https://www.scmp.com/rss/517564/feed Jeffrey Wu is a director at MindWorks Capital, a leading Hong Kong-headquartered venture capital firm specialising in technology investment across Greater China and Southeast Asia. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Jeffrey Wu Jeffrey Wu A quiet but consequential shift is reshaping the global artificial intelligence competition, and it has little to do with which country builds the most powerful model. Jensen Huang did not mean to describe a geopolitical strategy. But when Nvidia’s chief executive declared, “Your workload is inference, your tokens are your commodity, and that compute is your revenue,” he was articulating, from the supply side, something China had concluded from the other direction. To understand why, start with... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3349947/us-controls-chips-ai-race-china-controls-scoreboard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3349947/us-controls-chips-ai-race-china-controls-scoreboard?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 08:30:09 +0000 Jeffrey Wu Jeffrey Wu Every spring when China’s policy blueprint is released at its “two sessions”, global headlines tend to focus on its GDP growth target. This year’s target of 4.5 to 5 per cent has been interpreted as evidence that the world’s second-largest economy is losing momentum under the weight of property woes, demographic decline and geopolitical tensions. However, the more consequential story is its new five-year plan (2026-2030). China’s latest economic road map suggests a deeper shift: away from a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3346443/china-re-engineering-its-economy-more-complex-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3346443/china-re-engineering-its-economy-more-complex-world?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 08:30:08 +0000 Jeffrey Wu Jeffrey Wu As global trade fragments and tariffs return, economic power is increasingly defined not by financial scale alone, but by productive strength. At the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, leaders spoke openly about a harsher world order. Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng warned that trade wars have no winners. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for a new security architecture amid rising protectionism. French President Emmanuel Macron described a world becoming more... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341850/us-china-rivalry-great-powers-dont-make-things-wont-be-great-long?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341850/us-china-rivalry-great-powers-dont-make-things-wont-be-great-long?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Jeffrey Wu Jeffrey Wu For much of the global debate, the race for artificial intelligence (AI) supremacy has been framed as a binary contest between the United States and China. As Washington envisions it, victory hinges on frontier models and compute scale, a battle dominated by a handful of American labs. China is cast as the challenger, constrained by export controls and dependent on catching up. That narrative is increasingly outdated. China is not pursuing a single AI strategy. It is running three large-scale... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3334666/why-real-ai-race-within-china-and-not-across-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3334666/why-real-ai-race-within-china-and-not-across-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 21:30:09 +0000 Jeffrey Wu Jeffrey Wu Hong Kong’s economic story has always unfolded in cycles of innovation. Finance made it a global hub. Real estate later became a backbone. Both engines now face structural limits. As global competition intensifies, the question is what Hong Kong’s new growth engine will be. The policy address offers a clear signal: artificial intelligence (AI) is a policy priority. With Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC) tasked with channelling capital into frontier industries, AI has been elevated as a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3326438/how-ai-can-catalyse-hong-kongs-next-big-economic-take?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3326438/how-ai-can-catalyse-hong-kongs-next-big-economic-take?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 08:30:10 +0000 Jeffrey Wu Jeffrey Wu On a humid Beijing track last month, the sprint to the future began. The athletes were not human; they were robots. The inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games brought 280 teams from 16 countries to compete in 26 events, from sprints to gymnastics to football. China’s Unitree dominated the track, X-Humanoid excelled in industrial tasks, while Neotix and Booster Robotics won in gymnastics and football. Triumphs were matched by mishaps: colliding, collapsing robots echoed earlier failures, when... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324482/china-just-beat-us-soft-power-humanoid-robot-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324482/china-just-beat-us-soft-power-humanoid-robot-games?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 12:30:08 +0000 Jeffrey Wu Jeffrey Wu Within days of each other, the world’s two artificial intelligence (AI) superpowers unveiled duelling blueprints for the future. The United States released its sweeping AI Action Plan, calling for deregulation, semiconductor expansion and “full-stack” AI export packages to allies. Days later, China put forth its proposal at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai: a global AI governance body open to the Global South, a push for open-source collaboration and a subtle rebuke of AI... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3321520/how-china-seeks-distribute-ai-while-us-only-wants-dominate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3321520/how-china-seeks-distribute-ai-while-us-only-wants-dominate?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Aug 2025 08:30:10 +0000 Jeffrey Wu Jeffrey Wu Windsurf was a rising artificial intelligence (AI) start-up – until it wasn’t. Days after OpenAI’s US$3 billion acquisition deal collapsed, Windsurf’s founders and top researchers joined Google DeepMind under a non-exclusive licensing agreement. What remained was sold to another company. Windsurf, as an independent innovator, ceased to exist. This is how many AI start-ups today end. Not through product failure but talent extraction. Big Tech no longer needs to buy companies to consolidate power... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3319195/where-us-jealously-guards-tech-china-offers-collaborative-ecosystem?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3319195/where-us-jealously-guards-tech-china-offers-collaborative-ecosystem?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jul 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Jeffrey Wu Jeffrey Wu In just two months, we’ve had news that US venture capital company Andreessen Horowitz is reportedly launching a US$20 billion megafund to invest in artificial intelligence (AI) and Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL) completed a US$5.2 billion initial public offering (IPO) – the world’s largest this year and a major boost to Hong Kong’s subdued markets. But behind these headlines, venture funding across Asia fell to just US$65.8 billion last year, its lowest... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3312938/geopolitics-hits-venture-capital-asia-must-start-funding-its-own-tech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3312938/geopolitics-hits-venture-capital-asia-must-start-funding-its-own-tech?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Jun 2025 08:30:07 +0000 Jeffrey Wu Jeffrey Wu Imagine if the United States were governed not by career politicians and lawyers, but by engineers from MIT, biologists from Stanford and physicists from Caltech. It sounds unlikely – yet this transformation is quietly under way in China. According to a recent study by the Asia Society’s Centre for China Analysis, nearly half of the Communist Party’s youngest cohort of bureau-level officials hold PhDs. Among 75 recently appointed bureau-level cadres, 47 per cent hold doctoral degrees, and at... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3308646/chinas-technocratic-elite-will-be-powerful-force-rivalry-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3308646/chinas-technocratic-elite-will-be-powerful-force-rivalry-us?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 May 2025 01:30:08 +0000 While the US and China tighten the screws on their respective artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystems, a quieter, more complex battle is playing out beneath the surface. This isn’t just about two superpowers clashing over chips and compute – it’s about two versions of what it means to be Chinese in tech, and which one ends up shaping the future. At the heart of it is talent. The United States remains the dominant hub for top AI minds – 27 per cent of elite AI researchers work there. But here’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3304953/ai-rivalry-watch-between-china-and-chinese-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3304953/ai-rivalry-watch-between-china-and-chinese-us?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Apr 2025 01:30:07 +0000 While the US and China tighten the screws on their respective artificial intelligence ecosystems, a quieter, more complex battle is playing out beneath the surface. This isn’t just about two superpowers clashing over chips and compute – it’s about two versions of what it means to be Chinese in tech, and which one ends up shaping the future. At the heart of it is talent. The United States remains the dominant hub for top AI minds – 27 per cent of elite AI researchers work there. But here’s the... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3305756/ai-rivalry-watch-between-china-and-chinese-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3305756/ai-rivalry-watch-between-china-and-chinese-us?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Apr 2025 02:48:27 +0000 Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer simply a technological innovation – it has become the defining fault line in global geopolitics, illuminating a widening chasm between nations prepared for the future and those falling dangerously behind. The escalating semiconductor restrictions by the Donald Trump administration, pressuring allies like Japan and the Netherlands while contemplating stricter limits on Nvidia’s AI chips, underscore the intensity of the US-China rivalry. However, China’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3301733/ai-no-longer-mere-investment-matter-sovereignty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3301733/ai-no-longer-mere-investment-matter-sovereignty?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Mar 2025 08:30:10 +0000 Technological dominance was once synonymous with proprietary innovations. But recent history suggests differently: true disruption comes from making technology cheap, accessible and inescapable. China rejects the traditional high-cost, high-margin model of innovation. While foundational artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnological breakthroughs still largely originate in the United States, China excels at rapidly scaling up and optimising the costs of these innovations, turning them into... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3298596/ai-evs-chinas-tech-genius-making-it-cheap-and-accessible?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3298596/ai-evs-chinas-tech-genius-making-it-cheap-and-accessible?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Technological dominance was once synonymous with proprietary innovations. But recent history suggests differently: true disruption comes from making technology cheap, accessible and inescapable. China rejects the traditional high-cost, high-margin model of innovation. While foundational artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnological breakthroughs still largely originate in the United States, China excels at rapidly scaling up and optimising the costs of these innovations, turning them into... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3299087/ai-evs-chinas-tech-genius-making-it-cheap-and-accessible?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3299087/ai-evs-chinas-tech-genius-making-it-cheap-and-accessible?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Feb 2025 04:36:08 +0000 History was made at Donald Trump’s inauguration when China’s Vice-President Han Zheng became the first senior Chinese leader to attend a US presidential inauguration. While the invitation by the new administration is seen as a sign of a thaw in the strained relationship between the two superpowers, it comes against a backdrop of deep economic and geopolitical tensions. Joe Biden has handed over a US-China relationship marked by years of conflict – trade wars, blacklists and sanctions, all aimed... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3295522/will-trump-succeed-containing-china-or-fuel-its-rise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3295522/will-trump-succeed-containing-china-or-fuel-its-rise?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Jan 2025 12:30:07 +0000 History was made at Donald Trump’s inauguration when China’s Vice-President Han Zheng became the first senior Chinese leader to attend a US presidential inauguration. While the invitation by the new administration is seen as a sign of a thaw in the strained relationship between the two superpowers, it comes against a backdrop of deep economic and geopolitical tensions. Joe Biden has handed over a US-China relationship marked by years of conflict – trade wars, blacklists and sanctions, all aimed... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3295623/will-trump-succeed-containing-china-or-fuel-its-rise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3295623/will-trump-succeed-containing-china-or-fuel-its-rise?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2025 08:00:32 +0000 The internet was once heralded as a force that transcended borders, connecting people and businesses in a seamless global network. That vision, however, is rapidly unravelling. Governments are asserting sovereignty over their digital domains, rewriting rules for global tech giants. Driven by national security concerns, economic priorities and geopolitical rivalries, this shift is fracturing the digital economy – with profound consequences. By 2022, the digital economy accounted for 15.5 per cent... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3290764/digital-nationalism-killing-promise-open-internet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3290764/digital-nationalism-killing-promise-open-internet?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Dec 2024 08:30:07 +0000 With US president-elect Donald Trump returning to the White House, the United States faces a critical question about its position in global innovation. As Trump revives his “America first” strategy and pushes for manufacturing independence, a paradox looms: can the US lead in innovation if it lacks the infrastructure to build at scale? For years, US tech giants have relied on China to bring their visions to life. Now, Trump’s renewed reliance on tariffs, with plans for import rates as high as 60... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3286214/trumps-america-first-agenda-will-stumble-without-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3286214/trumps-america-first-agenda-will-stumble-without-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Nov 2024 12:30:08 +0000 China’s “little giants” are at the vanguard of its next technological leap. The number of these small and medium-sized enterprises, nurtured under the 14th five-year plan to lead in advanced tech sectors, has exceeded the government’s target. The government aims to accelerate their growth further with expanded capital access. But their leap from innovation to sustainable market success remains precarious. China tops global research rankings and leads the world in patent filings. Despite these... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3282773/chinas-next-big-tech-leap-its-little-giants-must-grow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3282773/chinas-next-big-tech-leap-its-little-giants-must-grow?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Oct 2024 21:30:06 +0000 China stands on the verge of a profound demographic shift. With an ageing population and mounting economic uncertainty, the government’s recent decision to raise the retirement age by up to five years is a bold move designed to avert what many fear could be an impending crisis. Yet while this policy addresses immediate concerns, it also points to a deeper issue – one that extends beyond shrinking workforces and pension deficits. The true test for China lies in boosting labour productivity.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3279493/how-china-can-turn-its-demographic-challenge-economic-edge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3279493/how-china-can-turn-its-demographic-challenge-economic-edge?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Sep 2024 21:30:08 +0000 Hong Kong has long stood as a beacon of financial prowess, with its stock exchange often leading the world in initial public offerings (IPOs). In 2009, Hong Kong ranked as the world’s largest IPO market for the first time. A decade later, in 2019, it retained this position, buoyed by Alibaba’s significant secondary listing – a testament to the city’s financial vibrancy and its role as a gateway to global capital. Yet, as with all golden ages, Hong Kong’s lustre is dimming. The once robust IPO... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3275179/quality-should-come-quantity-hong-kongs-ipos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3275179/quality-should-come-quantity-hong-kongs-ipos?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Aug 2024 01:30:12 +0000 After China concluded its third plenum, the key policy meeting that will shape the nation’s economic blueprint for the next decade, the central message remains clear: stay the course. No major stimulus was announced, and neither were there significant policy deviations from the steadfast pursuit of “high-quality development”. Instead, President Xi Jinping called for the party to show “unwavering faith” and commitment to the established path. One potentially significant policy emerged before the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3271500/how-chinas-move-cap-salaries-redefining-finances-role-society?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3271500/how-chinas-move-cap-salaries-redefining-finances-role-society?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Jul 2024 12:30:10 +0000 After China concluded its third plenum, the key policy meeting that will shape the nation’s economic blueprint for the next decade, the central message remains clear: stay the course. No major stimulus was announced, and neither were there significant policy deviations from the steadfast pursuit of “high-quality development”. Instead, President Xi Jinping called for the party to show “unwavering faith” and commitment to the established path. One potentially significant policy emerged before the... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3271629/how-chinas-move-cap-salaries-redefining-finances-role-society?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3271629/how-chinas-move-cap-salaries-redefining-finances-role-society?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Jul 2024 02:34:26 +0000 Hong Kong faces a pressing need to redefine its approach to innovation and risk. To thrive amid evolving global dynamics, the city must embrace a shift away from the pervasive fear of failure that is stifling creativity and curtailing risk-taking, hindering the potential of individuals and businesses alike. In a world where betting on oneself has become the cornerstone of value creation, Hong Kong must foster a climate that encourages bold decisions and recognises the educational value of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3267251/why-hong-kong-needs-embrace-failure-succeed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3267251/why-hong-kong-needs-embrace-failure-succeed?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Jun 2024 12:30:09 +0000 In a tense election year for the United States, Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticised Chinese non-market practices during a recent visit to China, amid suggestions of further tariffs on Chinese products ranging from electric vehicles to metals. In the view of the US, China’s expanding industrial capabilities could spell disaster for international markets, and Chinese overproduction might undermine the very foundations of economies around the world. Yet, through a different lens, what the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3261040/how-progress-not-just-profit-drives-chinas-approach-industry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3261040/how-progress-not-just-profit-drives-chinas-approach-industry?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 May 2024 21:30:18 +0000 This year marks a pivotal moment for global democracy; countries with a combined population of more than 4 billion people – nearly half the world’s population – will be exercising their electoral rights in what promises to be an unparalleled display of democratic spirit. As people cast their ballots on an unprecedented scale, South Korea President Yoon Suk-yeol has sounded a note of caution: the same technological fabric meant to unite us can also weave threads of division. Perhaps more than any... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3258828/why-democracy-finds-itself-digital-crossroads-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3258828/why-democracy-finds-itself-digital-crossroads-year?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Apr 2024 01:15:18 +0000 As the sun rises on a new digital era, long shadows are being cast across a landscape dominated by giants – few more towering than Nvidia, whose market capitalisation has exceeded the entire Chinese stock market, as represented by H shares. This moment, emblematic of the burgeoning AI revolution, prompts us to ask: are we witnessing the inflation of a bubble, or the foundation of a transformative cycle? The internet’s evolutionary leap from mere information retrieval to inference – as even... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3254110/ai-boom-echoes-dotcom-bubble-not-way-you-think?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3254110/ai-boom-echoes-dotcom-bubble-not-way-you-think?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Mar 2024 12:30:11 +0000 The global technological landscape is witnessing an intense pace of development in artificial intelligence (AI), with the US and China at the forefront. Often portrayed as a race, the dynamic is increasingly framed as a zero-sum game, where the success of one is seen as the defeat of the other. This portrayal, however, oversimplifies the complex nature of AI development and global technological progress. A recent policy shift proposed by the US, requiring cloud firms to disclose foreign customer... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3251766/ai-us-and-china-must-rise-above-zero-sum-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3251766/ai-us-and-china-must-rise-above-zero-sum-race?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Feb 2024 08:30:09 +0000 Hong Kong, known for its vibrant economy and entrepreneurial spirit, has given rise to several iconic brands that have achieved global recognition. Lee Kum Kee, a pioneer in the food industry, has become synonymous with high-quality Asian sauces and condiments, a testament to its enduring legacy and commitment to tradition and quality since 1888. AS Watsons, with its roots dating back to 1841, has evolved into the world’s largest international health and beauty retailer, with thousands of stores... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3250165/iconic-brands-and-new-stars-show-hong-kong-has-what-it-takes-global-success?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3250165/iconic-brands-and-new-stars-show-hong-kong-has-what-it-takes-global-success?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Jan 2024 01:30:13 +0000