19 h. ago China’s cities feed the AI monster with dedicated services for economic roar

China’s city governments are racing to stake out a role in artificial intelligence, with Wenzhou this week becoming the nation’s first to set up a dedicated bureau for AI-related matters – underscoring how local officials are ramping up efforts amid Beijing’s push to gain an edge in the AI race with the United States. Authorities in Wenzhou, located in the provincial economic powerhouse of Zhejiang, announced the bureau’s formation at a high-profile AI Innovation and Development Conference on...

Economics

22 h. ago Citi Pulls Out Of UnionPay As Retail Exit From China Nears Completion

Citi Pulls Out Of UnionPay As Retail Exit From China Nears Completion  Stocktwits

Politics

25 h. ago Citi Exits UnionPay Network in China After Retail Bank Closure

Citi Exits UnionPay Network in China After Retail Bank Closure  Bloomberg.com

Economics

4 d. ago Hong Kong, 2 mainland Chinese cities named UN body’s top innovation cluster

A cluster of cities comprising Hong Kong and two others from mainland China has been named the world’s top innovation hub, a feat attributed to a new ranking metric that involves venture capital deals, a United Nations body has said. For the first time in five years, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster surpassed Tokyo-Yokohama, Japan, to claim the number one spot in the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s (WIPO) 2025 Global Innovation Index. The result was announced on Monday at the...

Politics

6 d. ago Indonesia protests prompt Prabowo to cancel China trip, Beijing security warning

The Chinese embassy in Jakarta warned Chinese citizens in Indonesia to avoid crowds on the weekend as an outbreak of protests forced the Indonesian president to cancel his trip to China. “[Citizens and agencies should] improve security precautions, closely monitor local developments, minimise non-essential outings, steer clear of protest crowds and areas, and avoid visiting crowded locations,” the embassy said in a social media post on Saturday. Also on Saturday, Indonesian State Secretary...

Events

7 d. ago First ‘universal’ 6G chip, China’s ‘cyberpunk’ cities: 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. China unveils world’s first ‘all-frequency’ 6G chip capable of 100Gbps speeds Chinese scientists have developed the world’s first “all-frequency” 6G chip that could help bridge the digital divide between rural and urban communities. 2. Chinese firms adapting as US ends de minimis exemptions for rest of world As the United States ends import duty exemptions...

Politics

7 d. ago China’s population decline laid bare as Shanghai school enrols only 22 pupils

A primary school in Shanghai has attracted national attention after its student body shrank to just 22 this year, highlighting the dramatic impact China’s plunging birth rate is having on the education system. Sanqiao Primary School in the Pudong New Area now has more full-time staff than pupils – with 22 children and 23 teachers – despite being located in one of China’s largest cities, according to enrolment data released on the local education authority’s website. The information was first...

Culture

8 d. ago ‘It’s super impressive’: tourists flock to China as ‘cyberpunk’ cities go viral

‘It’s super impressive’: tourists flock to China as ‘cyberpunk’ cities go viral  South China Morning Post

Politics

9 d. ago US CDC director Susan Monarez is out after less than a month on the job

The director of the United States’ top public health agency is out after less than one month in the job, US officials announced on Wednesday. “Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people,” the US Department of Health and Human Services wrote on social media. HHS officials did not explain why Monarez is no longer with the agency. Before the department’s announcement, she said: “I can’t...

Politics

1 week ago China rejects US accusations of “incursion” in Latin America, citing Washington’s own military interference

China rejects US accusations of “incursion” in Latin America, citing Washington’s own military interference  Peoples Dispatch

Events

1 week ago China is silently expanding its influence in American cities

China is silently expanding its influence in American cities  The Week

Politics

1 week ago China travel risk ‘unchanged’ for US citizens despite exit bans: trade group

China’s recent exit bans on two American businesspeople do not raise the travel risk for US-based executives, as neither case appears “geopolitical or retaliatory”, an American trade advocacy group has said. “The risk of exit bans, detentions, or other complications has not changed for most travellers,” according to the US-China Business Council, though it acknowledged that the high-profile cases had led companies to reassess their travel procedures to limit risks. In July, Beijing said it had...

Events

1 week ago Germany charges US citizen with offering military intelligence to China

Germany charges US citizen with offering military intelligence to China  Reuters

Events

2 w. ago Nvidia halts H20 chip production as China clamps down on orders, citing alleged security risks

Nvidia halts H20 chip production as China clamps down on orders, citing alleged security risks  New York Post

Events

2 w. ago Jimmy Lai trial: Hong Kong judge dismisses freedom of expression defence

A Hong Kong judge hearing Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s national security trial has dismissed the defence’s contention that the former media boss was just exercising his right to freedom of expression with his anti-China comments, citing crackdowns on pro-Palestinian protests in the West. A protracted debate at West Kowloon Court on the proper reading of Lai’s allegedly offensive statements took a turn on Friday when one of three presiding High Court judges hit out at lawyers’ “la-di-da” defence...

Events

2 w. ago Chinese husband discovers during wife’s abortion that child is his neighbour’s

A man from eastern China who discovered during his wife’s abortion that the child was his neighbour’s attacked her lover with a knife. On August 10, the mainland media outlet Xiaoxiang Morning Post reported the case, citing China Judgments Online. The husband, surnamed Chen, from Jiangxi province, reportedly often quarrelled with his wife. The couple were close to their neighbour, surnamed Shao, who often visited them. In 2022, while the three were working out of town together, the wife began a...

Culture

2 w. ago Chinese husband learns during wife’s abortion that unborn child is neighbour’s

A man from eastern China who discovered during his wife’s abortion that the unborn child was his neighbour’s attacked her lover with a knife. On August 10, the mainland media outlet Xiaoxiang Morning Post reported the case, citing China Judgments Online. The husband, surnamed Chen, from Jiangxi province, reportedly often quarrelled with his wife. The couple were close to their neighbour, surnamed Shao, who often visited them. In 2022, while the three were working out of town together, the wife...

Culture

2 w. ago China ‘pretend work’ firm offers office space for US$4 a day, aids personal growth

Pretend work companies that help unemployed people fake having a job for a small price are springing up across China. The trend is particularly prevalent in first and second-tier cities where people rent office space and transform it into “pretend work companies”. They usually charge people between 30 and 50 yuan (US$4 and US$7) a day. The rate drops if they buy a monthly package for a working spot. Chen Yingjian owns one such company in Hangzhou, in eastern China’s Zhejiang province. Chen...

Economics

3 w. ago Taiwan tells citizens to spurn China’s ‘distorted’ war anniversary events

Taiwan tells citizens to spurn China’s ‘distorted’ war anniversary events  Free Malaysia Today

Events

3 w. ago AMD Brushes Off China AI Sales Hit as Citi Calls Impact 'Largely Immaterial'

AMD Brushes Off China AI Sales Hit as Citi Calls Impact 'Largely Immaterial'  Yahoo Finance

Events