13 h. ago TikTok seals US deal but core algorithm could still rattle ties with China

TikTok may have dodged a US ban but unresolved questions about its algorithm could remain a source of tension in the broader US-China relationship, according to analysts. ByteDance, the parent company of the social media site, signed a binding agreement this week to divest its US entity into a joint venture controlled by a consortium of American investors, ending years of legal and political uncertainties. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said in an internal memo on Thursday that the deal effectively...

Technology

22 h. ago China's ByteDance signs deal to form joint venture in step to avoid US TikTok ban

China's ByteDance signs deal to form joint venture in step to avoid US TikTok ban  Reuters

Politics

22 h. ago China’s ByteDance signs deal to form joint venture to operate TikTok US app By Reuters

China’s ByteDance signs deal to form joint venture to operate TikTok US app By Reuters  Investing.com

Culture

24 h. ago China's ByteDance signs deal to form joint venture to operate TikTok US app

China's ByteDance signs deal to form joint venture to operate TikTok US app  Reuters

Culture

4 d. ago ByteDance dominates China’s tech hiring as AI talent demand surges

TikTok owner ByteDance is the top recruiter in China’s tech sector this year, while at the same time artificial intelligence-related job postings on the mainland have risen more than 500 per cent, according to a report by Maimai, China’s largest professional social networking platform. ByteDance dominated tech hiring between January and October, with a hiring index of 897, ahead of Meituan at 587 and Alibaba Group Holding at 407, while AI related job listings surged 543 per cent, the report...

Politics

7 d. ago Nvidia weighs expanding H200 production as new China orders rush in, report claims — ByteDance and Alibaba listed as suitors for 'large orders' in the wake of sanctions lift

Nvidia weighs expanding H200 production as new China orders rush in, report claims — ByteDance and Alibaba listed as suitors for 'large orders' in the wake of sanctions lift  Tom's Hardware

Politics

8 d. ago China’s Xreal to power Google’s Android AI glasses as smart eyewear demand grows

Chinese augmented reality start-up Xreal has teamed up with Google on Project Aura, a venture to launch artificial intelligence glasses powered by the Android XR operating system and Gemini AI next year, in a fresh example of Chinese capabilities in research and development. Project Aura, resembling a pair of thick sunglasses, was first announced at Google’s annual I/O developer conference in May. The device runs on Android XR, a unified platform for extended reality (XR) devices built through a...

Technology

9 d. ago Nvidia H200 Export Approval To China Prompts Beijing’s Emergency Meetings With Alibaba, ByteDance, Tencent: Report

Nvidia H200 Export Approval To China Prompts Beijing’s Emergency Meetings With Alibaba, ByteDance, Tencent: Report  Stocktwits

Politics

1 week ago Z.ai open sources AI agent tool for phones after ByteDance privacy backlash

Chinese artificial intelligence start-up Z.ai on Tuesday open sourced a tool it spent years developing to put AI capability into every smartphone, a move that follows backlash against ByteDance’s newly released AI phone over privacy concerns. Beijing-based Z.ai, also known as Zhipu AI, said it released its Phone Agent – the software framework underpinning AutoGLM, an AI agent app it launched last year to perform tasks on smartphones for users – on the source code platforms GitHub and Hugging...

Politics

1 week ago China’s Z.ai open sources AI agent tool for phones after ByteDance privacy backlash

Chinese artificial intelligence start-up Z.ai on Tuesday open sourced a tool it spent years developing to put AI capability into every smartphone, a move that follows backlash against ByteDance’s newly released AI phone over privacy concerns. Beijing-based Z.ai, also known as Zhipu AI, said it released its Phone Agent – the software framework underpinning AutoGLM, an AI agent app it launched last year to perform tasks on smartphones for users – on the source code platforms GitHub and Hugging...

Politics

1 week ago ‘Miracle’ Africa peace deal, signed at Trump’s urging, already unravelling

A just-signed agreement aimed at ending the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo looked to be unravelling on Monday with the Congolese leader and Burundi slamming neighbouring Rwanda after the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group attacked border areas. DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi accused Rwanda of “violating” the accord - signed only last Thursday in Washington at the urging of US President Donald Trump - as the M23 made a rapid advance to threaten the city of Uvira near the border with...

Politics

1 week ago UK PM Starmer launches TikTok account despite government ban

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer launched a TikTok account on Monday despite the app being banned from government devices, as he attempts to connect to younger voters. A spokesman for his office said “security mitigations” were in place to operate the Prime Minister’s account. “TikTok, follow me,” Starmer said in the first video posted on the account, which showed him with his wife at the ceremony to switch on Downing Street’s Christmas lights. The second video showed Ukraine’s President...

Politics

1 week ago ‘Follow me’: UK’s Starmer launches TikTok account despite security ban

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer launched a TikTok account on Monday despite the app being banned from government devices, as he attempts to connect to younger voters. A spokesman for his office said “security mitigations” were in place to operate the Prime Minister’s account. “TikTok, follow me,” Starmer said in the first video posted on the account, which showed him with his wife at the ceremony to switch on Downing Street’s Christmas lights. The second video showed Ukraine’s President...

Events

1 week ago ByteDance’s agentic AI smartphone dials up a digital backlash by China’s top apps

ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, has moved to tighten controls on its artificial intelligence-powered smartphone after several of China’s most widely used apps restricted its voice-operated functions. The company said it had scaled back the capabilities of Doubao, the agentic AI that runs on the device. In a statement issued on Friday, ByteDance said it would prevent the Nubia M153 AI phone from claiming incentives that were intended for active human users. It was also disabling the assistant’s...

Politics

1 week ago ByteDance’s agentic AI smartphone dials up a digital backlash from China’s top apps

ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, has moved to tighten controls on its artificial intelligence-powered smartphone after several of China’s most widely used apps restricted its voice-operated functions. The company said it had scaled back the capabilities of Doubao, the agentic AI that runs on the device. In a statement issued on Friday, ByteDance said it would prevent the Nubia M153 AI phone from claiming incentives that were intended for active human users. It was also disabling the assistant’s...

Politics

2 w. ago Aukus deal to move ‘full steam ahead’ after surviving Trump review

The Pentagon said on Thursday it has endorsed the tripartite Aukus security pact with the United Kingdom and Australia, which would involve Canberra’s acquisition of at least three Virginia-class nuclear submarines within 15 years. The administration of Donald Trump said earlier this year it was reviewing a 2021 deal for the nuclear-powered attack submarines signed under his presidential predecessor, Joe Biden. The Department of Defence completed its five-month review, which endorsed the Aukus...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump praises DR Congo and Rwanda leaders, who sign his deal as fighting continues

US President Donald Trump praised the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda for their courage as they signed a deal on Thursday aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Congo and opening the region’s critical mineral reserves to the US government and American companies. The moment offered Trump – who has repeatedly and with a measure of exaggeration boasted of brokering peace in some of the world’s most entrenched conflicts – another chance to tout himself as a dealmaker...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump praises African leaders, who sign his deal as fighting continues

US President Donald Trump praised the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda for their courage as they signed a deal on Thursday aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Congo and opening the region’s critical mineral reserves to the US government and American companies. The moment offered Trump – who has repeatedly and with a measure of exaggeration boasted of brokering peace in some of the world’s most entrenched conflicts – another chance to tout himself as a dealmaker...

Politics

2 w. ago USMCA urged to form joint mechanism to address China’s national security threats

Witnesses at a US trade agency hearing are pushing officials to put economic security high on the agenda to counter China ahead of a high-stakes review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The hearing convened by the Office of the US Trade Representative on Wednesday – the first public session before next July’s joint review of the free trade deal – kicks off three days of testimony from more than 140 representatives from business, think tanks, academia and advocacy groups. “One...

Events

2 w. ago China's ByteDance could be forced to sell TikTok U.S., but its quiet lead in AI will help it survive—and maybe even thrive

China's ByteDance could be forced to sell TikTok U.S., but its quiet lead in AI will help it survive—and maybe even thrive  Fortune

Events