China to launch new crewed mission into space this week

China's previous crewed mission, Shenzhou-19, launched last October and will reach its planned end date on Apr 29.
It is headed by Cai Xuzhe, a 48-year-old former air force pilot who served a previous stint aboard the Tiangong space station as part of the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022.
Also among the crew is Wang Haoze, 35, who is China's only female spaceflight engineer and the third Chinese woman to take part in a crewed mission.
Song Lingdong, a 34-year-old man, completes the trio.
The Shenzhou-19 team has been carrying out tests to see how extreme radiation, gravity, temperature and other conditions affect "bricks" made from components imitating lunar soil, according to reports at the time of the launch.
Under President Xi Jinping, China has forged ahead with plans to achieve its "space dream".
Its space programme was the third to put humans in orbit and has also landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon.
The jewel in the crown is Tiangong, the space station staffed by teams of three astronauts that are rotated every six months.
Beijing says it is on track to send a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030.
In recent decades, the country has poured billions of dollars into developing an advanced space programme on par with the United States and Europe.
In 2019, it landed its Chang'e-4 probe on the far side of the Moon – the first spacecraft ever to do so. In 2021, it landed a small robot on Mars.
Tiangong, whose core module, Tianhe, launched in 2021, is planned to be used for about 10 years.

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Straits Times

2 days ago

• Straits Times

Muscles, fats and simple blood test can predict menopausal women's health

Madam Sabarina Jumarudin, a participant of the Integrated Women's Health Programme (IWHP) at NUH and the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, with IWHP lead Yong Eu Leong. PHOTO: NUHS SINGAPORE – A simple blood test can predict which woman will have less muscle and will be walking more slowly later in life. It is also practical and cheaper than current methods of measuring muscle, such as the current gold standard magnetic resonance imaging scans or strength tests, which are also more time-consuming. This new insight from a longitudinal cohort study of midlife women in Singapore shone light on how muscle strength, visceral fat and their association with the physical decline after menopause can potentially lead to downstream health impacts among women here. Researchers from the National University Hospital (NUH) and National University of Singapore (NUS) found that women with a lower creatinine-to-cystatin C ratio (CCR) – a marker derived from blood tests – had less muscle and walked more slowly as they age. Creatinine is a by-product of normal muscle function and energy use, and a higher level indicates higher skeletal muscle mass or poor kidney function. Cystatin C is a protein produced by the body's cells that is filtered out by the kidneys. A normal cystatin C level rules out poor kidney function. A low CCR of under 8.16 was associated with a lower muscle volume of 0.350 litres in the thigh, and a slower gait of 0.049 metres per second. This suggested that CCR could be a useful early warning sign for age-related muscle loss, which may lead to falls, frailty and reduced quality of life. The findings were published in Menopause, a monthly peer-reviewed journal, in March 2025. The scientists are from the Integrated Women's Health Programme (IWHP) at NUH and the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. The IWHP was initiated to identify and address the health care needs of midlife Singaporean women. It recruited a cohort of 1,200 Chinese, Malay, and Indian women aged 45 to 69 years between 2014 and 2016 – about 70 per cent of whom were postmenopausal . Their health metrics were then tracked over time. In the first study based on this cohort, published in international journal Maturitas in October 2023, the researchers shared a ranking of menopausal symptoms – with joint and muscular discomfort found to be the most reported symptom among women in Singapore. Called arthralgia, it had moderate or severe impact on a third of the midlife women of the cohort. A subsequent study, published in Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism in October 2024, found that women with both weak muscle strength and high levels of visceral fat – the deep belly fat around the internal organs – had the highest risk of developing prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Their risk was 2.63 times higher than that of women who had normal muscle strength and lower fat levels. Having just one of these conditions also increased risk, though to a lesser degree. The risk from having high visceral fat alone is 1.78 times higher. Among those with weak muscle strength, women with high visceral fat had a 2.84 times higher risk compared to those with low visceral fat. Explaining the impetus for the study, IWHP lead Yong Eu Leong said: 'Muscle... burns up fat. What about those who have weak muscles? Does it affect the risk for diabetes in the future?' The cohort's initial muscle and visceral fat measurements served as a baseline for researchers to track changes over the years. Researchers then analysed how changes in fat and muscle measurements taken about six years later – by then, about 90 per cent of the women were postmenopausal – related to whether women had developed diabetes. Professor Yong, who also heads the division of benign gynaecology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at NUH, noted that a large proportion of women in Singapore are 'skinny fat', where their body mass index is in the normal range, but they have high levels of visceral fat and low muscle mass. ' One way (to know what your risks are) is to measure your walk and the speed at which you walk. If you cannot walk fast and straight, then your health is not so good. We wanted to see if we can develop a test that can predict gait speed. We wanted to look at molecules that actually measure muscle functions,' he said. 'These findings validated our previous (IWHP) research that showed that women should not just focus on weight loss, but on building muscle strength through exercise for diabetes prevention,' Prof Yong said. One participant of the IWHP, administrative assistant Sabarina Jumarudin, is living proof of the findings. The 59-year-old grandmother used to weigh 93kg and suffered from sleep apnoea. Since she underwent the bariatric surgery at NUH in 2018, a procedure that modifies the digestive system to help people with obesity lose weight, she lost more than 30kg. Mindful of keeping her weight down, Madam Sabarina walks to the MRT station every day instead of taking the shuttle service, and takes the stairs instead of the escalator to catch the train. 'On my way home, I usually take a longer route to ensure I clock at least 10,000 steps a day, and practising stretching and breathing exercises to strengthen my core,' she said. 'I realised that small but consistent changes do make a big impact on my health, so I do what I can on a daily basis, and it gives me confidence to not only stay healthy physically and mentally but also stave off diabetes,' she added. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.

Business Times

6 days ago

• Business Times

China reviews impact of US data curbs due to Trump's budget cuts

[BEIJING] China's government is reviewing impacts on the nation's scientific research after US President Donald Trump's moves to withdraw funding from some US agencies and halt publication of certain categories of data. Several Chinese ministries and bodies have in recent weeks started assessing potential disruption to their work, and made efforts to determine the extent to which some activities have become reliant on data published by the US, according to sources familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified to discuss details that are not public. Agencies carrying out reviews include the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Meteorological Administration, Ministry of Natural Resources and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, one of the sources said. One area of work facing potential disruption has been studies of coral bleaching in the South China Sea, according to another source. Chinese researchers had used a US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) product that published coastal water temperatures, which was decommissioned last month, the source said. The move comes as Beijing and Washington have been working to get bilateral relations back on track, with negotiators agreeing on a framework to ease trade tensions and revive the flow of sensitive goods between the world's two largest economies. But details are scarce and many issues remain unresolved, including China's massive trade surplus with the US. Reviews being carried out by the Chinese ministries will examine if domestic sources can replace the use of US data that's now unavailable, the sources said. Investigations are being conducted quietly to avoid giving the US any potential bargaining chip, according to the sources. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Meteorological Administration, Ministry of Natural Resources and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Beijing has sought in recent years to reduce its dependence on foreign sources for critical technology and products. Past US actions have only accelerated China's push for self-reliance, much like how US curbs on chip sales have spurred growth in the country's home-grown semiconductor industry. China views climate science as a geopolitical battleground. President Xi Jinping wants his country to become a weather superpower and have a bigger say in global meteorological governance. Beijing spent nearly 500 per cent more on climate diplomacy from 2013 to 2023, following a familiar strategy of offering financial help to other nations to boost the use of Chinese technology and services. In the US, job losses and funding cuts have impacted the collection and availability of data in fields such as climate, weather and health. Hundreds of employees have been fired at NOAA as part of the Trump administration's broader efforts to shrink the federal government. NOAA declined to comment on whether the removal of data products and websites has impacted cooperation with other countries, including China. The agency said coastal water temperature data remains available in other formats. The White House didn't respond to a request for comment. The coastal water temperature guide made data 'easier for scientists or interested lay people to see it and analyse it', said Craig McLean, an ocean researcher who worked at NOAA for decades before retiring in 2022. Without the original presentation, 'it could be a more complicated journey' for anyone trying to use and make sense of the information, he said. Cuts to research and information sharing in the US will also impact partners from Europe to Australia, across fields such as astronomy, physics, public health and weather monitoring, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said last month. Chinese data It isn't just the US that has pulled back on the amount of data it makes public. China has drawn criticism for tightening its grip on sensitive details, limiting the ability of economists, think tanks, financial analysts and others to access information. Restrictions have included corporate registries, bond market transactions, official biographies of politicians and academic papers. Domestic data firm Wind Information in 2023 stopped providing detailed information on local companies to overseas clients, while the Ministry of State Security repeatedly warned that foreign entities are obtaining sensitive data, including on food production, geography and weather patterns, through software, non-governmental organisations and unwitting Chinese citizens. China has a history of working with America's federal science agencies, including NOAA, and last year renewed a treaty first signed in 1979 covering cooperation in several fields. Researchers have often praised the accuracy and comprehensive coverage of US data – in 2017, the China Meteorological Administration said the US data prediction was among the best in the world. BLOOMBERG

Business Times

15-06-2025

• Business Times

China's biotech moment ignites a 60% stock rally that beats AI

China's biotechnology stocks have shaken off a four-year slump to be among the hottest performers in Asia this year and funds are tipping further gains. The Hang Seng Biotech Index has surged more than 60 per cent since the start of January amid investor enthusiasm over a pair of billion-dollar deals involving foreign firms licensing Chinese drugs. Share gains at two highly anticipated listings of local producers have further burnished the sector's appeal. 'China biotech is no longer just an emerging story – unlike 10 years ago – it is now a disruptive force reshaping global drug innovation,' said Yiqi Liu, senior investment analyst at Exome Asset Management in New York. 'The science is real, the economics are compelling, and the pipeline is starting to deliver.' The surge in China-listed biotech firms is further evidence that the mainland is becoming a centre for global innovation. The rally in the sector this year outpaces the 17 per cent gain in China's tech stocks that was driven by the release of DeepSeek's breakthrough artificial-intelligence app in January. A major reason for the share gains were two mega-sized licensing deals. Pfizer said on May 19 that it had agreed to pay a record US$1.25 billion to license an experimental cancer drug from China's 3SBio, and also invest US$100 million in the firm's shares. Two weeks later, Bristol-Myers Squibb said it would pay Germany's BioNTech as much as US$11.5 billion to license a cancer drug that BioNTech had itself licensed from China's Biotheus in 2023. Some of the gains in biotech shares this year have been stratospheric. 3SBio has surged 283 per cent, topping a Bloomberg gauge of global biotech stocks. RemeGen, which develops antibody drugs, has climbed more than 270 per cent after saying it was approached by multinational pharmaceutical firms for potential licensing deals. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up China's growing influence through pharmaceutical mergers and acquisitions and deal-making is also causing investors to take note. In the first quarter alone, the value of such deals involving local players doubled from the year before to US$36.9 billion. That amount made up more than half the global total of US$67.5 billion. Chinese biotech companies are having 'their own DeepSeek moment', said Dong Chen, chief Asia strategist at Pictet Wealth Management in Hong Kong. There is more upside from here, he said. Investor interest in biotech – which involves the use of living organisms to make medicines and other products – can be seen in the big runup at recent initial public offerings. Shares of Duality Biotherapeutics, which develops cancer treatments, more than doubled on their first day of trading in Hong Kong on Apr 15. Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals, the nation's largest drugmaker by market value, saw its stock jump 25 per cent on its May 23 debut, even after being issued at the top end of the marketed range. Duality has now risen 189 per cent since its IPO, while Jiangsu has gained 31 per cent. Still, some say the rally may be getting stretched. 'Bears, mostly healthcare specialists, plan to take profit at this point, and some investors prefer the healthcare laggers with capability of constant dividend payout and stable revenue growth,' Bank of America analysts including Ethan Cui in Hong Kong wrote in a research note this month. Some investors also said they viewed the rush of recent licensing deals as a one-off, and they were refusing to grant valuation multiples to the companies, the analysts wrote. Talent returns While the recent ratcheting up of trade tensions between the US and China has been a negative for many mainland firms, it's also resulted in talent flowing back to China and creating more research-and-development capability, according to Nicholas Chui, a Chinese equity fund manager at Franklin Templeton in Hong Kong. Jefferies is also bullish, saying the increase in US tariffs is unlikely to prove an obstacle to Chinese biotech firms. Many of the Chinese biotech companies already have US partners and are therefore considered as service providers rather than product exporters, said Cui Cui, head of Asia healthcare research at the company in New York. BLOOMBERG