64 m. ago Baidu, public transport firm PostBus to launch robotaxis in Switzerland

Chinese internet search and artificial intelligence giant Baidu is teaming up with Swiss public transport operator PostBus to bring robotaxi services to Switzerland. Beijing-based Baidu and PostBus, a subsidiary of national postal service Swiss Post, said in a joint statement on Wednesday that the two companies expected to start testing their on-demand smart mobility service, AmiGo, in the eastern region of Switzerland by December and scale up trials next year. AmiGo will deploy Baidu’s Apollo...

Economics

65 m. ago China toy platform refund policy requires parents slap child for unapproved spending

A major Chinese second-hand platform has sparked online controversy after allegedly requiring a mother to submit an uninterrupted five-minute video of herself slapping her child as a condition for processing a refund. The case drew public attention when Li Yun, the mother of an unidentified 11-year-old girl, tried to get a refund after discovering that her daughter had secretly spent over 500 yuan (US$70) on trading cards on the Qiandao app. Qiandao is widely regarded as China’s leading platform...

Society

1 hour ago Man charged with stealing 43 Labubu dolls during Melbourne burglary spree

Victoria Police have charged a 40-year-old man with theft and burglary after dozens of the globally sought-after Labubu dolls were recovered during a property search in a Melbourne suburb. During the search, Australian police recovered 43 of the sought-after Labubu dolls, the collectible plush creatures known for their distinctive googly eyes and pointy teeth. The seized haul, which included several limited-edition figures valued at an estimated A$500 (US$325) each, had a collective worth of...

Events

2 h. ago Can the Philippines regain its tourism edge with revival of China e

The Philippines will revive its electronic visa programme for Chinese tourists next month, nearly two years after its abrupt suspension, as part of a broader push to boost lagging visitor arrivals and regain lost ground in the regional tourism race. The Philippine embassy in Beijing confirmed in a statement issued on October 15 that Chinese citizens – including those from Hong Kong and Macau – would again be able to apply for short-stay e-visas online for up to 14 days of travel for tourism or...

Politics

2 h. ago Goldman sees 30% upside for Chinese stocks by 2027 on policy support, earnings

Goldman sees 30% upside for Chinese stocks by 2027 on policy support, earnings  South China Morning Post

Events

4 h. ago Return to China of cancer researcher Wang Qianben reunites esteemed family

The recent return to China of cancer researcher and professor Wang Qianben marks the reunion of a family of high-achieving Chinese scientists and the culmination of a decades-long journey for Wang Qi, a renowned traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) researcher in Beijing In the 1970s, Wang Qi bestowed upon his two sons names laden with ambition – Wang Qianfei (“to fly forward”) and Wang Qianben (“to run forward”). Now, both his children have returned home from the United States as distinguished...

Science

4 h. ago CNBC's The China Connection newsletter: Losing the Chinese shopper could soon have global consequences

CNBC's The China Connection newsletter: Losing the Chinese shopper could soon have global consequences  CNBC

Politics

7 h. ago New Chinese drone spotted flying for the first time. Is it a next

A new Chinese stealth flying-wing drone, possibly a next-generation bomber, has been spotted flying for the first time. A video of the large stealth “cranked kite” drone, unofficially dubbed the GJ-X, has circulated on Chinese social media since October 19. It appeared to be the same aircraft – or one with a very similar design – captured in satellite imagery taken in August at China’s Malan airbase in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, according to a report by The War Zone earlier this week. The...

Events

8 h. ago China increases criticism after tense military encounter between planes

China increases criticism after tense military encounter between planes  Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Events

8 h. ago Doing ‘fantastic job’: Australian PM defends envoy Rudd amid Trump’s dislike

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese endorsed Australia’s ambassador in Washington as doing a “fantastic job”, describing comments by US President Donald Trump that he does not like Kevin Rudd as “lighthearted”. Australia’s main conservative opposition party has called for Rudd, a former Labor prime minister, to be sacked after Trump made the comments at a press briefing in Washington on Monday. Asked by an Australian reporter about Rudd’s past criticism of the president on social media, and told...

Politics

8 h. ago Goldman Sachs Sees 30% Upside for Chinese Stocks Through 2027

Goldman Sachs Sees 30% Upside for Chinese Stocks Through 2027  Bloomberg

Politics

10 h. ago Naked China boy running on all fours raises concerns over child welfare and safety

A Chinese boy was spotted running on all fours naked and behaving like a dog, while his parents dismissed government inquiries, claiming it was a form of “natural parenting.” On October 15, a video was posted online showing a naked boy running on all fours in a highway service area in southwestern China’s Sichuan province. Social media users were shocked to see the boy acting like a dog, picking up food from the ground with his mouth and sniffing it before eating. His parents were nearby,...

Politics

11 h. ago Hong Kong’s CUHK eyes wider use of ‘painless’ liver cancer care after 96% success

Hong Kong liver cancer patient Mr Chan* said his tumour disappeared following a painless ultrasound treatment that felt similar to “taking a nap”. The 68-year-old retiree, who had been battling liver cancer since 2013, was among 26 patients who had received a histotripsy treatment conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong since April this year. “There was no pain at all. It was just like taking a nap,” Chan said. “I could be discharged the next day and lead a normal life afterwards. The...

Politics

11 h. ago Personnel changes to watch at key Chinese Communist Party meeting

Personnel changes to watch at key Chinese Communist Party meeting  Reuters

Politics

13 h. ago Can Trump’s pragmatism override China hawks to keep ties from rupture?

China’s rocky trade relationship with the United States was on full display this month as US President Donald Trump threatened to impose additional tariffs on Chinese imports. Separately, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent denounced China’s move to expand curbs on rare earth exports, calling it “a sign of how weak their economy is”. He also described Li Chenggang, one of China’s trade negotiators, as “pretty unhinged and very aggressive”. Trade ties between the rival powers remain fraught, even...

Politics

13 h. ago Can Trump’s gut instinct win over Xi Jinping at Apec summit?

US President Donald Trump is expected to approach his coming summit with Xi Jinping by relying on personal chemistry and his “gut”, but his ability to charm the Chinese leader will be limited at best, analysts and former government officials in Washington said on Tuesday. The first meeting in six years between the heads of the world’s two largest economies is expected to take place shortly before the October 31-November 1 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in South Korea. Among the topics...

Politics

13 h. ago Can Donald Trump’s gut instinct win over Xi Jinping at Apec summit?

US President Donald Trump is expected to approach his coming summit with Xi Jinping by relying on personal chemistry and his “gut”, but his ability to charm the Chinese leader will be limited at best, analysts and former government officials in Washington said on Tuesday. The first meeting in six years between the heads of the world’s two largest economies is expected to take place shortly before the October 31-November 1 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in South Korea. Among the topics...

Politics

14 h. ago China's 1st reusable rocket test fires engines ahead of debut flight (video)

China's 1st reusable rocket test fires engines ahead of debut flight (video)  Space

Events

17 h. ago California man Sun Yaoning to plead guilty to acting as Chinese agent

A California man has agreed to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government in Southern California while working as a campaign adviser for a local politician. Sun Yaoning, also known as Mike Sun, is expected to appear in court in Los Angeles on Monday to enter his plea under a deal with federal prosecutors, according to a copy of the agreement available in online court records. It was signed by Sun, his lawyer and a prosecutor earlier this month. If the plea is accepted...

Politics

20 h. ago China’s analogue AI chip could work 1,000 times faster than Nvidia GPU: study

Chinese scientists have created a superfast analogue chip that can solve complex maths problems for advanced scientific tasks and artificial intelligence (AI) while using less power than conventional computing, according to a paper published this month. The analogue device designed by researchers from Peking University uses memory chips made of resistive materials. With future improvements, it could perform calculations at a processing rate 1,000 times faster than top digital processors, such as...

Politics