11 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

12 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

14 h. ago China discovers Asia’s largest undersea gold deposit off Jiaodong Peninsula

China has discovered its first undersea gold deposit – the largest in Asia – marking a breakthrough as Beijing steps up nationwide exploration for the precious metal. The discovery, off the coast of Laizhou, in Yantai, Shandong province, lifted Laizhou’s total proven gold reserves to more than 3,900 tonnes (137.57 million ounces) – about 26 per cent of the national total – ranking it top in both gold reserves and output in China, Yantai’s city government disclosed this week at a conference on...

Politics

15 h. ago Why Chinese ‘ask rice’ divination ritual involves using 1,080 round grains

A mysterious and ancient tradition in China involves practitioners who try to predict the future and communicate with the spirit world via a ritual known as rice divination, or mun mai, in the south of the country. Its origins can be traced back to the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) and a belief that all things in nature followed patterns and cycles, which are closely connected to human fortune and misfortune. The term “rice divination” comes from the main component used in the practice, 1,080...

Politics

18 h. ago Russia slams ‘unfounded’ claims of citizens fighting for Cambodia in Thailand border war

Russia has dismissed reports of its nationals fighting for Cambodia in the escalating border clash with Thailand, saying the “unfounded assertions undermine” the traditionally friendly ties between Moscow and Bangkok. The Russian embassy in the Southeast Asian kingdom said in a social media post on Monday that the claims emerged from outside Thailand. Thailand and Cambodia are locked in a deadly conflict that has killed dozens and displaced hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the...

Events

28 h. ago AmCham China Healthcare Industry Group Visits Shandong Province

AmCham China Healthcare Industry Group Visits Shandong Province  American Chamber of Commerce in China

Politics

36 h. ago China’s CATL marks trailblazing deployment of humanoid robots at scale on the factory floor

Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), the world’s largest maker of electric vehicle (EV) batteries, has started deploying humanoid robots at scale within its Zhongzhou production base in Luoyang, a city in central Henan province. The company on Wednesday described its deployment at scale as a “world’s first”, as humanoid robots built by start-up Spirit AI performed complex tasks with speeds that matched those of skilled human workers. Spirit AI’s Xiaomo robots have been assigned to plug in...

Politics

37 h. ago Hong Kong Palace Museum says Egyptian exhibition will be most profitable show yet

A display of hundreds of ancient Egyptian artefacts will be the Hong Kong Palace Museum’s most profitable exhibition yet, the institution has said, while also revealing that nine other shows are in the pipeline for next year. Director Louis Ng Chi-wa said on Thursday about 76,000 people had visited “Ancient Egypt Unveiled: Treasures from Egyptian Museums” in the first four weeks of its run. “We expected it would be popular, but it is even more popular in terms of both visitor numbers and demand...

Politics

37 h. ago China jails smugglers of weapon metal antimony, taking tough stance on critical minerals

A Chinese court has convicted 27 individuals of smuggling more than 166 tonnes of antimony, a critical mineral used in weapons, semiconductors and flame retardants, in a significant enforcement action under Beijing’s tighter export controls for dual-use items. The Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court in Guangdong province ruled that the group had illegally shipped the critical mineral without obtaining export licences, according to a statement released on Tuesday. Lead defendant Wang Wubin was...

Events

38 h. ago China sends special envoy to mediate as Thailand and Cambodia exchange fire

Beijing sent a special envoy to Thailand and Cambodia on Thursday for peace mediation efforts after the two Southeast Asian neighbours engaged in another major exchange of fire. “As a close neighbour and friend of Cambodia and Thailand, China closely follows the ongoing border conflict between the two countries and has shuttled between the two sides to promote peace,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement on Wednesday. “Through its own way, China has been working actively...

Events

38 h. ago Cambodia and Thailand tell China’s Wang Yi they’re willing to cease fire

Cambodia and Thailand have expressed willingness to de-escalate and cease fire following recent border clashes, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, also the country’s deputy prime minister, and Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow made the comments in separate phone conversations with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday, according to the ministry. The Thai and Cambodian foreign ministers briefed Wang about the latest...

Events

39 h. ago China’s Hainan launches separate customs regime allowing tariff

China’s southern Hainan province implemented a separate customs regime on Thursday, as Beijing seeks to develop the island into an offshore financing and duty-free hub and position it as a strategic hedge against rising external trade barriers. The new customs regime creates two distinct customs boundaries for Hainan: one separating the island from overseas markets, and another dividing it from the rest of mainland China. Most overseas goods entering the island – which is roughly the size of...

Politics

43 h. ago China delivery rider saves US$160,000 in 5 years to pay off debts, is dubbed ‘Order King’

A frugal food-delivery worker in China who has saved 1.12 million yuan (US$160,000) over the past five years has won admiration online. Zhang Xueqiang, 25, came to Shanghai to take up the delivery job with a major platform in 2020. His move came after a breakfast shop operated by him and his friend in his hometown of Zhangzhou, Fujian province, southeastern China, closed down, leaving him 50,000 yuan (US$7,000) in debt. At the end of November, Zhang released a video on social media showing that...

Economics

48 h. ago Laos cleared to export fresh durians to China as Malaysia, Thailand face new rival

Laos has received approval to begin exporting fresh durians to China, becoming the latest Southeast Asian nation to vie for a slice of the vast Chinese market for the tropical fruit. China’s General Administration of Customs said on its website that Laos was given clearance to begin exports from this past Friday as long as its shipments met phytosanitary standards. Laos could emerge as a challenger in China’s increasingly crowded durian market, as it benefits from cheap labour, logistical...

Politics

63 h. ago China bets big on copper, but ‘weaponisation’ risks low, unlike with rare earths: analysts

China is accelerating efforts to secure its copper supply chain, designating the metal as critical across strategic industries such as electric vehicles, artificial intelligence and defence amid rising geopolitical tensions. Provincial governments are leading the charge. On Monday, Jiangxi – already a hub for heavy rare earth mines – pledged in its 15th five-year plan to develop a world-leading hub for advanced copper-based new materials. That follows a similar move in Shandong, where provincial...

Events

64 h. ago Cheaper fresh water in China, potential Parkinson’s treatment: 7 science highlights

We have put together stories from our coverage on science from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China desalination tech makes fresh water cheaper than tap water – plus hydrogen China has launched a revolutionary facility in the eastern province of Shandong that produces fresh water from seawater for just two yuan (US$0.28) per cubic metre, generating green hydrogen as a by-product in a breakthrough that...

Politics

3 d. ago China seizes 430kg of cocaine aided by US intel, a sign anti

Chinese authorities have intercepted 430kg (948lbs) of cocaine aided by tip-offs by the United States, a sign of possible progress on the issue following an agreement on counternarcotics cooperation reached by the leaders of the two countries in October. Chinese authorities had found the drug in an international container at the Yantian port in Shenzhen, southern China’s Guangdong province, on November 26, state broadcaster CCTV said on Tuesday. The case is under further investigation and no...

Politics

3 d. ago China ‘one yuan girl’ featured in old renminbi banknote located after nearly 50 years

Nearly 50 years after she featured on the renminbi banknote, a woman who became known as “one yuan girl” is back in the spotlight due to a recent viral video of her. An influencer in southwestern China’s Guizhou province posted the video on November 26. It featured 65-year-old Shi Naiyin. Shi is an ordinary peasant woman of the Dong ethnic minority in Congjiang county, Guizhou. However, her nickname, “one yuan girl”, is known nationwide. At the age of 16, Shi went to the market in a town near...

Politics

3 d. ago Malaysians fume as Indonesian minister belittles flood aid: ‘just say thank you’

Malaysians hit back online this week after Indonesia’s home affairs minister appeared to play down the significance of flood relief Malaysia sent to the neighbouring nation’s disaster-hit Aceh province, where catastrophic floods and landslides on Sumatra’s northern tip have killed more than 1,000 people. The backlash followed remarks by Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian in a podcast clip published on Saturday, which later went viral, in which he said that the medical supplies delivered from...

Events

3 d. ago Mexico’s China tariffs show the rise of Trump’s trade template

Mexico’s China tariffs show the rise of Trump’s trade template  Financial Times

Politics