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Newsweek
a day ago
- Science
- Newsweek
How World's Highest Bridge in China Compares to Golden Gate
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Huajiang Canyon Bridge in China is set to open this month after three years of construction, becoming the highest bridge in the world. The suspension bridge, which has been raised 2,051 feet above the canyon, will rise above the previous title holder, the Duge Bridge, which is 1,854 feet above the ground and is also in China. The Context Construction on the Huajiang Canyon Bridge began in 2022, in China's southwestern Guizhou region. It's scheduled to open this month after almost three years of work, despite the difficult mountain terrain in Guizhou. Once fully operational, the bridge will reduce the travel time across the canyon from more than an hour to just three minutes. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge under construction on November 27, 2024, in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, China. On January 17, 2025, the bridge was connected across the canyon. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge under construction on November 27, 2024, in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, China. On January 17, 2025, the bridge was connected across the canyon. Tang Zhe/China News Service/VCG via AP What To Know At 2,051 feet above the canyon floor, the Huajiang Canyon Bridge is already one of the tallest structures in the world. For comparison, the Golden Gate Bridge in California is just 220 feet above the water level, almost 10 times lower than its Chinese counterparts. Completed in 1937, the Golden Gtate Bridge is 746 feet high (including the towers), meaning it could fit under the Huajiang Canyon Bridge more than twice. The highest suspension bridge in the U.S. is the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado, which was completed in 1929 and is suspended 956 feet above the Arkansas River. The Huajiang Canyon Bridge has an official opening date of June 30, which means it was completed in less than three years, well ahead of schedule. Local Chinese media reported that builders worked on the structure throughout holidays to meet the deadline. The Huajiang Canyon Bridge is a suspension bridge, which means it hangs the main deck from vertical suspenders at both ends. This design is best suited for very long main spans that need some leeway, as the design is relatively flexible. Huajiang Canyon Bridge, set to be the world's tallest at 625m, spans 2,890m. A marvel of Chinese engineering, it's nearing completion for a 2025 — China Perspective (@China_Fact) May 29, 2025 What People Are Saying Mamdouh El-Badry, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Calgary, told Newsweek:"In other parts of the world, a project of this scale would typically take five to 10 years from groundbreaking to completion, depending on environmental, political and logistical factors. "Over the past 20 years, China has adopted a top-down approach to infrastructure, giving priority to large-scale projects to drive economic development and regional connectivity. This includes massive investment, fewer hurdles and streamlined approval processes compared to many Western countries which often face lengthy environmental reviews, funding uncertainties and local opposition, which can delay or often block major infrastructure efforts." What Happens Next The bridge will open properly for vehicle use on June 30. Chinese authorities hope it will help stimulate the Guizhou region's economy.
Malaysia Sun
2 days ago
- Politics
- Malaysia Sun
ASEAN leaders at Shangri-La Dialogue: 'We won't choose sides'
Singapore's Defense Minister Chan Chun Sing delivers his speech during the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, June 1, 2025. /VCG In a special address to the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim - as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2025 - rejected the pressure of choosing sides in geopolitical rivalries. Speaking at the final session of the dialogue on Sunday, Singaporean Defense Minister Chan Chun Sing echoed Anwar's stance. Out of geopolitical necessity, Southeast Asia must engage with both China and the United States as well as other nations, rather than take sides, he said. "If we have to choose sides, may we choose the side of principles - principles that uphold a global order where we do not descend into the law of the jungle, where the mighty do what they wish and the weak suffer what they must," Chan said. Their making clear the stance of taking no sides came after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday urged Asia-Pacific countries to increase their military spending to 5 percent of GDP to counter perceived threats from China in a speech at the dialogue. Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, said Hegseth's attempts to drive a wedge between China and ASEAN countries will not work. "I think the U.S. attempt to divide China and Asia-Pacific countries is ineffective because it lacks persuasiveness," Da told media on the sideline of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim delivers an address at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, May 31, 2025. /VCG No to bloc confrontation In his first address at the the Shangri-La Dialogue, Hegseth outlined the "Indo-Pacific Strategy" of the Trump administration since the U.S. president returned to the White House in January. The Chinese Foreign Ministry slammed his remarks, saying that he deliberately ignored the call for peace and development by countries in the region, and instead touted the Cold War mentality for bloc confrontation, vilified China with defamatory allegations, and falsely called China a "threat." "The remarks were filled with provocations and intended to sow discord. China deplores and firmly opposes them and has protested strongly to the U.S.," said the ministry in a statement. Meng Xiangqing, a professor at the National Defense University of the People's Liberation Army, said the U.S. side has once again promoted its "Indo-Pacific Strategy" at the dialogue. After years of implementation, this strategy has achieved nothing beyond provoking incidents, creating crises, and destabilizing the Asia-Pacific region, Meng told China Media Group. The essence of America's "Indo-Pacific Strategy" is simply a tool for hegemony, he said. Militarily, it promotes bloc formation and confrontation - establishing mechanisms like the Quad between the U.S., Japan, India and Australia, and AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation with Australia and the United Kingdom; politically, it forces nations to choose sides; technologically, it erects "small yard, high fences" barriers; and economically, its trade wars and tariff policies push for decoupling between economies, and it also imposes coercion against others based on values, Meng explained. "This has artificially divided the Asia-Pacific region into competing blocs," he said. Shen Chen, deputy director of the Department of International Political Theory at the Institute of World Economics and Politics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), said the U.S. "Indo-Pacific Strategy" heightens regional tensions, embodying its practice of hegemonism and power politics. "Its very purpose is to perpetuate U.S. dominance by sacrificing regional peace and stability for its own interests," Shen told CGTN. A police officer walks on patrol during the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, May 30, 2025. /VCG China's Asian security model: A better choice for region Zhang Chi, a member of the Chinese delegation to the Shangri-La Dialogue, said China's Asian security model aligns with the common interests of all Asian nations and charts a practical path for the region to safeguard its prosperity and stability. At a central conference on work related to neighboring countries in April, China, for the first time, proposed the Asian security model that features sharing weal and woe, seeking common ground while shelving differences, and prioritizing dialogue and consultation. Shen, the CASS professor, said that the Asian security model demonstrates fundamental differences from the U.S. "Indo-Pacific Strategy." Emphasizing win-win cooperation and equal consultation, the Asian security model is committed to safeguarding regional peace and prosperity, he said. Aligned with the shared interests of all Asian nations, this model represents an open, inclusive, and mutually beneficial approach to security governance, Shen added. He also criticized the U.S. demand for Asian nations to raise defense spending to 5 percent of GDP as "both unreasonable and unrealistic." That would serve America's strategic self-interest, but it risks pushing Asia Pacific into an arms race, exacerbates regional tensions, and runs counter to the shared aspirations of regional countries for peace and development, said Shen. He said while some nations might waver under U.S. pressure, most will remain clear-eyed about the U.S. demand's irrationality. The Asian security model proposed by China offers a better alternative, said Shen, adding that regional countries prefer partnering with China and other major countries to uphold security through peace and collaboration - not following the U.S. down the path of military expansion. Read more: Shangri-La Dialogue: China says it rejects unilateralism, bullying Experts slam Hegseth's remarks at Shangri-La Dialogue as provocative, harmful to regional stability Source: CGTN
Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Why States Must Stop Treating Your Smartphone Like A Dumb Rotary Phone
Woman Talking on Telephone (Photo by Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images) Plain old telephone service (POTS) has been dying a slow death in the United States since the turn of the century. The number of POTS lines peaked at 192.5 million in 2000; by June 2024, only 7.6 million residential POTS lines remained. For much of the 20th century, almost every American household used only POTS to make a phone call. Now, only 1.3% of households rely on POTS to do so. What happened? Consumers flocked to mobile and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) – advanced platforms that did not exist during the heyday of POTS's monopoly reign. The total number of mobile telephone lines in the U.S. surpassed POTS in 2004. Today, there are more than 388 million mobile lines in service. The number of VoIP lines passed POTS in 2013. There are now more than 64 million VoIP lines in service. This is not news to the tens of millions of Americans who cut their telephone cord years ago and embraced mobile telephony or VoIP and all the advanced features they offer, like nationwide calling and the go-anywhere convenience of a cellphone. Unfortunately, for some state policymakers, the horse and buggy that is POTS continues to loom large, shaping their misinformed view of the advanced communications sector. Worryingly, some states have not only resisted removing outdated POTS laws from their books; they are actively seeking to extend those rules to new communications technologies, which have thrived in a competitive marketplace governed by a deregulatory framework. By doing so, states will undermine investment in new networks, increase prices, and ultimately harm consumers. None of this is good for America. Backwards-looking, heavy-handed regulation never has been. Go Your Own Way…Or Maybe Not? When it comes to applying old rules to new communications technologies, California has been in the vanguard. It has refused requests to roll back POTS-era rules; sought to regulate VoIP like POTS; and is finalizing rules that would hold competitive offerings like mobile and VoIP to a more punitive version of service quality standards originally devised for Ma Bell. At the same time, though, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), along with dozens of other states, have been actively engaged in regulatory modernization aimed at removing POTS rules to incentivize and accelerate the deployment of modern networks. California's approach is misguided and fails to put customers first. States sometimes choose to forge their own path on certain issues. This seems to happen more often in California than elsewhere. Indeed, the state has a history of choosing an alternate path on issues like vehicle emissions and data privacy. In many of those instances, however, California framed its actions as necessary to either fill a perceived gap left by federal inaction, as it did when it passed a privacy law after years of failure by Congress to do so, or to go above and beyond existing federal rules, as it has done with vehicle emissions (California's federal waiver allowing it to impose stricter emissions standards is at risk of being revoked). On issues of national importance, outlier approaches create collective action problems, which stifle progress towards achieving a shared federal goal. Assuring an orderly and timely transition away from POTS has been a national imperative since the early 2010s, when the Obama-era FCC began taking steps to relieve POTS providers of monopoly-era obligations so they could invest in modern networks and improve the services that consumers are actually using. Each subsequent FCC, under both Republican and Democratic leadership, has taken additional steps down this path. This reflects and furthers the country's bipartisan light-touch approach to regulating advanced communications platforms at a national level. Consistency and predictability are critical to maximizing investment, innovation, and overall consumer welfare gains. California has lost its way. Its proposed service quality rules illustrate just how far outside the mainstream the state is on these issues and how continued pursuit of its unique – and highly regulatory – agenda for communications services could impede national transition efforts. Welcome To The Hotel California The notion of service quality rules might sound innocuous, but the rules proposed in California are incredibly exacting and could end up harming consumers rather than protecting them. In a nutshell, California seeks to regulate voice service quality by applying standards governing how providers of all ilk – POTS, mobile, and VoIP – address almost every aspect of service, including how quickly they act in response to an installation request; reporting on and fixing outages; crediting customers for service disruptions; and how long it takes for a customer service rep to pick up the phone. In many cases, the proposed rules are stricter, and the penalties more punitive, than the rules devised just for POTS, the antiquated technology deployed and governed as a natural monopoly service. Where's the beef? Numerous stakeholders of all sizes have faulted regulators for failing to provide compelling data demonstrating actual negative trends in service outages or degradation in service quality. For example, many have argued that the outage data cited by regulators in support of their rules generally fail to account for the underlying cause of the disruption. Oftentimes, a mobile or VoIP outage is attributable to a loss of electric power, a common occurrence in California that is beyond the control of communications service providers. For these reasons, the FCC has rightfully forged a different approach, one that supports investment in network reliability and encourages collaboration among communications providers and electric utilities to restore service. At the same time, there appears to have been little effort by regulators in California to weigh the compliance costs for providers against the benefits the proposed service quality rules purport to deliver to customers. This is especially relevant in the context of POTS, the user base of which is rapidly shrinking. Per the latest FCC data, there are less than 600,000 residential POTS subscriptions in California (population: 39.4 million). POTS prices will inevitably rise as service providers pass through some portion of their higher compliance costs to a smaller number of customers. Meanwhile, the compliance costs for newly imposed standards on mobile and VoIP providers will also likely be passed through in part to customers, resulting in higher prices for them as well. To the extent some of these costs cannot be recouped, there will be less capital available to service providers to invest in next-generation networks or to invest in the same customer service tools the rules claim to incent. This ultimately harms consumers and frustrates timely realization of an overarching goal to move on from POTS so that new platforms are not burdened, directly or indirectly, by monopoly-era rules. What's Next California is not alone in dragging its feet on the transition away from POTS. Numerous states still have POTS-era rules in effect. Some, following California's lead, are also exploring whether to regulate broadband, VoIP, and mobile like traditional telephone service. Inevitably, these actions will trigger lawsuits, with service providers arguing that federal law limits state authority to regulate non-POTS services. Even in the context of POTS, arguments could be made that state efforts impeding fulfillment of national goals for the POTS transition might also be susceptible to preemption. A sounder approach would be for state policymakers to listen to what consumers are telling them about their communications preferences and react accordingly. In the case of voice communications, consumers have been voting with their feet for years. Unlike 50 or 100 years ago when POTS ruled the world, there is no shortage of options for people to communicate with each other. And now with satellite 'direct to cell' technology rolling out alongside grant funds via the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, which will facilitate universal broadband availability, there are few parts of the country where some form of non-POTS communications platform is unavailable. In this new environment, providers are aggressively competing on service quality, speed, latency, price, and a host of other service parameters. Regulation is not a bad word, but in the advanced communications arena, the type of regulation being considered by California and others is simply not necessary. If a customer feels let down by one voice or non-voice service, they can easily switch to another. And that is exactly what they are doing. Any action that impedes these dynamics should be flatly rejected because unnecessarily regulating a competitive marketplace will only harm consumers. States might also take a page from the FCC and adopt a 'delete, delete, delete' mindset and begin to actively review and repeal antiquated regulations. Regulators can do their job if they deregulate. There is no requirement that they must regulate just for the sake of regulating. Finally, the spate of recent regulatory actions in California only adds to the urgency for Congress to update federal communications law. This is long overdue and critical now that the Supreme Court has made clear that administrative agencies like the FCC can only act according to specific Congressional delegations of authority. An update that empowers the FCC to facilitate a smooth transition from POTS by allowing it to preempt burdensome and backward-looking regulatory actions like those in California is needed.
Malaysia Sun
6 days ago
- Business
- Malaysia Sun
ASEAN leaders adopt Kuala Lumpur Declaration to guide next 20 years
The Kuala Lumpur Declaration on ASEAN 2045 is unveiled in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 26, 2025. /VCG The Kuala Lumpur Declaration on ASEAN 2045, a key document guiding the next 20 years of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) grouping, was unveiled on Monday following its endorsement by ASEAN leaders gathered at the 46th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur. In his remarks following the signing ceremony of the declaration, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the document would pave the way for the grouping's future direction, taking into account emerging challenges while putting sustainable and inclusive development at the forefront. "The future we seek must rest on foundations of sustainability and inclusion. ASEAN's integration must be genuinely people-centered. That means closing development gaps, raising standards of living and investing in the human spirit and potential of all our citizens," he said. "This shared blueprint gives shape to that belief. It is a vision anchored in realism, animated by resolve and made possible by trust," he added. Among the key decisions made under the declaration is the formal adoption of the ASEAN Community Vision (ACV) 2045 and its accompanying strategic plans across four pillars: political-security, economic, socio-cultural and connectivity. Meanwhile, the grouping's Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn told a press briefing ahead of the summit that the ACV 2045 is meant to serve as a pragmatic 20-year strategic roadmap to guide the region's development amid global uncertainties. "These four strategic plans are designed to guide ASEAN on how to prioritize its work while upholding unity, solidarity and ASEAN centrality," he said, adding that the roadmap also recognizes the need to work closely with external partners, including dialogue, sectoral and global partners. "This document is forward-looking and strategic, acknowledging the shifts in geopolitics, digitalization, demographic change, climate risks and other pressing issues. It provides clarity on how ASEAN should navigate its future," he emphasized. Earlier, Malaysia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that ASEAN aspires to be a prosperous single market with a highly skilled and inclusive workforce, productivity and innovation-driven growth, while incorporating sustainability across and along the value chain through the ASEAN Community Vision 2045. The ACV 2045 also promotes the use of local currencies for cross-border transactions to reduce the region's vulnerability to external volatility, enhancing disaster risk financing, and mitigating the risks or impact arising from climate change and environmental degradation, it said. "Through the new updated vision, ASEAN is expected to be a major player in the global economy and the fourth largest economy in the world, anchored on sustainable growth and good governance, empowered by advanced technologies and responsive to emerging opportunities," it added. Malaysia is the chair of ASEAN for 2025 and is hosting the ASEAN Summit and related summits under the theme "Inclusivity and Sustainability." Established in 1967, the grouping includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Source: CGTN
Malaysia Sun
7 days ago
- Business
- Malaysia Sun
2nd ASEAN-GCC Summit boosts inter-regional ties, resilience building
Delegates pose for a group photo at the 2nd ASEAN-GCC Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 27, 2025. /VCG Enhancing inter-regional collaboration and building resilience to navigate an increasingly complex global landscape marked by economic uncertainty and geopolitical challenges will be high on the agenda of the 2nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Tuesday. In his remarks at the opening of the summit in Kuala Lumpur, Anwar said the two parties had made rapid strides forward on their three key pillars of cooperation - political-security, economic and socio-cultural - since its inaugural summit two years ago, but this must now be strengthened to face new developments in global affairs. "I believe the ASEAN-GCC partnership has never been more important than it is today, as we navigate an increasingly complex global landscape marked by economic uncertainty and geopolitical challenges. ASEAN and the GCC have the means and the responsibility to rise as anchors of stability and engines of future growth," he said. "A stronger ASEAN-GCC relationship will be key to enhancing inter-regional collaboration, building resilience and securing sustainable prosperity for our peoples," he said, adding that members of the two groupings must translate their shared vision into concrete and impactful cooperation. For his part, Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah said the two active groups on the global stage are convening, each possessing enormous geographic, demographic and strategic strengths, which qualify them to be influential players and undertake important roles amidst the accelerating global economic transformations. "The GCC was ASEAN's 7th largest trading partner in 2023, with a total trade volume of $130.7 billion. We anticipate this to grow by 30 percent, reaching $180 billion by 2032. The investment potential between both sides is vast," said the crown prince, whose nation holds the current rotating presidency of the GCC. "We therefore emphasize the importance of continuing to strengthen cooperation in economic, trade, investment and technical fields. We look forward to achieving positive outcomes in the ongoing negotiations for a free trade agreement between both sides, which will boost investment opportunities and support regional supply chains," he added. The summit brings together member states of ASEAN and GCC, which first met in this format in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, in 2023. During the first summit, leaders of ASEAN and GCC countries adopted a joint statement to lay the foundation to upgrade and develop their partnership and welcomed the ASEAN-GCC Framework of Cooperation (2024-2028), which outlines measures and cooperation activities to be jointly undertaken. These include specific targets in fields such as food security, renewable energy, innovation, adaptation to climate change, and combating terrorism and violent extremism. On the same day, Anwar said at a press conference that Southeast Asian countries have reached a consensus to have an understanding on how to approach U.S. trade tariffs. The leaders had agreed that decisions should not be taken at the expense of any other country, and in proceeding with bilateral trade negotiations with Washington, they agreed not to harm other ASEAN partners, Anwar added. (With input from Xinhua) Source: CGTN
