China’s Ministry of Finance has issued 5 billion yuan ($714.5 million) of Treasury bonds in Hong Kong SAR, made up of 4 billion yuan in 2-year bonds, and 1 billion yuan in 5-year bonds.
China successfully launches 1st Mars probe
China successfully launched its first Mars probe, named Tianwen-1, via a Long March-5 Y4 carrier rocket from Wenchang Space Launch Center in South China’s Hainan Province into planned orbit on Thursday. The move heralds a new era in China’s deep-space exploration, which has steadily progressed beyond moon probes to interplanetary missions, mission commanders and developers said.
After a flight of around 2,000 seconds, the probe entered the planned Earth-Mars transfer orbit, officially embarking on its journey to the Red Planet, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA)on Thursday.
China’s Tianwen-1 Mars probe is expected to reach Mars’ gravity field in February 2021, about seven months after the launch. If it succeeds, Tianwen-1 will be the first Mars expedition to complete orbiting, landing and roving in a single mission in humanity’s history.
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1195391.shtml
Scientific goals of Tianwen 1
- Study Martian morphology & geology
- Study Martian topsoil & water ice distribution
- Study Mars’ surface composition
- Study Mars’ ionized atmospheric layer, surface climate & environment
- Study Mars’ physical field & interior structure
South African on China
Xiaoi Robot patent infringement lawsuit against Apple
Chinese AI start-up Xiaoi Robot 小i机器人 said it will continue a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple involving Siri. China’s highest court validated Xiaoi’s patent, advancing the legal case from an administrative proceeding to a civil lawsuit. https://www.natlawreview.com/article/latest-decision-supreme-people-s-court-china-confirms-validity-little-i-robot-patent
Xiao-i filed a lawsuit with a Shanghai court against Apple 8-3-20, requiring the latter to stop infringing on its patented robotic technology and pay 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) in compensation.
The Shanghai High People’s Court on Monday 8-10-20 formally accepted Chinese AI start-up Xiao-i’s lawsuit against Apple for alleged patent infringement.
WSJ’s fake report that China may retaliate against Nokia and Ericsson if EU bans Huawei
WSJ’s report that China may retaliate against Nokia and Ericsson if EU bans Huawei is “fake news” aimed at undermining good China-EU relations, Chinese FM said Tuesday, while urging European countries to provide a fair & open business environment for Chinese firms. https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-may-retaliate-against-nokia-and-ericsson-if-eu-countries-move-to-ban-huawei-11595250557
French governmet will not prevent Huawei Technologies from investing in the country, said French Economy & Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire Tuesday during a high-level dialogue on economic and financial cooperation with China.
China will send more flights to the US to help Chinese students fly back home
China will send more flights to the US to help Chinese students fly back home, said Chinese Embassy in the US. China has arranged 32 temporary flights to the US between April to early June, bringing some 7,000 students back home.
US Orders China to Shut Down Consulate
The United States gave China 72 hours to close its consulate in Houston amid accusations of spying, marking a dramatic deterioration in relations between the world’s two biggest economies. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-consulate/china-says-u-s-told-it-to-shut-its-houston-consulate-idUSKCN24N0UW
People are burning documents at the Chinese Consulate in Houston, as Beijing says the US abruptly gave it 72 hours to shut it down
Russian consulate 2012 
Russia Delivers First Arctic Oil To Key Ally China
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Russia-Delivers-First-Arctic-Oil-To-Key-Ally-China.html
Last week saw Russia’s Gazprom Neft, the country’s third biggest oil company by output and the oil arm of state gas giant Gazprom, ship its first cargo of oil produced in the Arctic to China via the Northern Sea Route (NSR). This shipment East adds to its existing Western exports via the NSR to Europe. According to Gazprom Neft, it took 47 days to deliver a full cargo of 144,000 tonnes of sweet, light Novy Port oil from the Yamal peninsula developments to the Chinese port of Yantai on the Bohai Sea, from Russia’s north-western city of Murmansk. “Successful experience in the sale of Arctic oil in the European market and an in-depth insight of Asia-Pacific markets allow Gazprom Neft to offer Novy Port oil with a unique year-round logistics scheme to Asian partners,” said Gazprom Neft’s deputy director general for logistics, processing and sales, Anatoly Cherner, last week.
Universal Studios Beijing has completed its structural engineering stage
Universal Studios Beijing has completed its structural engineering stage, and entered its installation and commissioning stages for performance equipment, and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The park will begin trial operations in the first half of 2021. http://www.tiananrega.com/news/2939.html
China launched the Shiyan-6
China launched the Shiyan-6, its first research vessel focusing on geophysical exploration and seismic acquisition and processing in Guangzhou, S. China’s Guangdong that has immediate access to the South China Sea. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3093966/chinese-research-ship-launched-boost-exploration-activities
- The Shiyan-6 ‘will help safeguard sovereignty and also maritime rights and interests’, says deputy director of oceanology institute
- US$71.5 million vessel will be used for geophysics, ocean physics, sea-air interaction and other studies, according to state media