Beijing accelerates development of satellite internet industry

The city of Beijing has issued the outline of a plan to accelerate the city's satellite internet industry development, proposing to build the capital city into China's first satellite internet demonstration city by 2030, according to the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology.

According to the outline of the plan issued on Monday, Beijing will prioritize infrastructure construction, core technology breakthroughs, application scenario cultivation, industrial ecosystem building, regional collaboration, and international development to promote large-scale application of the satellite Internet of Things services.

"We will build a supply-and-demand matching platform based on Beijing's actual operational needs, so that the commercial aerospace industry can truly serve the people's livelihoods and urban development. These real-world application scenarios can also help close the supply-and-demand gap, stimulating innovation and cultivating new quality productive forces," said Yang Jing, deputy director of the aerospace industry division under the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology.

The city is also actively expanding into the international commercial space market, deepening cooperation with global partners.

"I think China has been in a way through a tremendous development, whether it's in the space or in other technology. So we look forward to working together with them and bringing the technology into Malaysia, especially in the rescue and emergency services," said Yau Chyong Lim, Chief Operating Officer of MEASAT, a leading space technology company in Malaysia.

Beijing accelerates development of satellite internet industry

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday raised the possibility of new tariffs on Canada over hazardous wildfire smoke and on Mexico over concerns about "problematic lettuce".

Massive wildfires have been burning across Canada this summer, and wildfire smoke from Ontario has recently drifted southward across the border, degrading air quality across multiple regions of the United States.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump threatened "a big tariff on Canada" because of the smoke.

In a separate development, U.S. health authorities are investigating a nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to fresh produce. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that it had documented over 4,000 lab-confirmed cyclosporiasis cases since May, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suspected that the outbreak might be related to imported lettuce from Mexico.

When asked whether lettuce would be safe to eat again as it is a possible source of the recent outbreak, Trump responded that "I think what we're going to do is put a major tariff on Mexico because of the lettuce."

Mexico's Health Minister David Kershenobich has said that there is no evidence to indicate that lettuce sourced in Mexico caused the outbreak of cyclosporiasis in the United States.

Trump threatens tariffs on Canada over wildfire smoke, Mexico over lettuce