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China Future Tech

China Future Tech

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As China bets on tech and innovation to drive its growth, it has placed its chips on several industrial sectors that are expected to play increasingly important roles in development and trade, which will bring fresh opportunities and challenges for stakeholders. SCMP’s China Future Tech is your go-to destination for the latest news, insights, and opinions on these select industries. Explore in-depth coverage of EVs, AI, semiconductors, aerospace, robotics and biomedicine sectors. Follow us to stay ahead in China's evolving competitive landscape.

DeepSeek’s meteoric rise has propelled the growth of the open-source AI ecosystem by spurring its competitors to join the movement. Photo: Shutterstock

Tech War

DeepSeek a year on: how a Chinese start-up sparked a global AI arms race

DeepSeek’s meteoric rise propelled the growth of the open-source AI ecosystem by spurring its competitors to join the movement.

19 Jan 2026 - 10:24PMvideocam

Chinese banks join the space race with satellite launches and rocket backing

4 hours ago

China’s flying car makers aim for deliveries this year as passenger use nears

22 Jan 2026 - 7:30AM

Tech Trends

Google study finds DeepSeek, Alibaba models mimic human collective intelligence

The Google researchers found that the reasoning models generate internal multi-agent debates, which they termed ‘societies of thought’.

22 Jan 2026 - 7:00AM

The researchers based their findings on analysis of the Chinese models’ ‘reasoning traces’, which were first exposed to users when DeepSeek released its reasoning model a year ago. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Tech Trends

China-founded Shanda’s AI lab boosts Singapore operation, pulling China research

MiroMind asks some staff in Shanghai to relocate and continue their AI research work in Singapore, sources say.

21 Jan 2026 - 9:30PM

Tech War

AI shaping world’s biggest infrastructure buildout: Nvidia CEO

Each country should build their own AI system, incorporating its own language and culture into the AI models, Huang says at the WEF in Davos.

21 Jan 2026 - 10:21PMvideocam

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Policy

Shanghai to open ‘free-to-fly’ zones covering 46% of city for consumer drones

From February 1, consumer drones will be allowed to fly in designated airspace under new rules to boost the city’s low-altitude economy.

21 Jan 2026 - 6:15PMvideocam

A drone flies over The Bund in central Shanghai in the evening. Photo: Shutterstock

Policy

Beijing outlines tech push with focus on AI, 6G, humanoid robots

Tech ministry’s plan targets breakthroughs in AI models, agents and chips, as well as AI’s spread into diverse sectors.

21 Jan 2026 - 5:35PM

China EVs

Chinese carmakers eye Western markets, China-EU dispute progress: 7 EV reads

From a widening gap in US-China electric vehicle markets to Xiaomi’s refreshed SU7, here are seven EV stories you may have missed.

21 Jan 2026 - 12:30PM

Tech Trends

Divergent AI growth paths emerge from China, US amid bubble concerns: CICC

Last year, US venture capital investment in AI reached US$175 billion, nearly 30 times China’s US$6 billion in the same period.

21 Jan 2026 - 9:30AM

The world’s two largest economies are advancing along divergent paths in AI, according to CICC. Photo: Shutterstock

Tech Trends

Memory chip crunch to persist even as Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron boost production

Major vendors are scrambling to expand production, but the scarcity of general-purpose memory chips is forecast to continue well into 2027.

21 Jan 2026 - 8:15AM

The global shortage of commodity memory chips is not expected to be addressed any time soon. Photo: Shutterstock

China Business

Harbour BioMed stake in US drug developer shows Chinese firms’ growing clout

Latest example of Chinese drug maker acquiring equity in overseas partner shows they are becoming true development partners, analysts say.

21 Jan 2026 - 7:43AM

Big Tech

China Telecom develops MoE models trained entirely on Huawei’s AI chips

The state-owned telecoms network operator trains its TeleChat3 models on Huawei’s Ascend 910B chips.

20 Jan 2026 - 10:54PM

China Business

Chinese EV makers’ outlook overseas improves as Europe levels the playing field

Europe’s 33 per cent EV sales growth outpaces the mainland in 2025, while Germany launches a US$3.5 billion subsidy programme.

20 Jan 2026 - 8:12PM

A BYD Seal is displayed at the Brussels Motor Show on January 9, 2026. Photo: EPA

China Economy

Shanghai unveils road map to rival world cities in finance, tech and innovation

Economic powerhouse has sights set on AI, advanced manufacturing and global financial services, reflecting a national 5-year plan’s first explicit financial-centre directive.

20 Jan 2026 - 11:00AM

A view of the Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai’s Pudong district is seen through an installation on October 27. The city has its sights set on financial and developmental advancements in the coming years. Photo: AFP

China Business

Exclusive | China challenges US in AI drug race, but rivals still reliant on each other

While US biotech firms increase use of Chinese clinical data, Chinese firms need US counterparts for monetisation, investor and scientist says.

20 Jan 2026 - 11:16AM

China Business

Chinese automotive suppliers speed up localisation to boost global market share

International carmakers’ orders from Chinese vendors are an endorsement of the quality and competitiveness of their products, analyst says.

20 Jan 2026 - 7:30AM

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China Business

Wuxi AppTec’s upbeat business update boosts stock despite US bill

A presentation persuaded investors that risk of a potential US blacklisting is low while growth in some business areas is ‘unprecedented’.

29 Sep 2024 - 4:15PM

Shares in Chinese drug research and development group Wuxi AppTec closed up 23.9 per cent on Friday, the most since its listing in 2018. Photo: Reuters

Big Tech

China Telecom say AI model with 1 trillion parameters trained with Chinese chips

The state-owned telecoms operator did not reveal what chips it used for its 1 trillion-parameter model, but it has a partnership with Huawei.

30 Sep 2024 - 10:24PM

Tech War

Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou back at the helm of firm ahead of next smartphone launch

In her latest tenure as rotating chairwoman, Meng is expected to oversee the launch of Huawei’s next flagship 5G smartphone series, the Mate 70.

1 Oct 2024 - 8:00PMvideocam

China Business

5 Chinese EV makers set monthly sales records as discounts draw buyers

BYD, Li Auto, Xpeng, Zeekr and Leapmotor posted new monthly delivery records in September as new models and promotions proved enticing.

2 Oct 2024 - 9:26AM

Employees work on an EV production line at a Leapmotor factory in Jinhua, in China’s eastern Zhejiang province, on September 18, 2024. Photo: AFP

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China Future Tech

China Future Tech

Oppo expects to roll out generative artificial intelligence functions to its 50 million smartphone users by the end of this year. Photo: Shutterstock

Oppo enters tech pact with top EV maker BYD, acquires AI start-up

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Opinion | China’s new property pivot is coming. Expect full stabilisation ahead

Michael Han

14 Jan 2026 - 5:43PM

Opinion | Innovation and exports will winnow China’s car industry in 2026

Mark Andrews

6 Jan 2026 - 4:30PM

David Tingxuan Zhang

Opinion | Why China has moved to curb steel exports

David Tingxuan Zhang

23 Dec 2025 - 7:49AM

Brian Y. S. Wong

Opinion | Protection of vulnerable workers must be part of China’s AI strategy

Brian Y. S. Wong

20 Dec 2025 - 5:30AM

Opinion | Why the Global South is embracing Chinese AI

Zhang Zhipeng

10 Dec 2025 - 10:26AM

Opinion | Does AI’s rise have to mean job losses? East Asia tells a different story

7 Dec 2025 - 9:30AM

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