Business Blog

Another group of 18 Qianfan Constellation satellites launched in Hainan, South China 另一組18顆千帆星座衛星在海南發射 by Deng Xiaoci, March 11 2025

China’s Long March-8 carrier rocket, developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), successfully lifted off from the Launch Pad 1 at the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site, which was also developed by CALT, on Wednesday. The rocket carried 18 satellites, successfully deploying the fifth batch of Qianfan Constellation satellites into their designated orbit. The mission is a complete success and marks the maiden launch from the Launch Pad 1, Global Times learned from CALT.

The academy, an affiliate of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, which is a state-owned conglomerate and the nation’s leading space contractor, hailed the development in a statement shared to the Global Times on Wednesday. The successful mission marks not only the fifth successful launch of the Long March 8 rocket series but also a crucial step in advancing market-oriented reforms in China’s space sector and supporting the national satellite network strategy, said the statement.

It also confirmed that both launch pads at the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site are now operational, making it China’s first commercial space launch site with diversified launch capabilities, according to CALT. 

As a milestone in China’s commercial space sector, Launch Pad 1 was designed and constructed in just 18 months, setting a new record for launch site development speed. Its internationally leading technological innovations and highly efficient management model have injected strong momentum into China’s space industry.

This launch was the debut of Launch Pad 1 and the first time the Long March-8 rocket executed a mission from its dedicated launch pad. As a key model among China’s new-generation medium-lift rockets, previous Long March 8 launches had all taken place at the Wenchang Space Launch Site. Through multiple joint drills and system verifications, Launch Pad 1 has successfully passed real-world testing, with its coordination and compatibility laying a solid foundation for high-frequency launches in the future, the CALT said.

“The commissioning of the dedicated launch pad marks a new phase in the market-oriented services of the Long March-8 rocket,” said Xiao Yun, chief commander of the Long March-8 series at CALT. “This year, the Long March 8 will carry out multiple launches for satellite constellations. The high efficiency of the dedicated pad will significantly shorten mission cycles, offering commercial users faster and more reliable services.”  

Song Zhengyu, chief designer of the Long March 8 series at CALT, explained, “The Long March 8 ranks among the top medium-lift rockets in China in terms of payload efficiency and capacity, particularly suited for sun-synchronous orbit and large-scale low-Earth orbit constellation deployments. Its modular design enables flexible configurations, making it an optimal solution for building satellite networks at 1,100 km altitude.”

The Launch Pad 1 is expected to follow a “7+7 test-launch cycle” plan, aiming to achieve high-frequency launches with two missions completed within 14 days. The CALT team will refine technical and management processes, aiming to cut China’s commercial launch costs by over 30 percent while supporting satellite internet, deep space exploration, and other missions, the academy revealed.

These 18 new satellites bring the Qianfan Constellation’s total to 90 in orbit. Designed with a full-spectrum, multi-layer, and multi-orbit architecture, the constellation features fully independent and controllable core technologies and an autonomous industrial chain. It provides global users with seamless coverage, lower latency, greater capacity, and more cost-effective satellite (broadband) internet services, according to the satellite developers the Shanghai-based SHGS. 

Wednesday’s successful launch of the Long March-8 carrier rocket marked the 563rd flight of the Long March rocket family. 

Video: Interview with Einar Tangen, Taihe Institute. You don’t need to spy on China. They tells you exactly what they will do next 5 years. China gives you a report card every year. Don’t you wish US is doing the same? 對太和智庫艾納爾·坦根的採訪。你不需要監視中國。他們會準確地告訴你未來五年他們會做什麼。中國每年都會給你一份成績單。難道您不希望美國也這樣做嗎
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP82k34bG/
https://rumble.com/v6qhzzy-you-dont-need-to-spy-on-china.-they-tells-you-exactly-what-they-will-do-nex.html
Watch the full interview https://youtu.be/-6E15XzuUzk?si=dYU1q6KtPfBsOW03

As I have predicted, US stocks continues to crash and my 2 China stocks BYD and Tencent continued to rise at today’s closing 正如我所預測的，美股繼續暴跌，而我的兩隻中概股比亞迪和騰訊今天收盤繼續上漲 March 11 2025 It is just the beginning! Copper price down that means people STOP building houses. Expect housing market crashed in coming months, unemployment from current 3% to hit 6% soon. If all your money in US$ and all your assets in USA, only God can help you.

Wall Street Hedge Funds: You need to give Trump and Elon Musk credits, in order to save America, they must first crashed the US stock market and real estates markets, the shocking pain short term is the only way to save America! I leave now to avoid the pain by locking in the profits when 90% of the Americans are still dreaming. When the pain is done and over, I will be back to buy it back what I sold at 50% or more discount! 華爾街對沖基金: 你們需要給川普和馬斯克按讚，要救美國，必須先打垮美國股市和房地產市場，短期的震盪才是救美國的唯一辦法！我現在離開美國市場是為了避免在 90% 的美國人還在做夢將帶給他們痛苦，這個時候我鎖定利潤後離塲，當痛苦結束後，我會回來以 50% 或更多的折扣買回我賣掉的東西.

Watch out US debt could collapse in 3 years when no one is buying it. BRICS countries are not buying it. Japan & Canada tapped out, no money even if they want to. EU and U.K. already in horrible shape! My clients are starting to switch their US$ to RMB and parked it outside of US. I move 100% of my investments to Asian market 3 months ago, therefore NOT taking any losses. 要小心，當無人購買時，美國債務可能會在 3 年內崩潰。金磚國家卻不買美國國債，日本和加拿大已經耗盡心力，即使他們想買也沒錢。歐盟和英國已經處境糟糕！我的客戶開始將他們的美元兌換成人民幣並將其存放在美國境外。三個月前我將 100% 的投資轉移到亞洲市場，因此沒有遭受任何損失.

SCMP: Another smart Chinese left US, there is no future for smart Chinese scientists in racist America. Acclaimed Chinese-American mathematician Huaxin Lin has returned to China for a full-time research position in Shanghai after nearly four decades in the US. 南華早報：又有一位聰明的中國人離開了美國，聰明的中國科學家在種族主義的美國是沒有前途的。著名的美籍華裔數學家林華新在美國生活了近四十年後回到中國，在上海擔任全職研究職位.

Transforming elderly care with robots in China. 利用機器人改變中國的老年照護方式.

By Chen Zishuai, Ma Tong and Zhang Yiyi
08:27 Mar 09 2025

An elderly woman interacts with a robot caretaker at a nursing home in Xihu District, Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang Province, on March 7, 2025. Photo: VCG
An elderly woman interacts with a robot caretaker at a nursing home in Xihu District, Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang Province, on March 7, 2025.

Recently, the International Electrotechnical Commission officially released the world’s first international standard for elderly care robots, led by China. Some argue that with the standard’s implementation, the era of “robotic elderly care” has arrived. During this year’s two sessions, National People’s Congress deputies and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee members actively offered their suggestions for the development of this cutting-edge technology and the emerging industry.

Global Times reporters recently interviewed three CPPCC National Committee members. They believe that 2025 will be the “year of application” for robots in elderly care settings, with ward-inspection robots likely to be among the first deployed, and China’s leadership in formulating industry standards signifies that it has already gained an edge in the development of the new sector.

Extensive application scenarios

“In elderly care or daily life scenarios, we mostly need robots to take over strenuous tasks, to reduce human workload, and help the elderly live more easily and happily,” Zhao Xiaoguang, a CPPCC member and researcher at the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Global Times. A challenge facing many families is how to lift a 50-60 kilogram elderly onto a wheelchair and bathing them in outdoor sunlight – a task that is both important and exhausting. The significance of developing elderly care robots lies in finding better solutions for such chores.

In 2024, some Chinese companies introduced robots designed to assist elderly mobility. These robots can extend two mechanical arms under an elderly person’s armpits – mimicking human assistance – to lift them onto a wheelchair. This model is currently in the trial phase.

“In China’s elderly care sector, we face the dual challenges of a shortage of care-givers as well as the rising costs. Meeting the nursing needs of disabled elderly individuals, easing the care-giving burden on families, and improving the life quality for the elderly are critical issues that need urgent resolution,” said Xu Lijin, a CPPCC member and chairman and general manager of a robot development company in Wuhu, East China’s Anhui Province, in an interview with the Global Times. Elderly care robots can play a role in assisting with mobility, health care, household chores, emotional companionship, and emergency calls.

Beyond helping disabled elderly individuals get out of bed or providing hygiene care, Zhao noted that ward-inspection robots are poised to be among the first to see widespread use. According to Zhao, the technology is now mature, and Zhao team’s prototype robot is undergoing demonstration applications in nursing homes. Equipped with “eyes” to observe facial expressions and “ears” to detect breathing patterns, these robots can assess an elderly person’s body condition such as breathing, heart rate without physical contact.

Global Times learned from interviews that several homegrown robots are in the testing and validation phase, which are expected to be first deployed in clinics and elderly care institutions.

“Starting in 2025, we’ll see more and more robots applied in elderly care scenarios. They will come in various forms – helping with getting up, using bathroom, bathing, providing emotional companionship, or health monitoring,” Zhao said. With the introduction of the industry standard and constant improvements in robotic capabilities, Zhao believes robots will soon demonstrate their potential in more settings.

However, challenges remain. For example, can robots effectively grip and turn door handles? Can they accurately identify an elderly person’s position and condition during nighttime checks in the dark? Experts say full adaptation to these environments will take some time.

Zhang Yunquan, a CPPCC member and researcher at the Institute of Computing Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Global Times that elderly care robots are a complex integration of embodied intelligence, emotional intelligence, and human-robot collaboration, which still requires technological breakthroughs, particularly in extensive data coverage, sufficient computing power, and intelligent algorithms for human-robot collaboration and AI psychology.

Leadership in setting standard

During the ongoing two sessions, the members interviewed by the Global Times emphasized the need to accelerate the development of elderly care robots and they put forward some specific suggestions.

Zhang highlighted the importance of advancing AI-driven human-computer interaction, particularly in speech recognition, human language processing, and emotion recognition for the elderly, while ensuring ethical and privacy safeguards. On the hardware side, he called for greater investment in embodied intelligence, integrated computing-storage chips, high-performance actuators, next-generation sensors, and robotic operating systems. He also suggested including elderly care robots in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s catalog for major technological equipment to qualify for policy incentives that will drive their rapid adoption.

China has taken the lead in establishing the world’s first international standard for elderly care robots, covering multiple aspects, including technology, functionality, and application, the Global Times learned. This standard not only sets guidelines for design and manufacturing but also outlines key functional requirements, ensuring robots can support seniors in health monitoring, emergency response, household assistance, and mobility. Emphasizing a user-centric approach, it prioritizes the real needs of the elderly.

Xu noted that the lack of uniform standards has led to an uneven market, making it difficult for consumers to choose reliable products. “This new standard redefines market entry rules,” Xu said. “It will improve overall product quality, boost consumer confidence, and reduce technical barriers in international trade, thus fostering greater global integration.”

And, those businesses with outdated technology will face major challenges and risk market exit if their products fail to meet the standard, pushing them toward upgrades or transformation, Xu said. Xu also noted that industry leaders will gain a first-mover advantage, leveraging their strengths to rapidly expand market share and build up their market edge.

Experts see this milestone as a sign of China’s evolution from a technology adopter to a pace-setter and industry leader. “By setting the global standard, we set up the framework that others are obliged to follow,” said Zhao.

Video: 50 years ago, there are Chinese that got their college degree in US, could stayed but refused because family at home more important. Today with the rapid decline of the West, there is absolutely no good reason for smart people to stay in US or come to US to attend college. 50年前，有些中國人在美國獲得了大學學位，可以留下來，但他們拒絕了，因為香港或中國的家人更重要。如今，隨著西方的快速衰落，聰明人根本沒有理由留在美國或來美國上大學.
https://youtu.be/Ubmcz2tVILI

US stock market correction has begun. The 7 sisters of US tech stocks helped to keep the US stock markets high are crashing. Nvidia will follow dot com era’s Cisco leading the decline expect to fall below $100 within days. People are shifting their money, taking profits weeks ago from US stock markets and moving their money to China and HK stock markets. 美國股市調整已經開始。助推美國股市高企的美國科技股七姊妹正在崩盤。Nvidia 將跟隨網路時代的思科引領下跌，預計幾天內將跌破 100 美元. 投資銀行正在轉移資金、將資金轉移到中國和香港股票.

‘CUT CASH FOR THE POOR TO FUND WAR’: FT. The poor and needy should lose support so there’s more money to send to arms-makers (most of whom are in the US), the Financial Times said. 「削減對窮人的錢去支持戰爭資金」英國《金融時報》稱，窮人和有需要的人應該停止支持，這樣就有更多的錢可以提供給武器製造商（其中大多數在美國）.
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They are perfectly serious and their columnists seem to be in general agreement on this. Not sure what the poor and needy think – they are not interviewed in any of the articles.
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The FT is not alone. Even the Guardian is demanding that more public funds be diverted to guns. Why? Because “Russia may invade”.
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UNDER ROCKS
Echoing the UK, French leader Emmanuel Macron also told his people yesterday that they had to spend their money on weapons because Russia may invade France.
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Now, even the moss growing under rocks in my garden has enough brains to know that Russia is not intending to invade UK and France, just as the same piece of moss knows full well that China is not planning to take over the world.
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Why don’t give leadership of UK and France, or indeed the world, to the moss in my garden?
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I await a sensible answer to that question.
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‘NIGHTMARE SCENARIO’
Meanwhile, a top UK military leader said yesterday that a speedy peace deal in Ukraine would be “the nightmare scenario”.

“The nightmare scenario is that the U.S. announces a deal soon that accepts most of Russia’s demands and then tells Ukraine and Europe to take it or leave it,” said Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director general at the Royal United Services Institute in London.
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Oh no! A speedy end to the war! We can’t have that. We need TIME to take the money from the poor and needy and send it to arms-makers.
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That’s the right thing to do. The FT says so.