Latest news with #InnerMongolia
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
The future of mining: how China is upgrading traditional industry with driverless EVs
In Inner Mongolia, a convoy of haul trucks rumbles across the dusty, jagged terrain of the Yimin open-pit coal mine. It is a familiar scene in this part of northern China, home to some of the country's biggest mineral deposits, but a closer look reveals a futuristic twist to this age-old trade: the vehicles operate without drivers. Yimin is one of the five largest open-cast coal mines in China. During peak season, it used to require about 300 trucks, operated by around 1,200 drivers working shifts around the clock, to transport coal to processing sites, and soil, sand and rocks to dumping grounds. But managers said the mine faced a shortage of drivers. Dangerous driving conditions led to high attrition rates, compounded by declining interest among younger generations in pursuing this profession. 'Truck drivers face exhausting workloads that often lead to health issues,' said Yimin mine director Shu Yinqiu. The solution came earlier this year with a fleet of 100 photovoltaic-battery-powered, self-driving trucks. They represent the world's largest deployment of autonomous electric mining trucks, highlighting China's resolve to upgrade its traditional industries with advanced technologies, as the nation grapples with a shrinking labour force and an ageing population. 02:27 China rolls out world's largest fleet of driverless mining trucks powered by Huawei tech China rolls out world's largest fleet of driverless mining trucks powered by Huawei tech As part of China's push to digitally transform its coal industry – the largest in the world – Yimin was among the first to develop 'intelligent coal mines'. The initiative stemmed from guidance issued in 2020 by several central government agencies, including various ministries and the National Development and Reform Commission, which outlined the construction of intelligent mines and identified autonomous driving as a strategic goal.
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Climate
- Bloomberg
China Steps Up Cloud Seeding to Boost Rain in Dry Wheat Regions
China has ramped up weather modification measures to bolster rainfall across parched wheat-growing areas in the north of the country, just as farmers accelerate the harvesting of their crops. The arrival of much needed rain over China's grain belt last week prompted authorities to coordinate operations to boost precipitation, according to the China Meteorological Administration. Provinces targeted with ground- and air-based measures include Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi and Shanxi.
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Automotive
- South China Morning Post
China's driverless mining trucks, BYD routs Tesla in Europe, price war worsens: 7 EV reads
We have put together stories from our coverage on electric and new energy vehicles from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing Chinese state-backed energy giant Huaneng Group on Thursday launched the world's largest fleet of unmanned electric mining trucks in Inner Mongolia, featuring 100 vehicles equipped with Huawei Technologies' autonomous driving systems, as the country rapidly adopts driverless technology. French President Emmanuel Macron (centre) holds a model of an electric lorry made by Windrose, a Chinese company founded by entrepreneur Wen Han (right), at the Choose France summit in Versailles, France on Monday. Photo: Instagram/whan6023 The European Union is locked in a trade dispute with China over electric vehicles. It is also wrestling with whether and how to harness Chinese investment in the sector. Around the continent, a debate is being waged on whether China's prowess in the sector can be a job creator or an industry killer.
South China Morning Post
25-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Study Buddy (Explorer): China's ‘Dairy Godfather' and his booming ice cream empire
Content provided by British Council Read the following text, and answer questions 1-9 below: [1] The story of China's 'Dairy Godfather', who went from an abandoned baby to the head of a 3-billion-yuan (HK$3.25 billion) ice cream empire, is one of resilience and vision. Niu Gensheng, 67, founded the corporate giant Mengniu Dairy and created Aice, an ice cream brand popular across Southeast Asia. [2] Niu was born into poverty in Inner Mongolia, a region of China known for its vast grasslands and deserts. His parents struggled to make ends meet. Unable to care for him, they sold him to a cattle farmer, who adopted him for 50 yuan (HK$54) shortly after he was born. When Niu was eight, his adoptive father lost his money, forcing Niu to sweep the streets and do hard labour with him. Later, both his adoptive parents died. [3] In 1983, Niu became a bottle washer at a local dairy factory, which later became Yili, one of China's leading dairy companies. Over the next decade, he worked his way up to workshop director, gaining a deep knowledge of the dairy production process. [4] By 1992, Niu was promoted to Vice-President of Production and Operations at Yili, where he reportedly earned an annual salary exceeding 1 million yuan (HK$1,086,500). Despite his success, Niu faced rumours and fierce competition at Yili, leading to his resignation. But he did not give up on his dream of building China's largest dairy company. [5] Niu used his experience and resources to launch Mengniu Dairy in 1999. At the time, his former employer, Yili, already had assets worth billions. Niu's unique marketing strategy focused on rural markets, using local dialects in advertisements and low prices to attract customers. [6] By 2004, Mengniu's revenue reached 7.2 billion yuan (HK$7.8 billion). The following year, it surpassed Yili to become China's top dairy brand. After building the Mengniu empire, Niu set his sights on the Southeast Asian market, which many other entrepreneurs had overlooked. In 2015, he launched Aice, an ice cream brand targeting Indonesia's market. [7] Niu adopted the same strategy focused on small profits and high volume, with prices ranging from 900 to 1500 IDR (HK$0.42 to HK$0.70), making 'quality ice cream affordable for everyone'. Aice introduced popular flavours like durian and coconut milk coffee ice cream, catering to local cultural and religious preferences. They also provided small shops with free freezers and electricity subsidies to support local vendors. [8] Today, Aice operates in more than 1,200 districts across Indonesia, with more than three billion yuan in annual revenue, securing its position as Southeast Asia's top ice cream brand. Niu describes his business philosophy as 'not about making the rich more grand, but about allowing the poor to live with dignity.' Niu is also deeply involved in philanthropy, funding initiatives that build schools across China and help children with serious illnesses in Inner Mongolia. Source: South China Morning Post, April 13 Questions 1. In paragraph 1, Aice is … A. the name of a company. B. an ice cream brand. C. an ice cream flavour. D. Niu's nickname. 2. Why did Niu's parents give him away, according to paragraph 2? 3. In paragraph 3, what did Niu do when he first joined the dairy factory? 4. According to paragraph 4, Niu's goal was to … A. become the vice-president of a dairy company. B. earn more than one million yuan every year. C. build China's largest dairy company. D. none of the above 5. In paragraph 5, what geographic areas did Niu's unique marketing strategy focus on? 6. Find a word in paragraph 6 that means 'failed to notice'. 7. Decide whether the following statements about paragraphs 6 and 7 are True, False or the information is Not Given. Fill in ONE circle only for each. (4 marks) (i) Aice is extremely popular with young children and university students in Indonesia. (ii) To help small stores, Aice provided them with freezers and financial help for electricity costs. (iii) Yili was China's top dairy company in 2005. (iv) Aice only offers flavours in Indonesia that are popular with Chinese customers. 8. According to paragraph 8, how does Niu help children in Inner Mongolia? 9. Arrange the following events in Niu's life in chronological order from 1 to 4. (4 marks) Aice is a popular ice cream brand in Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and the Philippines. Photo: Handout Answers 1. B 2. They struggled to make ends meet and could not take care of him. 3. He washed bottles. 4. C 5. He focused on rural markets. 6. overlooked 7. (i) NG; (ii) T; (iii) F; (iv) F 8. He funds initiatives that help children with serious illnesses in Inner Mongolia. 9. (a) 3; (b) 4; (c) 1; (d) 2
Malay Mail
21-05-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Largest China-Russia Land Port Reinvents Itself as Industrial Hub
An aerial drone photo shows trains for China-Europe freight service at Manzhouli Railway Port in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region An aerial drone photo shows containers being loaded at Manzhouli Railway Port in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region HOHHOT, CHINA - Media OutReach Newswire - 21 May 2025 - As China's largest land port, Manzhouli is expanding beyond its traditional role as a "transit station." By promoting local processing of grain, oil and timber, the city is steadily evolving into a regional industrial Manzhouli Xinfeng Grain and Oil Industry Co., Ltd., freshly imported rapeseed from Russia is processed on intelligent production lines. From dehulling to pressing, the procedures run smoothly, as golden rapeseed oil gently streams into storage tanks."As soon as the raw materials clear customs, we go straight into production, operating around the clock," said Yang Zhihong, deputy general manager of the company. He noted that Russian rapeseed oil, prized for its low acid value and high smoke point, is particularly popular among domestic downstream "Russian supply, Chinese processing" model is fueling a growing shift among local businesses, pushing them beyond mere trade toward more advanced, value-added crunched the numbers. "By importing raw materials through 'border trade', a special policy that allows residents in border areas to conduct small-scale cross-border trade under simplified customs procedures, we save an average of 500 yuan (about 69.5 U.S. dollars) per tonne. Since last year, that's added up to savings of over 8 million yuan," he model cuts traditional trade taxes and fees from around 18 percent to less than 4 percent of total costs. It enables enterprises to source raw materials at lower prices, while border residents earn income from the price difference, creating a win-win supply chain involving border residents, cooperatives and of April 2025, "border trade" in Manzhouli has surpassed 100 million yuan this year, with more than 3,600 border residents taking part, generating nearly 2 million yuan in tax revenue to the roaring development of Manzhouli's timber processing industry goes hand in hand with the grain and oil sector. Since establishing an imported timber processing base in 2003, Manzhouli has continuously focused on deep and fine processing, showcasing the strong potential of its timber manufacturing in the Inner Mongolia Manzhouli border economic cooperation zone, the import-export resource processing industrial park processes up to 5.6 million cubic meters of timber annually. It has developed a diverse product lineup, including solid wood furniture, doors and windows, wood pellets, and solid wood 2023, the city's timber import reached 1.88 million cubic meters, demonstrating the strong momentum of the industry's Manzhouli has planned the development of a 2.74-square-kilometer chemical industry cluster within the import-export resource processing industrial park. This cluster will primarily rely on the import of large quantities of liquefied petroleum gas, methanol, and alkanes from Russia to drive integrated new energy chemical utilization and related cluster will provide high-end, premium chemical intermediates for domestic advanced polymer materials and engineering plastics, injecting new momentum into the city's economic Zhiping, an official from the Manzhouli municipal commerce bureau, said that Manzhouli's transformation from a "transit station" to an "industrial hub" reflects the development of the port-based processing increasing number of enterprises are moving beyond the traditional "transit economy" and are leveraging the advantages of the border to create a new industrial ecosystem focused on deep the first quarter of this year, Manzhouli's import and export freight volume reached 6.53 million tonnes, a year-on-year increase of 10.6 percent. The value of imports and exports handled by the Manzhouli port reached 47.67 billion yuan, up 6.1 percent year on #Manzhouli The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
