocheng, a veteran automobile industry analyst, told the Global Times on Sunday that the export volume of Chinese EVs to US market is "negligible" at present, and the export restriction may cause little impact to Chinese EV industry in short period.
And, multiple Chinese automakers are ramping up their overseas expansions in Europe, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
Chinese EV giant BYD announced in February this year that it had signed a preliminary sales and purchase agreement with the municipality of Szeges in Hungary.
In the first four months of 2024, sales of new vehicles by Chinese EV brands in Brazil market hit 48,000, jumping by eight times from the same period in 2023, according to STAR Market Daily.
The Philippine government has been overdrawing on its reputation and national credibility on issues related to the South China Sea, saying one thing and doing another and constantly flip-flopping, Chinese analysts said after Philippine officials accused China of "violating wiretapping law" over a phone conversation in which a Philippine navy official agreed to a "new model" for resupply missions concerning Ren'ai Jiao.
A transcript of the supposed recording of a phone call between the Chinese side and the Philippines' Western Command (WESCOM) Commander Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos on January 3 was revealed by media in recent days, in which Carlos agreed to a "new model" for resupply missions concerning Ren'ai Jiao.
The transcript which documented the phone conversation between the Chinese side and Carlos on January 3 has been confirmed to be true, the Global Times has learned from a source familiar with the affair on Wednesday. Following the conversation, the Philippine side adhered to the "new model" in the subsequent resupply mission, only delivering essential daily supplies to the grounded warship, and notified the Chinese side in advance.
Based on the "new model" arrangement and humanitarian principle, the Chinese side permitted the Philippine resupply operation, said the source.
However, thereafter, the Philippine side reneged on its promise. Not only did it fail to notify the Chinese side in advance of its resupply activities, but it also attempted to transport construction materials to the illegally grounded vessel, deliberately causing trouble and maliciously hyping up the situation.
The China Coast Guard has firmly restricted the Philippine's illegal resupply activities, according to the source.
On Wednesday, Philippine defense chief Gilberto Teodoro Jr. told reporters that the audio recording had "violated" the country's Anti-Wire Tapping Law.
Teodoro also claimed that they are leaving the department of Foreign Affairs to find out the truth behind the incident, threatening that the person responsible for the recording will "be expelled," according to media reports.
Teodoro's remarks sound more like chicanery when facing undeniable facts, as the transcript of the "new model" is true, said Chinese analysts.
At a press conference on May 6, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian also gave a briefing on the situation, saying that early this year, the Chinese and Philippine sides agreed on a "new model" for resupply missions concerning Ren'ai Jiao after multiple rounds of discussions through diplomatic channels and the Armed Forces of the Philippines WESCOM.
The Philippine military made repeated confirmations that the "new model" had been approved by all key officials in the Philippines chain of command, including the Secretary of National Defense and the National Security Advisor. On February 2, the Philippines carried out one resupply mission under this "new model" before abandoning it, said Lin.
The Chinese proverb "listen to what they say, watch what they do" seems fitting when considering the recent reactions of senior officials in the Philippines. It appears that the country has habitually been overdrawing on its government's reputation and national credibility on relevant issues, saying one thing and doing another, presenting one face in public and another in private, constantly flip-flopping, Ding Duo, a deputy director of the Institute of Maritime Law and Policy at the China Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times.
In addition to China, other regional countries and the international community have sufficient reason to believe that "political commitments" made by the Philippine government are no longer credible, and that the Philippines is perceived as an untrustworthy nation in international relations, said Ding.
The latest research findings in a document detailing the personal information of Japanese Army Unit 731 members and their involvement in Japan's infamous germ warfare during the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) have been made public for the first time recently. The document is seen as a great source of academic value and practical significance in deepening research on Japan's bacteriological warfare program during the war.
According to the Exhibition Hall of Evidences of Crime Committed by Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army, the 69-page document clearly recorded these soldiers' involvement in the criminal activities since their joining in the Unit 731, and provides record of personnel allocation and dispatch between Japan's infamous biological and chemical warfare, Central China Television (CCTV) reported Sunday. The exhibition hall is located in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.
The archival material, entitled the "personal information declaration form of Unit 731 headquarters," was previously stored at the National Archives of Japan and was brought by researchers in 2023 to the Exhibition Hall of Evidences of Crime Committed by Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army for translation and study.
The academic circles have long believed that after the then Japanese government announced its unconditional surrender on August 15, 1945, Unit 731 was withdrawn, in its entirety, back to Japan. However, the latest findings in the newly released document show that when the main force withdrew, 52 people did not return to Japan along with the unit.
According to Jin Shicheng, a researcher with the exhibition hall, when Unit 731 received the evacuation order, some of the unit members might have been in other parts of China or on official duties elsewhere, instead of at their headquarters in Harbin, thus, they were unable to return to Japan with the headquarters.
After all Japanese overseas troops returned to Japan, soldiers had to fill in the personal information declaration forms to have their military status recognized and their pensions claimed.
According to the released personal information declaration form, 14 of the 52 members who failed to withdraw with the headquarters were arrested and detained within territory belonging to the Soviet Union, 38 members concealed their identities and hid away in various parts across China. After the end of World War II, they returned to Japan as individuals and filled out the personal information declaration forms.
The 69-page document contains complete records of the 52 soldiers' information, including their names, arms of services, dates of enlistment, their affiliation to the unit before the end of the war, and their military history at the end of the war.
This document clearly recorded the involvement of the registrants in a series of criminal activities from their joining in the Unit 731, as well as their movements between different units. It also recorded their activities and trajectories between August of 1945 and their returns to Japan.
From their trajectories, the researchers found clues to the personnel flow between the Unit 731 and the Japanese army's Kwantung Army Chemical Department, also known as Unit 516, established in in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang.
According to Jin, Unit 516 served as the headquarters for Japan's chemical warfare operations during the Japanese invasion of China, while the Unit 731 served as the headquarters for germ warfare.
According to the document, one of the 52 members was transferred from Unit 516 to Unit 731 in 1945, demonstrating the new discovery of the close links and personnel flow between the germ and chemical warfare units of the Japanese Imperial Army, Jin noted.
The new findings detailed in the document also show that the Unit 731 and a Harbin-based medical university during the illegitimate regime of Manchukuo, a puppet state established by Japanese invaders to control Northeast China from 1932 until 1945, jointly cultivated young soldiers.
The document shows that four members of Unit 731 were sent to the medical university for three years of the so-called medical training as military family students from Japan and they returned to Unit 731 after graduation from the medical university.
According to Jin, the complete documentary information of the four members once again proved that the medical universities in the northeastern region of China during the puppet Manchukuo regime served as an extension of Unit 731's medical crimes, collaborating with Unit 731 in conducting human experiments and bacteriological warfare.
The human experiments and bacteriological warfare conducted by Unit 731 were the result of a top-down, organized, premeditated, and systematic group crime integrated with cooperation among the military, academia, government, and medical sectors in Japan, Jin said.
The personal information declaration forms also revealed for the first time that the Unit 731 also contained intelligence agent positions.
This document serves as a new element for the primary historical record and core document of Unit 731, provides important evidence for studying issues such as the overall structure of Unit 731, its post-war trajectory, and war responsibility, holding significant academic value and practical significance for deepening research on the Japanese bacteriological warfare, according to the exhibition hall.
China's Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship separated from the space station combination on Tuesday, and the astronauts aboard -- Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin -- are returning to Earth, according to the China Manned Space Agency.
China's disease control and prevention authority has recently warned of increasing risks of the spread of infectious diseases during the approaching May Day holidays and reminded localities to persist in implementing multi-channel monitoring of the COVID-19 epidemic and multi-pathogen monitoring of other respiratory infectious diseases.
According to a notice issued by China's National Disease Control and Prevention Administration regarding the prevention and control of key infectious disease epidemics during the upcoming May Day holidays and the spring and summer seasons, while the overall situation of infectious diseases in China is generally stable, COVID-19 viruses are still mutating, and there are still certain fluctuations in the epidemic situation, and the prevention and control of some infectious diseases are facing new situations and characteristics.
According to the notice, the global COVID-19 pandemic caused by the JN.1 variant has peaked and declined to a lower level, and the COVID-19 situation in China continues to remain at a low level with a wave-like pattern of prevailing. However, the viruses are still mutating, resulting in certain fluctuations in the epidemic situation.
Meanwhile, prevention and control of some infectious diseases in China are encountering new situations and characteristics. In some areas, influenza epidemics have not yet returned to the same level as in previous years. The pertussis epidemic is showing a rapid growth trend, and reported cases of hand-foot-mouth disease are significantly increasing. The co-occurrence of multiple diseases has become normalcy.
In addition, dengue fever, measles, and other epidemics have rebounded in multiple countries and regions globally, increasing the risk of overseas epidemics being imported into China.
In May when spring transitions into summer, some mosquito-borne diseases and intestinal infectious diseases enter their peak seasons. The increased mobility of personnel during the May Day holidays and the rise in gathering activities may amplify the transmission risk of infectious diseases such as COVID-19.
Therefore, the disease control and prevention authority emphasized that during the May Day holidays, all regions should strengthen epidemic prevention and control at ports, closely monitor key infectious diseases worldwide, such as COVID-19, dengue fever, measles and malaria, implement measures such as temperature monitoring, medical inspections, epidemiological investigations, and medical screenings for inbound travelers, conduct spot checks of nucleic acid testing for COVID-19 among inbound travelers, and enhance health education for inbound and outbound travelers.
The notice also stressed that all regions should continue to implement multi-channel monitoring of COVID-19 and multi-pathogen monitoring of respiratory infectious diseases, strengthen monitoring and early warning based on the characteristics of infectious disease outbreaks in spring and summer, conduct comprehensive analysis and assessment of the epidemic situation, and promptly conduct investigations and handling of outbreaks.
Meanwhile, the notice emphasized the need for adequate preparations for medical treatment and strengthened training for medical personnel and medical service management to ensure smooth and orderly medical services.
Moreover, in line with the goal of achieving a vaccination coverage rate of no less than 90 percent in the national immunization program, all localities should strengthen monitoring and assessment of vaccination rates. Efforts should be made to ensure that eligible children receive timely and complete vaccinations. Additionally, there should be continued promotion of vaccination among key populations with COVID-19 vaccines containing components targeting the XBB variant.
The disease control and prevention authority has told local authorities to strengthen epidemic prevention and control measures in key institutions such as childcare facilities and schools as well as elderly care institutions and social welfare institutions to reduce the risk of introducing and spreading of the epidemics.
The disease control and prevention authority also reminded the public to conduct self-health monitoring before traveling and after returning, and to take timely and effective preventive and treatment measures if any health issues are detected.
China strongly condemned unwarranted accusations and malicious slander against China, and urged British politicians to stop their belligerent rhetoric, and instead, focus more on domestic economic and social issues, a spokesperson from Chinese Embassy in the UK said on Wednesday, in response to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s latest anti-China remarks.
The British politician is looking for an excuse to ramp up British military spending. We firmly reject his Cold War rhetoric that incites antagonism and confrontation, the spokesperson said.
China is committed to promoting peace and justice, and has always sought peace talks and the peaceful settlement of international conflicts. China has contributed more than one-third of global economic growth consistently. China has always been committed to promoting international cooperation and maintaining world stability. These are undeniable truths, the spokesperson noted.
However, the current UK government seems to be set on stirring up troubles and heightening tension around the world. They are supplying offensive weapons to one side in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, exacerbating the situation.
The UK has repeatedly opposed resolutions calling for an immediate cease-fire at the United Nations Security Council on the Gaza issue. It shows no support for Palestine’s application for full UN membership and continues to supply weapons to Israel. The UK has forgone any sense of morality and has no concept of responsibility when it comes to matters of international peace and justice, the spokesperson noted.
We urged the UK to act in a way that is truly in the interest of world peace and justice, the spokesperson noted.
