https://www.scmp.com/rss/516051/feed Gerui Wang is an assistant professor at Lingnan University, and the author of Sustaining Landscapes: Governance and Ecology in Chinese Visual Culture. Her digital humanities project, Storytelling with AI, is archived by Stanford University Libraries. She writes on technology, culture, and society. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Gerui Wang Gerui Wang The 2026 Spring Festival Gala, one of the world’s most-watched television events, featured a dazzling array of humanoid robots. They performed martial arts, executed intricate sword dances and even took part in a comedy skit alongside human celebrities. While parts of the world still view humanoid robots with a mixture of fear and suspicion, as potential job-stealers or sci-fi villains, China is increasingly embracing them as partners in work, entertainment and daily life. Amid the escalating... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3344083/humans-vs-robots-china-begs-disagree?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3344083/humans-vs-robots-china-begs-disagree?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 21:30:09 +0000 Gerui Wang Gerui Wang French President Emmanuel Macron’s three-day visit to China last week signals a recalibration in how China and Europe engage at a moment when technological competition, trade disputes, climate imperatives and geopolitical fragmentation threaten global stability. Macron met enthusiastic students at Sichuan University; French first lady Brigitte Macron visited the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. The trip fostered economic collaboration between the two countries and deliberately... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3335838/france-and-china-are-testing-alternative-zero-sum-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3335838/france-and-china-are-testing-alternative-zero-sum-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 10:30:09 +0000 Gerui Wang Gerui Wang Factories in China installed nearly 300,000 new robots last year, more than the rest of the world combined. This figure suggests that China is building leadership in robotics not merely for industrial efficiency, but as a direct path to achieving independence in core artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. The prioritisation of embodied intelligence, or AI-powered robots, at events such as last week’s AI Computing Conference in Beijing signals that the country views robotics as critical... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3327142/how-chinas-robotics-push-clearing-path-tech-independence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3327142/how-chinas-robotics-push-clearing-path-tech-independence?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Sep 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Gerui Wang Gerui Wang The global frenzy around China’s Labubu, the candy-coloured monster character with the mischievous smile adorning bags, desks, streets and social feeds worldwide, is often hailed as a triumph of Chinese soft power. But Labubu’s success reveals something deeper: the unmatched sophistication of China’s integrated platform economy. Pop Mart, Labubu’s retailer, started with a small shop in Beijing in 2010 but has leveraged China’s unique digital ecosystem in recent years to build a global... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3316496/labubus-rise-reflects-hitmaker-ability-chinas-digital-ecosystem?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3316496/labubus-rise-reflects-hitmaker-ability-chinas-digital-ecosystem?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Jul 2025 08:30:07 +0000 Ne Zha 2 has taken top spot as the world’s highest-grossing animated film – the first non-American, non-English-language animation to achieve the milestone. The story of a legend now becomes a legend in its own right with a budget of just US$80 million, compared to second-ranked Inside Out 2’s US$200 million. This cost-efficient, high-quality production is not an isolated phenomenon but a part of China’s growing cultural and technological presence. It follows a wave of breakthroughs in China,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3299511/ne-zha-tiktok-its-chinese-story-triumph-over-adversity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3299511/ne-zha-tiktok-its-chinese-story-triumph-over-adversity?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Feb 2025 08:30:10 +0000 Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Tristan Brown’s book Laws of the Land: Fengshui and the State in Qing Dynasty China won the American Historical Association’s John King Fairbank Prize this year. The prize is awarded annually for outstanding scholarship in East Asian history. Brown’s work shatters misconceptions of feng shui as mere superstition, revealing that feng shui shaped legal practices and natural resource governance in the past in China. Brown illuminates how Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3285415/how-feng-shui-can-inspire-chinas-quest-environmental-justice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3285415/how-feng-shui-can-inspire-chinas-quest-environmental-justice?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Nov 2024 08:30:07 +0000 Last week, the 2024 World Robot Conference took place in Beijing, featuring over 600 robotic products from around the world, attracting over 1.3 million attendees. There were 27 humanoid robots on display, capable of applications in manufacturing, healthcare, household management and entertainment. As embodied artificial intelligence (AI) becomes the next technological frontier after large language models, researchers suggest that competition in robotics might become the new global space race in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3276979/chinas-robotics-future-fast-approaching?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3276979/chinas-robotics-future-fast-approaching?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Sep 2024 01:30:09 +0000 It all began more than 700 years ago when Italian merchant Marco Polo, embarked on his legendary journey to China. His tales of Chinese urban life, flourishing commerce, convenient transport systems and sophisticated social structures captivated the European imagination and inspired explorers like Christopher Columbus. Last month, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stepped onto Chinese soil, aiming to rejuvenate relations. The visit, coming after Italy’s withdrawal from China’s Belt and Road... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3273417/what-marco-polo-and-matteo-ricci-can-teach-china-and-italy-today?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3273417/what-marco-polo-and-matteo-ricci-can-teach-china-and-italy-today?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Aug 2024 01:30:12 +0000 Last week, the 2024 World Artificial Intelligence Conference was held in Shanghai. The conference creates an international platform for tech companies to showcase the latest generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. From American tech giants Tesla and Qualcomm to hundreds of Chinese AI companies, global innovators gathered in Shanghai to explore new opportunities in AI. Researchers from multiple countries shared cutting-edge discoveries regarding possibilities and risks. Meanwhile,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3269571/why-china-pushing-so-hard-international-cooperation-ai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3269571/why-china-pushing-so-hard-international-cooperation-ai?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jul 2024 21:30:08 +0000 Last week, the leaders of France and China met in Paris and agreed to cooperate on the governance of artificial intelligence (AI). Amid geopolitical turmoil, regional wars and the intensifying competition over AI technology and supercomputing chips, it is essential to initiate an international framework for responsible AI deployment. The Sino-French declaration offers a playbook on how to shift from a mindset of confrontation to collaboration. This cooperation could shape the US-led AI industry... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3262631/us-mulls-ai-guard-rails-china-and-france-are-offering-different-playbook?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3262631/us-mulls-ai-guard-rails-china-and-france-are-offering-different-playbook?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 May 2024 21:30:13 +0000 The CES 2024 consumer electronics show in Las Vegas last week mesmerised tech observers from around the world with more than 4,000 exhibitors, from start-ups to tech giants. Over 1,000 companies were from China, demonstrating the country’s impressive contributions to global technology. In particular spotlight was China’s electric vehicle (EV) industry, after China was recently crowned the world’s largest car exporter, accounting for about half of global EV sales. At the tech showcase, Xpeng... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3248760/how-china-making-its-dream-flying-cars-drones-and-sky-cities-come-true?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3248760/how-china-making-its-dream-flying-cars-drones-and-sky-cities-come-true?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Jan 2024 08:30:10 +0000 The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) seems to be casting a shadow of economic disparity. Celebrities reportedly earned as much as US$5 million for just six hours of work as tech giant Meta paid to use their likeness in its AI assistants. Such extravagance raises an unsettling question: does AI’s evolution mean an exacerbation of economic inequalities? True, AI has the potential to worsen social divides. But governments can also choose to steer the technology towards more equitable and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3237617/tech-divide-chinas-ai-cities-show-how-hi-tech-improving-lives?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3237617/tech-divide-chinas-ai-cities-show-how-hi-tech-improving-lives?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Oct 2023 01:30:09 +0000 Leading museums worldwide are experimenting with augmented reality and virtual reality technologies to create new experiences for audiences to engage with art and culture. Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York launched the Replica app powered by the gaming platform Roblox. It allows users to scan a selected number of artworks in the museum, and collect and wear them in the digital world. For instance, one can choose a character and dress it in Vincent van Gogh’s hat and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3232174/how-digital-humans-are-reinvigorating-chinese-cultural-heritage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3232174/how-digital-humans-are-reinvigorating-chinese-cultural-heritage?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Aug 2023 22:15:18 +0000 The 2023 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) held in Shanghai from July 6 to 8 attracted 400 companies and hundreds of thousands of attendees in-person and online. The public was wowed by exhibitions that included large language models, service robots making coffee, machines capable of carrying out precision surgery and metaverse mirrors that produce a moving image of one’s virtual self. The event brought together business executives, academics and policymakers to share insights on... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3228219/why-many-china-unlike-us-see-ai-force-good?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3228219/why-many-china-unlike-us-see-ai-force-good?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Jul 2023 16:30:13 +0000 Last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Chinese President Xi Jinping. The meeting was an important effort to revive dialogue between the two nations after the rise in geopolitical tensions in recent years, especially since the incident involving a Chinese balloon over US territory. Just as we might wear a T-shirt with a picture or carry a backpack with a graphic to convey a message – whether it is support for the local football team or Black Lives Matter – nations may also convey... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3225956/landscape-art-vs-leader-portraits-how-us-and-chinese-diplomatic-approaches-differ?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3225956/landscape-art-vs-leader-portraits-how-us-and-chinese-diplomatic-approaches-differ?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Jul 2023 00:30:15 +0000