U.S. farmers are hoping to see stabilized China-U.S. agricultural cooperation as President Donald Trump arrives in Beijing for high-level talks.
Trump landed in the Chinese capital on Wednesday evening to begin a three-day state visit to China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The visit marks the first trip to China by a U.S. president in nine years, and the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since they met in Busan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), last October.
During the visit, the two heads of state will have an in-depth exchange of views on major issues concerning China-U.S. relations, as well as world peace and development.
In a recent interview with China Central Television (CCTV), Jim Sutter, CEO of the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), said that maintaining stable economic and trade ties between the two countries is essential. Sutter described the China-U.S. soybean trade as naturally complementary.
"I sometimes use the terminology that's kind of hand and glove. China needs to import, the U.S. needs to sell. We grow more than we can consume domestically. So it's a great relationship because we can do that," he said.
Sutter said that the upcoming China-U.S. leaders' meeting is expected to bring stability to agricultural collaboration.
"I think our farmers really appreciate the fact that when the leadership of the two countries meet, we seem to get reports out and that continues to be reiterated. And so that gives our farmers that certainty that, what I was talking about earlier about how when they plant a crop, they want to know that they're going to have a market. I just sense a real sincere desire to see the relationship between China and the U.S. at a governmental level, and also at a business level to see that improving. I think there is this recognition that we are 'better together.' That's sort of a saying that we like to use," said the export council chief.
Meanwhile, amid broader supply-chain volatility, many U.S. soybean growers are under new pressure. In South Dakota, prices for items such as fertilizer and fuel have approached nearly double levels, influenced by factors including geopolitical tensions involving the Middle East crisis and continued cost increases.
Mike McCraine, a fourth-generation farmer in South Dakota, said his farm has been relatively stable due to earlier procurement of key inputs. However, he warned that farms without earlier reserves are facing significant difficulties.
"Next year, if things don't stabilize and get back to what we consider normal, it will be a struggle even for us," the farmer said.
US farmers anticipate stable, healthy agricultural cooperation with China
Major breakthroughs by Chinese scientists have laid the foundation for a future where space-based solar power stations are capable of wirelessly transmitting energy to Earth and spacecraft, though significant engineering problems remain.
A research team from Xidian University in northwest China's Shaanxi Province has made significant progress on the Sun Chasing project, or "Zhuri" in Chinese. The team has developed a ground-based test system for wireless power transmission that can charge multiple moving targets at the same time.
In recent tests, the system achieved a wireless power transmission efficiency of 20.8 percent from direct current to direct current over a distance of 100 meters. It delivered 1,180 watts of power. The team has also built a wireless charging system for drones. In a test, a drone flying at 30 kilometers per hour was able to receive 143 watts of stable power from 30 meters away.
A space solar power station works exactly as its name suggests: a huge array of solar panels placed in orbit. It would collect sunlight in space, where the sun always shines, and then convert that energy into microwaves or lasers to beam down to Earth or directly to satellites and spacecraft. This could address two significant issues: supplying uninterrupted power for space missions and alleviating energy shortages on the ground.
"The construction of space solar power stations could become a major undertaking in the future. One potential benefit is access to a virtually unlimited power supply. Because energy can be collected continuously in space 24 hours a day, electricity could be supplied on an uninterrupted basis," said Fan Guanheng, an associate professor at the School of Mechano-Electronic Engineering at Xidian University.
"Secondly, it could reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, thereby lowering carbon emissions and helping protect the environment. Thirdly, it could support the development of charging infrastructure in space and enable wireless microwave charging for spacecraft, changing the way power is supplied to space vehicles," the professor added.
In 2018, the research team launched the first phase of the Sun Chasing project to build a ground test system. By June 2022, they had completed the world's first full-link, full-system ground validation system for a space solar power station. Now, the team has moved to phase two. The goal now is to solve the challenges of generating high power in space and transmitting it efficiently over long distances.
According to Duan Baoyan, an expert at Xidian University and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, recent breakthroughs include improving the efficiency of solar energy collection and conversion, increasing the precision of microwave beam control to reduce energy loss, and making the transmitting and receiving antennas smaller and lighter, which is critical for space application.
The team has also solved the problem of how to power multiple moving targets at once using a single transmitter. This means that in the future, one space power station could potentially supply electricity to several satellites or ground vehicles at the same time, Duan said.
Despite the advances in ground-based validation, a series of technical challenges must still be overcome before the technology can be deployed in space.
"The first issue that needs to be addressed is the adaptability of components to the space environment, as conditions in space are completely different from those on Earth, including radiation exposure and extreme temperatures. Another challenge involves the deployment and retraction design of transmitting and receiving antennas. We also need to develop thermal management systems to cope with extreme temperatures and temperature fluctuations in space. These are all areas where further breakthroughs are needed," said Qian Sihao, an associate professor at the School of Mechano-Electronic Engineering at Xidian University.
"We have now completed the development and validation of a ground-based test system, and our next step is to carry out in-orbit wireless microwave power transmission," Fan said.
With ground validation complete, the team now turns its attention to overcoming the harsh realities of space, aiming to demonstrate in-orbit wireless power transmission and bring the vision of orbital solar energy closer to reality.
Space-to-earth solar power moves closer to reality although hurdles remain: scientists
