Latest news with #MeiMeiChu
Japan Today
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
China to stage massive military parade marking WW2 surrender of Japan
People take images of a flower installation commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, in Beijing, China, August 18, 2025. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov By Mei Mei Chu and Joe Cash China will stage a massive military parade next month involving tens of thousands of people in the heart of Beijing to commemorate 80 years since the end of World War Two following the surrender of Japan. Hundreds of aircraft including fighter jets and bombers as well as ground equipment, some of which have never been seen in public before, will be featured in the parade, military officials said at a press conference. The September 3 parade, the second such procession since 2015 to observe the formal surrender of Japanese forces in 1945, will be a show of China's military strength as some of its neighbors and Western nations look on with concern over the projection of power by the People's Liberation Army in recent years. From trucks fitted with devices to take out drones, new tanks and early warning aircraft to protect China's aircraft carriers, military attaches and security analysts say they are expecting China to display a host of new weapons and equipment at the parade. Additions to its expanding suite of missiles, particularly anti-ship versions and weapons with hypersonic capabilities, will be particularly closely watched as the U.S. and its allies prepare to counter China in any future regional conflict. "(The weapons and equipment) will fully demonstrate our military's robust ability to adapt to technological advancements, evolving warfare patterns, and win future wars," Wu Zeke, deputy director of the military parade, told reporters. The 70-minute-long "Victory Day" parade, comprising 45 contingents of troops, will be surveyed by President Xi Jinping at Tiananmen Square alongside a number of foreign leaders and dignitaries including Russian President Vladimir Putin, who also attended the 2015 parade. At the last World War II parade, more than 12,000 soldiers, including diverse contingents from Russia and Belarus to Mongolia and Cambodia, marched through the city alongside veterans. Beijing had also mobilised over 500 pieces of military equipment and 200 aircraft. Many Western leaders had shunned the 2015 event, wary of the message that China would send with its exhibition of military might. Then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declined to attend. Foreign attendees at the time included former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Authorities have stepped up security in downtown Beijing since the first rehearsals this month, setting up checkpoints, diverting road traffic and shutting shopping malls and office buildings. Beijing has so far conducted two large-scale rehearsals on the weekends of August 9-10 and 16-17, attended by 22,000 and 40,000 people involving troops, police and spectators. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
China to show off troops, high-tech weapons at massive WW2 parade
China to show off troops, high-tech weapons at massive WW2 parade By Mei Mei Chu, Joe Cash and Xiuhao Chen BEIJING (Reuters) -China will stage a massive military parade next month in Beijing to commemorate 80 years since the end of World War Two following Japan's surrender, mobilising tens of thousands of people and showcasing weapons never seen before. Hundreds of aircraft including fighter jets and bombers as well as high-tech armaments such as precision-strike weapons capable of travelling at five times the speed of sound will be featured, officials said at a press conference on Wednesday. The parade, the second such procession since 2015 to observe the formal surrender of Japanese forces in September 1945, will be a show of China's military strength as some of its neighbours and Western nations look on with concern over the projection of power by the People's Liberation Army in recent years. From trucks fitted with devices to take out drones, new tanks and early-warning aircraft to protect China's aircraft carriers, military attaches and security analysts say they are anticipating a host of new weapons and equipment. Additions to its expanding suite of missiles, particularly anti-ship versions and weapons with hypersonic capabilities, will be particularly scrutinised as the U.S. and its allies prepare to counter China in any future regional conflict. "(The weapons and equipment) will fully demonstrate our military's robust ability to adapt to technological advancements, evolving warfare patterns, and win future wars," said Wu Zeke, deputy director of the military parade. New armaments due to debut at the parade will account for a significant share of those on display, according to the military officials. The exact number of troops, weapons and equipment to be shown was not disclosed. Hundreds of troops were seen practicing manoeuvres in formation at a military camp in a northwestern suburb of Beijing during a visit by Reuters on Wednesday. Groups of honour guards, both men and women, and in rows of 15 or 20, spread out along a runway-like track as officers shouted out commands. 'VICTORY DAY' The roughly 70-minute, "Victory Day" parade on September 3, comprising 45 formations of troops, will be surveyed by President Xi Jinping at Tiananmen Square alongside a number of foreign leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin, who also attended the 2015 parade. At the last World War Two parade, more than 12,000 soldiers, including diverse contingents ranging from Russia and Belarus to Mongolia and Cambodia, marched through the Chinese capital alongside veterans, including a handful from Taiwan who fought for the Republic of China's military. Many Western leaders shunned the 2015 event, wary of the message China would send with its exhibition of military might. Then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declined to attend. Foreign attendees at the time included former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and former British prime minister Tony Blair. 'PEACE-LOVING' Authorities have stepped up security in downtown Beijing since the first rehearsals this month, setting up checkpoints, diverting traffic and shutting malls and office buildings. Beijing has so far conducted two large-scale rehearsals on the weekends of August 9-10 and 16-17, attended by 22,000 and 40,000 people involving troops, police and spectators. Among participants in Wednesday's practice manoeuvres in suburban Beijing was Staff Sergeant Lan Yu, 28, who was deployed to South Sudan in 2019 as part of a U.N. peacekeeping mission. "This year marks my 11th year in the military, and it's my first time representing the peacekeeping force in a parade," Lan said. He said China had always been a peace-loving nation, when asked about concerns overseas about China's growing military. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
China to show off massive troops, high-tech weapons at WW2 parade
China to show off massive troops, high-tech weapons at WW2 parade By Mei Mei Chu and Joe Cash BEIJING (Reuters) -China will stage a massive military parade next month in the heart of Beijing to commemorate 80 years since the end of World War Two following the surrender of Japan, mobilising tens of thousands of people and showcasing never-seen-before weapons. Hundreds of aircraft including fighter jets and bombers as well as high-tech armaments such as precision-strike weapons capable of travelling at five times the speed of sound, will be featured at the parade, military officials said at a press conference on Wednesday. The parade, the second such procession since 2015 to observe the formal surrender of Japanese forces in September 1945, will be a show of China's military strength as some of its neighbours and Western nations look on with concern over the projection of power by the People's Liberation Army in recent years. From trucks fitted with devices to take out drones, new tanks and early warning aircraft to protect China's aircraft carriers, military attaches and security analysts say they are anticipating a host of new weapons and equipment at the parade. Additions to its expanding suite of missiles, particularly anti-ship versions and weapons with hypersonic capabilities, will be particularly closely watched as the U.S. and its allies prepare to counter China in any future regional conflict. "(The weapons and equipment) will fully demonstrate our military's robust ability to adapt to technological advancements, evolving warfare patterns, and win future wars," Wu Zeke, deputy director of the military parade, told reporters. New armaments due to debut at the parade will account for a significant share of those on display, according to the military officials. The exact number of troops, weapons and equipment to be shown was not disclosed. 'VICTORY DAY' The roughly 70-minute-long "Victory Day" parade on September 3, comprising 45 formations of troops, will be surveyed by President Xi Jinping at Tiananmen Square alongside a number of foreign leaders and dignitaries including Russian President Vladimir Putin, who also attended the 2015 parade. At the last World War Two parade, more than 12,000 soldiers, including diverse contingents from Russia and Belarus to Mongolia and Cambodia, marched through the city alongside veterans. Beijing had also mobilised over 500 pieces of military equipment and 200 aircraft. Many Western leaders had shunned the 2015 event, wary of the message that China would send with its exhibition of military might. Then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declined to attend. Foreign attendees at the time included former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. No information on participating foreign troops or attendance of foreign leaders was disclosed at the press conference. Authorities have stepped up security in downtown Beijing since the first rehearsals this month, setting up checkpoints, diverting road traffic and shutting shopping malls and office buildings. Beijing has so far conducted two large-scale rehearsals on the weekends of August 9-10 and 16-17, attended by 22,000 and 40,000 people involving troops, police and spectators. Preparations for the parade are basically completed, officials said on Wednesday. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
China ramps up GM corn planting, but state controls, patchy trials keep industry guessing
By Mei Mei Chu and Ella Cao BEIJING (Reuters) -China will plant four to five times more genetically modified (GM) corn this year than last, analysts and executives say, building momentum in a rollout that has been slowed by tight state controls, public scepticism, and mixed trial outcomes. After decades of caution, the world's top importer of corn and soybeans has in the past two years ramped up approvals of several GM seed varieties, touting biotech cultivation, or GM technology as a way to boost food security. China's GM corn planting area is on track to increase to between 40 million and 50 million mu (3.3 million hectares) this year from roughly 10 million mu in 2024, according to CITICS Research and three seed industry insiders, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter in the country. While not directly tied to the U.S.-Sino trade war, the push to grow more GM corn could reduce China's need for imports, giving Beijing a new lever in its tariff battle with President Donald Trump. The U.S. last year supplied 15% of China's corn imports. Even with the increase in plantings, GM corn would still only account for 7% of China's total corn acreage, compared with over 90% in agricultural heavyweights such as the United States or Brazil. China could quickly reach similar levels by embracing GM technology, however Beijing has tended towards caution in the face of ingrained scepticism from consumers and farmers. The government tightly manages seed sales and planting through controls that industry executives say make planning difficult and that have left domestic seed companies sitting on a glut of seeds. "Market adoption hinges on two key factors: demonstrated yield and cost benefits for farmers, and Beijing's ability to align commercial rollout with persistent public scepticism," said Matthew Nicol, senior analyst at research group China Policy. DISAPPOINTING TRIALS China imports over 100 million metric tons of corn and soybeans each year, mostly GM varieties for animal feed, predominantly from Brazil and the U.S., while cultivating non-GM crops locally for food consumption. Crops genetically modified for higher yields or resistance to drought and pests could boost yields by 6-13%, according to estimates from analysts and one seed official. However, several recent GMO trials resulted in lower yields, disappointing some farmers already sceptical about the technology, according to the three sources familiar with the rollout, putting progress at risk. Some regions where first-generation GM corn trials were planted during 2022-2023 saw 10-20% yield declines, the sources said. The problems arose from seeds only partially suited to local conditions, or rushed to market without enough backcross breeding - where a hybrid plant is crossed with a parent plant to develop desired traits, the three industry sources said. The results of those trials have not been made public. China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs did not reply to a request for comment. "If seed firms fail to improve agronomic performance yields, even in trial conditions, Beijing's GM strategy could face a credibility issue, prolonging adoption timelines," Nicol said. Some farmers seeking higher yields, meanwhile, have turned to illegal GM seeds or conventional hybrid seeds, two of the sources said. "The prevalence of illegal GM corn in the northeast, as reported by industry insiders ... underscores the latent demand for advanced traits," Nicol added. The agriculture ministry this month called for provinces to crack down on illegal production and sale of GM seeds. As GM seed planting moves from small pilot plots to large-scale planting, yields could initially fall as farmers cannot devote as much time to individual plants, said Even Rogers Pay, an agriculture analyst at Trivium China. It will take time to adapt to new varieties, she added. "Regulators will hit the brakes on that plan if any significant issues arise," Pay said. "But assuming the new varieties continue to show an advantage over what was getting planted before, it's fair to expect that acreage will continue to expand. The proverbial genie is not going back into the bottle."
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US meat exports at risk as China lets registrations lapse
By Mei Mei Chu BEIJING (Reuters) -Export registrations for more than 1,000 U.S. meat plants granted by China under the 2020 "Phase 1" trade deal lapsed on Sunday, China's customs website showed, threatening U.S. exports to the world's largest buyer amid an ongoing tariff standoff. The registration status for pork, beef and poultry plants across the U.S., including some owned by major producers Tyson Foods, Smithfield Packaged Meats and Cargill Meat Solutions, was changed from "effective" to "expired", according to the website of China's General Administration of Customs. Reuters reported on Friday that these registrations were at risk of lapsing. The expiration of roughly two-thirds of the total registered facilities could restrict U.S. market access and lead to losses of roughly $5 billion, adding to the challenges faced by American farmers after Beijing imposed retaliatory tariffs on some $21 billion worth of American farm goods this month. Registrations for around 84 U.S. plants lapsed in February and while shipments from these plants continue to clear customs, it is uncertain how long China will allow imports. Beijing requires food exporters to register with customs to sell in China. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has said China did not respond to repeated requests to renew plant registrations, potentially violating the Phase 1 trade agreement. Under the Phase 1 trade deal, China is obligated to update its approved plant list within 20 days of receiving updates from the USDA. China's customs department did not immediately respond to faxed questions from Reuters. In 2024, the U.S. was China's third-largest meat supplier by volume, trailing Brazil and Argentina, accounting for 590,000 tons or 9% of China's total meat imports. U.S meat shipments to China reached $2.5 billion last year, making it the second largest exporter by value. Loss of access to China would be an especially hard blow for exporters of parts like chicken feet and pork offal, which are consumed less domestically. Smithfield Foods CEO Shane Smith last week said tariffs had made it tougher for the biggest U.S. pork processor to sell all parts of a pig. Smithfield does not export material amounts of meat to China, but ships offal products, such as pig stomachs, hearts and heads, Smith said.
