https://www.scmp.com/rss/520948/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Carol Yang Carol Yang China is stepping up efforts to secure critical sea lanes and protect its overseas assets, as crises at maritime chokepoints – including the Strait of Hormuz – expose growing vulnerabilities in global trade. In response, Beijing has tasked leading industrial enterprises and academic institutions with spearheading research to safeguard strategic trade corridors and overseas port holdings, amid escalating geopolitical tensions linked to the US-Israeli war in Iran and legal disputes over Panama... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3351712/china-orders-maritime-security-research-strait-hormuz-crisis-exposes-trade-risks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3351712/china-orders-maritime-security-research-strait-hormuz-crisis-exposes-trade-risks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:30:14 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan One of China’s most prestigious universities has apologised and withdrawn a mini-film made to celebrate its 130th anniversary amid accusations of gender bias. On March 31, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) released the film to mark its coming birthday. The institution was founded on April 6, 1896, by Sheng Xuanhuai, an important minister and an entrepreneur in the late Qing dynasty (1636–1912). The video, No 800 of Dongchuan Road, was named after the address of the vast Minhang campus of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/gender-diversity/article/3348778/renowned-china-university-apologises-mini-film-depicting-career-man-family-focused-woman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/gender-diversity/article/3348778/renowned-china-university-apologises-mini-film-depicting-career-man-family-focused-woman?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 10:00:08 +0000 Kandy Wong Kandy Wong Welcome to Open Dialogue, a series from the South China Morning Post where we bring together leading voices to discuss the stories and subjects occupying international headlines. In this edition, we invited a prominent industry player and economist to reflect on the role of stablecoins, cryptocurrencies pegged to fiat currencies or other assets. They discuss the differing approaches of China and the United States, as well as Hong Kong’s role in China’s strategy, as the city is expected to issue... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347710/gary-liu-and-liu-xiaochun-what-role-stablecoins-could-play-china-and-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347710/gary-liu-and-liu-xiaochun-what-role-stablecoins-could-play-china-and-us?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 22:00:28 +0000 Zhang Tong Zhang Tong Chinese researchers have unveiled a new rare earth alloy so cold and efficient it could upend decades of reliance on helium-3 and send shock waves through the global race for quantum computers or ultra-sensitive detectors. A mini-fridge built with the alloy has achieved temperatures extremely close to absolute zero using no moving parts. And it comes at a time when the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is actively hunting for exactly such a technology. On January 27, DARPA... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3346452/chinese-scientists-create-worlds-coldest-alloy-it-may-surprise-darpa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3346452/chinese-scientists-create-worlds-coldest-alloy-it-may-surprise-darpa?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 07:13:49 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen China’s semiconductor entrepreneurs – including artificial intelligence chipmaker Cambricon Technologies and testing-and-packaging leader Tongfu Microelectronics – have voiced support for the country’s 15th five-year plan, which places renewed emphasis on the chip industry as a cornerstone of Beijing’s technology ambitions. “National policy direction and planning are very well designed,” said Chen Tianshi, founder and CEO of Beijing-based Cambricon. Speaking on the sidelines of the opening of... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3345996/chinas-chip-bosses-endorse-semiconductor-push-next-5-year-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3345996/chinas-chip-bosses-endorse-semiconductor-push-next-5-year-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 23:00:11 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen Nearly five decades ago, in 1978, a dozen or so professors from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) were on a mission to visit their American counterparts as well as research institutes and factories across the United States. The visit, said to be personally approved by then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, was designed to forge academic ties and led to sister-school agreements with four prestigious US universities, including the University of Michigan (UM). It was a pivotal moment in academic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345807/us-universities-retreat-china-partnerships-who-filling-academic-void?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345807/us-universities-retreat-china-partnerships-who-filling-academic-void?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 22:00:11 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen Chinese researchers have released the world’s first open-source text-to-speech (TTS) model that unifies more than 20 Arabic dialects in an AI framework, a move poised to expand China’s technological influence in the Middle East, according to analysts. Led by Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s X-LANCE Lab – one of China’s top audiovisual and language processing research entities – the model is named Habibi, meaning “my dear” in Arabic. In presenting their findings, the research team spearheaded by... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3344955/meet-habibi-chinese-ai-uniting-20-arabic-dialects-middle-east-first?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3344955/meet-habibi-chinese-ai-uniting-20-arabic-dialects-middle-east-first?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 06:00:26 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse In a softly lit Shanghai bar, graduate student Helen Zhao stretches out both wrists to have her pulse taken – the first step in ordering the house special, a bespoke “health” cocktail based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). “TCM bars” have popped up in several cities across China, epitomising what the country’s stressed-out, time-poor youth refer to as “punk wellness”, or “wrecking yourself while saving yourself”. At Shanghai bar Niang Qing, a TCM doctor in a white coat diagnoses customers’... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3343721/tcm-bar-china-makes-customers-drinks-based-its-doctors-diagnoses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3343721/tcm-bar-china-makes-customers-drinks-based-its-doctors-diagnoses?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin Leading chipmaking engineer Xu Zhenpeng said the United States no longer offered the freedom that researchers once expected – a key reason for his decision to continue his work in China. Xu, who joined Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) as a tenure-track assistant professor in January, left behind a team leadership role at Atomic Semi, a California start-up with high-profile backers that included OpenAI’s venture fund. Before his departure, Xu led a team that was developing a new kind of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3342299/chinese-semiconductor-engineer-xu-zhenpeng-says-he-left-us-find-freedom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3342299/chinese-semiconductor-engineer-xu-zhenpeng-says-he-left-us-find-freedom?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 23:00:37 +0000 Lily Canter Lily Canter In a city obsessed with efficiency, optimisation and results, walking has rarely been focused on as a health intervention. Yet across Hong Kong, a quiet reframing is taking place. Increasingly, it is being described not as light exercise or leisure, but as a form of everyday medicine, one that supports mental health, recovery from illness and ageing well, without injury or pressure. Stephanie Lown, founder of hiking group Exploring Dogs, says walking offers a rare combination of movement,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3342052/how-walking-hong-kong-helping-cancer-recovery-and-mental-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3342052/how-walking-hong-kong-helping-cancer-recovery-and-mental-health?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 02:59:19 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan The English version of a book about the popular poker-like Chinese card game Guandan has been accepted by libraries at top universities in the United States. The acceptance marks a milestone in efforts to spread knowledge about the game to the world. The Essence of Guandan, or Guandan Xin Fa in Chinese, was written by Yu Mingyang, an economics professor from the prestigious Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the Shanghai Morning Post reported. Its Chinese version was published in 2023, with the... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3340703/book-guandan-china-poker-game-accepted-harvard-library-nations-premier-fan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3340703/book-guandan-china-poker-game-accepted-harvard-library-nations-premier-fan?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 06:00:09 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin Advanced chipmaking engineer Xu Zhenpeng has left the United States to take up a full-time position at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), one of China’s leaders in artificial intelligence hardware research. Before his return to China, Xu led a team at the California-based manufacturing start-up Atomic Semi, developing 3D printing techniques aimed at making chip production faster and cheaper than conventional methods that used bulky, multimillion-dollar machines. Investors in the company,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3341719/chipmaking-expert-xu-zhenpeng-leaves-openai-funded-start-shanghai-role?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3341719/chipmaking-expert-xu-zhenpeng-leaves-openai-funded-start-shanghai-role?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 02:00:17 +0000 Holly Chik Holly Chik People carrying a specific gene mutation could have a significantly higher risk of developing the respiratory condition asthma, according to Chinese scientists who have created a detailed immune cell atlas. The team has mapped how genetic variations influence immune cell function and disease development, creating a tool to help researchers understand how particular gene variations make people more likely to develop certain diseases and potentially guide the development of precise treatments,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3340553/asthma-has-no-cure-some-risk-written-gene-china-team-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3340553/asthma-has-no-cure-some-risk-written-gene-china-team-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 06:00:22 +0000 Ji Siqi,Kandy Wong Ji Siqi,Kandy Wong In an effort to offer an alternative amid the global rise of stablecoins – cryptocurrencies pegged to a reference asset, such as a fiat currency – China’s central bank is poised to upgrade its digital yuan from a cash equivalent to “digital deposit money”. The move, which will allow the digital currency to function like a deposit in a bank account, is expected to broaden global usage of the e-CNY by making it more attractive to banks and individuals, but it also reflects Beijing’s cautious... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3338159/how-china-upgrading-its-digital-yuan-stablecoin-era?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3338159/how-china-upgrading-its-digital-yuan-stablecoin-era?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 13:00:09 +0000 Zhang Tong Zhang Tong Chinese scientists have unveiled an optical computing chip that outperformed Nvidia’s leading AI hardware by over a hundredfold in speed and energy efficiency – particularly for generative tasks such as video production and image synthesis. The LightGen chip was developed by a team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Tsinghua University, harnessing the speed of light to execute complex artificial intelligence workloads. With more than 2 million photonic neurons integrated into a compact chip,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3336918/chinese-team-builds-optical-chip-ai-100-times-faster-nvidias-market-leader?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3336918/chinese-team-builds-optical-chip-ai-100-times-faster-nvidias-market-leader?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:19:41 +0000 Mandy Zuo Mandy Zuo While China continues to produce many young self-made billionaires, showcasing its economic dynamism, observers have urged the creation of a more supportive environment, saying that innovation is still being held back. About 98 per cent of the super-rich in mainland China, with assets valued at US$1 billion or more, are relatively young first-generation entrepreneurs, reflecting the vitality and wealth-creation power of its economy, Swiss bank UBS said in a recent report. However, Beijing’s... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3336231/chinas-growing-young-billionaire-class-masks-innovation-hurdles-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3336231/chinas-growing-young-billionaire-class-masks-innovation-hurdles-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 03:00:17 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao China’s Tsinghua University has set up a new cross-disciplinary institute to undertake robotics research, the latest sign of increased academic support from its top universities as the country doubles down on the embodied intelligence competition with the US. The Institute for Embodied Intelligence and Robotics will integrate resources from Tsinghua’s different schools, including automation, mechanical engineering, electronic engineering and computer science. Embodied intelligence is a field of... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3334952/chinas-tsinghua-university-sets-research-institute-latest-push-robotics-talent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3334952/chinas-tsinghua-university-sets-research-institute-latest-push-robotics-talent?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 00:00:25 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng China is building a talent pipeline for the booming robotics industry, with the country’s top universities launching undergraduate courses in embodied intelligence to support Beijing’s ambitions to overtake the US. Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Zhejiang University were among a batch of seven prestigious universities that had recently applied to add “embodied intelligence” as a new course, China’s education ministry said in November. The new programme was driven by the demands of a national... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3334779/top-chinese-universities-offer-courses-embodied-intelligence-aid-robotics-industry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3334779/top-chinese-universities-offer-courses-embodied-intelligence-aid-robotics-industry?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 23:00:12 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang The diplomatic crisis between Tokyo and Beijing is the result of a years-long fundamental shift to the right in Japan – and part of a “long-term struggle” that China must prepare for, according to analysts. The assessment comes as relations between the two countries nosedive, prompted by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion earlier this month that a hypothetical conflict in the Taiwan Strait would trigger a military response from Tokyo. For Beijing, the comments ventured into a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333837/why-japans-drift-right-means-long-term-struggle-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333837/why-japans-drift-right-means-long-term-struggle-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 13:00:10 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen Huawei Technologies on Friday introduced open-source software that it claimed can significantly improve the utilisation rate of artificial intelligence chips, marking the latest effort by Chinese companies to achieve world-class AI training capabilities even without access to the latest Nvidia processors. Flex:ai, which pools and orchestrates processors to squeeze out more performance, came as part of Huawei’s effort to develop a self-sufficient compute ecosystem by overcoming China’s... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3333705/tech-war-huawei-open-source-software-tool-optimise-ai-chip-use?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3333705/tech-war-huawei-open-source-software-tool-optimise-ai-chip-use?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 10:00:32 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen China is building a mega science infrastructure that could add fuel to the global maritime power race: a floating artificial island engineered to withstand nuclear blasts. This 78,000-tonne, semi-submersible twin-hull platform is the world’s first mobile, self-sustaining artificial island. With a displacement rivalling the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s new Fujian aircraft carrier and the capacity to house 238 occupants for four months without resupply, the facility will be able to project... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3333501/china-building-worlds-first-floating-artificial-island-nuclear-proof-bunker?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3333501/china-building-worlds-first-floating-artificial-island-nuclear-proof-bunker?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 13:00:10 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion that Japan could deploy its military in response to a Taiwan contingency has escalated diplomatic tensions and risks further damaging bilateral ties, analysts have warned. According to Beijing, Takaichi “seriously damaged bilateral ties” when she told the Japanese parliament on Friday that use of military force in the Taiwan Strait could be seen as a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, a situation that could allow Tokyo to engage in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3332537/has-sanae-takaichi-planted-taiwan-time-bomb-tokyos-ties-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3332537/has-sanae-takaichi-planted-taiwan-time-bomb-tokyos-ties-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 04:00:12 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen A former research scientist at Meta Platforms, Tian Yuandong, has shed some light on the US social media giant’s restructuring of its artificial intelligence team, while casting doubt on traditional scaling laws used in AI model development. In an interview on the Chinese video channel Silicon Valley 101 broadcast on Wednesday, Tian – previously research scientist director at Meta FAIR, the Facebook parent’s legacy Fundamental AI Research team – said limited computing resources had triggered... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3332532/meta-platforms-ai-lay-offs-triggered-battle-resources-ex-research-scientist-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3332532/meta-platforms-ai-lay-offs-triggered-battle-resources-ex-research-scientist-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 01:00:14 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Chinese robotics firm AgiBot has rejigged its corporate structure, a move seen as laying the groundwork for an initial public offering (IPO), amid a wave of domestic humanoid robot makers racing to list their shares. The Shanghai-based company restructured from a limited liability company to a joint stock limited company last week and was renamed Zhiyuan Innovation (Shanghai) Technology, according to records shown on Chinese business registry platform Tianyancha. The legal shift is an essential... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3332229/rising-china-robotics-star-agibot-restructures-potential-bid-join-ipo-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3332229/rising-china-robotics-star-agibot-restructures-potential-bid-join-ipo-race?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 13:00:14 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai Chinese observers have downplayed Beijing’s reference to Okinawans as “indigenous”, saying the comments were mainly a critique of the militarisation of Japan’s southernmost prefecture – home to dozens of US military bases – rather than a challenge to Tokyo’s sovereignty over Okinawa. On October 9, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, Sun Lei, urged Japan to “stop prejudice and discrimination against Okinawans and other indigenous peoples”. Sun made the remarks during a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331110/chinas-okinawa-remarks-challenge-militarisation-not-sovereignty-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331110/chinas-okinawa-remarks-challenge-militarisation-not-sovereignty-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Nov 2025 01:00:23 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), a fast-growing next-generation cancer treatment, have become an investment hotspot due to its potential to become mainstream globally, according to biopharmaceutical industry insiders. To achieve sustainable growth and maximise revenue potential, companies should pursue differentiated product development and a global clinical strategy, according to Duality Biotherapeutics, which organised a biotech forum in Shanghai last week. The Shanghai-based company – which... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3330377/china-biotech-forum-bills-antibody-cancer-drugs-next-generation-treatment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3330377/china-biotech-forum-bills-antibody-cancer-drugs-next-generation-treatment?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Oct 2025 02:30:09 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng At a conference in December, Wang Xingxing – the robotics guru who founded China’s industry-leading Unitree Robotics – had a sharp critique. “China is at a disadvantage in terms of talent reserves because its education system has decided that knowledge learned in school is often outdated, whereas overseas students study the world’s most cutting-edge technologies,” he told the audience. “The education system fundamentally shapes future development potential and opportunities,” Wang said, adding... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3329310/stem-crisis-chinas-universities-how-outdated-courses-are-wasting-talent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3329310/stem-crisis-chinas-universities-how-outdated-courses-are-wasting-talent?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Oct 2025 22:00:10 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen China can learn from the United States when it comes to applying civilian innovations to the military, a Chinese geopolitical expert has said. In an article last week, Gu Jianyi, a researcher at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, said China could consider developing a new industrial ecosystem inspired by successful US firms such as SpaceX, Palantir and Anduril. Such an ecosystem would be defined by Silicon Valley-style innovation, software-centric design, agile development and civil-military... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3330236/china-can-learn-us-lessons-unleash-military-power-civilian-tech-researcher-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3330236/china-can-learn-us-lessons-unleash-military-power-civilian-tech-researcher-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Oct 2025 10:01:17 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen The world has already seen China’s capability to detect stealth aircraft using optical satellites. For instance, the Jilin-1 commercial satellite constellation successfully tracked an F-22 fighter jet manoeuvring through clouds – a feat that showcased the potential of civilian satellite systems in military reconnaissance. However, optical cameras are inherently limited: they cannot operate at night and are easily obstructed by cloud cover, fog or other adverse weather conditions. In real combat... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3329199/chinas-new-space-borne-radar-tech-can-track-stealth-moving-targets-day-and-night-study?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3329199/chinas-new-space-borne-radar-tech-can-track-stealth-moving-targets-day-and-night-study?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Oct 2025 14:00:09 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin Chinese researchers have tested a submersible device that will play a vital role in the effort to study the ghostly subatomic particles that stream through the cosmos with barely a trace. The Subsea Precision Instrument Deployer with Elastic Releasing (Spider) uncoiled a 700 metre (2,300ft) string of 20 sensor balls at a depth of about 1,700 metres, according to the team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Tsung-Dao Lee Institute. Each ball in the sea trial was positioned at the exact angle... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3329074/china-gears-build-giant-south-china-sea-lab-hunt-ghost-particles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3329074/china-gears-build-giant-south-china-sea-lab-hunt-ghost-particles?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Oct 2025 07:00:15 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming on Friday made a rare public appearance in Shanghai to launch a talent incubator, as Washington and Beijing moved towards a deal for the popular short video platform TikTok to divest its US operations. Zhang, 42, spoke at the launch of the Zhichun Innovation Centre, which he jointly established with Shanghai Jiao Tong University computer science professor Yu Yong in April, according to a statement from the centre. The centre, which was founded with donations from... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3328564/bytedance-founder-zhang-yiming-launches-shanghai-talent-incubator-rare-public-appearance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3328564/bytedance-founder-zhang-yiming-launches-shanghai-talent-incubator-rare-public-appearance?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Oct 2025 12:30:13 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin China’s Tsinghua University has emerged as the world’s top institution in computer science across multiple major global rankings, marking a symbolic shift in a field once dominated by American universities. For the first time, Tsinghua now leads lists ranging from the widely recognised US News Best Global Universities to CSRankings, a system seen as rigorously academic and historically US-centric within the research community. In the latest CSRankings results – which weigh institutions by... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3327633/chinas-tsinghua-university-tops-multiple-global-rankings-computer-science?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3327633/chinas-tsinghua-university-tops-multiple-global-rankings-computer-science?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Oct 2025 07:00:08 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen Beneath the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean lie small, black, potato-sized treasures – polymetallic nodules rich in valuable metals and rare earth elements – waiting to be unearthed. Strewn across the sea floor of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, the coveted nodules and other forms of ocean deposits are gaining widespread attention. Yet for all their vast potential, deep-sea mining remains off-limits for now. The obstacle is not merely technological feasibility but a lack of legal... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327260/why-china-struggles-us-plunges-deep-sea-mining-valuable-metals-and-rare-earths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327260/why-china-struggles-us-plunges-deep-sea-mining-valuable-metals-and-rare-earths?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Sep 2025 22:00:10 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen Following several high-profile aeronautical production quality lapses in recent years, including a door falling off mid-flight and tooling left inside aircraft, the last thing any plane manufacturer wants is a missing bolt or any oversight that slips through manual checks. Enter the futuristic assembly line of C919, China’s first domestically developed large passenger jet. Leveraging a groundbreaking 5G-enabled industrial network system, the C919 smart mega factory in Shanghai is setting a new... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3326054/no-missing-bolts-glimpse-chinas-c919-smart-factory?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3326054/no-missing-bolts-glimpse-chinas-c919-smart-factory?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Sep 2025 16:00:14 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China’s designation of a national nature reserve in the contested Scarborough Shoal – and its punitive measures for unauthorised entry – have prompted strong pushback from the Philippines, with analysts warning the move could escalate tensions in the strategically important waterway. Beijing’s announcement of the decision on Wednesday marked its latest efforts to consolidate its claims in the contested area that is now a focal point of intense confrontations between the two countries and could... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325243/why-chinas-new-plan-bolster-its-south-china-sea-claims-has-manila-worried?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325243/why-chinas-new-plan-bolster-its-south-china-sea-claims-has-manila-worried?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Sep 2025 02:00:22 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen China has extended its maritime presence to rarely patrolled waters, with two Chinese coastguard vessels spotted near the northernmost province of the Philippines last week, close to Taiwan. The Philippine Navy on Monday said the Chinese ships were seen “meandering” in waters off Batanes on August 7, Philippine media reported. Batanes is an archipelago located closer to southern Taiwan than to Manila and sits within the Bashi Channel – a critical maritime chokepoint that would have strategic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321943/beijing-seeks-deter-it-expands-presence-waters-near-philippines-and-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321943/beijing-seeks-deter-it-expands-presence-waters-near-philippines-and-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Aug 2025 10:00:12 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang China’s leading artificial intelligence start-up, DeepSeek, finds itself at the centre of speculation about the release of its next-generation R2 reasoning model, following OpenAI’s launch of its GPT-5 model last week. DeepSeek – which made waves in the industry with its V3 model in December and the R1 model in January – has not introduced major updates to its products in the past months, aside from two minor revisions. While the market had expected DeepSeek to introduce a new foundation model... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3321855/where-deepseeks-next-ai-model-speculation-rises-after-openai-unveils-gpt-5?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3321855/where-deepseeks-next-ai-model-speculation-rises-after-openai-unveils-gpt-5?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Aug 2025 10:00:23 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang OpenAI’s latest flagship artificial intelligence model, GPT-5, has drawn mixed reviews in China, where some critics expressed disappointment over the new system’s lack of breakthroughs. At its live-streamed launch on Thursday in the US, GPT-5 was touted by OpenAI as its “smartest, fastest, most useful model yet, and a major step towards placing intelligence at the centre of every business”. The new AI model features improved performance across coding, maths, writing, health and visual... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3321320/openais-gpt-5-draws-mixed-reviews-china-amid-heightened-ai-competition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3321320/openais-gpt-5-draws-mixed-reviews-china-amid-heightened-ai-competition?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Aug 2025 11:06:06 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen Beijing is on high alert for New Delhi’s involvement in South China Sea disputes after the first-ever joint patrol between India and the Philippines in the strategically important waters, which observers say may further complicate relations between India and China. The assessment was made as Indian and Philippine navies on Monday wrapped up their maritime cooperative activity (MCA), which coincided with a state visit by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr to India. The MCA involved three... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3320806/china-high-alert-south-china-sea-disruption-after-philippine-india-patrol-pla?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3320806/china-high-alert-south-china-sea-disruption-after-philippine-india-patrol-pla?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Aug 2025 08:10:50 +0000 Meredith Chen Meredith Chen China needs to engage and cooperate more effectively with the Global South on AI governance to counter US moves to hobble its technological progress, according to analysts. They also said that as the US retreated from its leadership role it could be “sidelined during a critical period” as the global norms and rules around artificial intelligence were shaped, while China continued to push forward conversations on governance. Jiang Yuhao, a researcher with the Institute of Public Policy, an... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3318837/china-could-counter-us-tech-curbs-engaging-global-south-ai-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3318837/china-could-counter-us-tech-curbs-engaging-global-south-ai-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Jul 2025 11:00:08 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen Taiwan is set to join Japan’s memorial ceremonies next month for the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings, marking the island’s first participation in the annual events. Observers said Beijing was likely to take a dim view of the matter, though the scale of its response might depend on the rank of the Taiwanese attendees. Nagasaki mayor Shiro Suzuki said on Saturday that the city had accepted Taiwan’s request to attend its August 9 ceremony in memory of the victims of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317267/all-eyes-beijing-taiwan-set-attend-japans-atomic-bomb-memorials-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317267/all-eyes-beijing-taiwan-set-attend-japans-atomic-bomb-memorials-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Jul 2025 11:55:48 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Goku Technologies, a Shanghai-based quantitative trading fund, is expanding its ambitions beyond finance, looking to artificial intelligence (AI) as a means to overcome challenges faced by humanity, according to CEO Wang Xiao. In an interview with the Post, Wang said the firm’s AI initiatives were driven by a vision that transcended short-term commercial interests. “What I believe is [AI exists] to solve issues for humanity – this is the only thing that matters,” he said. Last month, Goku... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3314387/meet-goku-chinese-quant-trading-fund-ai-ambitions-beyond-finance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3314387/meet-goku-chinese-quant-trading-fund-ai-ambitions-beyond-finance?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Jun 2025 01:00:18 +0000 Shi Huang Shi Huang Imagine a childhood where becoming a carpenter felt like the ultimate dream. That was the world of Xie Yimin, a shepherd from Changzhou, China. His journey, however, propelled him to become a globally celebrated scientist and mechanical engineer in Australia, renowned for his Evolutionary Structural Optimisation (ESO) method that transformed global design. After a stellar career spanning decades and earning Australia’s top accolades, Xie has chosen a homecoming: leaving Down Under to return to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3314119/shepherd-world-renowned-scientist-xie-yimin-leaves-australia-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3314119/shepherd-world-renowned-scientist-xie-yimin-leaves-australia-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jun 2025 09:19:26 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao An institute affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University has commenced production of photonic chips, marking a milestone in China’s semiconductor sector and providing a boost to the country’s quantum computing capabilities in spite of increased US export controls. The Chip Hub for Integrated Photonics Xplore (CHIPX), located in Wuxi in eastern Jiangsu province, now produces 6-inch thin-film lithium niobate photonic chip wafers, according to local authorities. The development underscores... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3313858/tech-war-chinese-institute-begins-photonic-chip-production-despite-us-curbs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3313858/tech-war-chinese-institute-begins-photonic-chip-production-despite-us-curbs?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Jun 2025 11:00:16 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Chinese scientists have achieved a record in quantum-based secure direct communications – trebling the distance of a multi-user network to around the same length as a drive from Paris to Brussels, according to a new paper. While the transmission rate is still too low to handle images, the researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University said the 300km (186 miles) optical fibre network was theoretically scalable, showing the viability of this kind of quantum network. According to the paper, published... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3313004/china-team-triples-distance-record-set-direct-quantum-communication-founder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3313004/china-team-triples-distance-record-set-direct-quantum-communication-founder?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Jun 2025 10:00:10 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen A research team in Shanghai has unveiled a vibration-damping technology that could significantly improve the stealth of submarines during covert operations, according to a peer-reviewed study published in the Chinese journal Noise and Vibration Control. Zhang Zhiyi and his team of researchers, from Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s State Key Laboratory of Mechanical Systems and Vibration, said their innovation could theoretically cut the detection range of hostile sonar systems by more than... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3311772/chinas-super-quiet-submarine-tech-halves-engine-noise-detection-range-study?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3311772/chinas-super-quiet-submarine-tech-halves-engine-noise-detection-range-study?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 May 2025 22:00:09 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang A Chinese quantitative trading fund has submitted a research paper to one of the world’s top artificial intelligence (AI) conferences, detailing a new training technique that it said could outperform mainstream methods employed by leading AI research labs, in a move that mirrors the path taken by DeepSeek. Shanghai Goku Technologies, established in 2015, submitted the paper to the Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems – an annual gathering of top scientists in machine learning and... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3311357/another-deepseek-chinese-quant-fund-publishes-paper-ai-training-breakthrough?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3311357/another-deepseek-chinese-quant-fund-publishes-paper-ai-training-breakthrough?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 May 2025 10:00:09 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela After Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence start-up xAI unveiled Grok 3, its latest chatbot, on Tuesday, the presence of a large number of Chinese developers at the company came under the spotlight. The United States and China continue to release new AI models in a bid to outperform each other. The victor in the global AI race may be determined by the efforts of Chinese computer scientists and engineers on either side. During a live stream on X announcing the release, Musk said Grok 3... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3299470/race-ai-supremacy-chinese-born-scientists-musks-grok-squad-line-against-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3299470/race-ai-supremacy-chinese-born-scientists-musks-grok-squad-line-against-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:57:20 +0000 Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House last week provided reassurance for Tokyo about its alliance with Washington. But analysts say it did the opposite for Beijing, particularly over Tokyo’s recent efforts to mend fences with its neighbour. Zheng Zhihua, associate professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Centre for Japanese Studies, said the outcome of the summit would “definitely raise questions in Beijing about whether a growing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3298480/trump-ishiba-talks-may-put-brakes-momentum-between-beijing-and-tokyo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3298480/trump-ishiba-talks-may-put-brakes-momentum-between-beijing-and-tokyo?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Feb 2025 08:00:16 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang The race to produce the cheapest top-performing artificial intelligence (AI) model is heating up with a new reasoning model from US computer scientists, including renowned Chinese-American “AI godmother” Li Feifei, that was trained for under US$50 on the back of Alibaba Group Holding’s open-source technology, following the breakthrough success of China’s DeepSeek. The S1 reasoning model was developed on top of the Chinese e-commerce giant’s Qwen2.5-32b-Instruct model by researchers from Stanford... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3298073/alibabas-qwen-ai-models-enable-low-cost-deepseek-alternatives-stanford-berkeley?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3298073/alibabas-qwen-ai-models-enable-low-cost-deepseek-alternatives-stanford-berkeley?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Feb 2025 13:00:12 +0000