Nigeria Times

By Dou Hanyang, Han Xin, People’s Daily

The world’s largest pure electric intelligent container vessel, the Ning Yuan Dian Kun, developed by China, embarked on its maiden voyage on April 15, marking a new step in the country’s push toward greener and more intelligent coastal shipping.

At 4 p.m., the ship departed from Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in east China’s Zhejiang province, heading for Zhapu Port in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, a journey of about 70 nautical miles.

With its bright green hull cutting across the deep blue sea, the vessel stood out at first glance. Along its side, the words “Battery Power Zero Emission” highlighted its defining feature — fully electric propulsion with zero emissions during operation.

Developed by Ningbo Ocean Shipping Co., Ltd., the Ning Yuan Dian Kun is recognized as the world’s largest vessel of its kind and China’s first 10,000-ton-class pure electric intelligent container ship. Its launch into commercial service signaled a new phase for China’s coastal container transport, combining clean energy with intelligent navigation.

What sets this vessel apart?

Onboard, an integrated smart navigation platform displays real-time data across multiple digital screens. Positioned at the stern, ten standardized container-sized lithium iron phosphate battery units — the ship’s primary power source — are neatly arranged, . With a total storage capacity of around 20,000 kWh, the system is equivalent to the combined battery capacity of about 300 electric cars.

The environmental benefits are substantial. Once fully operational, the vessel is expected to save around 580 tons of fuel annually and cut carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1,400 tons, roughly equal to the yearly carbon absorption of 40,000 mature trees, achieving truly zero-emission, zero-pollution voyages, said Wang Ting, captain of the vessel.

“The most noticeable difference compared with conventional fuel-powered ships is the profound quietness,” Wang said. “The engine room was once dominated by the roar of the main engine, but now we sail almost silently, which significantly improves crew focus.” 

He added that electric propulsion also delivers smoother and more responsive acceleration and deceleration, with minimal delay. However, he emphasized, “This requires careful energy management — operators must monitor battery consumption closely and adjust speed planning accordingly.”

Compared with vessels powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), pure electric ships rely more heavily on charging infrastructure, especially for longer routes. The steady expansion of shore power facilities has already made electric vessels more common along inland waterways like the Yangtze River.

But is an all-electric vessel capable of handling sea routes?

“The vessel’s range fully meets the requirements of this specific route, incorporating a built-in safety margin,” said Chen Xiaofeng, chairman of Ningbo Ocean Shipping Co., Ltd. Behind this capability lies a comprehensive system integrating battery capacity, energy management, and charging solutions.

From a design perspective, the biggest challenge was not a single technical hurdle, but integrating an entire electric propulsion system into a 10,000-ton-class seagoing vessel. 

“Stable power supply under complex maritime conditions places high demands on energy management and system safety,” Chen explained. To address this, the company worked with partners including the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute and China Classification Society to overcome key technical challenges, optimizing battery layout and improving energy efficiency.

Equally important is the charging system. The vessel adopts a dual approach combining shore-based charging and battery swapping. In current operations, shore power charging has proven sufficient, while the battery-swapping model is being further developed as a reserve solution.

To support the vessel’s battery-powered and autonomous navigation systems, maritime authorities in Ningbo introduced dedicated service and safety protocols, completing real-world tests for functions such as intelligent route tracking and dynamic collision avoidance in advance. The ship’s smooth operation and rapid decision-making response have demonstrated the reliability and stability of its smart navigation system in real-world conditions.

The maiden voyage of the Ning Yuan Dian Kun also underscored the broader potential of green shipping.

While all-electric vessels require higher upfront investment, they offer significantly lower energy and maintenance costs over time, particularly on short, high-frequency routes where their economic advantages are more pronounced.

“Green shipping brings both immediate and long-term benefits,” Chen said. “In the short term, it reduces fuel consumption and emissions. In the long run, it enhances market competitiveness.” 

As global clients place increasing emphasis on supply chain carbon footprints, low-emission shipping capacity is becoming not just a competitive edge, but a shared direction for the industry’s future.

In recent years, China has seen rapid growth in new-energy and clean-energy vessels. From inland waterways to ocean routes, the share of green ships continues to rise steadily.

Statistics show that by the end of 2025, China had over 1,600 clean-energy vessels operating on coastal and inland waterways, including battery-powered, LNG, methanol and hydrogen fuel cell ships. China boasts one of the world’s largest clean shipping fleets and takes a global lead in the application of electric watercraft.

By Qiu Chaoyi, People’s Daily

China’s economy got off to a solid start in the first quarter of the year, with GDP expanding 5.0 percent year on year. Across the board, key indicators showed encouraging performance. Four keywords shed light on the quality and underlying strength of the country’s first-quarter economic performance.

Steady Improvement

Preliminary data show that China’s GDP reached nearly 33.42 trillion yuan ($4.9 trillion) in the first quarter, growing 5 percent year on year in real terms, an increase of 0.5 percentage points from the fourth quarter of last year.

Breaking down the data, agricultural production remained stable, while industry and services both posted steady growth. The value added of the primary industry reached 1.19 trillion yuan, up 3.8 percent; the secondary industry grew 4.9 percent to 11.61 trillion yuan; and the tertiary industry rose 5.2 percent to 20.61 trillion yuan.

Price levels remained generally stable, with core CPI (Consumer Price Index) which excludes food and energy prices, up 1.2 percent year on year. Investment also rebounded, with fixed-asset investment (excluding rural households) reaching 10.27 trillion yuan, up 1.7 percent and returning to positive growth. 

Consumption showed steady improvement, as retail sales of consumer goods rose 2.4 percent year on year to nearly 12.77 trillion yuan, accelerating by 0.7 percentage points from the previous quarter. Employment remained stable, with the surveyed urban unemployment rate averaging 5.3 percent, unchanged from a year earlier.

“Overall, major macroeconomic indicators picked up in the first quarter, new growth drivers expanded rapidly, and the economy achieved a good start,” said Mao Shengyong, deputy head of the National Bureau of Statistics.

Strong Resilience

Against a high comparison base from last year’s first quarter and a far more complex, challenging global outlook, China’s economy delivered a robust opening performance, fully demonstrating its remarkable resilience.

Take foreign trade, for example. In the first quarter, China’s total imports and exports of goods reached nearly 11.84 trillion yuan, up 15 percent year on year, the fastest quarterly growth in the past five years. Mao noted that the strong competitiveness of Chinese enterprises, the high cost-effectiveness of their products, and supportive policy measures have helped offset external uncertainties and expand new space for trade.

Energy security also reflects this resilience. “Amid rising global energy prices driven by geopolitical tensions, China has maintained stable and orderly energy supply, with timely price adjustments ensuring sufficient energy for both households and businesses,” Mao said. 

This stability stems from years of forward-looking efforts to develop new energy industries and build a diversified energy supply system, significantly enhancing the economy’s autonomy and stability, he added.

Supported by China’s vast domestic market, complete industrial system, and strong supporting capabilities, industrial and supply chains have remained secure and stable, effectively cushioning external shocks. This demonstrates the strong resilience and anti-risk capability of the Chinese industry and provides solid support for overall economic stability.

Innovation-Driven, High-Quality Development

In the first quarter, China’s new quality productive forces continued to grow steadily, characterized by high-end, intelligent, green, and upgraded development.

High-end manufacturing and modern services expanded rapidly. The value added of high-tech manufacturing enterprises above designated size rose 12.5 percent year on year, raising its share in total output of industrial enterprises above designated size to 16.9 percent and contributing 2 percentage points to overall growth of industrial enterprises above designated size.

Intelligent development gained further momentum. Output in sectors directly related to artificial intelligence (AI), including electronic materials and integrated circuits, grew by 32.5 percent and 49.4 percent, respectively, highlighting AI’s growing role as a driver of economic activity.

Green transformation is also creating new growth engines. In the first quarter, production of lithium-ion batteries and wind turbines rose by 40.8 percent and 30.1 percent, respectively. Exports of the “new trio” — electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and solar products — continued to grow rapidly, with electric vehicle exports surging 77.5 percent, contributing to the global transition toward green and low-carbon development.

Meanwhile, traditional industries are being revitalized through steady upgrading, with faster progress in equipment renewal and technological transformation.

Confidence in the Outlook

Looking ahead, China has every reason to remain confident about its economic prospects.

“We have strong institutional strengths, as well as accumulated advantages in industry, market size, and talent. We are fully capable of maintaining stable economic performance and achieving high-quality development throughout the year,” Mao said.

With first-quarter GDP growth of 5.0 percent, China continues to rank among the fastest-growing major economies globally. Growth is increasingly driven by innovation, the cultivation of new quality productive forces, and the rapid expansion of new growth drivers.

At the same time, improving demand is creating favorable conditions. Domestic demand contributed 84.7 percent to economic growth in the first quarter, up nearly 30 percentage points year on year. Imports of consumer goods rose 5.4 percent, indicating a gradual recovery in domestic demand, particularly the continued release of potential in service consumption.

“Despite a complex external environment, we have the strength and resolve to meet any risks and challenges,” Mao said. “That assurance is built on our past achievements, and we remain confident about the future.”

By Shi Yu, People’s Daily

As global trade continues to evolve, China is accelerating efforts to integrate ports, shipping, and trade through more efficient and intelligent logistics networks. A key platform in this push is the Silk Road Maritime, the country’s first comprehensive international logistics service platform centered on maritime shipping under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Launched in southeast China’s Fujian province in 2018, Silk Road Maritime has expanded rapidly. Today, it operates 148 routes originating from more than 10 Chinese ports, connecting to 150 ports across 48 countries and regions. It has become an important link bridging domestic and international markets and connecting land and sea corridors.

The platform has demonstrably improved both efficiency and scale. For instance, a newly launched container route from Fujian to Latin America has shortened sailing time by more than seven days. By February 2026, cross-border e-commerce goods transported via dedicated express shipping lines had achieved an export value exceeding 15 billion yuan ($2.2 billion), while bulk and breakbulk cargo routes had handled goods worth over 32 billion yuan.

At Xiamen Port’s Haitian Terminal, a cargo vessel carrying more than 6,000 parcels of cross-border e-commerce goods, including apparel, small appliances, and daily necessities, recently set sail. Just two days later, the shipment would arrive at Manila Port in the Philippines.

Such efficiency was once unimaginable for Sun Kaiyang, general manager of a supply chain company based in Xiamen, Fujian province, the shipper of the above cargo. “In the past, we had to wait until enough goods were consolidated into a full container, then truck them to another port ahead of schedule. Delivery times were hard to guarantee.”

Cross-border e-commerce shipments are typically small in volume, frequent, and highly time-sensitive, posing challenges for traditional shipping logistics. 

To address this, the first Silk Road Maritime e-commerce express route was launched in June 2022. Since then, a growing network of such routes has enabled direct, point-to-point shipping from Xiamen to major ports in countries including Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand.

“Now we can deliver, load, inspect, and dispatch all on the same day,” Sun said. “The logistics chain has been significantly shortened.” 

Xiamen has also introduced an innovative mixed-container model, allowing e-commerce parcels and general trade goods to be shipped together. This has expanded cargo sourcing and increased flexibility in customs clearance. 

“Overall, transport time is reduced by about two days, and each container saves around 4,000 yuan in shipping costs, significantly boosting competitiveness,” Sun added.

Customs authorities have also streamlined procedures. “We’ve simplified declaration requirements and optimized inspection processes,” said Cai Shaojun, deputy head of the logistics supervision division at Dongdu Customs under Xiamen Customs. 

Compared with traditional models where different types of goods require separate warehousing and export, this integrated approach improves logistics time efficiency by 25 to 50 percent and is expected to cut costs per shipment by 10 to 25 percent, according to the official.

For long-distance maritime transport, reliable weather forecasting is critical.

In early November last year, Captain Zhang Nan of Meico International Shipping Limited faced a difficult decision while navigating a route from Penang, Malaysia, to Nansha Port in China’s Guangdong province, as Typhoon Kalmaegi approached. 

“Before departure, we hesitated — whether to wait it out or detour, both options meant delays and higher fuel costs,” he recalled.

Using Silk Road Maritime’s meteorological navigation service, the crew gained access to real-time visual forecasts covering the next five days, including the typhoon’s trajectory, wind conditions, and wave patterns. Supported by a team of meteorological and maritime experts, they determined that the vessel could proceed safely. The ship continued on its planned course, avoiding a 12-hour delay and saving 10 tons of fuel.

Behind this capability is an integrated meteorological service platform jointly developed by Silk Road Maritime, a Beijing-based global navigation company, and the Xiamen meteorological service center. The platform combines data on wind, waves, pressure, and visibility, forming a full-chain, all-weather support system spanning ocean routes, ports, and inland logistics.

Digitalization is another key pillar of Silk Road Maritime’s development. Its international shipping service platform uses big data and the Internet of Things to integrate resources across the logistics chain, monitoring container movements in real time, optimizing route planning, and delivering more efficient and reliable services.

The platform is also expanding its ecosystem. At the 2026 Silk Road Maritime Annual Meeting held in Nanning, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on March 26, eight new members joined the Silk Road Maritime Association, bringing total membership to 375. 

“With coordinated support from the alliance, ports can prioritize berthing and streamline vessel handling, significantly improving turnaround efficiency,” said Fan Xiehui, a manager at the Xiamen branch of SITC Container Lines (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., adding that as a member of the association, the company has seen tangible benefits.

Li said the Silk Road Maritime will continue to pool global resources and explore coordinated development models linking ports, cities, industries, and trade, with the aim of building a smarter, more integrated ecosystem for international shipping and trade.

By Liao Ruiling

As the global transition toward green energy accelerates, the energy storage sector is seeing numerous market opportunities.

In March, the Solar Solutions Amsterdam 2026 exhibition was successfully held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. 

Chinese photovoltaic giant LONGi Green Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (LONGi) signed energy storage system supply agreements with two major core European partners during the exhibition, with a combined scale of 600 MWh. 

Meanwhile, the company’s energy storage solutions achieved their first order landing in the German market, as noted by She Haifeng, vice president of the company.

In March,battery manufacturer Hithium signed a letter of intent with the Spanish government to invest about 400 million euro ($472 million) in building a large-scale battery and energy storage manufacturing facility. 

February saw Chinese company Sungrow announced plans to invest approximately 230 million euro in building its first European manufacturing plant, with an annual capacity of 20 GW of photovoltaic inverters and 12.5 GWh of energy storage systems. 

China Aviation Lithium Battery also established a Portugal partnership earlier this year.

This expansion builds on 2025’s breakthrough, when Chinese firms secured 366 GWh in overseas orders — a 144% year-on-year surge. Top markets included Australia, the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and Chile, with emerging regions like the Middle East and Southeast Asia showing rapid growth.

Over 70 Chinese enterprises now operate globally, with battery manufacturers leading the full industrial chain’s internationalization. Demand is diversifying into specialized applications including data centers, microgrids, and island systems, while long-term service agreements and joint ventures have become standard business models.

This surge in China’s global energy storage presence has drawn widespread attention. A Reuters report late last year noted that reforms in China’s power market are reshaping the economics of domestic energy storage. Coupled with rising demand overseas, Chinese manufacturers are experiencing rapid growth, further strengthening their leading position.

To understand this wave of expansion, it helps to first look at how energy storage works.

In simple terms, energy storage refers to technologies that store energy through specific media or devices and release it when needed. Its core function is to address the mismatch in timing between energy supply and demand. 

For instance, wind and solar power are inherently intermittent, so storage systems charge when electricity supply exceeds demand and discharge when supply is tight, turning renewable energy into a stable and continuous resource.

According to Tian Qingjun, senior vice president of Chinese wind turbine company Envision Group, the recent surge in overseas demand is driven by multiple factors, including the accelerating global energy transition, the rapid growth of AI data centers, and technological advances that have significantly reduced system costs.

“Looking at specific markets, Europe and Australia are accelerating deployment based on their energy transition needs, while in the United States, demand growth is largely driven by the expansion of AI data centers,” Tian said.

Several companies seeking growth in overseas markets emphasized that the current wave of large-scale investment is not a short-term trend, but the result of years of accumulated expertise and technological breakthroughs.

“Backed by more than a decade of technical development and project experience, LONGi’s energy storage business has established a mature global delivery system,” said She. “We currently have 31 GWh of in-house storage manufacturing capacity worldwide, with over 13 GWh already connected to grids. Our business now spans key markets including Europe, North America, and Australia.”

Envision Group, for its part, began international expansion as early as 2008, building up extensive experience in technology development, project delivery, and ecosystem partnerships across Europe, North America, Latin America, Japan, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. 

According to Tian, the group is keeping accelerating global expansion, and overseas markets are expected to account for about 2/3 of the group’s business in the future.

Multiple energy storage companies noted that advancing the global reach of China’s energy storage sector ultimately hinges on localization, which means adapting technologies to local conditions and needs. 

For example, systems deployed in Northern Europe must operate reliably in extreme cold, while those in Southeast Asia must withstand high humidity and corrosion. This requires continuous innovation and tailored solutions for different environments.

She also revealed that by the end of 2028, the company plans to establish 30 comprehensive local service centers across major solar-plus-storage markets worldwide. The goal is to build an integrated service network that enhances coordination between solar and storage systems while strengthening localized support capabilities.

By Li Junqiang, Jiang Hongbing, Huang Xiaohui, People’s Daily

Recently, China’s National Medical Products Administration has granted the world’s first regulatory approval for an implantable brain-computer interface (BCI) device, marking a historic milestone in medical technology. This breakthrough transitions BCI — long considered the pinnacle of human-machine interaction — from laboratory research to clinical application.

BCI technology, first explored by scientists in the 1970s, establishes direct communication between the brain and external devices. “The fundamental principle of a brain-computer interface is to establish an information pathway between the brain and external equipment that bypasses peripheral nerves or muscles,” said Hong Bo, a professor at the School of Biomedical Engineering at Tsinghua University. 

By collecting and interpreting neural electrical signals generated during brain activity and translating them into actionable commands, users are able to control external devices using nothing but their thoughts.

The newly approved implantable BCI system for hand motor function augmentation, dubbed NEO, was jointly developed by Neuracle Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (Neuracle) and the School of Biomedical Engineering at Tsinghua University. 

“For patients with quadriplegia caused by cervical spinal cord injuries, who are unable to perform grasping movements with their fingers, we implant a coin-sized device in a minimally invasive procedure outside the dura mater,” said Wang Yujing, product director at Neuracle.

“The system collects and decodes the patient’s brain signals in real time, enabling them to control a pneumatic glove with their thoughts to perform actions such as grasping objects or drinking water,” she added.

“Among all technical approaches, implantable BCIs are widely considered the most challenging,” Wang noted. Directly implanting electrodes into the cerebral cortex involves significant risks and challenges, including craniotomy procedures, long-term biological tissue responses, wireless data transmission, and safe power supply.

In the past, patients often relied on wear wired systems, with visible external leads, to connect the brain to external devices. Muming Poo, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, noted that in recent years, BCIs have advanced toward miniaturized chips, faster decoding algorithms, and breakthroughs in high-precision electrode technology, gradually transitioning from laboratory research to clinical application. 

China has already completed dozens of clinical procedures. Trial data show that all participating patients experienced varying degrees of improvement in grasping ability, with some even exhibiting signs of neural remodeling and partial recovery of additional neural functions.

“The key clinical breakthrough lies in achieving stable acquisition of brain signals through minimally invasive implantation outside the dura mater, without contacting brain tissue or damaging neurons, while accurately decoding patients’ motor intentions to enable grasping and drinking,” said Mao Ying, president of Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University in Shanghai.

In 2024, a clinical trial participant surnamed Dong was able, after training, to grasp a cup and drink independently using thought commands, assisted by a pneumatic glove controlled via the BCI system. 

“These were actions he had been unable to perform since sustaining a high-level spinal cord injury,” Mao recalled. With further rehabilitation, Dong not only managed to lift dumbbells using his mind, but also wrote the neatly formed Chinese characters for “thank you” by hand. 

“Seeing BCI technology translated into clinical reality and genuinely improving patients’ lives just touched me so much,” Mao said.

Recently, Beijing Tiantan Hospital and Xuanwu Hospital, both affiliated to Capital Medical University, carried out implantation surgeries using the “Beinao No. 1” intelligent BCI system. An ultra-thin electrode array, feather-light and integrating 128 signal acquisition channels, was precisely placed in the brain region responsible for hand movement, helping patients with spinal cord injuries improve motor function. 

“Clinical practice showed that BCIs are delivering tangible improvements for patients with spinal cord injuries, stroke, and other conditions,” said Li Yuan, business development director at Beijing-based startup NeuCyber Neuro Tech.

BCI devices represent a complex integration of materials science, chip design, algorithms, and rehabilitation technologies. An expert noted that China has now largely established a full industrial chain covering both upstream and downstream segments, although the sector as a whole remains at an early stage. The approval of a complete device this time is expected to stimulate growth in both foundational components upstream and application development downstream.

In July 2025, China issued a set of guidelines aimed at promoting the innovative development of the BCI industry, calling for breakthroughs in core hardware and software, the development of high-performance products, and the acceleration of real-world applications. Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong, and other regions have also introduced supportive policies, helping to foster a favorable industrial ecosystem.

According to incomplete statistics, China is home to more than 3.7 million people living with spinal cord injuries, with approximately 90,000 new cases each year, underscoring the vast potential market for BCIs.

Some institutions predicted that by 2027, China’s BCI market will reach 5.58 billion yuan ($818.46 million), with an average annual growth of 20 percent. It is also widely believed in the industry that the sector is poised to enter a phase of steady growth, with medical rehabilitation serving as the primary driver while applications gradually expand into broader fields.

“With strong policy support, continued technological development, declining costs, growing market awareness, and improving regulatory frameworks, BCIs are expected to achieve larger-scale commercial application within the next three to five years, bringing tangible benefits to more people,” Li said.

By Yue Linwei, Han Bingchen, People’s Daily

In Heiwadai Park in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, stands a deeply ironic structure: the so-called Peace Tower, the Hakko Ichiu Monument. Its irony runs to its core: conceived and built as an emblem of militarist aggression, it has never had any genuine connection to peace.

Built between 1938 and 1940, at the height of Japanese militarism’s external expansion, the monument embodied the ideology of “Hakko Ichiu,” meaning “bringing the eight corners of the world under one roof,” a doctrine that amounted to an unapologetic declaration of conquest. 

To showcase the “imperial prestige” of its foreign aggression, the Japanese military plundered vast quantities of stone from invaded and colonized territories, shipping them back to Japan as war trophies to build the monument.

Built into the foundation of this militarist monument to atrocities are 372 stones plundered from abroad, 238 of which were seized from China. Among them are a qilin relief from the imperial palace of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in Nanjing, bricks from the Great Wall, and stone carvings from the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. 

Inscriptions such as “Great Wall-Tada Unit” and “Central China Expeditionary Army” remain clearly legible today. The stones are silent, yet each bears witness to the suffering of peoples in Japan’s occupied country. Every mark etched into them is a scar that history cannot erase.

After Japan’s defeat in World War II, the Allied forces ordered the dismantling of all symbols of Japanese militarism. Under international pressure, Miyazaki authorities removed the “Hakko Ichiu” inscription, took down samurai statues atop the monument, and renamed it the “Symbol of Peace” in an attempt to pass scrutiny.

Yet the whitewashing soon resumed. In 1962, samurai statues were reinstalled, and in 1965, the “Hakko Ichiu” inscription was quietly restored. Local authorities also erected a plaque explaining the monument’s “origins,” distorting the phrase “Hakko Ichiu” into a claim of “universal brotherhood among the world’s peoples,” while falsely describing the looted stones as “gifts from friendly nations.” 

In this way, a structure rooted in militarist aggression was repackaged as “cultural heritage,” and the crimes it embodies have been systematically distorted.

According to Japanese scholars, the monument is visited by more than 100,000 students each year on school trips, exposing generations to a distorted view of history. 

Reports indicate Miyazaki Prefecture plans extensive renovations to the surrounding park. Despite growing domestic calls to revise inscriptions that whitewash Japan’s war of aggression, local authorities maintain they will “preserve the status quo.”

Japan’s right-wing forces have resorted to self-deceiving maneuvers around this monument, just as they do with distorting history textbooks and visits to the Yasukuni Shrine. Their aim is to whitewash wartime atrocities and pave the way for “neo-militarism.”

At the end of April 2026, Japan will mark the so-called “centenary of the Shōwa era.” Yet on official Japanese government websites, references to “aggression” are conspicuously absent. 

While right-wing figures claim to uphold Japan’s constitution, they in fact regard the pacifist constitution as an obstacle, repeatedly pushing for constitutional revision in an attempt to hollow out its peace-oriented principles. 

They insist Japan’s “exclusively defense-oriented policy” remains unchanged, yet the country’s defense budget has exceeded 9 trillion yen ($56.63 billion), rising for 14 consecutive years. Furthermore, with the deployment of multiple types of long-range missiles, Japan has aquired, for the first time since World War II, the capability to launch preemptive strikes.

An invisible Hakko Ichiu monument, embodying dangerous expansionism, is emerging amid Japan’s resurgent right-wing activism. 

Warnings from the insightful ring loud and clear: “Japanese society is entering a new prewar period” where “war awaits just at the end of the corridor.” 

This misguided push toward neo-militarism is intensifying regional and global vigilance regarding Japan’s future trajectory.

By Wang Zhou, Li Kaixuan, Bai Guangdi, People’s Daily

Across China, new construction methods are reshaping how residential and industrial buildings are built. By embracing prefabricated, modular techniques, localities are exploring ways to integrate faster, greener, and higher-quality construction into both public housing and industrial development.

Unlike traditional building methods, modular construction shifts much of the work to factories, where components are prefabricated and then assembled on-site. This approach reduces construction time while improving quality control and environmental performance.

For 74-year-old Ms. Liu Guilan, the return has been a pleasant surprise. Her new apartment is larger, better designed, and free from the persistent plumbing issues that plagued her old building.

“It took less than six months from vacating the old house to receiving the keys to the new one,” she said with a smile. “I’ve been living here for 40 years, and I never imagined I could move into a brand-new home exactly on the same site.”

This building was originally constructed in 1978. Due to its long service life and lack of maintenance, it suffered from structural aging and exterior wall cracks, and was included in Beijing’s urban renewal program in 2023. 

Demolition of the old building kicked off in July last year, and the construction of the new building started in September of the same year. After that, all modular hoisting was completed in only 46 days, with the main structure capped.

The speed and quality gains were made possible by modular integrated construction (MiC) technology.

“Using digital twin technology, we broke the entire building down into 156 standardized modules,” said Pei Jiangfei from the contractor, China State Construction Hailong Technology Company Limited. 

According to Pei, more than 90 percent of the work, including structural casting, insulation, pipeline installation, and interior finishing, was completed at a smart factory in Langfang, Hebei province, which borders on Beijing. After undergoing millimeter-level precision checks and rigorous performance testing, the modules were transported to the site and assembled with high accuracy.

This method reduced construction time by about 75 percent while delivering environmental benefits: construction waste dropped by 75 percent, material loss by 25 percent, and carbon emissions by 30 percent. Dust and noise pollution were also significantly lower.

When these modules were fabricated, each of them was assigned a unique digital identity, with all production data recorded throughout the entire process. Upon delivery, this information was converted into a digital archive for each apartment, clearly marking the precise locations of internal wall pipelines and equipment. This provides digital support for later operation and maintenance, ensuring residents can live more securely and at ease.

Modular construction is expanding beyond cities into rural areas.

In Yuhuang community in Fucheng district, Mianyang, southwest China’s Sichuan province, rows of newly built houses with white walls and gray tiles are scattered in an orderly manner. Unlike traditional rural houses, these two-story detached homes adopt a prefabricated light steel structure.

Seventy-year-old villager Wang Weiying has lived in her new home for five years. The house, with a floor area of about 180 square meters, cost roughly 300,000 yuan ($43,978) to build. “The price is about the same as a traditional brick-and-concrete house, but it has many advantages,” Wang said.

“In the past, we had to lay bricks one by one. Now it’s like building with blocks — the main structure was completed in about 40 days, cutting the construction time in half,” Wang recalled. 

“And it’s much more comfortable to live in. Even during the rainy season, the house stays dry and mold-free. Compared with old brick houses, it’s warmer in winter and cooler in summer,” she added.

“It’s also well insulated from noise. You can’t hear conversations or even chickens outside,” one of her neighbors chimed in.

Industrial projects similarly benefit. At an industrial park in Suqian, east China’s Jiangsu province, a modern factory building recently took shape through modular assembly. Steel columns were hoisted into place with precision, forming the structure of a 20,000-square-meter facility for a tech firm.

“Previously, constructing a factory of this size would take more than eight months and could be easily delayed by weather,” said project manager Wang Jian. “With modular construction, the entire process from groundbreaking to completion took just about four months.”

On-site work that once relied heavily on formwork, rebar, and concrete has been largely replaced by standardized component production in factories. This not only speeds up construction but also reduces the cost of dust and noise control.

Other advantages are equally compelling: more consistent quality, longer building lifespan, flexible layouts that can be adjusted to production needs, and shorter timelines that allow companies to begin operations sooner. These factors are driving more industrial projects to adopt modular methods. In Suqian, the floor area of newly started prefabricated buildings grew from 834,300 square meters in 2020 to over 1.5 million square meters in 2024.

Prefabricated construction is a key pathway toward industrialized, intelligent, and green building. With supportive policies, advancing technologies, and growing market demand all converging, the sector is poised for rapid growth, helping to build a more robust industrial ecosystem and accelerate the transformation and upgrading of the construction industry.

By Yang Xun, People’s Daily

A few months ago, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, together with five other government departments, released the country’s first batch of flagship smart factories, with 15 companies selected nationwide. 

Construction machinery and agricultural machinery manufacturer Zoomlion made the list with its “Excavator Shared Manufacturing Smart Factory” project.

What truly defines this facility as “smart”? 

“At its core, one of the most important things we’ve done is to give machines a ‘brain’ and ‘eyes’,” said Ouyang Shuxun, deputy manager of the process department at Zoomlion’s earthmoving machinery division.

Traditional construction machinery workshops are often characterized by noise, crowding, and heavy reliance on manual labor for critical tasks such as welding, component flipping, and assembly. This approach not only hampers production efficiency but also introduces significant safety risks.

In contrast, at Zoomlion’s intelligent factory, the industrial internet is deeply integrated, with over 300 intelligent production lines operating at full capacity. Visitors immediately impressed by its clean, tidy and high-tech environment, free from loud noise and dust pollution.

The operational contrast is even more pronounced. Hundreds of industrial robots execute tasks with pinpoint precision, working alongside nearly 300 automated guided vehicles (AGVs) to transport multi-ton structural components directly to designated workstations.

Powered by advanced artificial intelligence (AI), these production lines enable seamless switching between products ranging from 5 to 30 tons without interruption.

Production efficiency has seen dramatic improvements.  

While traditional construction machinery enterprises mostly adopt a build-to-stock model, the digital and intelligent upgrade at Zoomlion has pioneered an innovative build-to-order system.

Upon receiving customers’ personalized requirements, the system automatically generates production orders.

The entire process from steel plate cutting to final machine roll-off takes only 6.5 days, and customized products can be delivered to domestic clients in as little as two weeks.

A smart factory is not simply a collection of advanced equipment; it requires seamless coordination among vision systems, laser technologies, and robotics. 

“We first strengthened core process, then built cross-disciplinary teams, bringing together welding engineers, robotics engineers, vision specialists, and algorithm engineers to tackle challenges collaboratively and bridge knowledge gaps across fields,” Ouyang explained. 

The smart factory has also built a fully connected information platform covering the entire chain of research and development (R&D), production, supply, sales and service.

It enables real-time data sharing across core systems including R&D and design, manufacturing execution, supply chain management and quality control.

Design modifications are accurately synchronized to the production line, driving a 70 percent improvement in efficiency.

Today, the smart factory has achieved full-process automation and intelligence. From steel plate cutting, bending, and beveling to welding, machining, automotive-grade coating, and finally intelligent assembly and testing, the facility rolls out one finished product every six minutes on average. 

AI is also deeply embedded throughout production: it recommends optimal process plans for new products, while robot programming follows a “best solution plus fine-tuning” model, increasing the yield rate by 15 percent.

Beyond these impressive figures, a new model of “shared manufacturing” is also drawing attention.

The construction machinery industry has long grappled with the challenge of high product variety and small batch sizes.

Take excavators for instance: they involve 4,000 to over 6,000 different components, and production must handle mixed models of various tonnages. To this end, Zoomlion has adopted a sharing-based model.

Within its industrial park, the excavator factory’s three shared core manufacturing facilities, a medium-and-heavy plate blanking center, a high-strength steel blanking center, and a stamping center, serve not only its own production but are also open to neighboring facilities for cranes, concrete pump trucks and aerial work platforms, enabling cross-product collaboration. 

The benefits are substantial: steel utilization exceeds 90 percent, while the construction cost of the smart factory cluster has been reduced by 15 percent.

Powering this entire ecosystem is an AI-driven “industrial brain” that oversees more than 6,000 process routes for over 100 excavator models, enabling seamless product changeovers with zero downtime.

This shared manufacturing solution has been successfully replicated and deployed across over 20 smart factories worldwide, driving new momentum for the entire industry.

By thoroughly optimizing key processes and enabling seamless data flow across equipment, intelligent shared manufacturing is set to advance the sector with even greater strength and confidence.