China’s BYD Launches 3 Electric Cars Model in Indonesia
China’s BYD Launches 3 Electric Car Models in Indonesia
On the 18th, Chinese automotive giant BYD launched three electric vehicle (EV) models in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, marking its entry into the Indonesian market. The Indonesian Minister of Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, revealed that BYD will invest $1.3 billion to build a factory in Indonesia with a production capacity of 150,000 cars.
In the last quarter of the previous year, BYD overtook Tesla to become the top-selling EV seller. In 2023, BYD sold over 3 million cars. Indonesia, with a population of approximately 280 million, is the largest economy in Southeast Asia. BYD’s expansion in Indonesia aims to further tap into the Southeast Asia market. Previously, BYD collaborated with Indonesian partners to launch electric buses and entered the local taxi market.
Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, who leads cooperation with China, expressed on social media that BYD’s arrival will help invigorate Indonesia’s EV market. Through BYD, Indonesia has the potential to become a growth center for the EV market in Southeast Asia.
University Professor Suspended Amidst Serious Academic Misconduct Allegations
In the early hours of January 19, following a bold real-name whistleblowing by 11 students, Huazhong Agricultural University’s official Weibo account released a statement regarding allegations of academic fraud against Professor Huang of the Animal Nutrition department. The university’s Academic Ethics Committee has formed an investigative team, preliminarily confirming the validity of the issues raised, including falsified experimental images, data, and results, and identifying apparent academic misconduct. A supervisory group will be set up to fully take over the graduate student training in Professor Huang’s research group.
In an interview on January 17, the student representatives expressed the enormous risk and determination involved in their decision, stating that they staked their entire future on this action. They hope their actions will lead to the removal of unworthy teachers and ensure the rightful interests of students.
This incident has garnered widespread attention on Chinese social media, with netizens supporting the 11 students vocally. The issue has repeatedly topped the trend on Weibo. While the investigation is ongoing, the whistleblowers and the public eagerly await a definitive resolution. The case remains a “preliminary finding,” not a “final result,” as one of the whistleblowers on social media noted.
Hours, Fresh Fruits to Space by Tianzhou-7
At 22:27 on January 17, 2024, China’s Tianzhou-7 cargo spacecraft, aboard the Long March 7 Rocket, successfully launched and docked with the Tiangong Space Station in just three hours.
Tianzhou-7, an advanced fully-sealed cargo spacecraft, stands as the world’s most capable in terms of transport capacity, efficiency, and orbital support. The mission carried approximately 5.6 tons of supplies, spanning over 260 items across various categories. This mission’s cargo is multifaceted, primarily encompassing astronauts’ living supplies, consumable resources like water and air, and materials for scientific experiments. Notably, the spacecraft transported a significant 2.4 tons of essential items for astronauts, accounting for over 40% of the total cargo weight. This includes a special Chinese New Year gift package and a 90 kg package of fresh fruits and vegetables for the crews.
Moreover, Tianzhou-7 is instrumental in supporting ongoing space experiments and delivering payloads, experimental units, consumables, and spare parts necessary for scientific research. The mission carried 16 standard cargo containers, a cell culture life support device, and a 4°C microfluidic chip for biological experiments, totaling 61 items weighing about 473 kg.
These materials will facilitate 33 scientific experiments in space life science, material science, microgravity fluid physics, and combustion science. These experiments are a collaborative effort involving 10 research institutes and 8 universities. Two are cell-based biological experiments, installed just before launch, while others were loaded as cargo packages. These scientific payloads are vital for furthering our understanding and capabilities in space exploration.