66 h. ago China to cut relending rates, widen credit support for private sector and tech

China’s central bank is looking to pump 900 billion yuan (US$129.2 billion) worth of additional funds into private and technology firms, alongside slashing key policy relending rates by a quarter of a percentage point, in a fresh round of monetary easing designed to shore up the economy. The new plan includes an extra 500 billion yuan for agriculture and small businesses, said Zou Lan, a deputy governor of the bank, at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday. The bank will also expand its...

Politics

5 d. ago China AI has ‘less than 20%’ chance to exceed US over next 3 to 5 years: Alibaba scientist

China’s artificial intelligence efforts are unlikely to catch up with the United States in the near term despite making significant headway in recent years, according to the country’s leading AI researchers. The comments at a major industry conference in Beijing on Saturday underscored the gap between the two countries in semiconductor chips and chipmaking equipment, key resources for building out the infrastructure needed for developing cutting-edge AI models. Lin Junyang, technical lead of...

Politics

1 week ago Beijing puts 2 more serving Taiwanese cabinet ministers on sanctions list

Beijing has added Taiwan’s interior minister and education minister to its sanctions list of “stubborn Taiwan independence figures” for behaviours it said undermined cross-strait relations and promoted Taiwan independence. Chen Binhua, spokesman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), said at a press conference on Wednesday that the interior minister Liu Shyh-fang and education minister Cheng Ying-yao had been designated as “stubborn Taiwan independence figures”. Liu and Cheng are cabinet...

Politics

2 w. ago Xi renews call to boost grain output after trade war sharpens China’s food security push

President Xi Jinping has issued a mandate to expand grain production as China moves to shield its food supply from global volatility, calling for renewed efforts to modernise agriculture and rural areas over the coming year. Speaking at a two-day work conference in Beijing that ended on Tuesday, Xi urged a “no-relaxation” approach to grain output and called for higher overall production capacity and efficiency by integrating high-quality land, seeds, machinery and farming techniques. “We must...

Events

2 w. ago China's AI objectives for finance outlined at Beijing conference

China's AI objectives for finance outlined at Beijing conference  China Daily

Politics

4 w. ago China warns India over poet monk: ‘don’t even think about stealing our 6th Dalai Lama’

China has objected to India’s efforts to celebrate a 17th-century Dalai Lama well known for his love of poetry, seeing it as an attempt to challenge Beijing’s territorial claims in the region and its control over Tibetan Buddhism, according to experts. India hosted an international symposium on the 6th Dalai Lama in Tawang, his birthplace, from December 3 to 6. Pema Khandu, the chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh, inaugurated the event, which was attended by local officials and scholars of...

Events

4 w. ago China warns India over poet monk: ‘don’t even think about stealing our sixth Dalai Lama’

China has objected to India’s efforts to celebrate a 17th-century Dalai Lama well known for his love of poetry, seeing it as an attempt to challenge Beijing’s territorial claims in the region and its control over Tibetan Buddhism, according to experts. India hosted an international symposium on the sixth Dalai Lama in Tawang, his birthplace, from December 3 to 6. Pema Khandu, the chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh, inaugurated the event, which was attended by local officials and scholars of...

Events