3 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

4 h. ago Locals will gain from Hong Kong becoming global university hub: education chief

Local students are “beneficiaries and participants” in the process of turning Hong Kong into an international higher education hub, a government minister has said, amid concerns that they will become “victims” whose interests are being undermined. Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin also told lawmakers on Friday that authorities would closely monitor the need to make further adjustments to non-local student quotas. At a meeting of the Legislative Council’s education panel, lawmaker...

Politics

5 h. ago Belt and Road Summit marks a decade of deals as Hong Kong eyes new chapter of collaboration

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Co-organised by the HKSAR Government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the 10th Belt and Road Summit will return to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on September 10-11.  Bringing together over 90 speakers from 18 Belt and Road economies, this year’s two-day programme continues a ten-year run of policy dialogue, business exchange and investment matchmaking under the theme “Collaborate for...

Politics

6 h. ago Kenya’s plan to switch debt payments from US dollars to yuan is a ‘win

Kenya’s plan to convert its US dollar-denominated Chinese debt to yuan is a “win-win”, as it is expected to reduce interest payments for the African nation while advancing China’s goal of increasing the global use of its currency, according to analysts. The deal would be precedent-setting and could establish a new rule book for future debt restructuring and possibly cut reliance on the US dollar. In late August, Kenya’s Treasury announced that talks with the Export-Import Bank of China were at...

Economics

7 h. ago Hong Kong activist wins appeal against riot conviction after trial judge’s error

A former Hong Kong political activist has won an appeal against his riot conviction due to the trial judge’s error in allowing prosecutors to substantially alter their allegations midway through proceedings. The Court of Appeal on Friday ordered the dismissal of Alvin Cheng Kam-mun’s conviction over his alleged role in the violence at Polytechnic University at the height of the 2019 anti-government protests. Cheng, who now runs a logistics company, was an assistant to former opposition lawmaker...

Events

7 h. ago ByteDance moves chip staff to Singapore unit in internal rejig

ByteDance has transferred its semiconductor team, comprising about 1,000 employees, to an existing Singapore-incorporated subsidiary, Picoheart (SG) – a change that was reflected in the internal directory – according to the company and staff. The Beijing-based company notified affected employees last week about the transition and moved their internal messaging accounts on the enterprise collaboration tool Feishu – known internationally as Lark – to a separate entity this week, said a source who...

Politics

8 h. ago Rail life story? Cartoon featuring South Korea’s Yoon returns to comics festival

A controversial cartoon featuring South Korea’s disgraced former first couple Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Keon-hee is set to be displayed in public again this month, three years after its initial showing was cut short under government pressure. Yoonsukyeolcha by Park Se-eun from Chonnam Arts High School will be included in the annual Bucheon International Comics Festival as part of a retrospective show of prize-winning works from 2021 to 2025, the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency announced on Wednesday,...

Politics

9 h. ago Showtime: Money 20/20 Middle East puts fintech on its biggest stage yet

With groundbreaking collaborations and opportunities for multimillion-dollar deals, Saudi Arabia’s inaugural Money 20/20 Middle East event aims to solidify the kingdom’s status as the world’s premier gathering for anyone looking to stay ahead of the curve in the fast-moving fintech sector. Leading lights from the world of fintech and digital innovation will converge in Riyadh from September 15 to 17 for the event, which promises to set the global benchmark for the way enterprises and governments...

Economics

11 h. ago Trump threatens tariffs on chip imports from firms not producing in US

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday his administration would impose tariffs on semiconductor imports from companies not shifting production to the US, speaking ahead of a dinner with major technology company CEOs. Since returning to office in January, Trump’s threat of tariffs has alienated trading partners, stirred volatility in financial markets and fuelled global economic uncertainty. “Yeah, I have discussed it with the people here. Chips and semiconductors – we will be putting tariffs...

Politics

12 h. ago Chinese firms still want Nvidia chips despite Beijing concerns: sources

Alibaba Group Holding, ByteDance and other Chinese tech firms remained keen on Nvidia’s artificial intelligence chips despite regulators in Beijing strongly discouraging them from such purchases, four people with knowledge of procurement discussions said. They wanted reassurance that their orders of Nvidia’s H20 model, which the US firm in July regained permission to sell in China, were being processed, and were closely monitoring Nvidia’s plans for a more powerful chip, tentatively named the...

Politics

14 h. ago China’s Fund Managers Rest Hopes for Slow Bull Run on Government

China’s Fund Managers Rest Hopes for Slow Bull Run on Government  Bloomberg.com

Politics

15 h. ago US State Department employee sentenced for passing classified information

A US State Department employee was sentenced to four years in prison in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on Thursday for conspiring to collect and transmit national defence secrets to individuals he believed were working for the Chinese government, according to the US Justice Department. Michael Schena, age 42, sold “sensitive” US government documents to people who claimed to be international consultants, according to court documents, despite clear indications and his...

Politics

19 h. ago Mexico considering imposing tariffs on China, President Sheinbaum says

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday that her government is considering imposing tariffs on imports from countries that do not have trade agreements with Mexico, including China. The tariffs would be part of “Plan Mexico”, an initiative to boost domestic industry amid tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on some imports from Mexico. “We are considering tariffs as part of Plan Mexico, which we’ve proposed since we came into office,” said Sheinbaum. China is among countries...

Politics

19 h. ago Trump admin opens criminal mortgage fraud probe into Fed governor Lisa Cook

The US Justice Department has launched a criminal mortgage fraud probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook and has issued grand jury subpoenas out of both Georgia and Michigan, according to documents seen by Reuters and a source familiar with the matter. The investigation, which followed a criminal referral from Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, is being conducted by Ed Martin, who was tapped by Attorney General Pam Bondi as a special assistant US attorney to assist with...

Politics

25 h. ago Chinese provinces prep for business trips to US amid shaky tariff truce

More Chinese entrepreneurs and local government representatives could soon be packing for New York and California, aiming to take advantage of a recent stabilisation in US-China relations to hop across the Pacific and scout out potential trade and investment opportunities. Visits by delegations from China in the coming months will seek to leverage the pro-business amity and autonomy of local authorities in the US to advance economic ties, as Beijing encourages subnational exchanges. China’s...

Economics

28 h. ago China stands firm on strategic ties with North Korea, Xi tells Kim

Beijing is willing to deepen strategic coordination with Pyongyang in regional and international affairs to safeguard “mutual interests”, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday in his first sit-down with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in six years. “The Chinese Communist Party and government attach great importance to the traditional friendship between China and North Korea and are willing to maintain, consolidate, and develop China-North Korea relations,” he said, according to state...

Politics

31 h. ago Alibaba, ByteDance, and Tencent still want Nvidia’s H20 AI chips despite Beijing pressure

Alibaba, ByteDance, and Tencent still want Nvidia’s H20 AI chips despite Beijing pressure  Mitrade

Events

31 h. ago Exclusive: Chinese firms still want Nvidia chips despite government pressure not to buy, sources say

Exclusive: Chinese firms still want Nvidia chips despite government pressure not to buy, sources say  Reuters

Politics

31 h. ago Chinese firms still want Nvidia chips despite government pressure not to buy, sources say

Chinese firms still want Nvidia chips despite government pressure not to buy, sources say  Reuters

Politics

31 h. ago Filipino influencer causes outrage with ‘halal pork’ post – ‘mocking us Muslims’

A Filipino content creator is facing a warning from a government agency and a torrent of online backlash after posting a message on social media asking where to find “halal pork” – a contradiction in Islamic belief that critics say crosses the line between satire and hate speech. The post made on Tuesday by Crist Briand has since been deleted, but screenshots of his remark continue to circulate online, prompting angry reactions and calls for accountability. One social media user challenged...

Politics