34 h. ago China’s orchard of AI, chip grads now ripe for the pickin’ as tech trade sours

When Jack Wang enrolled as an undergraduate in microelectronics at a prestigious Chinese university, the year was 2019, and China was in the early days of its trade war with the United States. Looking back, his decision to focus on the field revolving around the design and manufacture of hi-tech microchips has proved prescient. Today, it complements Beijing’s aspirations to make world-leading semiconductors amid Washington’s amped-up efforts to curtail China’s technological progress. Indeed, the...

Politics

44 h. ago Trump touts 'done' deal with Beijing on rare earths, allowing Chinese students in US universities

Trump touts 'done' deal with Beijing on rare earths, allowing Chinese students in US universities  CNAUS and China agree to a trade truce, but Beijing seems to be gaining the upper hand  The Indian ExpressTrump announces breakthrough trade deal with China; Beijing to supply ‘magnets, rare earths’  Mint

Politics

69 h. ago A quantum leap: Chinese institute begins photonic chip production

An institute affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University has commenced production of photonic chips, marking a milestone in China’s semiconductor sector and providing a boost to the country’s quantum computing capabilities in spite of increased US export controls. The Chip Hub for Integrated Photonics Xplore (CHIPX), located in Wuxi in eastern Jiangsu province, now produces 6-inch thin-film lithium niobate photonic chip wafers, according to local authorities. The development underscores...

Politics

3 d. ago US arrests another Chinese scientist with no permit to send biological material

Another Chinese researcher has been arrested upon entering the United States, amid an escalating federal probe into the alleged smuggling of biological materials – marking the second such case in less than a week. Han Chengxuan, a PhD candidate at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in Wuhan, was accused of shipping four undeclared packages containing biological materials from China to a University of Michigan lab—and lying to federal agents about it. Her arrest on Sunday...

Events

5 d. ago Pay dads to parent? How China could fix birth rate crisis, according to new research

Subsidising men’s participation in household chores and childcare could help reverse declining global birth rates, according to a new study, offering a fresh approach to deepening demographic challenges in countries like China. The study, co-authored by researchers from Fudan University and the University of Hong Kong (HKU), argued that subsidies for fathers produce significantly higher long-term fertility gains than solely subsidising mothers. The findings came as the world’s second-largest...

Events

6 d. ago New PLA force university to offer training in AI, unmanned operations

A new university under the Chinese military’s mysterious Information Support Force plans to offer training in artificial intelligence (AI), unmanned operations and other key technology, according to its first public enrolment notice. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Information Support Force Engineering University in the central city of Wuhan will offer 10 undergraduate majors in information and intelligent technology, according to a Thursday report by state broadcaster CCTV. It added that...

Culture

7 d. ago Chinese student’s Harvard speech, Hokkaido tremors spark worry: 7 highlights

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Harvard speech sparks China debate on elite education access, privilege Emotional remarks by a Chinese student who delivered this year’s Harvard University commencement speech have sparked a debate in China about barriers to elite education. 2. Military mishap risks rise with...

Politics

7 d. ago Singapore’s 1880 shuts in Hong Kong, Japanese men on staying young: 7 highlights

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Harvard speech sparks China debate on elite education access, privilege Emotional remarks by a Chinese student who delivered this year’s Harvard University commencement speech have sparked a debate in China about barriers to elite education. 2. Military mishap risks rise with...

Politics

7 d. ago Hong Kong’s HKUST handling ‘several’ Harvard transfer applications

A university in Hong Kong that “opened its doors to Harvard students” has made an offer of admission to one and is handling several transfer applications after the Trump administration last month barred the US Ivy League school from enrolling international candidates, many of whom are from mainland China. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) was among the higher education institutions in the city that stepped up efforts to accommodate students affected by the US government’s...

Politics

7 d. ago Harvard speech by Chinese graduate exposes class disillusionment at home

Controversy surrounding a speech given by a Chinese Harvard graduate reflects the Chinese public’s “disillusionment” with elite education and “anger at class rigidity”, according to a Chinese academic. Last week, Yurong “Luanna” Jiang, a Chinese Harvard University graduate, delivered a controversial speech amid the ongoing clash between the university and the White House, and uncertainty over United States–China relations. Jiang was the first Chinese woman selected as the student speaker at a...

Politics

8 d. ago Harvard battle is Trump’s ‘Mao moment’: lessons from China’s state

Harvard battle is Trump’s ‘Mao moment’: lessons from China’s state-sanctioned university crackdown  The Conversation

Politics

8 d. ago Harvard speech sparks debate, China GDP growth outlook: SCMP daily highlights

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Privilege or merit? Harvard speech ignites China debate on elite education access Emotional remarks by a Chinese student who delivered this year’s Harvard University commencement speech have sparked a debate in China about barriers to elite education. 2. China’s GDP growth expected to slow next year amid trade strife: OECD China’s economy is projected to...

Politics

9 d. ago Harvard speech sparks China debate on elite education access, privilege

Emotional remarks by a Chinese student who delivered this year’s Harvard University commencement speech have sparked a debate in China about barriers to elite education. The speech by Yurong “Luanna” Jiang, the first Chinese woman chosen as Harvard’s student commencement speaker, called for global unity amid US President Donald Trump’s plan to “aggressively” revoke Chinese student visas. Internet users have since raised questions about a lack of access for many ordinary students who have...

Politics

9 d. ago A tale of two cities: why views of China differ so much in Barcelona and Prague

In a gleaming white technology campus half an hour’s drive north of Barcelona, Josep Maria Gomes wants to turbocharge an already thriving partnership between Spain and China. His job at TecnoCampus, a hybrid facility housing a university and business and technology park in the city of Mataro, is to connect local start-ups with cutting edge tech innovations. More and more these days, he sees these coming from China. “In sectors like cybersecurity, Internet of Things, sensory robotics and...

Politics

1 week ago University of Michigan student fled to China after being charged with voting illegally, FBI says

University of Michigan student fled to China after being charged with voting illegally, FBI says  CBS News

Events

1 week ago China cracks down on ‘AI prediction’ scams ahead of university entrance exams

The Chinese authorities have vowed to crack down heavily on scammers targeting the national college entrance examination, especially those who claim that artificial intelligence can be used to predict the real questions. The Chinese Ministry of Education, the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Ministry of Public Security jointly announced a campaign to investigate and clean up “illegal and harmful information” relating to the exams on Friday. Known as the gaokao, the exam, which runs...

Politics

1 week ago University of Michigan student fled to China after illegal vote in 2024 election

University of Michigan student fled to China after illegal vote in 2024 election  MLive.com

Politics

1 week ago Peking University dropout cracks ‘alien’s language’ that may upend mathematics

Zhou Zhongpeng, a 28-year-old Peking University doctoral dropout turned tech engineer, has deciphered one of mathematics’ most cryptic frontiers dubbed the “alien’s language” for its impenetrable 2,000-page framework and extraterrestrial-like notation. Japanese professor Shinichi Mochizuki’s Inter-universal Teichmueller Theory (IUT) has baffled experts since its 2012 debut as a proposed proof for the ABC conjecture, a Holy Grail problem with radical implications for number theory. Armed with...

Politics

1 week ago Chinese university canteen recruits manager who must have PhD, sparks debate

A university in eastern China recruiting a canteen manager has sparked controversy online by requiring job candidates to hold a doctoral degree. Southeast University in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, posted a recruitment advertisement on its official website on May 22. As a top institution in China affiliated with the government’s “985” and “211” projects, Southeast University is among only 39 mainland universities, including the prestigious Tsinghua and Peking universities, considered an entry...

Politics

2 w. ago China university criticised for requiring student to lower pants for menstrual pain leave

Legal expert describes blood checking approach to period pain leave as ‘degrading’, says student deserves public apology, compensation.

Culture