46 h. ago What’s really holding China back: Bribes, ‘guanxi,’ and the illusion of progress

What’s really holding China back: Bribes, ‘guanxi,’ and the illusion of progress  The Hill

Politics

63 h. ago China advances in AI agentic tools as Tencent, ByteDance weigh in

China is making progress in artificial intelligence “agentic frameworks”, the tools required to make AI agents, as the country’s tech giants begin to take on US players such as AutoGen and OpenAI Swarm. Tencent Holdings was the latest to join the fray after the Shenzhen-based company open-sourced its new Youtu-Agent agentic framework on Tuesday. Developed by Youtu Labs, Tencent’s AI research department, the framework was released on Microsoft’s open-source code-hosting platform GitHub last...

Politics

68 h. ago Senate hearing raises doubts about NASA’s ability to get astronauts to the moon before China

Senate hearing raises doubts about NASA’s ability to get astronauts to the moon before China  SpaceNews

Technology

3 d. ago Putin, Kim accompany Xi to Tiananmen Gate for Victory Day military parade

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing with a special discount during our summer sale, available for a limited time and to new subscribers only. Today, China will host a massive military parade along Changan Avenue in central Beijing, showcasing the country’s latest and most advanced weapons to commemorate the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in World War II. President Xi Jinping...

Events

3 d. ago New ICBM, ‘loyal wingman’ drone, China’s Himars, latest tanks on show at parade

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing with a special discount during our summer sale, available for a limited time and to new subscribers only. Today, China will host a massive military parade along Changan Avenue in central Beijing, showcasing the country’s latest and most advanced weapons to commemorate the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in World War II. President Xi Jinping...

Events

3 d. ago China’s advanced weapons roll through Beijing in ‘credible’ show of deterrence

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing with a special discount during our summer sale, available for a limited time and to new subscribers only. China has hosted a massive military parade along Changan Avenue in central Beijing, showcasing the country’s latest and most advanced weapons to commemorate the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in World War II. President Xi Jinping delivered...

Events

3 d. ago China parades new weapons in show of ‘strategic ace’ deterrence – as it happened

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing with a special discount during our summer sale, available for a limited time and to new subscribers only. China has hosted a massive military parade along Changan Avenue in central Beijing, showcasing the country’s latest and most advanced weapons to commemorate the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in World War II. President Xi Jinping delivered...

Events

3 d. ago China’s military parade, as it happened: new weapons debut in show of deterrence

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing with a special discount during our summer sale, available for a limited time and to new subscribers only. China has hosted a massive military parade along Changan Avenue in central Beijing, showcasing the country’s latest and most advanced weapons to commemorate the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in World War II. President Xi Jinping...

Events

9 d. ago China is making serious progress in its goal to land astronauts on the moon by 2030

China is making serious progress in its goal to land astronauts on the moon by 2030  Space

Technology

1 week ago SpaceX’s Starship achieves key milestone, deploying first dummy satellites

SpaceX’s Starship megarocket roared into the skies Tuesday on its 10th test flight, turning in a strong performance after a series of fiery failures had begun to cast doubt on its future. Towering 123 metres (403 feet), Starship is the most powerful launch vehicle ever built and key to founder Elon Musk’s vision of carrying humanity to Mars, as well as Nasa’s plans to return astronauts to the moon. The stainless steel colossus blasted off from the company’s Starbase in southern Texas at 6.30pm...

Technology

2 w. ago Amid India tensions, China’s Wang Yi hails Pakistan as ‘most reliable partner’

Foreign Minister Wang Yi has pledged China’s continued support for Pakistan and urged an acceleration of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure project. In whirlwind meetings with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials in Islamabad on Thursday, Wang also vowed to enhance security collaboration to counter the country’s long-standing terrorism threats, often targeting Chinese nationals. “China has always been...

Events

2 w. ago It Looks Like China's Getting Ready to Land Astronauts on the Moon While NASA Flails Helplessly

It Looks Like China's Getting Ready to Land Astronauts on the Moon While NASA Flails Helplessly  Futurism

Technology

2 w. ago China's Getting Ready to Land Astronauts on the Moon While NASA Flails Helplessly

China's Getting Ready to Land Astronauts on the Moon While NASA Flails Helplessly  Futurism

Technology

2 w. ago US underestimating China’s AI progress, OpenAI’s Sam Altman says

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the United States may be underestimating China’s significant advances in artificial intelligence, warning that Washington’s technology restrictions are no impediment to that progress. “I’m worried about China,” the 40-year-old Altman was quoted as saying on Monday in a report by American business news channel CNBC. He indicated that the AI arms race between the US and China was more complex than it appeared. “There’s inference capacity, where China probably can build...

Politics

3 w. ago Nvidia says H20 export controls didn’t stop China’s AI progress — claims 'they only stifled U.S. economic and technology leadership'

Nvidia says H20 export controls didn’t stop China’s AI progress — claims 'they only stifled U.S. economic and technology leadership'  Tom's Hardware

Politics

3 w. ago China’s lunar rocket test marks milestone in bringing astronauts to moon

China has completed a critical test for its moon rocket, moving a step closer to landing astronauts and building a base on the lunar surface. A full-size first stage of the Long March-10 was fired for about 30 seconds at around 3pm on Friday at the Wenchang spaceport on Hainan Island, according to the China Manned Space Agency. Bolted to the ground, its seven YF-100K engines roared to life together, generating nearly 900 tonnes of thrust. “The test confirmed the engines could run in sync under...

Events

4 w. ago China completes key lander test in preparation for crewed moon mission by 2030

China has completed a critical landing and take-off test of its crewed lunar lander, moving a step closer to putting astronauts on the moon before 2030. A prototype of the four-legged Lanyue (“embrace the moon”) lander – designed to ferry two astronauts between lunar orbit and the surface – underwent a comprehensive trial on Wednesday in Huailai County, in north China’s Hebei province, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Thursday. Using giant tether towers to mimic lunar gravity...

Events

4 w. ago China completes key Lanyue lander test for crewed moon mission by 2030

China has completed a critical landing and take-off test of its crewed lunar lander, moving a step closer to putting astronauts on the moon before 2030. A prototype of the four-legged Lanyue lander – designed to ferry two astronauts between lunar orbit and the surface – underwent a comprehensive trial on Wednesday in Huailai county, in northern China’s Hebei province, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Thursday. Using giant tether towers to mimic lunar gravity and a cratered field...

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