News from China
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 7-Dec-2025 20:11 ET (8-Dec-2025 01:11 GMT/UTC)
Banking deregulation's double-edged sword: Boosting credit but raising financial stability risks
Shanghai Jiao Tong University Journal CenterThis study investigates the under-explored impact of banking deregulation on bank risk-taking. Analyzing China's 2009 deregulation as a natural experiment, we find that deregulated banks significantly increase their risk-taking. Mechanism analysis identifies the bank balance sheet capacity channel: deregulation boosts bank net interest margins, strengthening their financial capacity and thus their risk appetite. While this policy successfully improves long-term credit access for firms in underserved regions, especially smaller ones, it creates a critical trade-off for policymakers between supporting the real economy and safeguarding financial stability.
- Journal
- China Finance Review International
Sulfur-modified biochar helps rice overcome vanadium pollution, study finds
Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University- Journal
- Biochar
Harnessing nature’s carbon engine: Biomass emerges as a pillar of climate mitigation
Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural UniversityMeeting Announcement
KUALA LUMPUR / GLASGOW — As the world races to meet ambitious climate targets, nature-based strategies are gaining unprecedented traction—and biomass is stepping into the spotlight not just as renewable fuel, but as a powerful carbon sink. On December 17, 2025, leading sustainability expert Prof. Dato’ Dr. Agamutu Pariatamby FASc, Senior Professor at the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development, Sunway University (Malaysia), will unveil groundbreaking insights into how bio-based carbon capture can deliver up to 6.7 gigatonnes of CO₂-equivalent (GtCO₂e) in annual mitigation potential by 2050—according to IPCC (2022) estimates.
Clean hydrogen breakthrough: Chemical lopping technology with Dr. Muhammad Aziz (full webinar)
Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural UniversityMeeting Announcement
From mice to humans in five years: Microglia replacement paving the way for neurodegenerative disease therapies
Fudan UniversityPeer-Reviewed Publication
Tiny charming immune cells called microglia protect the central nervous system in a multitude of ways: They provide innate immunity, shape neurodevelopment, maintain homeostasis and modulate neurological disorders. That functionality can be lost, however, when microglia acquire mutations. An concept to correct this by replacing the mutated microglia with genetically typical cells — now called microglia intervention strategy for therapy and enhancement by replacement, or MISTER — emerged five years ago and was successfully achieved in mice. This year, researchers successfully used this microglia replacement approach to halt a fatal neurological disease ALSP (adult-onset leukoencephalopathy with axonal spheroids and pigmented glia) in human patients.
- Journal
- Cell Stem Cell
Sex-determining gene in poplar also boosts drought resistance
Nanjing Agricultural University The Academy of SciencePeer-Reviewed Publication
A study has revealed that the expression of the poplar sex-determining gene FERR can significantly enhance drought tolerance in plants.
- Journal
- Horticulture Research
Postharvest apple immunity: a key factor in shelf life and fruit quality
Nanjing Agricultural University The Academy of SciencePeer-Reviewed Publication
Postharvest losses in fruits, particularly apples, are a significant global issue.
- Journal
- Horticulture Research
Harnessing nature’s mercury-detox power for global food safety
Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, MEEPeer-Reviewed Publication
- Journal
- Eco-Environment & Health
MathEval: a comprehensive benchmark for evaluating large language models on mathematical reasoning capabilities
Higher Education PressMathematical reasoning is a fundamental aspect of intelligence, encompassing a spectrum from basic arithmetic to intricate problem-solving. Recent investigations into the mathematical abilities of large language models (LLMs) have yielded inconsistent and incomplete assessments. In response, we introduce MathEval, a comprehensive benchmark designed to methodically evaluate the mathematical problem-solving proficiency of LLMs in various contexts, adaptation strategies, and evaluation metrics. MathEval consolidates 22 distinct datasets, encompassing a broad spectrum of mathematical disciplines, languages (including English and Chinese), and problem categories (ranging from arithmetic and competitive mathematics to higher mathematics), with varying degrees of difficulty from elementary to advanced. To address the complexity of mathematical reasoning outputs and adapt to diverse models and prompts, we employ GPT-4 as an automated pipeline for answer extraction and comparison. Additionally, we trained a publicly available DeepSeek-LLM-7B-Base model using GPT-4 results, enabling precise answer validation without requiring GPT-4 access. To mitigate potential test data contamination and truly gauge progress, MathEval incorporates an annually refreshed set of problems from the latest Chinese National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao-2023, Gaokao-2024), thereby benchmarking genuine advancements in mathematical problem solving skills.
- Journal
- Frontiers of Digital Education