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How two bearings mirror upgrading of China’s manufacturing
How two bearings mirror upgrading of China’s manufacturing
By Li Xinping, Wang Zheng, Ding Yiting, People’s Daily
Bearings are considered as “joints” of industries.
Recently, the Liu’ao offshore wind farm in Zhangzhou, southeast China’s Fujian province, which features the application of 16-MW offshore wind turbine units, was put into full-capacity operation and connected to the grid for power generation. The bearings of the turbine units were independently developed in China.
Meanwhile, a tunnel boring machine equipped with a Chinese-manufactured main bearing, which comes with a diameter of over three meters, was instrumental in building the Suzhou Metro Line 6 in Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu province.
These two bearings exactly mirror the solid strides in China’s manufacturing over the past 75 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
The bearings used on the 16-MW offshore wind turbine units were produced by LYC Bearing Corporation. “We were incapable of producing high-end bearings over 10 years ago, but we were determined to crack this hard nut,” said Wang Xinying, chairman of the company.
To strengthen its capabilities, LYC set up Chinese national-level key laboratories and other innovative platforms. It also cooperated with Tsinghua University and other institutions of higher learning to leverage their strength.
As a result, it launched a wide range of new products, such as bearings for new energy vehicles (NEVs), wind turbine units, and for rail transit. These products have been employed by important equipment such as the Chang’e series lunar probes, the Tiangong Space Station, and the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST).
While LYC is striving for excellence in manufacturing high-end bearings, China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corporation Limited (CRCHI) is focusing all of its energy on the development of tunnel boring machine (TBM) bearings.
In 2019, CRCHI set up a dedicated research and design institute to develop main bearings for TBMs, the “final piece of the puzzle” in China’s goal to fully localize its TBM industry. After three years, the institute finally developed a TBM bearing with a diameter of over nine meters.
“This main bearing, the largest and heaviest in the world, can be used in the largest TBMs currently available,” said Liu Feixiang, CRCHI’s chief scientist.
“In the past, what we could do was decided by what equipment we had, but now we can manufacture equipment for whatever task is needed,” Liu added.
Behind the two bearings lies the strong confidence stemming from China’s complete manufacturing system.
In 1949, China’s first batch of molten steel was produced by Ansteel in northeast China, and today, China has maintained the world’s largest steel producer for 28 consecutive years, constantly breaking world records in the thickness of steel foils.
In 1956, the first Jiefang truck rolled off the assembly line of Chinese automaker FAW Group. Today, China has been the world’s largest auto production and sales country for 15 consecutive years, while its production and sales of NEVs topped the global market for the ninth year in a row.
China has completed in a just few decades the industrialization process that took developed countries several hundred years. It boasts the world’s most comprehensive industrial categories and a well-rounded industrial system, with its manufacturing spanning 31 major categories, 179 subcategories, and 609 branch categories. For 14 years in a row, the country has remained the world’s top manufacturing hub. In 2023, its value-added manufacturing output accounted for 26.2 percent of its GDP and approximately 30 percent of the global output.
As Chinese enterprises constantly improve their capabilities and extend to the higher end of the industrial chain, more bearing products are hitting the market.
On March 10, a bearing developed by LYC for a 40-meter-aperture radio telescope in the Changbai Mountain area, northeast China’s Jilin province, completed acceptance inspection to support future lunar and deep-space probe missions.
On March 14, the world’s first main bearing for 25 MW wind turbine units successfully rolled off the production line at Luoyang Bearing Science and Technology Co., Ltd. in Luoyang, central China’s Henan province, setting a new record for the highest single-unit capacity in wind turbine bearings.
As products become higher-end, production must also become smarter. CRCHI has built a digital twin of the general assembly facility in one of its industrial parks in Changsha, central China’s Hunan province.
“This is a digital twin image of the front of a TBM’s cutterhead. The varying shades represent the stress and wear on the blades,” said Wang Yongsheng, deputy head of CRCHI’s digital twin research institute. By analyzing the data in real-time, engineers can upgrade the next-generation products in a more targeted manner, Wang added.
In China, mass-produced power battery cells now have an energy density of 300 watt-hours per kilogram, placing them at the forefront of international standards. The silicon-perovskite tandem solar cells made in China have achieved an efficiency of 34.6 percent, continuously setting new world records.
Besides, recent years have seen rapid growth in China’s export of “the new three,” namely, NEVs, lithium-ion batteries and photovoltaic products, with annual exports exceeding 1 trillion yuan ($140.93 billion).
Currently, strategic emerging industries account for about 13 percent in China’s GDP, and China is home to 463,000 high-tech companies. Chinese manufacturing is rapidly advancing toward the high end of the global industrial chain.
Moreover, the penetration rate of digital R&D and design tools in major Chinese enterprises reached 80.1 percent, and 62.9 percent of their key production processes are numerically controlled. Industrial internet has been applied in all major industrial categories, and the steps of industrial digitalization and digital industrialization have been accelerated.
By upgrading traditional industries, expanding emerging industries, and planning for future industries, China is developing new quality productive forces tailored to local conditions, continuously creating new drivers of growth and competitive advantages.
How two bearings mirror upgrading of China’s manufacturing
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Nigerian lawyers Ask to Collaborate with Chinese Colleagues in Law Relating to Investment and Dispute Resolution
Nigerian lawyers Ask to Collaborate with Chinese Colleagues in Law Relating to Investment and Dispute Resolution
By: Michael Mike
Legal practitioners in the country have been advised to collaborate with their Chinese counterparts to address emerging legal challenges in investment frameworks and dispute resolution.
This call was made by a Nigerian judiciary journalist John Azu during the presentation of his book, “Contemporary Legal Cooperation: China and Africa – A Comparative Survey of Legal Systems”
in Abuja.
Azu while highlighting the absence of Nigerian representation at key legal conferences organised by the Chinese government, which have previously included participants from South Africa, Tanzania, Ghana, and Kenya, said: “I was privileged to interact with Chinese lawyers and participate in conferences aimed at fostering cooperation with African lawyers.
“At one such event, I noticed no Nigerian lawyers were present. Organisers expressed hope to include Nigeria in future programmes.”
He explained that these programmes, address critical legal issues such as copyright infringement, labor rights, land disputes, and contractual agreements, which are highly relevant to Nigeria.
Azu stressed the importance of learning from China’s legal system, especially given the substantial investments the country has made across Africa.
“China has invested billions of dollars in Africa, but these investments require comprehensive legal frameworks to prevent prolonged disputes,” he said, citing past cases of Nigeria facing asset seizures due to unresolved breaches in investment agreements.
He further emphasised that understanding China’s legal philosophy and fostering collaboration could help Nigeria protect its interests.
“This collaboration provides insights into legal systems that underpin large-scale investments, ensuring mutual benefits for both parties,” Azu stated.
He said with Nigeria as Africa’s largest economy, it is vital for the country’s legal professionals to seize such opportunities to shape the future of cross-border investments and legal cooperation.
In his remarks, the Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of China to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, represented by the Vice-Director of the China Cultural Centre, Liu Zhanping, stressed the importance of law in safeguarding citizens’ fundamental rights.
Zhanping highlighted that legal systems play a crucial role in ensuring the protection of individuals within any society. “Law is essential to protect every citizen of a country and their fundamental rights,” he stated.
Azu’s book serves as a resource for legal practitioners, policymakers, and academics, offering strategies to strengthen legal ties between Nigeria and China.
Nigerian lawyers Ask to Collaborate with Chinese Colleagues in Law Relating to Investment and Dispute Resolution
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ECOWAS Court Declares Case Filed by Togolese Diaspora Groups Against Togo Inadmissible
ECOWAS Court Declares Case Filed by Togolese Diaspora Groups Against Togo Inadmissible
By: Michael Mike
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court has dismissed the case filed by le Collectif pour la Vérité des Urnes TOGO-DIASPORA et le Réseau de la coordination de la diaspora togolaise indépendante – (CVU- TOGO-DISPORA ET CONSORTS (RCDTI) against the Republic of Togo. The Court ruled the application inadmissible due to the lack of legal standing of the applicants.
The applicants, le Collectif pour la Vérité des Urnes TOGO-DIASPORA et le Réseau de la coordination de la diaspora togolaise indépendante – (CVU- TOGO-DISPORA ET CONSORTS (RCDTI), alleged violations of the 1992 Constitution of Togo (amended in 2019) and the rights of Togolese citizens. The case referenced constitutional and legislative changes, electoral irregularities, and alleged misconduct by Togolese institutions, seeking accountability and reparations for victims.
The Republic of Togo, despite being notified, did not file any written defense.
The applicants requested the Court to declare the constitutional amendments invalid, annul all acts stemming from them, and order reparations totaling 3.870.000 euros for damages. They also sought the release of political prisoners, accountability for crimes against humanity, and reforms in governance.
In the Judgment delivered by Honourable Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves, the Judge Rapporteur, the Court determined that the applicants, as an association operating outside Togo, failed to prove their legal status under Togolese or any other ECOWAS Member State’s law. Additionally, it said that the absence of a legal registration document rendered the applicants ineligible to initiate proceedings before the Court. Therefore, it declared the application inadmissible due to lack of legal standing.
The three-member panel of the Court were Honourable Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves (presiding judge and judge rapporteur), Honourable Justice Sengu Mohamed Koroma (panel member), and Honourable Justice Gberi-Bè Ouattara (Panel member).
ECOWAS Court Declares Case Filed by Togolese Diaspora Groups Against Togo Inadmissible
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HMOD LAUDS NAF’S OPERATIONAL READINESS, SYMBOLICALLY FLAGS OFF AIR CAMPAIGN UNDER OPERATION FANSAN YAMMA
HMOD LAUDS NAF’S OPERATIONAL READINESS, SYMBOLICALLY FLAGS OFF AIR CAMPAIGN UNDER OPERATION FANSAN YAMMA
By: Olusola Akinboyewa
The Honourable Minister of Defence (HMOD), Dr Mohammed Badaru Abubakar CON mni, visited the Air Component of Operation FANSAN YAMMA in Katsina and Sokoto States today, 18 November 2024. The visit emphasized the need for operational readiness and sustained air superiority in the fight against banditry and insurgency in Northwest Nigeria.
During his visit, the HMOD symbolically flagged off the re-invigorated air campaign under Operation FANSAN YAMMA. This marks a key milestone in neutralizing criminal elements and restoring peace to vulnerable communities.
The Minister praised the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) for its dedication and successful execution of air interdiction campaigns. “Your bravery and professionalism serve as an inspiration to the Nigerian people. We’re witnessing positive changes: farmers returning to farms, children back in school, businesses reopening, and Nigerians sleeping in peace.”
The HMOD acknowledged the Federal Government’s commitment to enhancing NAF’s effectiveness. “Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership, we’ve prioritized investments in advanced technologies and resources. The President has provided state-of-the-art aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles, boosting our capabilities.”
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, thanked the Minister for his visit and support. “Your servant leadership inspires us. Your operational visits have heightened morale and renewed the fighting spirit of our troops.”
The CAS reaffirmed the NAF’s loyalty to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR. He also assured the nation of the NAF’s relentless determination to restore peace and stability to troubled areas. “We understand peace and stability are crucial for Nigeria’s prosperity. Rest assured, the NAF remains committed to safeguarding national unity and progress.”
The visit included inspections, discussions with field commanders, and briefings on the air campaign, as well as a breathtaking fly-past by daring young NAF fighter pilots. The HMOD praised NAF’s use of intelligence and technology in striking bandit strongholds.
The visit served as a morale booster, highlighting air power’s critical role in safeguarding Nigeria’s citizenry and territorial integrity.
HMOD LAUDS NAF’S OPERATIONAL READINESS, SYMBOLICALLY FLAGS OFF AIR CAMPAIGN UNDER OPERATION FANSAN YAMMA
NBMA Debunks Allegations of Negligence, Compromise Against It
Nigerian lawyers Ask to Collaborate with Chinese Colleagues in Law Relating to Investment and Dispute Resolution
House of Reps Assures on Passage of Human Rights Defenders Bill
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