1 hour ago Chinese EV maker Li Auto unveils industry’s cheapest AI glasses at US$282

Chinese electric vehicle maker Li Auto has launched its first wearable product, the Livis artificial intelligence glasses, marking a bold foray into the rapidly expanding market already crowded by tech giants like Alibaba Group Holding, Huawei Technologies and Xiaomi. The device is priced at 1,999 yuan (US$282), but buyers who place an order before December 31 qualify for a 15 per cent rebate via the government-backed subsidy programme, bringing down the price to 1,699 yuan. That effectively...

Politics

7 h. ago EU hits Musk’s X with US$140 million fine, risking Trump’s ire

The European Union hit Elon Musk’s X with a €120 million (US$140 million) fine on Friday for breaking its digital rules, in a move that risks a fresh clash with US President Donald Trump’s administration. The high-profile probe into the social media platform was seen as a test of the EU’s resolve to police Big Tech. US Vice-President J.D. Vance fired a warning against “attacking” US firms through “censorship” before the penalty was even made public. Imposing the first fine under its powerful...

Events

14 h. ago China’s Xiaomi says returns from AI investments ‘far exceed expectations’

Chinese tech firm Xiaomi reaped returns from its artificial intelligence spending in 2025 that “far exceeded expectations”, the company’s president Lu Weibing said in a recorded video posted on Chinese social media platform Douyin. Lu said the Beijing-based company was pivoting to embodied AI after heavy investment in general AI over the past few quarters. The Beijing-based company’s efforts to apply AI in electric vehicles (EVs) and robotics are similar to Elon Musk’s plan of using the advanced...

Politics

19 h. ago CSRC vows deeper reforms to open China’s capital market and boost tech listings

China’s top securities regulator has pledged to widen foreign investors’ access to the mainland’s capital market while further lowering the fundraising threshold for technology firms, after a key indicator slumped nearly 4 per cent from a 10-year high in mid-November. Wu Qing, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), set out guidance for the equity and bond markets in an article published by the Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily on Friday, three weeks after he was...

Politics

23 h. ago Emerging markets to outperform US stocks as dollar weakness continues: report

Global investors should consider reducing their US equities exposure as emerging market stocks are on track to outperform those in developed nations for the first time in five years amid a weakening US dollar, according to global investment firm Cambridge Associates. The recommendation comes as the dollar has experienced significant weakness this year, falling by 10 per cent at one point after a decade-long bull run that started in 2011. However, the greenback still remains 29 per cent above its...

Politics

24 h. ago Residents of Hong Kong estates told to suspend renovation work wonder what next

Hundreds of property owners in Hong Kong are grappling with uncertainties after 29 private buildings and estates were ordered to suspend renovation work carried out by a contractor linked to the deadly blaze at Wang Fuk Court and two other firms. Residents at three of the estates told the Post they had already spent millions of Hong Kong dollars on the projects and were now uncertain whether the work was proper or how long the delay would last, with some struggling to choose a new...

Economics

24 h. ago ‘I’m worried’: residents of Hong Kong estates in limbo after renovation suspended

Hundreds of property owners in Hong Kong are grappling with uncertainties after 29 private buildings and estates were ordered to suspend renovation work carried out by a contractor linked to the deadly blaze at Wang Fuk Court and two other firms. Residents at three of the estates told the Post they had already spent millions of Hong Kong dollars on the projects and were now uncertain whether the work was proper or how long the delay would last, with some struggling to choose a new...

Economics

24 h. ago HSBC to occupy over 40,000 sq ft at Hong Kong’s Capitol Centre in 2026

HSBC is set to occupy more than 40,000 sq ft of space in Capitol Centre in Causeway Bay, as Hong Kong’s largest bank joins a growing list of finance and banking firms snapping up commercial space in the city. The London-headquartered lender signed a five-year lease, which starts May 18, 2026, for five levels – ground plus four floors of the building, according to Land Registry records. The deal was registered in late November. The records did not show the size or rent for the leased space, but...

Events

25 h. ago China Shadow Banks Back in Spotlight With Loans for Ailing Firms

China Shadow Banks Back in Spotlight With Loans for Ailing Firms  Bloomberg.com

Economics

26 h. ago ‘Blue ocean market’: why Brazil is becoming a magnet for Chinese investment

With their domestic profits narrowing and production capacity expanding, China’s firms are continuing to widen their overseas footprints in search of new, more lucrative markets. In this series, we examine China Inc.’s next phase of “going global” and the complex, challenging international environment its companies have chosen to enter. In early November, the chairman of one of China’s top construction machinery makers was spotted touring potential factory sites in Piracicaba, a city in...

Economics

26 h. ago Why China sees Brazil as ‘last untapped blue ocean market’ for investment boom

With their domestic profits narrowing and production capacity expanding, China’s firms are continuing to widen their overseas footprints in search of new, more lucrative markets. In this series, we examine China Inc.’s next phase of “going global” and the complex, challenging international environment its companies have chosen to enter. In early November, the chairman of one of China’s top construction machinery makers was spotted touring potential factory sites in Piracicaba, a city in...

Economics

31 h. ago USW Notes Progress, Opportunities in Comments on the China Phase One Agreement

USW Notes Progress, Opportunities in Comments on the China Phase One Agreement  U.S. Wheat Associates

Politics

35 h. ago As Macron eyes China deals to revive industry, trade shows tables have turned

French President Emmanuel Macron has called on Chinese companies to invest in France and transfer know-how in emerging sectors like batteries, electric vehicles (EVs) and solar panels – highlighting growing concerns over the widening technological gap between the two countries. “We want to welcome more Chinese investment through projects and re-industrialisation strategies, and this is what will allow us to break the cycle we’re currently in,” he said on Thursday in Beijing, where he attended a...

Politics

37 h. ago Hong Kong scaffold nets come down after deadly fire as residents get more help

Construction firms began removing scaffold netting from buildings across Hong Kong on Thursday to meet a three-day government-imposed deadline following the city’s deadliest blaze in decades. Authorities also doubled a living allowance for households at fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po and promised to help its residents with long-term housing issues. To meet Saturday’s deadline, contractors at more than 200 buildings under renovation started taking down scaffolding mesh to allay public...

Events

37 h. ago China’s top AI chip firms set for bumper IPOs as Nvidia kept out of market

China’s Nvidia challengers Moore Threads and MetaX are set for their hotly anticipated market debuts, driven by investor excitement over domestic demand for home-grown graphics processing units (GPUs) amid Beijing’s tech self-sufficiency drive. Beijing-based GPU maker Moore Threads, which was 4,000 times oversubscribed after launching its 8 billion yuan (US$1.13 billion) initial public offering (IPO) last week, will be listed on Shanghai’s Nasdaq-style Star Market on Friday, according to a...

Economics

38 h. ago China’s Biggest Beauty Firm Lays Out Strategy to Rival L’Oréal

China’s Biggest Beauty Firm Lays Out Strategy to Rival L’Oréal  The Business of Fashion

Politics

41 h. ago As China’s companies become industry leaders, where in the world are they going?

With their domestic profits narrowing and production capacity expanding, China’s firms are continuing to widen their overseas footprints in search of new, more lucrative markets. In this series, we examine China Inc.’s next phase of “going global” and the complex, challenging international environment its companies have chosen to enter. The “Made in China” label has evolved considerably in recent decades. Mostly found affixed to low-cost goods of relative simplicity in China’s early years as a...

Politics

44 h. ago Xi Jinping urges Emmanuel Macron to ‘stand on the right side of history’

Chinese President Xi Jinping told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that he was willing to work with France to “eliminate interference” and work on developing a steady relationship as they met for talks on Thursday, where issues such as trade are expected to be on the agenda. Xi said the world was undergoing rapid changes and the two countries “should demonstrate their responsibility, uphold the banner of multilateralism and firmly stand on the right side of history”. “China, together...

Politics

44 h. ago China and France should ‘understand and support each other’, Xi tells Macron

Chinese President Xi Jinping told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that the two countries should “understand and support each other” and advance cooperation during a meeting on Thursday that touched on a range of issues, including the Ukraine war. Speaking to reporters after the talks, Xi described the discussions as “friendly, candid and fruitful”. He said the pair had agreed that the two countries “should uphold multilateralism, stand on the right side of history, adhere to equal...

Politics

44 h. ago Scaffolding nets removed across Hong Kong as firms seek to meet 3

Construction firms have started removing scaffold netting across Hong Kong to meet a three-day government deadline, after suspected false safety certificates for mesh were found at two building sites in the wake of the deadly Tai Po fire that has claimed at least 159 lives. The green mesh, commonly draped over bamboo scaffolding erected at buildings under construction or renovation, came under heavy scrutiny after authorities found that contractors had installed cheaper, non-fire-resistant...

Politics