With extreme weather set to once again test the nation’s electricity grid after heatwaves and drought last year, the Chinese government has been quick to respond to the threat, according to The Lantau Group.

Official explanations about mysterious patterns on a lake floor exposed by drought in China being fish traps do nothing to stop excited internet users from speculating about aliens and ancient tombs.

An extreme summer drought has left reservoirs in China struggling to retain water needed for the dry season, with Sichuan province anticipating a worst-case scenario of a 10 to 30 per cent power shortfall over the winter months.

Shrinking of the country’s largest freshwater lake could make wintering difficult for hundreds of thousands of migratory waterbirds.

China’s demand for imported fuel has been subdued this year as the economy slows, but imports of Russian oil have remained strong and purchases from Saudi Arabia recovered last month.

The capital cities of the southern provinces of Jiangxi and Hunan, two major rice-growing regions, have not seen a single drop of rain this month, raising concerns over China’s food security, drinking water and animal conservation.

Chinese authorities have in recent years ramped up rhetoric around safeguarding food supply. They now say more needs to be done to prevent the loss of nutrient-rich foods through processing.

This week in ‘love and courage in China’, we highlight stories that celebrate the human spirit featuring a grandmother’s toddler leash while she cooks, a teenager trying to stop period-shaming and people helping an old farmer sell dead ducks.

A severe drought has parched Jiangxi province and other major rice-growing areas in the Yangtze River Basin. Farmers in the region are growing increasingly fearful about the coming autumn harvest.

Party congress expected to celebrate last year’s declared success in lifting lowest incomes and turn focus to 2049 goal.

The likelihood of a record high temperature is 93 per cent, said the United Nations agency, which also called on global leaders to step up on climate commitments.

Water levels continue to drop in the country’s biggest freshwater lake.

In this issue of Global Impact, we look back at the latest power crisis in China and ask what is next as it seeks energy security. 

President Xi Jinping underscored the importance of a ‘comprehensive saving strategy’ and urged for major resource risks to be addressed as a priority after China was hit by a drought-induced power crisis last month.

Aftershocks, days of rain and possible landslides threaten the rescue operation, which includes a mission to reach hundreds trapped in a national park.

Rescue work continues into the night as quake marks latest challenge for drought-hit province tackling Covid-19 outbreak.

Drought in China, low rainfall in India and massive monsoon floods in Pakistan are threatening global rice supplies, risking shortages for more than 2 billion people in Asia that depend on it as a staple food.

China has been hit by its most severe heatwave in six decades, exacerbating a drought that has had an impact on food and factory production, power supplies and transport across a vast area of the country.

An over-the-counter traditional Chinese medicine that can cause vomiting and heart palpitations is being mixed with water to make a brew that supposedly looks and tastes like an iced Americano.

Emergency flood-prevention response triggered as torrential downpours that began on Sunday are forecast to extend until Tuesday.

Market sentiment has already been affected by Beijing’s unyielding zero-Covid policy and the ongoing housing market woes, any further shocks could drain demand for risk appetite, analysts say.

Researchers warn that the country should diversify its power supplies in case such extreme weather events become more common in future.

China is facing a power shortage due to heatwaves and drought, affecting the Yangtze River basin in particular, home to several manufacturing hubs and a large population.