Latest news with #ShandongUniversity
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Science
- South China Morning Post
China's J-20 stealth fighter's radar leap credited to semiconductors expert Xu Xiangang
China's J-20 stealth fighter has tripled its radar detection range, thanks to semiconductor advancements over the past two decades led by Shandong University scientist Xu Xiangang, according to the university. A silicon-carbide (SiC) semiconductor material developed by Xu's team had powered a threefold increase in the detection range of phased array radar systems, allowing Chinese radars to swiftly detect enemies and gain the first-mover advantage, the university said on its social media page. 'From the J-20's on-board systems to advanced weaponry, this 'Chinese chip' is crucial for national security,' the May 30 post said. 'It enhances the range of Chinese radars, improves missile accuracy and boosts the power of laser weapons, making it an indispensable 'hardcore shield' in defence technology.' The J-20, also known as the Mighty Dragon, is a twin-engine stealth fighter viewed as China's answer to America's F-22 'Raptor'. It officially entered active service in March 2017. Xu, who is dean of the university's Institute of Novel Semiconductors, said it was important for researchers to address the country's needs.
South China Morning Post
23-02-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Political theorist Daniel A. Bell reflects on China's melding of Confucius and Marx
Daniel A. Bell, a Canadian political theorist specialising in Confucianism and China's political meritocracy, is chair of political theory at the University of Hong Kong's law faculty. He was the first foreigner to be appointed as dean of Shandong University's school of political science and public administration, and also taught at Beijing's Tsinghua University. Advertisement In this interview, Bell shares his views on the links between the ruling Communist Party's guiding philosophy and Confucianism, as well as the fight against corruption and his outlook for the future of Chinese politics. This interview first appeared in SCMP Plus . For other interviews in the Open Questions series, click here You have previously said that the Communist Party has moved closer to the Confucian tradition in recent decades. How would you describe this change? Most intellectuals, political reformers and revolutionaries in the 20th century opposed China's traditions – with Confucianism at their core – because they blamed them for the country's backwardness and poverty, relative to the Western powers and even Japan. This culminated in a Cultural Revolution that was explicitly anti-Confucian. There was a saying that Confucius was to blame for feudal thought and we had to attack the 'four olds', meaning the backward parts of China's traditions, and replace them with a new and revolutionary thought. Advertisement But since the early 1990s, there has been a huge revival of the Confucian tradition, not just for political reasons but also because of economic reasons – not just China, but other countries with a Confucian heritage like South Korea and Japan have modernised in a relatively peaceful and harmonious way. And it turned out that some of these Confucian values that had been blamed for China's backwardness were actually helpful for modernisation – for example, this worldly outlook, this strong commitment to self-improvement, to educating future generations, and so on.
