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The latest US AI and supply chain initiatives are doomed to fail, according to a prominent political scientist who also argued that efforts to restrict US companies’ access to low-cost Chinese models would backfire. Instead, he argued, the United States and China should collaborate on driving global economic development to generate the external demand needed to sustain long-term growth. “US framew...
While China’s new “AI tigers” have captured global attention for challenging Silicon Valley front-runners, a quieter wave of domestic technology companies is building in-house artificial intelligence systems serving everyday users. Beyond pure-play AI labs like DeepSeek, Z.ai (also known as Zhipu AI), Moonshot AI and MiniMax, consumer-facing platforms that span e-commerce, video gaming, social med...
A tennis ball flew across the net. On the other side, a humanoid robot crouched, shuffled sideways in a series of quick steps, adjusted its position and swung its racquet to send the ball back. The robot traded forehands and backhands with human players during singles and mixed-doubles demonstrations. At one point, while chasing a ball, it lost its balance and toppled backwards, drawing gasps from...
China has stepped up its offensive against a US-born school of thought on China’s last imperial dynasty, accusing it of providing “theoretical ammunition” for attempts to divide the country. The denunciation comes as online debates over the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) continue to give rise to inflammatory rhetoric, and as Beijing’s ethnic policies and historical narratives are increasingly becoming a...
Dressed as his favourite superhero, Indonesian teenager Rudiyansah walks along a charred landscape, helping douse wildfires that have razed large parts of Borneo island. The Southeast Asian country has been battling infernos that have left a thick, blanketing smog over parts of the island that Indonesia shares with Malaysia and Brunei. Rudiyansah’s red and blue Superman costume stood out against t...
Dressed as his favourite superhero, Indonesian teenager Rudiyansah walks along a charred landscape, helping douse wildfires that have razed large parts of Borneo island. The Southeast Asian country has been battling infernos that have left a thick, blanketing smog over parts of the island that Indonesia shares with Malaysia and Brunei. Rudiyansah’s red and blue Superman costume stood out against t...
The flagship newspaper of China’s ruling Communist Party has run back-to-back commentaries defending the resilience of the world’s second-largest economy, saying domestic risks were being contained while China continued to provide greater stability to the global economy. The People’s Daily commentaries, published on Saturday and Sunday, came as weak domestic demand and persistent imbalances weighe...
At a recent Apec digital technology and AI forum in Chengdu, ministers across the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum issued a statement in support of open-source artificial intelligence models – a rare point of agreement in a debate often framed as a zero-sum US-China contest. It pointed towards an AI order that cuts against the assumption of a contest with a single winner, an assumption that...
Hong Kong is tipped to see more luxury home sales with expatriates increasingly choosing the city as their retirement base, drawn to its low-tax environment as well as business opportunities, according to analysts. “A huge influx of expats who used to live in Hong Kong are moving back with a long-term view to retirement,” said Victoria Allan, founder and CEO of Habitat Property. “Many expats who p...
More ride-hailing platform operators from mainland China and Southeast Asia have approached the Hong Kong government about entering the city’s market ahead of the launch of licensed operations, the transport minister has revealed. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan also said on Sunday that more than 7,500 people applied for the new combined taxi and ride-hailing vehicle written test,...
Hong Kong will partner with major technology firms to launch an AI training programme for the labour force in November as part of a government drive to equip workers with new skills, the city’s finance chief has said. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po also said on Sunday the separate HK$50 million (US$6.4 million) “AI for All” push announced in February would feature more than 200 activities and...
Hong Kong will partner with major technology firms to launch an AI training programme for the labour force in November as part of a government drive to equip workers with new skills, the city’s finance chief has said. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po also said on Sunday the separate HK$50 million (US$6.4 million) “AI for All” push announced in February would feature more than 200 activities and...
Hong Kong’s employees retraining board will partner with major tech firms to launch an artificial intelligence (AI) training programme for the working population in November, the city’s finance chief has said. In his Sunday blog, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said the HK$50 million (US$6.4 million) “AI for All” inclusive programme, announced in the February budget, would feature more than 20...
President Donald Trump is betting new sanctions, a naval blockade and ramped-up economic pressure against Iran’s trading partners can accomplish what thousands of bombs and missiles could not: force Tehran to accept a deal to end the war on US terms. But like other US efforts to force Iran into capitulation, there is one main problem: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has claimed con...
It was a vision to give South Korea a stock market that reflected its true economic dynamism, by shedding regulatory taboos and encouraging bolder bets – instead, it created an investor trauma that could take years to shake. The 30 per cent decline in the Kospi benchmark since its June 19 peak has hurt President Lee Jae Myung’s government politically and turned the spotlight on an economic syst...
The United States has pledged to take an “America First” approach to the latest round of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation talks, which are taking place in China weeks before President Xi Jinping’s visit to America. The US State Department said: “US leadership in Apec is a key dimension to pursuing America First policies that foster prosperity and advance economic growth in the United States and a...
Chinese carmakers, already at the vanguard of electric vehicle (EV) technology and production, are looking to make a dent in international marques’ full-hybrid vehicle stronghold as they continue to disrupt the global car industry’s pecking order. Major car builders including Geely Auto and Changan Automobile have reported impressive sales of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), luring domestic consum...
Cambodia is preparing to restart joint military exercises with the United States next year, in a move analysts described as a pragmatic reset of defence ties strained since 2017 – though not a pivot away from China. Senior officials from both countries discussed restarting the Angkor Sentinel drills last weekend, alongside expanded training and military reforms, Cambodian media reported. Washingto...
When a 100-member tour group from South Korea approached a Hong Kong craft beer manufacturer about a visit and tasting session, the operator declined their request. The refusal was not due to a lack of confidence in the product or a staff shortage. The brewery simply lacked a licence to serve beer on the premises. “It is not easy doing manufacturing in Hong Kong,” said Luke Yardley, founder of loc...
When a 100-strong South Korean tour group approached a Hong Kong craft beer manufacturer for a tour and tasting session, the operator declined their request. The refusal was not down to a lack of confidence in the product or a staff shortage. It was regulatory: the brewery simply lacked a licence to serve its beer on the premises. “It is not easy doing manufacturing in Hong Kong,” said Luke Yardle...
A patient has been arrested on suspicion of setting fire to bedding and restraint belts at a Hong Kong hospital, with no injuries reported. Police arrested the 25-year-old man surnamed Wong at Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei for alleged arson. He remained in custody pending further investigation. The fire was reported at 12.36am on Sunday after a security guard alerted police. The suspect alleged...
Alibaba Group Holding will issue HK$80 billion (US$10.2 billion) worth of new shares and use all of the proceeds to invest in AI, the Chinese tech giant said on Sunday. The move aims to “extend the company’s global AI leadership”, it said, adding that Alibaba would use the funds raised to “invest in its full-stack AI capabilities”, including expanding and enhancing its AI infrastructure. The decis...
The Hong Kong Observatory may issue a typhoon signal on Tuesday or Wednesday as a tropical storm edges closer to the region. “Tropical Cyclone Narra is expected to linger over the vicinity of Beibu Wan today and tomorrow, and then turn northeastwards gradually later on Monday to Tuesday, edging closer to the vicinity of Leizhou Peninsula,” the forecaster said on Sunday. Leizhou Peninsula sits at t...
China’s secondary school students are dropping history as an exam subject, a trend that could leave the public more vulnerable to distorted narratives in the future, an academic at a top university has warned. The note of caution comes as Beijing steps up efforts to counter “historical nihilism” – the official term for narratives that contradict or undermine the state’s official historical line – ...
Coal-dependent Indonesia is reviving decades-old plans to build nuclear power plants that were put on hold following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, as it seeks to meet its decarbonisation targets. Some members of the public and experts, however, have voiced concerns about the risks of a nuclear disaster in the quake-prone country, despite one of the leading candidate sites being an ...
About 100 homeowners, or 5 per cent, at fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong have yet to accept the government’s buy-back offer with a week left before the deadline, Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun has said, stressing that the acquisition scheme will not be extended. “The deadline is a very serious timeline … it will not be extended, nor will better terms and a higher acquisiti...
Humanoid robots were still among the biggest crowd-pleasers at this year’s World Robot Conference (WRC) in Beijing, though other types of robots, such as wheeled machines, were gaining momentum as the industry moves from demonstration to deployment. At Unitree Robotics’ packed booth at the conference, bipedal models played table tennis or squared off in fighting matches, showing off levels of spee...
Bangkok’s best street food has always existed on a kind of mental map for Thai food writer Choltanutkun Tun-atiruj. It is built from habit, cravings and neighbourhood rhythms: the office crowds, the schools, the university nearby and the vendors selling everything from moo ping (grilled pork skewers) and sticky rice to pad thai and kuay teow reua – a bowl of rice noodles in dark broth flavoured wi...
A growing number of non-programmers across China are developing their own AI tools, primarily motivated by concerns about falling behind as technology reshapes work and daily life. The anxiety surrounding this shift is almost palpable. AI courses and side-hustle tutorials have flooded mainland social media as employers increasingly expect their workers to develop AI literacy. Simultaneously, enrol...
Chinese scientists have created an AI-guided platform to engineer custom plant immune receptors to rapidly combat emerging diseases that threaten plants, including commercial crops vulnerable to devastating outbreaks. Their programmable synthetic immune receptors can be introduced into plants to help them detect proteins made by specific bacteria, viruses and fungi, triggering an immune response t...
