China and Saudi Arabia’s Global Power Play: Tourism, Space Missions, Cyber Warfare, and More – What You Need to Know!

Here's the news summary of curated items I found interesting in October and November.

Saudi Arabia aims to attract up to 5 million Chinese tourists by 2030, investing heavily in new tourism infrastructure, luxury resorts, and cultural projects to appeal to Chinese visitors. This strategic initiative follows the introduction of e-visas for residents of 66 countries since 2019.

In space advancements, China's Shijian 19 satellite, launched by a Long March 2D rocket, returned to Earth with payloads. The satellite, featuring a high microgravity level, is instrumental in scientific experiments that benefit from recoverable satellite technology.

In defense, Taiwan wargames highlight potential economic and cybersecurity threats from China. These exercises explore possible scenarios, including China's influence on Taiwan's political stability through targeted campaigns. The report suggests Taiwan should strengthen its critical infrastructure.

In scientific breakthroughs, AI has enabled researchers to identify over 160,000 RNA virus species, a feat Sun Yat-sen University, Alibaba Cloud, and the University of Sydney achieved. The algorithm used advanced RNA sequencing data to uncover previously unknown virus groups, advancing our understanding of viral biodiversity.

And now the summaries:

Saudi Arabia aims to attract up to 5 million Chinese tourists by 2030.

Saudi Arabia aims to attract up to 5 million Chinese tourists by 2030. The investment will be used to develop new tourism infrastructure, build luxury resorts, and develop cultural and entertainment projects. Since 2019, Saudi Arabia has offered electronic visas to residents of 66 countries and regions.

China's first reusable satellite returns to Earth with payloads.

The Shijian 19 satellite touched down at the Dongfeng Landing Site at 10:39 am. The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center sent ground recovery personnel to take out mission payloads. The Shijian 19. spacecraft was placed into space by a Long March 2D carrier rocket lifted off the Jiuquan spaceport on Sept 27. The satellite features a high level of microgravity inside its body, and The microgravity inside the spacecraft has proved beneficial to many scientific experiments. Recoverable satellites are the most suitable carrier for such experiments.

Taiwan Wargame Report Explores China Economic Cyber Threats.

Taiwan wargames have become standard practice from Capitol Hill to Wall Street. The exercises model pathways China might pursue to achieve its goal of bringing the island democracy under its political control. If China timed some version of these scenarios to align with Taiwan’s election cycle, the campaigns could help shift the island toward political leadership. The chaos and instability could cause Taiwanese voters to lose faith in the ability of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The report based on the tabletop exercise recommends patching Taiwan's most glaring vulnerabilities, focusing on the financial sector. On the cybersecurity front, the report authors advise Taiwan to do more to protect critical infrastructure.

AI is used to identify new RNA viruses.

Scientists have identified more than 160,000 ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus species. The research was carried out jointly by scientists from Sun Yat-sen University, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, and the University of Sydney. The algorithm identified 161,979 RNA virus species and 180 RNA virus supergroups, including many previously poorly studied groups. 10,487 RNA sequencing data generated from samples across diverse environments. The tool was trained to compute the "dark matter" and identify viruses based on sequences and the secondary structures of the protein that all RNA viruses use for replication. "To find these many new viruses in one fell swoop is mind-bl

Beijing to sanction 3 U.S. military enterprises.

Last month, US President Joe Biden approved $567 million in defense support for Taiwan. The sanctions are based on the provisions of the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law of the People's Republic of China.

China's solar power to lead global green energy production, says IEA.

China currently dominates the world when it comes to manufacturing solar power-generating hardware. Solar (conversion cell) manufacturing capacity is forecast to triple in India and the U.S. Between 2024 and 2030, the rate of wind power growth worldwide will double compared to the previous six years.

Donald Trump says Xi Jinping wrote him a ‘beautiful note’ after rally shooting | Donald Trump | The Guardian

The US presidential contender's reference echoes the ‘love letters’ he received from North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, as he calls authoritarian leaders ‘smart, tough’ people. The Republican presidential nominee recalled how he described Xi.

Volt Typhoon III report exposes U.S. cyber forces operations.

U.S. cyber forces and intelligence agencies disguise themselves like "chameleons" in cyberspace by posing as other countries. At least seven access sites for tapping are available, covering all submarine optical cables from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The NSA will directly use the "supply chain" attack method.

Chinese modernization offers lessons for Africa.

African experts believe that modernizing the Asian powerhouse is important for Africa. Carlos Lopes, an honorary professor at the University of Cape Town's Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, says Chinese modernization represents a blueprint. Lopes says African countries need to be strategic in their engagement with China.

China gets most orders for green ships.

Chinese shipyards saw new orders surge 51.9 percent year-on-year to 87.11 million deadweight tons. China captured over 70 percent of global orders for green vessels. Shipyards across the country have already surpassed their business targets for the year.

The world's largest 26-megawatt offshore wind turbine rolls off the production line in China.

On Saturday, the world's largest 26-megawatt offshore wind turbine rolled off the production line in southeast China’s Fujian. The turbine features a hub height of 185 meters, equivalent to the height of a 63-story In September this year, wind turbines utilizing these solutions successfully endured the test posed by super typhoon "Mokha" At an average annual

China Coast Guard confronts Philippine vessels near Huangyan Island.

Two Philippine ships entered waters near China's Huangyan Island without permission. China Coast Guard followed the vessels and implemented "professional, reasonable, and legitimate control measures." "We urge the Philippines to immediately cease its infringements," a spokesman said.

Chinese Hackers Target U.S. Telecoms – Foreign Policy.

Chinese government-linked hackers target U.S. telecommunications firms. Militants in Pakistan target Chinese nationals working on a Belt. President Lai Ching-te, who took office in May, is set to give his first National Day speech. The latest from Foreign Policy. Use the weekly news quiz to test your knowledge of stories you saw on FP. This week, Taiwanese President Lai said that Chinese government-linked hackers target American telecommunications firms. An explosion near the Karachi airport in Pakistan killed two Chinese nationals. It was the latest in a series of attacks by the militant Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). The latest attack comes just before a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit next week.

China's electricity consumption recorded steady growth in September.

China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, saw steady growth in September. Power use climbed by 8.5 percent year-on-year to 847.5 billion kilowatt-

China launches Gen-4 law enforcement vessels for Mekong River joint patrols.

The Yunnan Provincial Public Security Department's water patrol headquarters in Menghan Town of Jinghong, southwest China's Yunnan Province, held a launch ceremony for two new law enforcement vessels. Construction of the two vessels began by conducting cooperative river patrols. (Reported by Hong Yi; Edited by Zhou Jing; Source: Yunnan Provincial Public Security Department)

The BRICS Summit in Kazan Is a Showdown With the West.

The BRICS countries are meeting this week for their headline summit in glitzy Kazan, Russia. On the agenda, this year is the first full summit after the formal incorporation of Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab. Dethroning the dollar has been, and will remain, a central goal of BRICS. For some, such as China, Russia, and Iran, an alternative to the dollar means a way to sanction-proof their economies. The bigger BRICS gets, the stickier the dollar becomes on its own. The problem is that the bloc is very much aligned in one direction. For its first decade-plus, BRICS lived in a world without an overt cold war. “Now, in a context of geopolitical tensions, countries have to consider if being part of BRICS has a cost,” says Aydintasbas.

China unveils future space science plan.

China unveiled its first-ever medium- and long-term plan for space science development. The plan aims to establish itself as a "global space science power" by 2050. Vital scientific questions to be addressed include habitability and signs of extraterrestrial life on Mars, icy moons, and ice giants.

Tesla was boosted by business sales in China.

Tesla delivered 469,828 vehicles in the third quarter, up from 435,000 a year earlier. Analysts expect the automaker to provide 1.8 million cars in 2023. Established in 2019, the Shanghai plant is running at "max capacity."

'Black Myth: Wukong' Is a National Triumph for Chinese Gamers.

The Chinese video game Black Myth: Wukong has become one of the fastest-selling video games ever. It has made over $700 million in less than three weeks and moved over 20 million copies in its first month. Three-quarters of these sales have been in China. The game has become a point of pride in a country where video gaming often has Xiyouji, a gallimaufry text, throwing together poetry, demons, piety, banter, and satire. The novel is primarily Buddhist, freely satirizing the competing faith of Daoism. The flexibility of the tale has made it interpretable as everything from a proto-Marxist attack on the ruling classes to a deep spiritual allegory. It would have been fun to have this kind of variation instead of the old die-and-respawn Chinese fans have used the new game to attack feminism.

HASHTAGS

#african #analysts #approved #arabia #attack #authoritarian #automaker #barometer #become #chameleons #chinese #consumption #contender #content #conversion #countries #currently #cyberspace #deadweight #delivered #department #development #dollar #dominates #economic #electricity #electronic #entertainment #equivalent #established #experiments #extraterrestrial #filtration #generating #governance #government #habitability #height #identified #immediately #implemented #incorporation #infrastructure #infringements #inoreader #intelligence #interpretable #investment #island #latest #manufacturing #microgravity #million #modernization #newsletters #orders #percent #philippines #political #powerhouse #president #presidential #production #professional #provincial #provisions #reference #report #republic #republican #russia #sanctions #satellite #science #scientific #scientists #security #september #shijian #shipyards #spacecraft #species #subscriptions #successfully #summarize #summit #surpassed #taiwan #target #telecommunications #themselves #turbine #university #vehicles #vessels #viruses #vulnerabilities #yunnan

CITATIONS

Saudi Arabia aims to attract up to 5 million Chinese tourists by 2030. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2024, from https://www.ecns.cn/news/society/2024-10-21/detail-iheiierq2776826.shtml

China's first reusable satellite returns to Earth with payloads. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2024, from https://www.ecns.cn/news/sci-tech/2024-10-11/detail-ihehxcae7644164.shtml

Taiwan Wargame Report Explores China Economic Cyber Threats. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2024, from https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/10/04/taiwan-financial-risks-china-unification-tabletop-fdd-wargame/

AI used to identify new RNA viruses. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2024, from https://www.ecns.cn/news/sci-tech/2024-10-12/detail-ihehxcae7644634.shtml

Beijing to sanction 3 U.S. military enterprises. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2024, from https://www.ecns.cn/news/politics/2024-10-11/detail-ihehxcae7643325.shtml

China's solar power to lead global green energy production, says IEA. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2024, from https://www.ecns.cn/business/2024-10-10/detail-ihehxcae7641231.shtml

Donald Trump says Xi Jinping wrote him a ‘beautiful note’ after rally shooting | Donald Trump | The Guardian. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2024, from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/21/donald-trump-says-xi-jinping-wrote-him-a-beautiful-note-after-rally-shooting

Volt Typhoon III report exposes U.S. cyber forces operations. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2024, from https://www.ecns.cn/news/politics/2024-10-14/detail-iheiaxwf5241668.shtml

Chinese modernization offers lessons for Africa. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2024, from https://www.ecns.cn/news/politics/2024-10-10/detail-ihehxcae7641683.shtml

China gets most orders for green ships. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2024, from https://www.ecns.cn/business/2024-10-11/detail-ihehxcae7643142.shtml

World's largest 26-megawatt offshore wind turbine rolls off production line in China. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2024, from https://www.ecns.cn/news/cns-wire/2024-10-14/detail-iheiaxwf5241231.shtml

Inoreader – Build your own newsfeed. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2024, from https://www.inoreader.com?utm_source=html_export&utm_campaign=u1005374198&utm_medium=html_export

China Coast Guard confronts Philippine vessels near Huangyan Island. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2024, from https://www.ecns.cn/news/military/2024-10-09/detail-ihehxcae7640029.shtml

Chinese Hackers Target U.S. Telecoms – Foreign Policy. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2024, from https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/10/08/china-hack-us-telecoms-security-counterintelligence/

China's electricity consumption records steady growth in Sept. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2024, from https://www.ecns.cn/news/economy/2024-10-21/detail-iheiierq2776824.shtml

China launches Gen-4 law enforcement vessels for Mekong River joint patrols. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2024, from https://www.ecns.cn/video/2024-10-12/detail-ihehxcae7646576.shtml

The BRICS Summit in Kazan Is a Showdown With the West. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2024, from https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/10/21/brics-russia-china-kazan-summit-west-dollar/

China unveils future space science plan. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2024, from https://www.ecns.cn/news/sci-tech/2024-10-16/detail-iheiaxwf5243683.shtml

Tesla boosted by business, sales in China. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2024, from https://www.ecns.cn/business/2024-10-02/detail-ihehswfm4893976.shtml

Untitled Article. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2024, from https://www.ecns.cn/photo/2024-10-21/detail-iheiierq2775791.shtml

'Black Myth: Wukong' Is a National Triumph for Chinese Gamers. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2024, from https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/10/11/black-myth-wukong-video-game-china-xiyouji/