China

加速产业链与创新链融合 上海打造“卫星互联网之城”

STCN | Local Language | News | Dec. 8, 2025 | UndeterminedTech Development/Adoption

From December 4 to 5, 2025, Shanghai hosted the Satellite Internet Industry Ecosystem Conference, featuring seven major satellite internet innovation carriers aimed at strengthening the city's capabilities in technical innovation and application conversion. The event highlighted Shanghai's commitment to accelerating the integration of its industrial and innovation chains to establish itself as a globally competitive "City of Satellite Internet."

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has supported the satellite internet sector with key policy documents this year, creating a solid institutional framework. Industry leaders emphasized the importance of research on core technologies, the development of integrated applications, and the completion of supply chains to drive industrial formation and global competitiveness. Key issues discussed included the commercialization cost gap in space technologies and the challenges faced by terahertz technology, with optimism about advances in integrated circuit processes enhancing future capabilities.

The conference debuted seven innovation carriers, including institutes and companies focused on network architecture and space sensing, complemented by exhibits showcasing Shanghai's full industrial chain—from satellites and rockets to terminals and networks. Leading universities and enterprises presented cutting-edge satellite internet research and technologies to underline the city's broad industrial strength.

Songjiang District, a hub for high-end manufacturing and the G60 Sci-Tech Innovation Corridor, announced the formation of the Songjiang Satellite Internet Industry Cluster, marking a shift toward concentrated cluster development. A formal industrial ecosystem alliance was created through cooperation agreements among key players across the satellite manufacturing and communication sectors, fostering cross-chain collaboration.

To address the industry's large investment and high-risk nature, Shanghai launched a multi-level financial support system—the Shanghai Satellite Internet Financial Service Matrix—which integrates equity, loans, insurance, and guarantees. This ecosystem involves major investment and financial institutions and aims to provide full lifecycle funding across all stages of company development. The conference also released a list of 17 key satellite internet projects requiring over 7 billion yuan in financing.

Demonstrations at the conference showcased advanced application scenarios such as satellite-to-ground direct connections, with growing use cases in emergency relief, smart agriculture, ocean logistics, and autonomous driving. Shanghai Yuanxin Satellite Technology’s cooperation with Airbus to deploy the "Qianfan Constellation" aviation connectivity system exemplifies efforts to globalize satellite internet services, enhance civil aviation, and foster economic growth.

Overall, Shanghai is positioning satellite internet as a strategic future industry by deepening international cooperation, accelerating industrial and innovation chain integration, and building a comprehensive ecosystem to become a leading global satellite internet city.

经济大省挑大梁丨“小”身板，“大”力量

China Daily | Local Language | News | Dec. 8, 2025 | UndeterminedEconomic Growth

Ants exemplify extraordinary strength relative to their size, carrying loads thousands of times their own weight. Similarly, Shandong’s economy leverages numerous small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across niche sectors, forming a resilient and distributed industrial ecosystem. This approach contrasts with the traditional emphasis on scale, as seen in China’s large enterprises, by nurturing "hidden champions" that collectively create a stable economic structure capable of withstanding shocks.

Shandong hosts 171 provincial industrial clusters in 97 regions, characterized by specialized SMEs collaborating and competing within localized supply chains. Examples include Sanli Benno’s dominant picaridin production, artificial eyelash manufacturers in Qingdao with 70% global market share, and precision cutting tool factories supplying German automakers. These clusters enable rapid innovation diffusion, flexible capacity sharing, and robust responses to market and supply chain disruptions, relying on the entrepreneurial spirit and reputation-focused business culture rather than on single large enterprises.

As of 2025, Shandong leads China with 31 national-level SME industrial clusters, encompassing nearly 60,000 companies and a combined output exceeding 4 trillion yuan. Key industry areas include rubber tires, precision forgings, and CNC machine tools. These clusters emphasize technological innovation, with SMEs producing 75.3% of their invention patents independently. Specialized "little giant" enterprises are instrumental in tackling manufacturing bottlenecks, fortifying the province’s advanced manufacturing base.

Shandong’s economic growth benefits from proactive policy support aimed at overcoming SME financing challenges, including fiscal interest subsidies and risk compensation to lower loan costs for technological upgrades. Innovation service vouchers further bridge SMEs with academic and research institutions to enhance R&D capabilities. These measures underpin the dynamic cluster development, contributing to Shandong’s sustainable manufacturing transformation during the transition from the 14th to the 15th Five-Year Plan.

Overall, Shandong’s model prioritizes numerous small enterprises working cooperatively to build a resilient, large-scale manufacturing ecosystem. This “ant army” approach fosters enduring industrial strength that adapts to global changes, reshapes regional economic geography, and supports China’s broader manufacturing advancement well beyond reliance on any few dominant corporations.

冷空气又来了？抑制一下超乎寻常的暖！下周降温更猛还有大范围雨雪

Xinhua | Local Language | News | Dec. 8, 2025 | Extreme Weather Events

An unusually warm weather pattern is currently affecting much of central and eastern China, with temperatures in some areas exceeding 20°C, unusually high for early December. The warming will peak around the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, with cities like Shanghai and Hangzhou reaching around 20°C. A weak cold air mass will bring a slight temperature drop in northern regions over the next couple of days, but overall temperatures will remain above average.

Early next week, temperatures in central and eastern areas are expected to rise again, maintaining above-normal levels. However, a stronger cold air mass is forecast to arrive between December 10th and 13th, bringing a significant temperature drop nationwide. This cold front could trigger a drop of 6 to 14°C in some northern regions and may cause cold-wave level cooling, accompanied by strong northerly winds.

This period of strong cold air will also bring widespread precipitation, ending the recent dry conditions. From December 11th to 13th, light to moderate rain is expected in southern and central regions including the Sichuan Basin, Jianghan, Jianghuai, Jiangnan, South China, and Guizhou. Heavy rain or rainstorms may occur locally in central Guangxi, northern Guangdong, and southern Hunan. Snow or sleet will affect the Northwest, North China, Huang-Huai, and parts of the Northeast, with some areas experiencing heavy snow or blizzards. The forecast remains subject to updates, and continued attention to weather advisories is recommended.