The First Dispatch - Wuzhen Summit, Zhuhai Airshow, Zhongguancun Forum, and a New Hypersonic Weapon
Issue 1, 3 October 2021
Hello! Welcome to my weekly newsletter China Tech Dispatch. In this newsletter, I bring you weekly updates on China's science and technology sector, important developments in the tech industry, and relevant ministries of China. This newsletter also focuses on technologies associated with "informatized" (Xìnxī huà 信息化) warfare and new and emerging technologies associated with the concept.
The first section of this newsletter is dedicated to the news updates from People's Liberation Army Daily (PLA Daily) (Jiěfàngjūn bào 解放军报) and Science and Technology Daily (ST Daily) (Kējì rìbào 科技日报) - the official newspapers of PLA and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), China respectively. This section will have a short overview of important articles covered in both newspapers.
In the second section, I will dive into the topic(s) based on news highlights covered in the first section.
China Tech Dispatch is still evolving. So suggestions on content, structure, theme, etc. are always welcome.
I. News
13th China Airshow (Zhuhai Airshow 2021)
The airshow is being held in South China's Guangdong Province from 28 September to 3 October. It displayed the latest military technology in weaponry and equipment in the air, land, and sea. This is the only international aerospace tradeshow approved by Beijing. It takes place biennially. Large numbers of exhibitors have participated in the airshow with the "Exhibitor List" on the official website showing more than 600 exhibitors. The article in ST Daily covered various drones displayed at the airshow. Here are some highlights:
- Advanced aircraft on the show:
- J-16D electronic warfare aircraft (more on this in next section)
- WZ-7 high-altitude surveillance drone
- WZ-8 high-altitude, high-speed drone
- Exhibition by State-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC)
- J-20 stealth fighter jet
- Y-20 large transport aircraft
- Z-20 utility helicopter
- GJ-11 stealth armed reconnaissance drone
- FC-31, China's second stealth fighter jet was also on display
- According to Zhou Guoqiang, general manager assistant at AVIC quoted in the article GJ-11 and the FC-31 are both key members of the "20" aircraft family even though they don't have "20" in their names.
- Displays on the booth of Aero Engine Corporation of China
- WS-10 Taihang Turbofan engine's new iteration
- According to the spokesperson of NORINCO, VN-16 (a Type 05 amphibious armoured vehicle) is the most advanced amphibious armoured vehicle in the world.
- China State Shipbuilding Corporation will reveal JARI-USV, a made-for-export ship drone with modularized and integrated designs.
- China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation will reveal the HT-1E ship-borne universal vertical launching system capable of launching four missiles from a single launch unit.
The airshow is important considering China's military modernization efforts and to build a modern military by 2035. The new aircraft and drones are expected to play a major role in the South China Sea, Taiwan Strait, and along the Sino-Indian border.
Chinese Scientists Propose a New Hypersonic Weapon
Chinese scientists have proposed a new hypersonic weapon able to fry telecom systems in 10 sec. The weapons are still in the stage of conception, which SCMP quoted a Chinese scientist explaining as being achievable. The electromagnetic pulse of microwaves produced upon explosion would be able to ‘burn out’ key electronic devices within a 2km range. The proposed weapon would be able to strike targets 3,000km away (approx from China's east coast to Guam). Moving at six times the speed of sound, the weapon would cover this distance in about 25 min. The weapon would stay within the earth’s atmosphere to dodge space-based early warning systems and active stealth technology to avoid detection by radars on the ground. Similar weapons exist now, but they need nuclear warheads to generate pulse energy required to achieve similar effects. The proposed weapon would not carry any battery to make it lightweight and instead use super-capacitors with a power density 20 times that of batteries.
2021 World Internet Conference
2021 World Internet Conference (WIC) also known as Wuzhen Summit opened in Wuzhen, Zhejiang on 26 September. The theme of this year's conference is "Towards a New Era of Digital Civilization - Working Together to Build a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace." China's President and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) sent a congratulatory letter to the summit. In his letter, he highlighted that digital technology is fully integrated out lives and all fields. He emphasised that China is willing to work with other countries and "jointly shoulder the historical responsibility of promoting human progress." Xi Jinping also emphasized on China's resolution to "build a strong digital security barrier" and "let digital civilization benefit the people of all countries." Liu He, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, attended the event via video. Liu He is also Xi Jinping's top economic advisor. The summit is considered one of the most important events in the digital technology sector in China. First held in 2014, it is organized by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and the People's Government of Zhejiang Province.
The 2021 WIC also held the "Internet Rumor Co-governance" (*Wǎngluò yáoyán gòng zhì* 网络谣言共治) forum for the first time. According to an article, numerous people from China and abroad participated and discussed expanding the "cooperation circle" for the management of fake news. Sheng Ronghua, deputy director of the Central Cyberspace Administration of China highlighted the importance of active management of fake news and rumours on the internet using platforms like the national Internet Joint Rumor Refusal Platform. He also highlighted the importance of management of fake news to curb the spread of online rumours, create a "clean" internet, and also provide "Chinese solutions" and contribute "Chinese wisdom" to the international community to jointly strengthen the governance of online rumours.
15 of the world's leading Internet scientific and technological achievements were unveiled at WIC. These include "Tech for Good: Communication for Boundless Collaboration," an experience based on the Tencent Meeting application by Tencent Cloud Computing (Beijing) Co., Ltd., "Big Data Platform for Epidemic Prevention, Control and Work Resumption" by the China Academy of Electronics and Information Technology of CETC, "AI-based Covid-19 Prevention and Control: Overall Solution of Meituan Autonomous Delivery" by Beijing Sankuai Online Technology Co., Ltd., "Neuromorphic Computer with Hundreds of Million Neurons" by Zhejiang University and Zhejiang Lab, Hardware-Software Co-design SHENLONG Architecture by Alibaba Cloud, etc.
The "Light of Internet" expo was also part of the WIC conference. The expo showcased the latest technologies, products and applications around the world. One of the products was on smart mining technology on "factories of the future" and 5G smart mining technology. It will be used in Inner Mongolia Zhuneng Group Coal Mine, Shaanxi Shendong Coal Mine and other places.
(Source @wuzhenwic/Twitter)
An article in ST Daily published on 29 Sept on "Artificial Intelligence: Creating New Advantages in the Intelligent Economy" forum cites that in the past ten years (2010-2020), the number of patent applications in the field of artificial intelligence in China reached 389,571, ranking first in the world and account for 74.7% of the global total.
Finally, two reports on Chinese and global internet development were released at the conference. According to the reports, China's digital economy reached 35.8 trillion yuan (5.45 trillion USD) in 2019, accounting for 36.2% of China's total GDP.
2021 Zhongguancun Forum
Another forum in the news is the 2021 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) in Beijing scheduled from 24 Sept to 28 Sept. Theme of the 2021 forum is the theme of "Intelligence, Health, and Carbon Neutrality." The forum is organised by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the China Association for Science and Technology, and the Beijing municipal government. Xi Jinping delivered a speech via video conference at the opening ceremony of the forum on 24 September. He noted that Zhongguancun, now known as China's "Silicon Valley," used to be an obscure village before the People's Republic of China was established. He also emphasised that all countries in the world need to strengthen openness and cooperation in science and technology and jointly solve important global issues. Carbon neutrality is among the central topics of the 2021 Zhongguancun forum. Press Release on the Beijing Municipality's website stated that around 30 technology products will be presented in the ZGC forum on five aspects — intelligent services, scientific and technological epidemic prevention, on-site effects, online forums, and interactive experience. ZGC also had 25 parallel forums represented by top experts in the field. The forum held a special Science and Technology Expo for the first time. An important session at the forum was "Future Industry Innovation and Development" which highlighted the potential for cultivating industrial Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). This session had Jia Jingdun, director of the Torch Center of the Ministry of Science and Technology China as a keynote speaker. Zhongguancun is China's first national high-tech industrial development zone. It was established in 1988.
Chinese Scientists Achieve Breakthrough in Quantum Secure Direct Communication
An article published on 27 Sept claimed that Chinese scientists have achieved Quantum Secure Direct communication over the distance of 40 km with the construction of a 15-user quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) network. QSDC network enabled the direct transmission of confidential information among the users connected by the network for the first time. The paper titled "A 15-user quantum secure direct communication network" based on the research was published in the journal "Light: Science and Application." The research team consisted of scientists from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Jiangxi Normal University. The article claims that using their research one can transmit secret information in the quantum channel without a key. The article claims that based on this experiment, researchers can carry out quantum communication over a longer distance and realize satellite-ground and even global quantum communication networks. This article on CGTN further explains the breakthrough.
China Ranked First in Number of Highly Cited Papers
The article states that according to the "Science and Technology Indicators 2021" report published by Japan’s National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP), China ranked 1st in the world in terms of the number of high-impact papers cited by other researchers. For the first time, China has surpassed the United States in ranking. The ranking was based on papers published in 22 natural science fields in three years between 2017 and 2019.
Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Discussed Strengthening Biosafety Construction
Xi Jinping presided over the meeting and delivered a speech. He emphasized that it is necessary to accelerate the advancement of biotechnology innovation and industrial application, promote the self-reliance of science and technology in the field of biosafety. Xi Jinping pointed out that it is necessary to actively participate in global biosafety governance. He also emphasized integrating Chinese and Western medicine, promote the formulation of the "Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework", and provide Chinese solutions to the world.
Importance of Human Decision Making and Psychological Abilities in Warfare
This article in PLA Daily highlights the importance of human strategic decision making with the emergence of intelligent warfare. The article argues that the role of human decision-making in warfare has become more prominent. The article basically chalks out scenarios involving sensitivities of human decision making and human-machine collaboration in mixed wars and future intelligent warfare. However, no specific mention of China's approach to such warfare, but cites plenty of examples from the US Military.
Shanghai Releases Plan to Build Globally Influentially Science and Technology Innovation Center
Shanghai officially released the "Fourteenth Five-Year Plan for Shanghai to Build a Globally Influential Science and Technology Innovation Center." Information Office of the State Council held a press conference to introduce the acceleration of the construction of a scientific and technological innovation centre with global influence in Shanghai. According to the article, the Global Innovation Index ranked Shanghai 8th among the top 100 global technology clusters. The article also states that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the Ministry of Science and Technology will benchmark the country’s requirements for self-reliance in science and technology and coordinate with other departments.
II. Additional Information
Shenyang J-16D Electronic Warfare Aircraft
(A J-16D electronic warfare airplane is displayed at the Airshow China, Zhuhai, Source: CGTN)
Shenyang J-16D made its debut in the 2021 Zhuhai Airshow China. It is electronic warfare (EW) capable version of China's J-16 fighter and can accommodate a two-pilot crew. It is equipped with signal jammers that can disable enemy radars, missile guiding systems, and wireless communication. Its primary function would be crippling enemies' anti-air defence, stealth aircraft, and Aegis-like missile defence systems. It will act as a guardian of J-20 aircraft, with KJ-500 early warning and control aircraft completing the fleet.
It is important to note that the J-16 series of aircraft itself is based on the variants of Sukhoi-27 and Sukhoi-30 series aircraft.
It reportedly has two electronic warfare (EW) pods on the wingtips (one on each wing), four jamming pods under its wings and air inlets, and two anti-radiation missiles under its belly. The EW systems have replaced the Infrared Search and Track (IRST) and 30mm cannon which means this aircraft is not suitable for air-to-air combat like J-16.
As Kelvin Wong, a Singapore-based defence editor at Janes stated to Reuters, *"The J-16D is a very important new addition to (China's) air force order of battle. It provides critical new electronic warfare elements designed to degrade an adversary's ability to attack and engage other People's Liberation Army air assets."*
An article in SCMP quoted former PLA instructor Song Zhongping who expressed J-16D could mean that China attaches "great importance to domination in electromagnetic warfare."
As reported by CGTN, insignia of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force can be seen on the J-16D which means this type of jet is already in service of PLA Air Force. This makes China only a second nation in the world to possess aircraft capable of electronic warfare. With the United States (US) being the only other nation to have similar aircraft, J-16D is being compared to Boeing's EA-18 Growler.
WZ-7 High-altitude Reconnaissance Drone
Chia's independently designed and developed WZ-7 high-altitude reconnaissance drone made its debut in the 2021 Zhuhai Airshow China. Previously codenamed "Guizhou Soar Dragon", the drone is China's most advanced reconnaissance drone and is already in service of the PLA Air Force.
It is expected to be deployed at places that require extended endurance like border reconnaissance and maritime patrol.
It is rumoured to be deployed at the Sino-India border and is expected to play an important role in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
Global Innovation Index 2021
The 2021 Global Innovation Index was released recently. Let's look at the highlights of China.
- China ranks 12th among the 132 economies featured in the GII 2021
- China ranks 1st among the 34 upper-middle-income group economies
- China ranks 3rd among the 17 economies in South East Asia, East Asia, and Oceania
- China performs best in Knowledge and technology outputs and its weakest performance is in Institutions
- Ranks number one in patents by Origin/bn PPP $GDP
- Ranks no one in High tech exports as % of total trade
Improvement in ranking from 14th last year to 12th this year combined with high ranking in citations, patents, and research output has validated China's claims of being an emerging technology powerhouse. As already evident from the official media narrative, official media is using these as a reflection of the success of Beijing's science, tech, and innovation policies. A good score in such rankings also provides impetus to Beijing's efforts to mobilise the tech industry towards goals in 14th FYP.
(Image Source: Global Innovation Index, 2021)
(Image Source: Global Innovation Index, 2021)
Top science and technology clusters in China (18 clusters in top 100 of the world) (Page 223, Annex Table 3)
1. 2: Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Guangzhou
2. 3: Beijing
3. 8: Shanghai
4. 18: Nanjing
5. 21: Hangzhou
6. 25: Wuhan
7. 33: Xi'an
8. 39: Chengdu
9. 52: Tianjian
10. 53: Qingdao
11. 59: Changsha
12. 63: Suzhou
13. 69: Chongqing
14. 75: Harbin
15. 76: Jinan
16. 81: Changchun
17. 90: Shenyang
18. 97: Dalian
Ranking of Science and Technology Intensity (2015-2019) (Page 224, Annex Table 4)
1. 33: Beijing
2. 51: Shenzhen– Hong Kong– Guangzhou
3. 53: Nanjing
4. 61: Hangzhou
5. 66: Xi'an
6. 70: Qingdao
7. 71: Wuhan
8. 73: Changsha
9. 79: Changchun
10. 81: Shanghai
11. 83: Jinan
12. 85: Harbin
13. 86: Hefei
14. 88: Dalian
15. 89: Chongqing
16. 90: Chengdu
17. 91: Suzhou
18. 92: Tianjin
19. 96: Shenyang
(Image Source: Created using Google Earth by Megha Pardhi)