Important Takeaways:
- A new quantum computing breakthrough has sent shockwaves through the tech world. Researchers at USTC unveiled Zuchongzhi-3, a 105-qubit machine that processes calculations at speeds that dwarf even the most powerful supercomputers.
- It marks another leap forward in the quest for quantum supremacy, with the team demonstrating computational power orders of magnitude beyond Google’s latest results.
- Breakthrough in Quantum Computing with Zuchongzhi-3
- A research team from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with its partners, has made significant progress in random quantum circuit sampling using Zuchongzhi-3 — a superconducting quantum computing prototype equipped with 105 qubits and 182 couplers.
- Zuchongzhi-3 operates at an astonishing speed, performing computations 1015 times faster than the most powerful supercomputer available today and one million times faster than Google’s latest published quantum computing results. This achievement marks a major breakthrough in quantum computing, building on the success of its predecessor, Zuchongzhi-2.
- Quantum supremacy, the ability of a quantum computer to perform tasks beyond the reach of classical computers, has been a key goal in the field. In 2019, Google’s 53-qubit Sycamore processor completed a random circuit sampling task in 200 seconds, a feat estimated to take 10,000 years on the world’s fastest supercomputer at the time.
- However, in 2023, USTC researchers demonstrated more advanced classical algorithms capable of completing the same task in 14 seconds using over 1,400 A100 GPUs. With the advent of the Frontier supercomputer, equipped with expanded memory, this task can now be performed in just 1.6 seconds, effectively challenging Google’s earlier claim of quantum supremacy.
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Important Takeaways:
- The size of the world’s nuclear arsenal has quietly increased in several countries amid fears of World War III.
- Officially, five countries – China, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea – have increased their nuclear stockpiles by over 700 warheads over the past 40 years.
- But a 2024 report by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), a nonprofit global policy think tank, warned that three other nations with nuclear bombs worldwide may be quietly stockpiling even more arms for a potential nuclear showdown.
- The fears come as groups like the US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) have noted that a treaty to permanently ban nuclear testing has stalled, and countries like Russia and China have been seen constructing new buildings at their nuclear weapons sites.
- However, the US government announced last month that it will also restart its nuclear testing programs in secret underground facilities.
- FAS released the estimated global nuclear warhead inventories for 2024, showing there are 12,121 nuclear warheads scattered across nine nations.
- Russia outnumbers the US by several hundred warheads.
- The two nations control roughly 88 percent of this stockpile, with Russia reportedly holding 5,580 bombs and the US possessing 5,044.
- China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, and the UK control the rest of world’s remaining 1,500 nuclear bombs.
- Global tensions appear to be boiling over, with President Donald Trump warning Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky that he is ‘gambling with World War III’ by not agreeing to America’s peace terms.
- Meanwhile, European leaders are publicly declaring their ability to defeat Russia in a major conflict.
- The experts found that 2,100 American, Russian, British, and French ‘warheads are on high alert, ready for use on short notice.’
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Important Takeaways:
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested two current U.S. Army soldiers and a former soldier on charges related to the alleged sale of national defense information to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Jian Zhao and Li Tian—both active-duty soldiers stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord—were taken into custody alongside Ruoyu Duan, a former soldier. Federal grand juries in the District of Oregon and the Western District of Washington handed down indictments, leading to their arrests on Thursday.
- Tian and Duan face charges of bribery and theft of government property. Zhao faces similar charges, in addition to conspiracy to transmit national defense information to unauthorized individuals.
- U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi says the defendants are accused of compromising national security. “The defendants arrested today are accused of betraying our country, actively working to weaken America’s defense capabilities and empowering our adversaries in China,” Bondi said in a statement. “They will face swift, severe, and comprehensive justice.”
- FBI Director Kash Patel also commented on the charges. Writing on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Patel noted, “These individuals have been charged with stealing America’s defense intelligence capabilities and empowering adversaries like China in betrayal of our country.”
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Important Takeaways:
- China has said it is “ready for war” with America as it raises defense spending and imposes retaliatory tariffs on US imports.
- In a direct threat to Donald Trump, China’s representatives in America said: “If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight until the end.”
- The US has hit China with 20 percent tariffs in response to what the White House considers to be Chinese inaction over the flow of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, into America.
- In combative statements online, China’s ministry of foreign affairs and US embassy warned Washington that “intimidation does not scare us” and criticized Mr. Trump for linking tariffs to the fentanyl crisis.
- The fiery language comes as China’s top legislature met for annual Two Sessions meetings in Beijing, where the plans to boost defense spending were revealed.
- The rise in spending is equal to the jump last year and takes the official budget to roughly 1.78 trillion yuan (£190 billion), as China pursues the goal of Xi Jinping, its president, to build a modern military by 2027.
- On Wednesday, Li Qiang, China’s premier… said Beijing “will step up military training and combat readiness so as to firmly safeguard China’s sovereignty, security and development interests”.
- China has stoked alarm with increasingly aggressive moves in Asia and the Pacific – including recent live-fire drills off the Australian coast, military exercises close to Taiwan and Vietnam and confrontations with the Philippine coast guard in the South China Sea. Japan, South Korea and India have all criticized the projections of military might.
- Earlier this week, it was revealed that China is developing a new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which would be larger and more advanced than any vessel in its fleet, in an attempt to rival the US.
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Important Takeaways:
- At exactly 12.01am ET this morning, the long-awaited 25% US tariffs on Canada and Mexico as well as an additional 10% levy on China went live. The 25% tariffs taking effect apply to all imports from Canada and Mexico, except for Canadian energy which will be tariffed at a 10% rate.
- The 25% EU tariffs, sectoral tariffs on copper, lumber etc., as well as the broader suite of reciprocal tariffs
- Swift retaliation followed from both Canada and China. Canada imposed 25% tariffs of its own on $155bn of US exports including orange juice and bourbon in two stages – immediate tariffs on $30bn of goods and the remaining $125bn in 21 days.
- China raised tariffs by 10% on soybeans, pork, beef, and fruits starting March 10th, and 15% tariffs on chicken, wheat, corn and cotton in line with yesterday’s press reports of agricultural goods being Chinese tariff targets.
- Additionally, China’s Customs suspended imports of US lumber effective immediately, and suspended soybean import qualification for three US companies
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Important Takeaways:
- For Taiwan, the cutting of an undersea communications cable, and live-fire shooting drills involving dozens of Chinese warplanes off the island’s coast this week were just the latest scary omens from Beijing.
- But Taipei’s biggest fear – a full-blown assault by its mighty neighbor – could come faster than they imagined, says a shocking new report on China’s recent diplomatic gains on the world stage.
- Researchers at Australia’s Lowy Institute have shown that the number of governments that support China’s bid to ‘reunify’ with Taiwan, including through military means, has jumped to 89 in recent months.
- That amounts to nearly half the membership of the United Nations, a testament to China’s prowess at using its Belt and Road investment scheme to enlist cheerleaders, especially among developing nations in the global south.
- The report comes amid deepening divisions between the western countries that have long advocated for Taiwan’s self-rule, as Donald Trump’s America pulls back from its European allies.
- The stakes don’t come higher: many see the South China Sea as the world’s most dangerous flashpoint, where fighting could quickly spiral into a nuclear face-off between Washington and Beijing.
- Fully 89 countries – 46 percent of UN members – give China a free hand when it comes to ‘national reunification’.
- Some 53 countries in Africa, where China directs much aid and investment, have greenlighted ‘all efforts by the Chinese government’ toward reunification – a phrase understood to include military force.
- Many Taiwanese see themselves as part of a separate democracy, although most support maintaining the status quo where Taiwan neither declares independence from China nor unites with it.
- Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has vowed to ‘resist annexation or encroachment’.
- ‘If Taiwan declared independence first, it will be subject to Chinese invasion. And many countries may accept it,’ Acharya told DailyMail.com.
- ‘But if China outright invaded Taiwan before it declared independence, most countries will not support China.’
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Important Takeaways:
- China is reacting angrily to President Trump’s pledge to impose an additional 10% tariff on its products, saying fentanyl is “the U.S.’s own problem.”
- Trump said the levy will take effect on Tuesday alongside a 25% tariff on products from Canada and Mexico. The Chinese tariff comes on top of a previously announced 10% tariff on products from the Asian superpower, ratcheting up tensions as the U.S. president says the trio of nations are letting deadly opioids pour into American communities.
- “China deplores and opposes this move, and will take what is necessary to firmly defend its legitimate interests,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Friday. “The fentanyl issue is just an excuse the U.S. uses to impose tariffs on, pressure and blackmail China, and they punish us for helping them. This will not solve their concerns.”
- Chinese manufacturers make precursor chemicals for fentanyl that reach Mexico, where cartels finish the drug product and send it to U.S. communities. A tiny percentage is seized at the Canadian border but the White House stressed that domestic production is increasing in Canada and even small amounts can kill in large numbers.
- On Friday, Mr. Lin said China agreed to officially restrict fentanyl-related substances at Mr. Trump’s request in 2019. It also struck a deal with President Biden to crack down on the flow of precursor chemicals.
- “China has conducted counter narcotics cooperation with the U.S. side in a broad-based and in-depth way. The remarkable progress is there for all to see,” Mr. Lin said. “Pressuring, coercion and threat is not the right way to deal with China. Instead, mutual respect is the basic prerequisite.”
- Trump said there hasn’t been nearly enough progress and that families are being destroyed by tens of thousands of overdose deaths per year in the U.S.
- Countries like China and Mexico have suggested the U.S. is to blame for its crisis because too many people are addicted to drugs.
- “China is one of the world’s strictest countries on counter narcotics both in terms of policy and its implementation,” Mr. Lin said. “The fentanyl issue is the U.S.’s own problem.”
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Important Takeaways:
- Taiwan’s defense ministry says it only became aware of the exercise when local Taiwanese vessels were warned to stay out of the area after the drills had begun. The drills are centered off the coast of the Taiwan port city of Kaohsiung. Taiwanese officials say China “blatantly violated international norms” by unilaterally designating the drill zone.
- “This move not only poses a high risk to the navigation safety of international flights and ships at sea, but is also a blatant provocation to regional security and stability,” the defense ministry said in a statement.
- As part of the drill, Taiwan says it detected 32 Chinese military aircraft carrying out joint exercises with warships. Chinese officials have so far not acknowledged Taiwan’s complaints.
- The drills around Taiwan are only the latest example of Chinese aggression this month. The country’s military has also launched live-fire drills off the coast of Vietnam as well as between New Zealand and Australia, forcing commercial flights between the two countries to be diverted.
- Wednesday’s exercise came just days after the Chinese Communist Party’s fourth-ranked leader, Wang Huning, called for greater “reunification” efforts. China has long maintained that Taiwan is a rebel territory belonging to Beijing.
- China must “firmly grasp the right to dominate and take the initiative in cross-strait relations, and unswervingly push forward the cause of reunification of the motherland,” Huning said, according to a translation by Chinese state media.
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Important Takeaways:
- The United States condemned Wednesday what it called “dangerous maneuvers” by China after a Chinese navy helicopter flew within 10 feet of a Philippine patrol plane in a disputed area of the South China Sea.
- The incident took place Tuesday morning local time as a plane belonging to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources was flying what Philippine officials said was a routine low-altitude patrol over the Scarborough Shoal, an atoll that is mostly underwater but is rich in fish stocks.
- Video shared by the Philippine coast guard showed the Chinese People’s Liberation Army navy helicopter hovering above and to the left of the Philippine plane before moving away again in an effort to push the plane out of what Beijing says is its airspace.
- In a call with his Philippine counterpart last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio underscored the “ironclad” U.S. commitment to the Philippines, which it is obligated to defend, and said he shared the Philippines’ concern about China’s “dangerous and destabilizing actions” in the South China Sea.
- The Philippine plane was carrying personnel from the Philippine coast guard, as well as multiple journalists, officials said.
- “You are flying too close, you are very dangerous and it endangers the lives of our crew and passengers,” the video shows the pilot of the Philippine plane telling the Chinese navy helicopter by radio.
- The Philippine government said it would issue a formal diplomatic protest over the incident.
- The Chinese military disputed the Philippines’ account, saying the plane had illegally entered Chinese airspace and that the Philippines had “distorted the facts and spread false narratives.”
- In a dispute brought by the Philippines, an international tribunal in The Hague said in 2016 that Beijing’s South China Sea claims were invalid, a ruling that China has never accepted.
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Important Takeaways:
- China is dominating the globe as a science and technology superpower, leading the world in 37 out of 44 technology sectors examined by an Australian think tank.
- Also, according to APSI, China is home to “all of the world’s top 10 leading research institutions” and generates “nine times more high-impact research papers than the second-ranked country (most often the U.S.).”
- Among the notable areas of Chinese excellence is defense and space-related tech. These are the seven categories in which the U.S. leads China in the tracker:
- High-performance computing
- Advanced integrated circuit design and fabrication
- Natural language processing (including speech and text recognition and analysis)
- Quantum computing
- Vaccines and medical countermeasures
- Small satellites
- Space launch systems
- “Western democracies are losing the global technological competition, including the race for scientific and research breakthroughs, and the ability to retain global talent — crucial ingredients that underpin the development and control of the world’s most important technologies, including those that don’t yet exist,” according to the report.
- The tracker bills its findings as “a wake-up call for democratic nations.”
- “The race to be the next most important technological powerhouse is a close one between the U.K. and India, both of which claim a place in the top five countries in 29 of the 44 technologies,” according to the tracker. “South Korea and Germany follow closely behind, appearing in the top five countries in 20 and 17 technologies, respectively.
- “Australia is in the top five for nine technologies, followed closely by Italy (seven technologies), Iran (six), Japan (four) and Canada (four). Russia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, France, Malaysia and the Netherlands are in the top five for one or two technologies. A number of other countries, including Spain and Turkey, regularly make the top 10 countries but aren’t in the top five.”
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