3 h. ago As China’s ‘Air Silk Road’ grows, can homegrown C909, C919 jets take off abroad?

China plans to help dozens of countries develop their civil aviation capabilities through the Air Silk Road – a campaign that could, in turn, promote its home-grown aircraft and boost trade with nations from Central Asia to Europe. In the next phase of the eight-year-old initiative, Beijing would step up cooperation on aircraft leasing and civil aviation equipment manufacturing with some of the 150 countries taking part in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the government said in a report. At a...

Society

4 d. 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

4 d. ago Hong Kong airport offers free tours for transit fliers to enjoy city’s sights

Hong Kong International Airport has rolled out a free tour service aimed at attracting 5.5 million transit passengers each year to explore the city’s attractions in Wong Tai Sin, Sham Shui Po and Tsim Sha Tsui. The Airport Authority’s CEO Vivian Cheung Kar-fay said on Friday that the new initiative, jointly organised with China’s largest online travel agency Trip.com, was designed for passengers with layovers of more than seven hours to explore Hong Kong’s culture and attractions. “We are...

Society

4 d. ago Hong Kong airport offers free tours for transit passengers to enjoy local sights

Hong Kong airport has rolled out a free tour service aimed at attracting 5.5 million transit passengers each year to explore the city’s attractions in Wong Tai Sin, Sham Shui Po and Tsim Sha Tsui. Airport Authority CEO Vivian Cheung Kar-fay said on Friday that the new initiative, jointly organised with online travel agency Trip.com, was designed for passengers with layovers of more than seven hours to explore Hong Kong’s culture and attractions. “We are thrilled to introduce the free layover...

Society

6 d. ago More military technologies targeted for civilian sector to boost economy

China will strengthen innovation by developing high-tech industries with military technologies to boost military-civil integration, a move that aims to cultivate new growth drivers and boost the economy, said a recent State Council guideline.

Events

8 d. ago ‘Impossible conditions’: Indonesian groups call off protests as security raised

Indonesian students and civil society groups called off protests in Jakarta on Monday, citing fears of heightened security measures after deadly riots across the country over the weekend. The protests began a week ago amid escalating anger over lawmakers’ pay and have spread nationwide, escalating in size and intensity after a police vehicle hit and killed a motorcycle taxi driver on Thursday night. Eight people have died in the protests, Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto said on...

Events

1 week ago Can OpenAI’s New Delhi office spark India’s AI hub ambition?

A plan by OpenAI to launch its first office in India has to be aligned with New Delhi’s goal to transform the country into an artificial intelligence hub, with a focus on objectives ranging from intellectual property protection to quality education, according to industry experts. The move comes as the San Francisco-based maker of ChatGPT faces intense competition from its American AI rivals, Google’s Gemini and Perplexity AI, with all three companies offering low-cost subscription plans or free...

Politics

1 week ago China doubles down on AI – but calls for rational, not ‘blind’, growth

China’s central government has cautioned against a nationwide rush into artificial intelligence (AI) investment, urging careful planning while pledging stronger support to expand computing capacity and embed the technology across industries. The country’s top economic planning agency said the roll-out of China’s “AI Plus” initiative – aimed at applying cutting-edge technology across the manufacturing and service sectors – should be tailored to local conditions, urging regions to build on their...

Politics

1 week ago Commentary: In Henan, a Labor Mismatch Tests Beijing’s Economic Vision

Commentary: In Henan, a Labor Mismatch Tests Beijing’s Economic Vision  Caixin Global

Economics

1 week ago China’s infrastructure push in Tibet aims to elevate investments on world’s roof

From giant dams to sprawling railways, Beijing has pledged to step up investments along the so-called roof of the world, led by state-owned enterprises, as China marks the 60th anniversary of the Tibet autonomous region’s establishment. The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (Sasac), China’s top state asset regulator, is calling for more targeted measures to boost industries, with more capital flowing into grass-roots projects and a greater promotion of cultural and...

Economics

1 week ago China races to embed AI use across major industries with ambitious 2030 target

In its latest road map for artificial intelligence, China has set targets for the adoption of AI-powered devices across various industries – aiming for over 70 per cent by 2027 and over 90 per cent by 2030. The targets, unveiled in guidelines by the State Council, China’s cabinet, on Tuesday, are part of Beijing’s “AI Plus” strategy, which seeks to integrate the cutting-edge technology across manufacturing, agriculture and services. “[The strategy aims to] boost productivity, reshape how...

Events

1 week ago Commentary: Beijing’s Plan to Unlock AI’s Economic Potential

Commentary: Beijing’s Plan to Unlock AI’s Economic Potential  Caixin Global

Economics

2 w. ago AI enters the classroom: China’s Hangzhou makes lessons compulsory in schools

Hangzhou, in China’s Zhejiang province, will introduce mandatory artificial intelligence (AI) courses for primary and secondary schools starting in the new semester – part of a nationwide strategy to nurture talent in the rapidly growing sector. The initiative seeks to build a talent pipeline while improving educators’ ability to use smart tools and protect data, covering both student and teacher training, according to two documents released by the city’s education bureau. Schools will have...

Politics

2 w. ago Beijing bets on AI, China’s ‘doll economy’ boom: 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. Red Arsenal: a new databank on China’s latest military hardware The Post’s comprehensive databank visualises each weapon with graphics to help readers understand Beijing’s wide-ranging arsenal. 2. ‘Ignorance and neglect’ mark flawed US policy in China race: Da Wei The Tsinghua University expert looks at the prospects for a Xi-Trump summit and explains why...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘A lot of debt’: who will pay for Malaysia’s US$24 million Gaza aid pledge?

Malaysia’s plan to send 100 million ringgit (US$24 million) in aid to Gaza has become a lightning rod for economic anxieties as Malaysians weigh their long-standing support for war-ravaged Palestinians against mounting frustrations over spiralling living costs and government austerity measures. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the humanitarian package late on Sunday, addressing a crowd of some 20,000 at a solidarity rally for Palestine in Kuala Lumpur. He urged corporate leaders, affluent...

Economics

2 w. ago China bets on AI to pump trillions into economy amid national computing push

China is banking on artificial intelligence (AI) to become a new growth engine, and there are projections that it could add several trillion yuan to the economy by 2035 amid a national push for computing power and a unified data market. Beijing is knitting together a national computing network. At the China Computing Power Conference held in Datong, Shanxi province, over the weekend, officials announced that 10 provinces and municipalities – from Shanghai and Zhejiang in the east to Qinghai and...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong to revamp sports events funding, new emphasis on ‘high economic value’

A Hong Kong government review of funding for key sporting events under its “M” Mark scheme has concluded that money should be spent only on world-class and international occasions, aimed at bringing the city an economic boost. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui on Sunday said the system would be made “more focused”, and confirmed the earlier revelation by sources that a “one size fits all” approach would be replaced by a multilayered funding structure. Review criteria...

Economics

2 w. ago Europe’s scorching heatwave sees demand for Chinese air conditioners sizzle

From Paris to Athens, and Lisbon to Berlin, Europeans are enduring a prolonged and punishing summer heatwave amid global warming. And rising right alongside the blazing temperatures are China’s exports of air conditioners (ACs) to the continent, with a nearly 60 per cent jump by volume in July, compared with the same time last year, according to Chinese customs data. The Spanish capital of Madrid kicked off the week under a yellow alert – the third-highest heat warning on a four-tier scale –...

Society

2 w. ago Overseas AI data centre demand powers up China’s diesel generator exports

China’s exports of diesel generator sets are on the rise as the global boom in artificial intelligence (AI) drives investment in data centres, which in turn is fuelling demand for reliable backup power systems – an area where diesel units remain critical. Analysts said diesel generator sets sell for higher prices overseas, opening up vast opportunities for overseas market growth. In the first seven months of this year, China exported 502,463 diesel generator sets, up more than 20 per cent year...

Events

2 w. ago Hong Kong jobless rate ‘could persist as uncertain economy, AI reshape market’

Simon Leung, an experienced event coordinator in the social work sector, has been unemployed for nearly 18 months and said he would settle for a job as a security guard or a mooncake production assistant in Hong Kong. The jobseeker, who holds a civil engineering degree from Queen’s University in Canada, has been surviving as a gig worker after working for a non-governmental organisation. “As the government’s budget for NGOs was cut by 7 per cent, my contract was not renewed when the financial...

Economics