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South China Morning Post
08-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Why Trump's 14-nation tariff package puts China on edge and pressures Southeast Asia
When US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday to extend a pause on 'reciprocal' tariffs until August 1, it offered little comfort to China. Advertisement Instead, Beijing's policymakers may feel increasingly cornered, as Washington also moved to target 14 countries – many of them China's close trading partners – with tariffs of up to 40 per cent. This came despite breakthrough talks in London that laid the groundwork to remove most bilateral export controls – from China's rare earth restrictions to US aircraft engines and chips. Analysts said the latest US tariff package was a calculated strategy to isolate China and strengthen Washington's position in coming trade negotiations, as the 90-day trade truce agreed in May is set to expire in early August. 'Trump's newly announced tariffs ... are a continuation of this decoupling agenda,' said Xu Weijun, an assistant research fellow at the Institute of Public Policy at South China University of Technology. Advertisement 'It's both pressure and division: the message is clear – 'cooperative' countries like Vietnam get preferential treatment , while others face high tariffs,' he said.
South China Morning Post
15-06-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
China's extreme heat shield breaks thermal limit on hypersonic flight
Chinese scientists have created a carbide ceramic capable of withstanding temperatures up to 3,600 degrees Celsius (6,512 degrees Fahrenheit) in an oxidising environment, exceeding current thermal limits on hypersonic flight Advertisement The development holds significant potential for applications in aerospace , energy and other extreme high-temperature fields. Modern hypersonic aircraft and advanced engines demand materials that can maintain structural integrity under extreme thermal conditions. However, most materials begin to fail well below 3,000 degrees. The heat shield tiles of SpaceX's Starship, for instance, could withstand temperatures around 1,371 degrees, according to some estimates. Metal alloys typically degrade at temperatures above 2,000 degrees, and while carbon-carbon composites can endure up to 3,000 degrees in inert environments, they begin oxidising rapidly in air at just 370 degrees, leading to a sharp drop in mechanical performance. Advertisement 'Our team has – for the first time globally – surpassed this long-standing limit through high-entropy, multi-component design,' said Chu Yanhui, a professor at South China University of Technology.
South China Morning Post
21-05-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Cancer can be made worse by high-dose radiotherapy, surprising new study finds
Radioactive treatment is among the first-line therapies used to effectively target and destroy cancer cells Advertisement But the same radiotherapy could also be a double-edged sword that ends up promoting the distant metastasis of tumours, a recent study has demonstrated. Radiation therapy is often used alone or in combination with surgery and chemotherapy to control the growth of localised cancer tumours. However, scientists in the United States have discovered that high doses of radiation could paradoxically lead to the growth of existing metastatic tumours, even when these tumours had not directly received radiation therapy. The groundbreaking work by researchers at the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Centre was led by China-born biochemist Yang Kaiting. Advertisement Yang became an assistant professor in the university's radiology and oncology department in 2023, after more than five years as a postdoctoral researcher. She returned to China last year to join South China University of Technology's school of biomedical sciences and engineering as a professor.
Associated Press
19-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Implications of buy-online-and-assemble-in-store approach for firms, consumers and environment
FAYETTEVILLE, GA, UNITED STATES, May 19, 2025 / / -- By building a game-theoretic model, researchers have found that a larger proportion of professional consumers can incentivize firms to adopt the buy-online-and-assemble-in-store (i.e., BOAS), while higher handling or traveling costs may lead firms to avoid its use. This study not only contributes to the existing literature, but also provides actionable insights for practitioners. With the rapid development of digital technology and diversification of consumer needs, companies have adopted the buy-online-and-assemble-in-store (i.e., BOAS) approach to better meet the individual needs of consumers. Through BOAS, consumers can place orders online, pick up the products and enjoy services such as assembly at a physical shop. However, due to uncertain post-processing costs, it remains unclear whether companies would benefit from the use of BOAS. Furthermore, the impacts of BOAS on consumers and the environment are of research interest. In a study published in the KeAi journal Sustainable Operations and Computers, a team of researchers at South China University of Technology considered a monopolistic firm selling products that require consumers' post-processing assembly for effective use. 'There are two consumer types with heterogeneity in handling products and consumption preferences,' explains lead author Guanxiang Zhang. 'Specifically, professional consumers excel at product post-processing and prioritize product price and quality more highly, whereas amateur consumers demonstrate weaker post-processing skills and are more concerned with convenience and service quality.' Notably, the distribution of consumer types and product post-processing costs affect the firms' introduction strategies of the BOAS. Companies may be more willing to introduce the BOAS when facing a high proportion of professional-type consumers. Conversely, with higher handling costs, traveling costs and value perception proportions, firms may be more inclined to forego introducing the BOAS. 'Generally, the use of BOAS is favorable for consumers because it offers a better consumer experience,' says Zhang. 'However, we found BOAS may put consumers at risk, as its may idecrease consumer surplus when the share of professional consumers is high. This also explains why companies like Uniqlo went downhill after introducing the BOAS while TUHU gained a strong competitive advantage in the car service industry.' Furthermore, from the perspective of environmental performance, the introduction of the BOAS channel can reduce waste and energy consumption by centralizing the final assembly or customization of products. 'Implementing the use of BOAS may raise the retail price of products in the online channel and ultimately reduce total demand, says Lipan Feng, corresponding author when discussing the effects of BOPS use on firms' pricing decisions and demand. 'Our study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by elucidating the nuanced effects of BOAS on firm strategies and sustainability, providing actionable insights for practitioners navigating the complex omni-channel landscape.' References DOI 10.1016/ Original Source URL Funding Information This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (72372044; 72002024), the Guangzhou Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (2023A04j1071), the Guangdong Soft Science Research Project (2024A1010060001), and the Project of Guangzhou Philosophy and Social Science Planning (2023GZYB20). Lucy Wang BioDesign Research email us here Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
