The world is changing fast, but you can learn it at a slower pace.
Special English.
You are listening to Special English.
The China Association for Science and Technology has recently released 30 major science and technology questions and challenges
For 2026, at the main forum of its 28th annual meeting in Beijing, the list comprises 10 frontier scientific questions, 10 engineering challenges and 10 industrial technology bottlenecks.
Covering fields including artificial intelligence, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, and deep sea and deep space exploration.
Among them are the Hodge conjecture, burning plasma in magnetically confined nuclear fusion
Intelligent sensing in deep sea environments, as well as technologies for autonomous exploration and operations by large model driven embodied intelligent robots in space,
And intelligent manufacturing of commercial satellites for mega constellations.
This year's selection was made from 84 proposals.
Recommended by 70 scientists and reviewed by 23 academicians and experts, since launching the initiative in 2018,
The China Association for Science and Technology has solicited and released a total of 279 major science and technology questions and challenges.
You are listening to Special English.
China has unveiled its first artificial intelligence-powered smart operation model for a 10 million kilowatt class integrated hydropower, wind and solar energy base.
Marking a new step in applying AI to large-scale clean energy base operation.
Developed by Yalong River Hydropower Development Company for the Yalong River Integrated Clean Energy Base in southwest China's Sichuan Province.
The model supports forecasting, power dispatching, operations and market trading for the coordinated management of hydropower, wind and solar resources.
The model is built on domestic computing infrastructure and backed by the country's first high-altitude cavern-based intelligent computing centre.
According to the developer,
The model extends the effective forecasting period for river runoff from about 10 days to 60 days, adjusts reservoir operations in real time,
And achieves a fault identification accuracy rate of over 96% for photovoltaic equipment.
Chen De Liang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the model connects resource forecasting with power operation decisions.
And helps shift energy management from reactive adjustment to scientific prediction.
The Yilong River basin is one of China's largest integrated clean energy bases.
With total installed clean energy capacity projected to reach 78 million kilowatts by 2035.
New energy vehicles accounted for 49.42% of all newly registered automobiles in China
In the first half of this year, up 4.45 percentage points from the same period last year.
That is according to data released by the Ministry of Public Security.
From January to June, traffic authorities under the ministry registered more than 5.19 million new energy vehicles.
And 10.51 million automobiles in total, as well as 5.11 million motorbikes.
The ministry said that by the end of June, China had 476 million vehicles,
Including 371 million automobiles and 567 million licensed drivers, with 533 million of them being automobile drivers.
New energy vehicles totaled 48.97 million, accounting for 13.19% of all automobiles in China.
While 68.77% of the new energy vehicles were pure electric vehicles.
You are listening to Special English.
To improve eco-environmental monitoring during China's 15th five-year plan period from 2026 to 2030.
The plan targets notable progress in building a modern eco-environmental monitoring system by 2030.
And lays out five key tasks and six major projects for this period.
According to the plan, China aims to basically complete an integrated eco-environmental monitoring network
Strengthen early warning and monitoring capabilities for new pollutants, heavy metals and ecological hazards and achieve breakthroughs in core monitoring technologies
That is the end of today's program.
I hope you will join us every day to learn English at a slower pace.