Latest news with #Shandong
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Manager in China fired for kissing subordinate in office, court rules in favour of boss
A senior manager in eastern China, who was dismissed for kissing a female subordinate in the office, took his employer to court and won a case that captivated mainland social media. The final verdict of the lawsuit was delivered in 2017. However, the Shanghai General Trade Union only shared a summary of the case online on May 22 as part of a labour law education campaign, leaving unexplained the reasons for the lengthy delay. The executive, identified only as Lin, was a production supervisor at a foreign shipping company in Qingdao, Shandong province. He was terminated in May 2015 for violating company policies by sexually harassing a female employee and abusing his power for personal gain. The company's decision stemmed from surveillance footage that showed Lin hugging and kissing a female worker, surnamed Shi, on the office stairs. Their marital statuses were not disclosed in the verdict.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Inside the secret spy den building China's attack drones
At first glance it could be a school classroom, with bright fluorescent lights, posters on the wall and long tables down the middle. But look closer, and the students are actually Chinese paramilitary police officers, the notices are instructions on how to build attack drones, and there are CCTV cameras watching their every move. This is the workshop for one of China's feared armed police units, in the eastern Shandong province. In a rare glimpse into China's arms manufacturing, a dozen or so officers can be seen seated at the long tables tinkering with their creations. Another 40 or so unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are mounted on the wall in front of them as they work. Speaking to Chinese state media, which produced the footage, one uniformed officer explains that each of the drones are assembled by a member of the People's Armed Police (PAP) force in Shandong. For a skilled worker it should take 'no more than two hours' to complete one device. Known as 'China's other army,' the PAP is one of the country's police forces responsible for national security. 'Unlike the civilian police force, which handles routine law enforcement, the PAP falls under the Central Military Commission and is often deployed for border security, riot control and counterterrorism, and has been part of the violent campaign against the Uighurs in Xinjiang province and in Tibet. While the exact number of officers is unknown, reports estimate it could be anywhere from 500,000 to 1.5 million, spread out over 32 regional commands, each with at least one mobile unit. The direction of travel is clear. In 2010 the PAP budget was £6.8 billion. By last year, it had more than tripled, to £15.9 billion. The unit in Shandong is the latest example of what it has been spending that money on. The drones are not just for surveillance. In a combat drill last month, two members of a PAP unit in western Yunnan province worked together to take out a target behind a closed window. The first drone smashed the glass and the second flew through the gap to strike the target. Other camera drones can be armed with grenades, which are dropped on perceived threats. And then there are disruptor drones, fitted with systems that can locate, track and 'soft-kill' enemy UAVs, according to state television. Training is intense. Before being allowed to fly actual drones, the operators have to work on simulators for about two months, according to state television. Then they are let lose on complicated aerial assault courses, with tight turns and high speed manoeuvres, before being allowed to use them in the field. Experts have said that drones would be central to any conflict between China and Taiwan, should Beijing decide to attack the island, which it claims as its own despite staunch opposition from the government in Taipei. Both China and Taiwan's interest in drone warfare has expanded since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 given the central role that UAVs have played in the conflict. Earlier this month, China announced that its new drone mothership, known as the Jiu Tan, which is capable of releasing swarms of 100 kamikaze UAVs at once, would launch on its maiden voyage in June. In Shandong, the officer in the video explains that the team is producing first-person view (FPV) drones of different sizes, from 3-inch to 9-inch models, at what he calls the 'UAV innovation studio'. In the footage, the personnel are seen assembling drone frames as well as testing camera and antenna placements. The UAVs are designed for both reconnaissance and precision strikes. The studio also has a 3D printer, which is used to design and manufacture various components. The officer explains that it is currently making landing pads, which it can print in three minutes. He then shows the camera a drone with a 3D-printed ammunition mounting platform, which he says can carry different types of weapons, 'significantly enhancing the drone's strike capabilities.' There is variation in the vehicles too. Footage shows the unit using drones with long fibre optic cables, as seen in Ukraine and Russia. These drones do not rely on radio signals and therefore cannot be jammed by enemy signal blockers. While drones can be used for humanitarian purposes – such as during disaster relief operations – in the hands of the PAP they can also be weapons of oppression. The force's focus in recent years has been on Xinjiang province, where it has been responsible for the persecution of Uyghur Muslims, as well as Tibet. Xinjiang hosts the largest concentration of PAP mobile units in the country with an estimated 200,000 troops. They have been using surveillance drones for a number of years. Both Uyghurs and Tibetans have been targeted by the central government in Beijing for decades, with abuses ranging from mass detentions to forced sterilisations. The Uyghur Human Rights Project accused the PAP of being 'among the prime actors in carrying out the genocide' against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang. With their new tools, the PAP shows no sign of changing course. Beyond its domestic role, experts have also said that the PAP would likely play a key role in any future attack against Taiwan. In January, Chinese state media reported that some PAP officers in Fujian province had taken part in official combat training, which suggested that in the event of war, the forces could join the fight as a military unit. Lyle Goldstein, an Asia expert at Defense Priorities, a Washington-based foreign policy think tank, said that since China views Taiwan as one of its provinces, Beijing would see it as 'completely legal' to use armed police. The PAP could also play a central role if martial law were declared following an invasion of Taiwan. The International Institute for Strategic Studies said: 'As the PAP's mission sets have become more focused, their more centralised command structure, reorganisation and enhanced use of modern technologies have turned the PAP into a more potent force ready to carry out the CCP's vision of 'correct policy' and maintaining the Party's control.'
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
China's Space Epoch conducts key test for reusable rocket ambitions
The flight lasted 125 seconds, reaching a height of about 2.5km. (China Science X pic) BEIJING : Chinese private rocket firm Space Epoch said on Thursday it had successfully run a flight recovery test, as China looks to catch up with the United States by developing its own version of a reusable rocket that can rival SpaceX's Flacon 9. As China and other space-faring nations look to develop tourism, infrastructure, and exploration, reusable rockets are indispensable to making their investments economically viable. Beijing-based Space Epoch, or SEPOCH, said its Yuanxingzhe-1 verification rocket was launched at 4.40am from China's first sea-based space launch centre, off the waters of the eastern province of Shandong. The rocket soared upwards, its engines briefly shutting down after the peak of its trajectory, then reigniting as it began its vertical descent to enter the Yellow Sea in a circle of fire, a video posted on Space Epoch's WeChat account showed. 'The success of this flight recovery test is a major breakthrough in the development process of liquid reusable rockets,' Space Epoch said in a statement. The flight lasted 125 seconds, reaching a height of about 2.5km, it added. Space Epoch's ambition to develop reusable rocket technology is highlighted by its demonstration of Vertical Takeoff and Vertical Landing (VTVL). In this procedure, a rocket takes off vertically and returns to Earth with a vertical landing that uses rocket engines to slow and control the descent. Used by SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Starship, VTVL is crucial for any firm looking to retrieve and reuse rockets after their launch, a growing focus for investors and firms worldwide that could drastically reduce costs and spread their use wider. While tech entrepreneur Elon Musk's SpaceX is already launching and recovering orbital-class rockets on a routine basis, no Chinese firm has yet matched this feat. SpaceX's Falcon 9 first successful landing test was almost a decade ago, highlighting the yawning gap firms like Space Epoch must bridge to catch up. Space Epoch and Chinese peers, such as LandSpace, aim for maiden flights of their respective reusable rockets later this year, though no dates have been revealed. Last year, LandSpace completed a 10km VTVL test marking China's first in-flight engine reignition in descent, a technique Space Epoch appears to have also mastered with its latest launch.
Reuters
3 days ago
- General
- Reuters
China's vice premier stresses production safety after deadly chemical plant blast
BEIJING, May 29 (Reuters) - China's Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing on Thursday urged authorities to learn from recent incidents and remain vigilant about production safety, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Special attention must be paid to key industries including firefighting, hazardous chemicals, gas, mining, transportation and construction, Zhang said. The vice premier made the remarks at a production safety event after a chemical plant explosion in China's eastern province of Shandong on Tuesday killed at least five people and six remain missing.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Terrifying moment chemical plant tank bursts into flames around worker
An explosion at a Chinese chemical plant has killed at least five people. Horrifying footage shows the gas tank going up in flames - as one worker runs for his life, trying to escape the smoke erupting from where he was standing seconds before. In a second video, a tank is seen rocketing into the air before crashing into a fireball. Over 230 firefighters rushed to the blaze in the Shandong province in China on Tuesday, where 19 were injured and six are still missing, state media said. Residents in the nearest city, Weifang, were warned they should wear face masks as officials await results of the air quality after the blast spewed out chemicals. The plant was reportedly used to manufacture pesticides and chemicals for medical use, with over 300 registered employees. The cause of the explosion remains unknown. Seconds from disaster: The man dashes across the gangway to the next tank mere moments before it goes up in flames Deaths: The explosion at the chemical plant in the Shandong province in China has killed at least five people Local farmer Yu Qianming, 69, had moved his grandchild and his wife further away as a precaution but said they would feel safe in their home as long as the wind continued to blow in a northerly direction. Liu Meng said her window frame was forced out of the wall after the blast took place only 500m away from her clothing store. The 60-year-old, who also lives in the same building, said glass had been flung into her boxes of supplies and across her store. Another resident said his property 4.3 miles away shook. Drone footage showed smoke coming from another plant nearby. The plant is being tested by the Weifang Ecological Environment Bureau but said no results were available yet. Blast: Liu Ming's window frames were blasted out of place
