China criticises Darwin port plan, train route reopens: SCMP daily highlights

Chinese ambassador to Canberra Xiao Qian said he hoped Australia would view issues around the leasing of Darwin port “objectively”. Photo: Handout

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider .

China’s ambassador to Australia has described the Australian government’s plan to end a Chinese firm’s control of the strategically located Darwin Port as “questionable”, saying the company should not be punished.

2. China should mull 4% GDP target, support jobs, for next 5 years: former official

A former senior economic planner has called for China’s annual growth target to be lowered for the next five years, factoring in the likelihood of a protracted rivalry with the United States and the need to solve deep-rooted structural problems in China.

3. China’s mega bridges: build smarter, build higher, build where others won’t dare

Construction of the Ningbo-Zhoushan Railway Xihoumen Dual purpose Highway and Railway Bridge on the coast of Jintang Island, Zhoushan City, Zhejiang province, Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Construction of the Ningbo-Zhoushan Railway Xihoumen Dual purpose Highway and Railway Bridge on the coast of Jintang Island, Zhoushan City, Zhejiang province, Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images

In the span of a single generation, China has redefined the limits of civil engineering, transforming itself from a nation reliant on foreign bridge-building expertise to the undisputed architect of the world’s most audacious crossings.