6 h. ago Nvidia CEO says Huawei has everyone ‘covered’ if US chip ban on China stays

Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang said his company’s technology remained a generation ahead of those developed by China, but warned that Huawei Technologies was in a position to expand its semiconductor business should US chip export curbs stay in place. In an interview with US broadcaster CNBC on Thursday, Huang appeared to echo recent published remarks made by Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei, who said the Chinese company’s Ascend artificial intelligence (AI) processors lagged behind...

Politics

7 h. ago Xpeng and Chinese EV peers aim to win over Hongkongers amid global push

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng aims to start offering Hong Kong consumers smart cars featuring semi-autonomous driving systems next year as it gears up to take on Tesla’s FSD (Full Self-Driving) feature outside mainland China. He Xiaopeng, co-founder and CEO of the Guangzhou-based carmaker, said in Hong Kong on Thursday that testing of its Xpeng Navigation Guided Pilot (X NGP) driver-assistance system in the city would take only two months before sales could begin. However, he added...

Politics

11 h. ago China’s Ant International to seek stablecoin licence in Hong Kong

Fintech firm Ant International, the global affiliate of Chinese tech giant Ant Group, said it would apply for a stablecoin issuer licence in Hong Kong once the new ordinance governing fiat-backed cryptocurrencies comes into effect in August. “We welcome the passage of the Stablecoins Bill and hope to contribute more to the city’s vision as a global hub for next-gen finance,” Ant International said in a statement on Thursday. “We plan to apply for the fiat-referenced stablecoins issuer’s...

Politics

11 h. ago Ant International and Ant Digital to seek stablecoin licences in Hong Kong

Singapore-based Ant International and the Hangzhou-based Ant Digital, two affiliates of Chinese tech giant Ant Group, have announced plans to apply for stablecoin issuer licences in Hong Kong once the new ordinance governing fiat-backed cryptocurrencies takes effect in August. “We welcome the passage of the Stablecoins Bill and hope to contribute more to the city’s vision as a global hub for next-gen finance,” Ant International, a spin-off of Ant’s global operations, said in a statement on...

Politics

16 h. ago Jack Ma replies to Alibaba employee’s letter lamenting ‘company disease’

Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group Holding, responded to the resignation letter of a long-term employee on Tuesday, a rare move for the tech veteran who stepped back from all corporate roles in 2019. In a response published on Alibaba’s internal website, Ma addressed the concerns raised by a 15-year employee, who criticised the “big company disease” afflicting the Chinese e-commerce giant in an extensive internal letter. The employee, a product development leader on the team responsible for...

Politics

16 h. ago Chery’s stock to debut in third quarter in carmaker’s Hong Kong IPO

Chery Automobile, China’s second-largest automobile maker by volume, is aiming to complete its initial public offering (IPO) in Hong Kong in the third quarter of this year, said its chairman. The company, based in Wuhu city in eastern China’s Anhui province, has filed its intention to list on the Hong Kong stock exchange and use the city as its springboard for venturing into the global market, said Yin Tongyue during the 2025 Automotive Expo in the city. “We hope to have more of our...

Politics

16 h. ago Chery to debut in third quarter as carmaker uses Hong Kong as a springboard

Chery Automobile, China’s second-largest carmaker by volume, is seeking to complete its Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) in the third quarter of this year, its chairman said. At the 2025 International Automotive & Supply Chain Expo in Hong Kong on Thursday, Yin Tongyue said the company was seeking to use the city as a launching pad into the global market. Chery, based in Wuhu in eastern Anhui province, has filed its intention to list on the Hong Kong stock exchange. “We hope to have more...

Politics

31 h. ago Huawei founder sheds light on China’s strategy to overcome US curbs

Recent comments from Huawei Technologies founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei regarding US chip restrictions have shed light on China’s strategies to overcome Washington’s sanctions, according to analysts. In a front-page interview published on Tuesday by the People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party, the 80-year-old Ren expressed confidence that there was no need to worry about China’s access to advanced chips, asserting that the nation could achieve computing capabilities comparable to the...

Politics

33 h. ago Japan eyes 80% cut in 298,000 death toll for potential Nankai monster quake

Japan is seeking to reduce by 80 per cent in the next decade its estimated 298,000 death toll from a potential megaquake in the Nankai Trough. Authorities also intend to halve the maximum number of buildings expected to be completely destroyed in such a disaster from the current projection of 2.35 million. The targets align with a 2104 basic blueprint but will also take into account the latest damage estimates released in March, according to the Kyodo news agency. A revised plan for emergency...

Events

34 h. ago iFlytek says using local chips in AI models extends development time by 3 months

A senior Chinese tech executive admits that using mainland-produced semiconductors could delay the development of artificial intelligence (AI) models by three months, but insisted that his company would continue to use these chips and push improved processes. Liu Qingfeng, chairman and founder of Chinese voice recognition solution provider iFlytek, said that the extended AI model development process was due to the need for additional computing resources, compared with using Nvidia chips and...

Politics

36 h. ago How Hong Kong’s pilot disease scheme can help save HK$2.7 billion in expenses

An ongoing pilot scheme for chronic disease screening could help save HK$2.7 billion (US$344 million) in medical expenses if 200,000 people join, Hong Kong authorities have said, with hepatitis B set to be included later. The Health Bureau said on Tuesday that the project would turn into a co-care “platform” and cover more diseases after the end of the three-year pilot arrangement. The Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme was launched in November 2023. According to a paper submitted by the...

Economics

67 h. ago US students discover Unit 731 horrors, and an American war crime cover

As thousands of students gather this week for the finals of the National History Day contest in the US state of Maryland, one research project may stand out – not only as a sobering reminder of an infamous, often forgotten Japanese military unit, but also for America’s role in keeping its war crimes quiet. The project, a documentary produced by four students from a New Mexico high school, is an investigation of Unit 731 – a secret group that carried out unspeakable experiments on people in China...

Events

3 d. ago China's Investment Pivot and Africa’s Industrial Prospects: Any Hope for African “Flying Geese”?

China's Investment Pivot and Africa’s Industrial Prospects: Any Hope for African “Flying Geese”?  Center For Global Development

Politics

3 d. ago China turns to robots for elderly care with national pilot programme

China has launched a pilot programme aimed at accelerating the deployment of robots to alleviate the pressure of elderly care, as the nation grapples with a rapidly ageing population and a labour shortage. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in collaboration with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, issued a notice on Monday inviting organisations to participate in pilot projects. The initiative aims to enhance the integration of robotics into smart elderly care. The programme...

Politics

3 d. ago Malaysia assures users their privacy is protected in mobile data grab

Malaysia’s communications regulator has assured the public that their privacy remains intact, despite a government move to hoover up data on mobile phone and internet usage as part of widening controls over online activity. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said that the data being compiled under the government’s Mobile Phone Data project was all anonymous. There were no markers to indicate the identity of users, such as names or mobile numbers. “At the point of...

Politics

3 d. ago China’s top drone maker DJI comes down to earth with launch of robotic cleaner

Chinese drone giant DJI is expected to launch a vacuum cleaning robot in a move set to intensify competition in the country’s crowded robotic cleaner market, according to a report by the state-backed financial newspaper China Securities Journal, citing internal sources. Shenzhen-based DJI will introduce a combination vacuum cleaner and mopping robot this month, a project that has been under development over the past four years, according to the report. The product is called DJI ROMO, according...

Events

4 d. ago ‘Symbol of hope’: LGBTQ Singaporeans to seal stories of love inside time capsule

When healthcare worker V first met his partner E, a researcher, in 2000 they instantly clicked and began their relationship that spanned a little over 20 years. At the time, homosexuality was still an offence in Singapore but V, who is now in his late 40s and spoke on condition of anonymity, told This Week in Asia they were happy enjoying food, travel and what he described as “quiet activism” in the city state. To commemorate the second year of their relationship, he gifted E matching wedding...

Politics

4 d. ago China’s rare mineral gives blind mice ‘super vision’, hope for human blindness

Researchers have used a rare mineral produced mostly in China to create an artificial retina that not only restored sight in blind animals, but also gave them “super vision” – the extraordinary ability to see infrared light. The advance offers significant promise for treating human blindness, according to scientists. The study, led by Wang Shuiyuan, a researcher at the College of Integrated Circuits and Micro-Nano Electronics at Fudan University in Shanghai, was published in the journal Science...

Politics

4 d. ago China’s rare mineral gives blind mice ‘super vision’, offers hope for humans

Researchers have used a rare mineral produced mostly in China to create an artificial retina that not only restored sight in blind animals, but also gave them “super vision” – the extraordinary ability to see infrared light. The advance offers significant promise for treating human blindness, according to scientists. The study, led by Wang Shuiyuan, a researcher at the College of Integrated Circuits and Micro-Nano Electronics at Fudan University in Shanghai, was published in the journal Science...

Politics

4 d. ago The future of retirement for wealthy Hongkongers could be this Zhuhai community

A Macau conglomerate is targeting Hong Kong’s affluent retirees with a new luxury senior housing project in the Greater Bay Area, capitalising on a shortage of high-end retirement options for the city’s affluent retirees. “There is a lack of high-quality lifestyle retirement [options] in Hong Kong,” said Amber Li, founder of Serensia Woods, a 13,500-square-metre (145,313 sq ft) retirement community in Zhuhai’s Hengqin district. The community, on an island largely in the Guangdong city...

Politics