https://www.scmp.com/rss/521315/feed Carl is currently doing the Master of Journalism course at Hong Kong University. He studied Swahili and Journalism at the Beijing Foreign Studies University. He has also worked with FIFA, FIFA World Cup, La Liga and NBC. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Carl Zhang Carl Zhang Chinese military parades are known for their spectacular goose-stepping and formations, but they also provide important hints about the structure of the People’s Liberation Army and its new weapons. The history of these parades highlights how the PLA has evolved from being a guerrilla force that relied on captured foreign weapons to a modern force that aims to compete with the US in terms of combat ability and advanced equipment. Mao Zedong 1949-1959 The first of these parades was held on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3323814/how-chinas-military-parades-evolved-over-years-guerrilla-warfare-hi-tech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3323814/how-chinas-military-parades-evolved-over-years-guerrilla-warfare-hi-tech?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Aug 2025 09:01:18 +0000 Carl Zhang Carl Zhang China’s intensifying interest in the Arctic has aroused concerns in the US, which has been monitoring the progress of five Chinese icebreakers and research vessels since before they passed through the Bering Strait earlier this month. The fleet is led by the domestically built Xue Long 2, one of the world’s newest generation polar research icebreakers and the first to adopt an intelligent hull and engine room design. Over the past five years, the Xue Long 2 has conducted nearly 10 scientific... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322730/why-us-uneasy-chinas-5-strong-icebreaker-fleet-arrives-arctic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322730/why-us-uneasy-chinas-5-strong-icebreaker-fleet-arrives-arctic?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Aug 2025 04:00:10 +0000 Carl Zhang Carl Zhang A fleet of large civilian cargo ships has sailed through the Taiwan Strait after heading south from the Bohai Sea off northern mainland China, prompting speculation about a possible joint amphibious landing drill with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The seven ro-ro, or “roll-on/roll-off” ships, with the Yantai-based Bohai Ferry Company in Shandong province, deviated from their normal shipping routes in the Bohai Sea, according to Maritime Optima, a live ship tracker. As of Thursday, two of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3322697/why-are-7-large-mainland-chinese-ro-ro-cargo-ships-sailing-taiwan-strait?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3322697/why-are-7-large-mainland-chinese-ro-ro-cargo-ships-sailing-taiwan-strait?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 09:00:08 +0000 Carl Zhang Carl Zhang China aired a documentary last week showing how the Qing dynasty took back Xinjiang from foreign forces in the late 19th century – Beijing’s latest effort to counter Western narratives and strengthen Chinese national identity in ethnic minority border areas. The six-episode documentary, titled Zuo Zongtang Recovers Xinjiang, was produced and aired by the broadcaster of Hunan province, the birthplace of Zuo Zongtang, one of the most famous generals and reformists in the late Qing dynasty... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3321321/xinjiang-history-documentary-aims-counter-western-narratives-bolster-chinese-identity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3321321/xinjiang-history-documentary-aims-counter-western-narratives-bolster-chinese-identity?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Aug 2025 04:00:19 +0000 Carl Zhang Carl Zhang A Chinese energy giant has claimed a new benchmark in exploration of uranium, a resource growing in demand and importance in the country’s quest for energy security. State-owned China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said on Friday that it had detected a deposit of sandstone-type industrial uranium mineralisation at a record depth of 1,820 metres (5,971 feet) underground in the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. This type of uranium deposit is generally bigger and easier and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3319037/chinese-nuclear-giant-cnnc-sets-new-benchmark-uranium-exploration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3319037/chinese-nuclear-giant-cnnc-sets-new-benchmark-uranium-exploration?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Jul 2025 13:30:06 +0000 Carl Zhang Carl Zhang Chinese police are investigating at least five cases of missing teenagers believed to have been caught up in scam centres, including some who have lost contact with their families after travelling to Myanmar. Police in Hefei, the capital of Anhui province in central China, issued a notice on Wednesday, confirming the disappearance of an 18-year-old high school student who had travelled to a city in Yunnan, a southwestern province on the border with Myanmar. According to his parents, the student... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3318564/chinese-police-investigating-5-missing-teens-issue-further-warnings-about-telecoms-crime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3318564/chinese-police-investigating-5-missing-teens-issue-further-warnings-about-telecoms-crime?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Jul 2025 08:02:49 +0000 Meredith Chen,Carl Zhang Meredith Chen,Carl Zhang Two Chinese planes were involved in a near miss in Russian airspace earlier this month in an incident that has sparked fresh concerns over aviation safety. Recordings of the pilots’ discussions with air traffic control suggest that an Air China passenger plane made an unexpected manoeuvre that put it on a potential collision course with an SF Airlines cargo plane. The manoeuvre had not been requested by air traffic control and the reason why the plane did this is yet to be explained. However,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3318181/chinese-planes-have-near-miss-after-air-china-flight-makes-unexplained-change-height?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3318181/chinese-planes-have-near-miss-after-air-china-flight-makes-unexplained-change-height?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jul 2025 12:30:10 +0000 Carl Zhang Carl Zhang China’s think-tanks should pay more attention to the nation’s actual conditions and rely less on Western knowledge, according to a leading Chinese scholar, who said policy advisers could better reflect and project the country’s soft power by incorporating “Chinese characteristics”. Professor Zheng Yongnian, a political economist with the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, who is also a Beijing policy adviser, said that to better explain Chinese practices to the world and anticipate the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3317910/forget-west-china-think-tanks-must-be-self-centred-project-soft-power-expert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3317910/forget-west-china-think-tanks-must-be-self-centred-project-soft-power-expert?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Jul 2025 14:00:08 +0000 Carl Zhang,Edith Mao Carl Zhang,Edith Mao It was not quite the American Super Bowl but it was a big moment nonetheless. In the middle of last month, as two amateur football teams from two small cities in eastern China took to the field, a fleet of light aircraft flew over the stadium. The fly-past at the Yangzhou Sports Park Stadium was testament to the popularity of the competition the two teams were playing in, the Jiangsu City Football League – also known as the Su Super League. The league, which is in its first season, pits 13 teams... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3317070/how-amateur-sport-making-it-big-leagues-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3317070/how-amateur-sport-making-it-big-leagues-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Jul 2025 06:00:19 +0000 Carl Zhang Carl Zhang Police in northeastern China are investigating the case of a China Southern Airlines captain who stabbed two of his colleagues before jumping to his death on Tuesday. The 31-year-old pilot, identified only by his surname Li, died after jumping out of a window in Changchun, Jilin province, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Erdao district branch of the Changchun Public Security Bureau. His colleagues were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening wounds, the report said, adding... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3316783/china-flight-safety-spotlight-after-pilot-jumps-death-over-workplace-dispute?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3316783/china-flight-safety-spotlight-after-pilot-jumps-death-over-workplace-dispute?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2025 07:25:21 +0000 Carl Zhang,Edith Mao Carl Zhang,Edith Mao China’s military academies are seeing growing interest from students as the government offers incentives such as subsidised tuition fees to attract more young recruits and as rivalry with the United States drives patriotism. The defence ministry’s announcement last month that three new military academies would start recruiting high school graduates from this summer has been viewed more than 8 million times on social media platform Weibo. Many users said they were excited to have the opportunity... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3315238/why-more-young-chinese-have-military-academies-their-sights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3315238/why-more-young-chinese-have-military-academies-their-sights?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Jun 2025 04:00:07 +0000 Meredith Chen,Carl Zhang Meredith Chen,Carl Zhang Hundreds of Chinese nationals have been evacuated from Iran while work is continuing to remove more than a thousand others amid the ongoing conflict with Israel. “As of now, under the organisation and coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese embassy and consulates in Iran, and with the active assistance and support of neighbouring countries, 791 Chinese citizens have been relocated from Iran to safe areas, while over 1,000 more are in the process of being evacuated,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3314958/hundreds-chinese-citizens-evacuated-iran-fighting-israel-continues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3314958/hundreds-chinese-citizens-evacuated-iran-fighting-israel-continues?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Jun 2025 12:46:40 +0000 Carl Zhang,Edith Mao Carl Zhang,Edith Mao For two decades, it was popular for many Chinese families to send their children on “study tours” overseas – most often to the United States – during the summer. The programmes generally involved summer camps jointly organised by American universities and language institutions, as well as visits to colleges, museums and tourist attractions. In 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, around 1.3 million Chinese students spent part of their summer holidays studying overseas, according to a report by... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3314463/end-summer-us-study-trips-chinese-children?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3314463/end-summer-us-study-trips-chinese-children?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Jun 2025 12:00:08 +0000 Carl Zhang,Edith Mao Carl Zhang,Edith Mao The United States embassy in China has tightened its visa policy for children under the age of 14 years by removing an interview-free application process. The decision follows Washington’s recent threats to “aggressively revoke” the visas of Chinese students studying in the country and increase scrutiny of future applications. In a notice posted on its official visa application website USTravelDocs on Monday, the embassy said that applicants under 14 who submit a non-immigrant visa application... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3313903/chinese-children-under-14-become-latest-targets-tougher-us-visa-policies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3313903/chinese-children-under-14-become-latest-targets-tougher-us-visa-policies?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Jun 2025 14:00:16 +0000 Meredith Chen,Carl Zhang Meredith Chen,Carl Zhang China has urged its citizens in the Los Angeles area to stay vigilant and prioritise their personal safety amid “ongoing law enforcement actions” targeting immigration-related protests in California’s largest city. In a safety advisory issued on Monday, the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles reminded Chinese citizens in the area “to closely monitor official announcements and media reports, stay highly vigilant, strengthen safety precautions, avoid gathering sites, crowded areas, or locations with... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3313688/china-urges-nationals-los-angeles-be-highly-vigilant-amid-violent-ice-protests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3313688/china-urges-nationals-los-angeles-be-highly-vigilant-amid-violent-ice-protests?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Jun 2025 08:35:13 +0000