BEIJING, April 19 (Xinhua) — The following is a summary of published science and technology news of China.

SHENZHOU-16 ASTRONAUTS

Three astronauts who took part in the Shenzhou-16 crewed mission were on Thursday awarded medals for their services to China’s space endeavors.

Jing Haipeng was honored with a special-class aerospace achievement medal. Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao received third-class aerospace achievement medals and the honorary title of “Heroic Astronaut.”

The awards were given by the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission.

PANDA FOSSIL

Chinese experts recently discovered a panda fossil site during a scientific expedition in a cave in southwest China’s Guizhou Province.

This latest discovery in Shuanghe Cave, Asia’s longest cave, comprised panda skeletal remains and teeth fossils, said Wang Deyuan, an assistant researcher at Guizhou Academy of Sciences, one of the institutes involved in the scientific expedition.

“Based on the degree of tooth wear, it can be inferred that the fossil belongs to an adult panda,” Wang said, adding that further testing is needed to determine the specific era it inhabited.

VOLKSWAGEN ALL-ELECTRIC MODELS

In the face of China’s rapid growth of electric mobility, Volkswagen Group is revving up its investment in the electrification shift in a bid to expand its presence in the Chinese market.

More than 30 all-electric models of all its brands will be on offer in China alone by 2030, according to the German carmaker.

In 2023, production and sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) exceeded 9.58 million and 9.49 million units in China, surging 35.8 percent and 37.9 percent year on year, respectively, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed.