Shenzhen’s tech rival, China’s Mach 16 jet fuel engine: SCMP’s 7 highlights

The world’s first oblique detonation engine (ODE) powered by standard aviation kerosene has been successfully tested by Chinese scientists, marking a potential game-changer in hypersonic propulsion that could redefine the limits of air and space travel. As the tech race expands from chips, drones and telecommunications to more nascent products like artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, the sudden rise of a new cohort of start-ups has thrust their home base, Hangzhou, onto the scene. Though the US has unveiled a sweeping port fee proposal designed to hamstring China’s shipbuilding industry – the world’s largest by a wide margin – it may find its Asian allies unable to fill the vacuum in production that could result.

.