14 h. ago China’s Xiaomi says returns from AI investments ‘far exceed expectations’

Chinese tech firm Xiaomi reaped returns from its artificial intelligence spending in 2025 that “far exceeded expectations”, the company’s president Lu Weibing said in a recorded video posted on Chinese social media platform Douyin. Lu said the Beijing-based company was pivoting to embodied AI after heavy investment in general AI over the past few quarters. The Beijing-based company’s efforts to apply AI in electric vehicles (EVs) and robotics are similar to Elon Musk’s plan of using the advanced...

Politics

35 h. ago As Macron eyes China deals to revive industry, trade shows tables have turned

French President Emmanuel Macron has called on Chinese companies to invest in France and transfer know-how in emerging sectors like batteries, electric vehicles (EVs) and solar panels – highlighting growing concerns over the widening technological gap between the two countries. “We want to welcome more Chinese investment through projects and re-industrialisation strategies, and this is what will allow us to break the cycle we’re currently in,” he said on Thursday in Beijing, where he attended a...

Politics

36 h. ago ‘No longer contentious’: Malaysia to weigh Singapore’s water project plan

Malaysia said on Thursday that it would consider a proposal by Singapore to jointly develop water infrastructure in southern Johor, signalling the intention of both sides to move beyond decades of rancour over the vital resource. The two countries have for years disagreed over various issues related to water supply, ranging from prices to the interpretation of the 1962 water agreement signed by them. Malaysia has argued that Johor’s water is sold too cheaply to Singapore. With Johor experiencing...

Politics

3 d. ago How a husband’s secret life between Singapore and Malaysia was exposed

A man who had been married for 15 years secretly wed again in Sarawak, Malaysia, and fathered two more children, all the while keeping this second family from his wife and two kids in Singapore. Ng Teong Min’s deception lasted 30 years from 1995 until August this year, when a whistle-blower exposed his double life in an email to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority. The 67-year-old pleaded guilty to the offence of bigamy and was sentenced to one year and five months’ jail on Tuesday. Ng,...

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Malaysian promoting Singapore’: viral video sparks debate over talent use

A high-gloss travel video created by a Malaysian visual-effects specialist to promote Singapore has gone viral, prompting some in Malaysia to ask why their own tourism board has not tapped local talent as effectively. The one-minute film, produced in collaboration with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), features Mohamad Sofian Abdullah, better known as Sofyank, weaving his signature special effects into a tightly edited journey across the city state. The video shows the 29-year-old creator –...

Politics

7 d. ago From Singapore to Malaysia, tech firms double down on AI despite bubble fears

As fears over the artificial intelligence bubble bursting linger in global markets, one Southeast Asian tech founder thinks it could be a much-needed reset to a crowded space. Dylan Tan, founder of replyr.ai, a Singapore-based start-up that creates customer service chatbots, said there was a disconnect between the investor hype driving up tech stocks and an understanding of how AI would transform the future of businesses. Replyr.ai was founded with venture capitalist funds in 2023. “Everything...

Politics

9 d. ago Alibaba to lead AI capital spending among Chinese firms amid strong demand

E-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding expects to stay ahead of its Chinese Big Tech peers in artificial intelligence-related capital expenditure, as the firm’s AI and cloud computing unit posted its fourth consecutive quarter of double-digit revenue growth. Alibaba Cloud on Tuesday reported a 34 per cent year-on-year revenue growth to 39.8 billion yuan (US$5.6 billion) in the three months ended September 30, as the Hangzhou-based parent’s overall revenue in its financial second quarter reached...

Economics

9 d. ago US, Chinese firms add AI shopping bells and whistles to dominate all

US and Chinese artificial intelligence players are ramping up integration of e-commerce solutions in their flagship consumer products in a race to become the “everything app” of the future. OpenAI on Monday unveiled a “shopping research” tool. The function, which can generate detailed shopping guides for ChatGPT users, comes just before the busy holiday shopping season and resembles popular AI shopping services on Chinese e-commerce platforms such as Tmall and Taobao of Alibaba Group Holding....

Economics

1 week ago China’s power equipment firms ride AI boom amid demand from US, emerging markets

The race to develop artificial intelligence has pushed governments and technology giants to build new electricity plants and upgrade their decades-old grid networks, creating significant opportunities for Chinese power equipment companies, according to analysts. Chinese firms have been benefiting from the spillover of a US order boom, which was driven by US President Donald Trump’s push for tech leaders like Meta and SoftBank to invest in AI infrastructure. “The US buys products from Japan and...

Economics

2 w. ago Singapore says Chinese firm’s electric buses not equipped with remote tech

Singapore has 20 electric public buses by Chinese manufacturer Yutong Group, and none of these vehicles support any remote control functions, the Land Transport Authority said on Monday. LTA’s response came after Norway’s public transport operator Ruter found that Yutong had access to the buses’ control systems for software updates and diagnostics. This could allow the manufacturer to turn them off remotely. The discovery has also raised cybersecurity concerns, with Ruter saying earlier this...

Science

2 w. ago Listed firms on China's STAR market show growth momentum amid hard tech push

Listed firms on China's STAR market show growth momentum amid hard tech push  chinadailyasia.com

Economics

2 w. ago Alibaba slams FT report on alleged PLA ties as ‘completely false’, ‘malicious’

Alibaba Group Holding on Saturday denied a report by The Financial Times about the company’s alleged support for China’s military in operations against the United States. “The assertions and innuendos in the article are completely false,” an Alibaba representative said. “We question the motivation behind the anonymous leak, which the FT admits that they cannot verify.” The Alibaba representative called the article a “malicious PR operation” that appears to “undermine President Trump’s recent...

Politics

3 w. ago AI firm claims Chinese spies used its tech to automate cyber attacks

AI firm claims Chinese spies used its tech to automate cyber attacks  BBC

Events

3 w. ago Big Tech firms bet big on AI glasses, as Ant offers iris authentication

Chinese technology companies are stepping up their push into the smart-glasses market with new software and hardware innovations, intensifying competition to lead in the next generation of artificial intelligence-driven devices. Ant International, the overseas arm of Chinese fintech giant Ant Group, on Wednesday unveiled what it described as the world’s first iris-authentication technology for payments via smart glasses. Chinese electronics makers Xiaomi and Meizu will be the first to offer the...

Politics

3 w. ago Hong Kong IPO market to extend hot streak in 2026, CICC says

China International Capital Corporation (CICC) forecasts that Hong Kong’s initial public offering (IPO) market will remain vibrant through 2026, fuelled by listings from high-end manufacturing and technology firms, even as the bull run in the A-share market draws some issuers back to the mainland. “We believe the heat in Hong Kong’s IPO market will continue next year, particularly in sectors aligned with national priorities such as robotics and advanced manufacturing,” Shi Qi, deputy head of...

Economics

4 w. ago China tech firm gifts staff gold keycaps as bonus; heaviest one worth US$45,000

A Chinese tech company has been rewarding its employees with gold keycaps as a bonus for four consecutive years, earning their appreciation for “helping them manage wealth.” The firm, Insta360, based in Shenzhen, in southern Guangdong province, recently honoured several outstanding employees by gifting them 21 gold keycaps to celebrate Programmer’s Day in China on October 24. The heaviest keycap, the space key, weighs 35.02 grams and is currently valued at around 320,000 yuan...

Economics