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How two bearings mirror upgrading of China’s manufacturing

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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

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Judge blocks Trump from deporting non-citizens using wartime law

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A federal judge has temporarily halted the Trump administration’s attempt to deport migrants allegedly linked to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua under a wartime law.

US District Judge James Boasberg issued a restraining order preventing the administration from using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expel undocumented migrants accused of gang ties. The order initially protected five individuals challenging the deportation but was later expanded to all affected noncitizens in US custody.

Boasberg also directed that any planes carrying these migrants be returned to the United States. “Any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned,” he ruled. The restraining order will remain in effect for 14 days or until further court action.

The Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act, citing Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization that has “unlawfully infiltrated the United States” and is engaging in hostile actions. However, civil rights groups, including the ACLU, argue that the gang’s activities do not meet the legal definition of an invasion.

The Justice Department has appealed the ruling, while the case continues in court.

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China’s new chapter in global innovation

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By Gu Yekai, Liu Yiqing, People’s Daily

At a smart construction project site managed by China State Construction Engineering Corporation, a quiet technological revolution is underway. Amid cranes and concrete, engineers are deploying advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems that could fundamentally reshape the construction industry.

Li Fengjian, an AI specialistwith Xianyuan Technology, detailed how the company’s latest intelligent system – built on a large model – adapts to complex construction environments.”Engineering machinery equipped with intelligent agents can adjust its operations automatically in response to weather conditions,” Li explained, adding that a spatiotemporal sensing network further enhances the system, providing real-time tracking of both personnel and materials throughout the construction site.

In February this year, Xianyuan Technology rapidly integrated its self-developed model with DeepSeek-R1, effectively blending a general-purpose framework with industry-specific models. This integration, Li noted, has produced a solution capable of delivering expert-level performance in challenging, dynamic environments. The firm is based in the Shanghai Foundation Model Innovation Center, aburgeoning AI incubator that now hosts over 200 innovative enterprises.

China’s technological transformation extends well beyond the construction sector. Overthe past three decades, the country has evolved from its initial forays into internet connectivity to becoming a key player in global digital innovation.

Here, a steady stream of technological innovations are emerging, from the early days of emails and web browsing to the cutting-edge technologies represented by DeepSeek and the dynamic evolution of social media.

Wu Jianping, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and headof the Zhongguancun Laboratory, pointed out that while China had introduced only one internet standard before 2005, it now contributes to over 200 worldwide. Such strides illustrate the country’s concerted push toward high-level technological self-reliance – a journey marked by both persistence and determination.

Beyond the digital realm, China is makingsignificant inroads in aerospace, new energy, and other high-tech sectors. It has transitioned from being a follower to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with global leaders, and in some areas, even taking the lead. Wu attributed these achievements to a dynamic ecosystem of policy reforms and talent cultivation that encourages creativity and technical expertise at every level.

Amid intensifying international competition, collaborative research and the integration of new technologies with traditional industries are central to China’s high-quality economic development.

Mei Linhai, a researcher at China’s State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Intelligence, remarked that the age of AI calls for continuous exploration. “In this era, everyone is an innovator. Only by persistently pushing the boundaries can we remain at the forefront of both technological and industrial development,” Mei observed.

In the field of general-purpose AI, Mei emphasized that independent innovation is paramount. He advocates for a self-driven industrial ecosystem that leveragesbreakthrough technologies to boost productivity and unlock new possibilities, Mei said.

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Chinese democracy in action:a village bench meeting shapes national law

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By Wei Zhezhe, Liu Botong, People’s Daily

In a modest corner of Jiangmen, south China’s Guangdong province, residents of Weidong village are experiencing firsthand a form of democracy that starts at the grassroots level and reverberates all the way to Beijing.

Wu Tengxin, a local villager who relies on a scooter for daily mobility after contracting polio, recalls a time when the village’s public spaces were ill-equipped for people with disabilities. Now, thanks to a simple suggestion made during a meeting, his everyday life has changed.

In November 2022, a team from a local legislative outreach office – a branch of China’sNational People’s Congress (NPC) – visited Weidong village and set up a “bench-style meeting.” Residents, including the elderly and those with disabilities, gathered to voice their concerns about inadequate accessibility.

Amid the conversation, Wu offered a straightforward proposal: “I hope rural accessible facilities can be improved to make mobility easier for people with disabilities and the elderly.” His words were relayed verbatim to lawmakers.

The response was swift. On June 28, 2023, at the third session of the 14th NPC Standing Committee, legislators passed a law on building a barrier-free living environment. The law stipulates that improvements”shall align with social and economic development levels, coordinate urban and rural progress, and gradually narrow the gap in infrastructure between urban and rural areas.”

Today, Wu observes that the village’s main roads and public squares have been upgraded with accessibility features that make getting around considerably easier.

This episode illustrates what Chinese officials call “whole-process people’s democracy” – a system where citizen input is woven into every stage of policy development.

Jilie Ziri, head of Abuluoha village in Butuo county, southwest China’s Sichuan province, remarked that for young generations in China, democracy has become a lived experience. “Villagers are the masters of village affairs,” he said, emphasizing how active villager participation has injected new vitality into local governance.

Experts point to consultative democracy as a cornerstone of this process. Tao Kaiyuan, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy and vice president of the Supreme People’s Court, underscores the important role of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, whose members hail from every stratum of society and bring a wealth of expertise and connections.

Their regular forums, field research, and public consultations have created robust channels for citizens to contribute ideas and forge consensus.”This approach gathers collective wisdom and transforms public voices into policy,” Tao said.

Another crucial manifestation is the effectiveness of China’s political party system. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, Chinese democratic parties actively fulfill their duties, offering recommendations that often translate into concrete policy decisions. This integrated approach demonstrates the unique strengths of China’s political system and the advantages of whole-process people’s democracy.

Tao emphasized that whole-process people’s democracyhas evolved into an efficient and dynamic democratic practice – one that not only reflects the essence of socialist democracy but also presents a pioneering model of political civilization, contributing Chinese wisdom and solutions to global governance and democratic development.

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