2 h. ago Protection of vulnerable workers must be part of China’s AI strategy

Given the breakneck speed of technological and commercial developments across the world, China is perhaps one of only a few sovereign states with a comprehensive strategy on both artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. The Chinese state philosophy in AI development is anchored in diffusion, as opposed to maximising the cutting-edge performance of select generative or reasoning models. While American and European investors are lured by the prospects of superintelligent and humanoid robots,...

Politics

5 h. ago Rome to charge tourists to get close to famed Trevi Fountain

Tourists who want to get close to Rome’s Trevi Fountain will soon have to pay a €2 (US$2.34) fee, the city mayor said on Friday, as authorities look to profit more handsomely from Italy’s many attractions. Mayor Roberto Gualtieri told reporters the new payment system would start on February 1, adding that the measure was expected to raise €6.5 million (US$7.6 million) a year. “Two euros isn’t very much and it will lead to less chaotic tourist flows,” Gualtieri said, stressing that citizens...

Politics

6 h. ago US lawmakers want DeepSeek, Xiaomi added to list of Chinese military

A group of nine US lawmakers sent a letter to US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth this week urging the Pentagon to add a slew of Chinese technology firms to a list of entities allegedly assisting the Chinese military. The letter, sent late on Thursday after US President Donald Trump signed a US$1 trillion must-pass military spending bill into law, asks Hegseth to place AI firm DeepSeek, smartphone maker Xiaomi and electronic display maker BOE Technology Group on what is known as the Section...

Events

6 h. ago US lawmakers want DeepSeek, Xiaomi on list of Chinese military

US lawmakers want DeepSeek, Xiaomi on list of Chinese military-linked firms  South China Morning Post

Events

6 h. ago US lawmakers urge Pentagon to add DeepSeek, Xiaomi to China military

Nine Republican lawmakers, including several congressional committee chairs, sent a letter this week urging US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to add more than a dozen Chinese technology firms to the Pentagon’s list of companies alleged to have links to the Chinese military. The letter, released on Friday after US President Donald Trump signed a US$900 billion military spending bill restricting US investments into Chinese tech, asks the Pentagon chief to place AI firm DeepSeek, smartphone maker...

Events

8 h. ago US lawmakers urge Pentagon to add DeepSeek, Xiaomi to list of firms allegedly aiding Chinese military

US lawmakers urge Pentagon to add DeepSeek, Xiaomi to list of firms allegedly aiding Chinese military  Reuters

Events

8 h. ago China’s rebuilding of Micronesian airport runway raises alarm in US

The rebuilding of a World War II-era airfield in Micronesia with the help of Chinese companies has raised alarm in the United States, with US defence analysts warning about Beijing’s growing footprint in the strategic western Pacific. Cleo Paskal, a non-resident senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defence of Democracies, posted a video on social media last week showing an airport runway being rebuilt on Woleai, a remote 4.5 sq km atoll in Micronesia’s Yap state. “Chinese company...

Events

9 h. ago Malaysian cook’s toddler abuse at Singapore preschool covered up by staff who deleted CCTV

Three former members of a Singapore preschool’s senior management admitted on Friday to covering up the offences of a cook who molested toddlers at the preschool where they all worked. The cook, 61-year-old Teo Guan Huat, had molested three toddlers during naptime over seven months in 2023. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to more than nine years’ jail last month. The three members of senior management were the 59-year-old executive director, 61-year-old principal and 49-year-old...

Events

9 h. ago Missouri Reveals Which Chinese Assets It Will Target in $50B Row

Missouri Reveals Which Chinese Assets It Will Target in $50B Row  Newsweek

Events

9 h. ago China’s Sugon unveils new AI infrastructure to rival platforms from Nvidia and Huawei

Chinese supercomputer maker Sugon has launched an advanced artificial intelligence infrastructure for data centres that is expected to rival similar high-performance platforms from Nvidia and Huawei Technologies. Beijing-based Sugon, listed in Shanghai as Dawning Information Industry, on Thursday unveiled its scaleX platform at an event in Kunshan, a city in eastern Jiangsu province. The company claimed that it was China’s first 10,000-card AI supercluster, designed to deliver in excess of 5...

Politics

10 h. ago TikTok reaches new US deal; China’s answer to Nvidia’s A100: 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. TikTok reaches deal on new US venture with American investor group In a landmark move that ends years of legal and political uncertainty, TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi informed employees that the company has signed a binding agreement to divest its US entity into a joint venture controlled by a consortium of American investors. 2. Chinese team builds optical chip...

Politics

10 h. ago US defence policy act overstates ‘China threat’, Beijing says, urges ‘rational’ view

Beijing on Friday accused Washington of using its new US defence policy act to hype up the so-called China threat and interfere in its internal affairs. It also urged Washington to view their relationship “rationally” and refrain from enforcing negative China-related provisions. The latest National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), signed into law by President Donald Trump on Thursday, restricts US outbound investment in Chinese technology and curbs federal contracts with Chinese biotechnology...

Events

10 h. ago Anwar’s coalition revives Malaysian Chinese school certification debate, sparking row

As Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration swings from one setback to another, his ruling coalition has turned to familiar talking points to regain the support of the country’s ethnic minorities. In the wake of a devastating defeat in the Sabah state election last month, members of Anwar’s ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition have renewed a push for government recognition of school leaving certificates issued by private Chinese high schools. The call, however, has driven a wedge...

Events

10 h. ago Alipay+ announces sponsorship deal with WNBA team New York Liberty amid global push

Ant International, the Singapore-based affiliate of Chinese fintech giant Ant Group, on Friday announced a partnership with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) team New York Liberty. The multi-year initiative would see the company’s Alipay+ fintech platform become an “official sponsor” and “innovation partner for sustainability” of the team, to “jointly support community programmes designed to advance community empowerment, environmental sustainability and youth development”...

Economics

10 h. ago Foreign ship gets penalty for illegally using Starlink within Chinese waters, report says

China has issued a penalty to a foreign vessel for illegally using Starlink – SpaceX’s satellite-based internet service – within Chinese waters in the first case of its kind, according to local media. The vessel, which was not identified, was found with a “micro rectangular antenna” installed on its top deck during a routine inspection by maritime law enforcement officers at Ningbo port in Zhejiang province, state-run Ningbo Daily reported on Wednesday. The Ningbo Maritime Safety Administration...

Events

10 h. ago Foreign ship gets penalty for using Starlink within Chinese waters, report says

Foreign ship gets penalty for using Starlink within Chinese waters, report says  South China Morning Post

Politics

10 h. ago New Chinese restaurant opens in SLO County. Take a look inside

New Chinese restaurant opens in SLO County. Take a look inside  San Luis Obispo Tribune

Politics

11 h. ago Secure Arctic shipping route essential for China, senior official says

The Arctic shipping route is essential to safeguard China’s development over the next decade, a senior Chinese official said in Beijing, calling for greater efforts to expand its practical use. With proposals for the next five-year plan incorporating security and development, China must ensure its international transport channels remain unimpeded, Ma Jiantang, deputy director of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference’s economic committee, said. China’s traditional trade lanes...

Politics

11 h. ago Singapore cracks down on scammers with mandatory caning as fraud cases surge

Singapore’s government said on Friday that scammers will face mandatory caning of up to 24 strokes from December 30, under changes to criminal law to deter surging fraud cases. The changes, passed by parliament last month, strengthen penalties that already include imprisonment and fines. The Home Affairs Ministry said the enhanced punishment “ensure that our criminal laws remain effective, fair, and responsive to emerging challenges”. Under the changes, scammers, including recruiters and members...

Politics

12 h. ago Taiwan’s opposition lawmakers vow to impeach leader William Lai

Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) announced on Friday they would try to impeach the island’s leader, William Lai Ching-te, according to reports from Taiwanese media. Fu Kun-chi, the convenor of the KMT caucus in Taiwan’s parliament, accused Lai of undermining constitutional norms and behaving in an authoritarian manner. “Lai must step down and Taiwan must not allow the emergence of figures like Yuan Shikai or Cao Kun,” Fu said, according to...

Politics