Latest news with #ChangGuang
Arab News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
US warns Iran over support for Houthis, asks UN Security Council for stricter arms embargo
NEW YORK CITY: The US sharply criticized Iran on Thursday over its backing of the Houthis in Yemen, accusing Tehran of violating UN arms embargoes and enabling attacks against Arab nations and Israel. Speaking during a UN Security Council briefing on the situation in Yemen, the acting US ambassador, Dorothy Shea, said Iranian support is allowing the Houthis to threaten Israel, Gulf countries, and broader regional stability. 'This council must not tolerate Iran's repeated violations of its resolutions,' she told fellow members. Shea condemned the Houthis for ongoing cross-border attacks, including missile strikes on Israel's Ben Gurion airport, and threats of air and naval blockades targeting Port of Haifa, as well as human rights abuses within Yemen itself. 'Israel has the right to defend itself,' she said. 'We stand with Israel against Iranian-backed terrorist groups, including the Houthis.' The US envoy also highlighted what she described as evidence that the Houthis were acquiring dual-use technology from Chinese sources, specifically the Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company, which is linked to China's military and Communist Party leadership. In addition, she called for closer scrutiny of the Houthis' expanding ties to Somalian insurgent group Al-Shabaab, including an investigation by expert UN panels. Shea highlighted the important role of the UN's Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen as a critical tool for preventing illicit arms shipments to the Houthis, and praised recent interceptions of containers headed for rebel-controlled ports. She urged member states to increase funding for the mechanism and provide naval assets so that it can fully enforce its mandate. Shea also reiterated that even vessels cleared by the mechanism might still face consequences under US law, given that Washington has designated the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and warned that any form of aid to the group could violate US antiterrorism statutes. The ambassador condemned the Houthis for the prolonged detention of employees of the UN and nongovernmental organizations, and diplomatic personnel, including Americans, for more than a year on 'fabricated espionage charges,' and called for their immediate and unconditional release. 'The Houthis bear overwhelming responsibility for the deterioration in the well-being and safety of the Yemeni people,' Shea added, as she accused the group of terrorizing civilians, obstructing humanitarian aid, and profiting from illicit commercial activities. The briefing came as UN efforts to address Yemen's protracted conflict and humanitarian crisis continue, with the organization's special envoy to the country, Hans Grundberg, and Assistant Secretary-General Joyce Msuya on Thursday calling on council members to put pressure on the Houthis for a peace agreement and the release of all detainees.
South China Morning Post
19-04-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Chinese firm offers high-performance, low-cost satellites to belt and road countries
Breakthrough makes powerful sub-metre Kuanfu 02B the lightest on the market, Chang Guang Satellite Technology says Chinese satellite manufacturer Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co has an eye on international markets for its latest wide-angle remote sensing satellite, with a particular focus on countries involved in Beijing's infrastructure plan, the Belt and Road Initiative. The company says its sub-metre Kuanfu 02B series can cover large and medium-sized cities – such as Beijing and Taipei, for example – in a single pass, eliminating the need for multi-orbit stitching and enabling fast, large-scale monitoring. The high-definition imagery achieved by the satellite's 0.5m (1ft 7.7in) resolution supports multispectral fusion, allowing for precise identification of surface features across a swathe of 150km (93.2 miles). This makes the Kuanfu 02B 10 times more efficient than its competitors, which typically have swathes of 5-20km, giving it the capacity to cover more than 2 million square kilometres (0.77 million square miles) in a day. At the same time, the weight of the new satellite has been slashed from the hefty 1,200kg (2,650lbs) of its predecessor Kuanfu 01 to just 230kg, making it the lightest of its kind on the market, and drastically cutting production and launch costs. Chief engineer Zhang Lei said that one of the company's main challenges since its founding 11 years ago had been to produce satellites with high specifications while keeping costs, weight, and power consumption low. Chang Guang, one of the few Chinese aerospace companies with a complete industry chain – right up to post-launch operations and data processing – invested more than 1.4 billion yuan (US$192 million) in R&D to address the problem. Newsletter Weekly, Saturday Dark Matters By submitting, you consent to receiving marketing emails from SCMP. If you don't want these, tick here {{message}} Thanks for signing up for our newsletter! Please check your email to confirm your subscription. Follow us on Facebook to get our latest news. A composite image taken from a Kuanfu 02B satellite showing the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. Image: Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co The research breakthroughs that made Kuanfu 02B series lighter include the development of an off-axis, four-mirror optical camera that maintains resolution and data transmission quality, but at a reduced weight. The company made a similar advance on another of its high-resolution satellites, the Gaofen-06, which has gone from the original's 420kg to just 22kg, cutting its costs by 95 per cent. While its launch numbers – 219 satellites to date, serving more than 170 countries and regions – may not rival Elon Musk's operations, the company has set ambitious long-term goals for its commercial space division. Chang Guang's Jilin-1 constellation now boasts 117 satellites in orbit, making it the largest sub-metre commercial remote sensing satellite constellation in the world. The goal is to have a 300-strong network by 2027. Commercialisation of the highly competitive satellite market hinges on network deployment, which in turn requires mass production. The company said it had the capacity to produce 200 communication satellites and 200 remote sensing satellites annually, 'meeting both custom client demands and helping launch service providers boost their offerings'. Guangzhou's Baiyun international airport, as seen by a Kuanfu satellite. Image: Chang Guang Satellite Technology The company website notes that its satellites help customers reduce their dependence on data acquisition, ensuring autonomous control over critical regional imagery. They also support encrypted, customised orbits for priority coverage of core interest areas, it says. The United States included Chang Guang on its sanctions list in 2023, accusing the company of providing Russia with access to its remote sensing satellites. The company said the new satellite would be available for sale to countries like Pakistan and Egypt, which are partners in China's belt and road infrastructure plan, while US policies might limit their purchases. Chang Guang is pitching the new satellite at high-precision applications such as land and resource monitoring, environmental protection, agriculture, water management, and emergency response. According to the company, testing has been completed on six Kuanfu 02B series satellites that were launched in September. 'Clients can either order new satellites or purchase data services from our existing satellites, with prices varying accordingly.' Chang Guang would also coordinate launches for customers buying entire satellites, it said.
