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Qwen 3.5 has performed on par with leading systems from US heavyweights OpenAI, Anthropic and Google DeepMind. Photo: Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence

Global AI race heats up as Chinese tech giant releases new model

With multimodal capabilities and open weights, Qwen-3.5 signals Alibaba’s ambition to anchor the next phase of global AI deployment.

Artificial intelligence

Robot variety show: tech brands to take part in China’s most-watched broadcast

Artificial intelligence

ByteDance ‘strengthening safeguards’ after Seedance AI video controversy

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Artificial intelligence

Beijing warns tech giants to curb ‘involution’ amid AI giveaway war

Companies should ‘uphold a fair and competitive’ environment to ‘foster innovation and healthy development’, regulator says.

An advertisement for ByteDance’s cloud and AI service platform Volcano Engine and chatbot Doubao hangs in Beijing Capital International airport in Beijing on February 5, 2026. Photo: AFP
An advertisement for ByteDance’s cloud and AI service platform Volcano Engine and chatbot Doubao hangs in Beijing Capital International airport in Beijing on February 5, 2026. Photo: AFP
Artificial intelligence

China’s Lenovo warns of ‘prolonged’ memory crunch, looks to AI for rebound

Top PC maker posts a 21 per cent profit drop amid chip squeeze, but bets on AI-powered devices to sustain growth amid industry upheaval.

Artificial intelligence

Alibaba’s Qwen tops 120 million orders in 6 days amid China’s AI shopping battle

Campaign has sparked a behavioural shift towards AI-powered shopping, which Alibaba says is becoming a more popular lifestyle choice.

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Mainland China

Baidu unveils AI-driven Wikipedia challenger in bid for global users

BaiduWiki, a version of the firm’s Baidu Baike online encyclopaedia, is available in English, Spanish, French, Russian and Japanese.

People gather near the Baidu booth at the Shanghai New Expo Center during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2025 in Shanghai on July 28, 2025. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images
People gather near the Baidu booth at the Shanghai New Expo Center during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2025 in Shanghai on July 28, 2025. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images
Artificial intelligence

China’s Zhipu AI launches new major model GLM-5 in challenge to its rivals

The GLM-5 represents a shift in AI development from ‘vibe coding’ to ‘agentic engineering’ to generate an enhanced performance.

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Made in China 2025

Capital injection: China backs AI drug makers in self-reliance drive

A wave of government-linked investment is boosting Chinese AI drug makers, underscoring Beijing’s drive to build its own biotech ecosystem.

Semiconductors

China’s SMIC expects flat revenue as drop in low-end orders offsets AI growth

The contract chipmaker’s profit falls short of analyst estimates amid ‘challenges’ brought on by memory supply crunch.

The logo of Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp appears outside the chipmaker’s facilities at Pudong district in Shanghai on March 15, 2024. Photo: AFP
Artificial intelligence

Indonesia telco chief warns of digital colonisation, backs China open-source AI

Indonesian executives stress that localisation and sovereignty are key to AI adoption in the fast-growing Southeast Asian market.

From left are Jean Iau, SCMP reporter; Jo Miyake, head of banking, Asia and Middle East, corporate and institutional banking at HSBC; Qian Shihong, chief strategy officer at Huawei Indonesia; Vikram Sinha, president director and CEO at Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison; and Sean Yuan, vice president at Alibaba Cloud International and general manager of South Pacific Region, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Group. Photo: SCMP
From left are Jean Iau, SCMP reporter; Jo Miyake, head of banking, Asia and Middle East, corporate and institutional banking at HSBC; Qian Shihong, chief strategy officer at Huawei Indonesia; Vikram Sinha, president director and CEO at Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison; and Sean Yuan, vice president at Alibaba Cloud International and general manager of South Pacific Region, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Group. Photo: SCMP
E-commerce

China calls on delivery, ride-hailing firms to respect gig-worker rights

Meituan, Alibaba, Didi Chuxing among 16 firms summoned for guidance session on rights of country’s more than 200 million gig workers.

China’s private sector

Before the factory floor, the dance floor: robots find path to market at US$145

Humanoid robots may one day transform factories and warehouses, but for now their most immediate role is keeping the party going.

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Robotics

Chinese vacuum maker using Temu’s playbook dreams big with Super Bowl debut

Dreame showcases robot vacuum in a Super Bowl commercial, drawing on Temu’s US prime-time campaign that helped it challenge Amazon.com.

Vacuum maker Dreame is hoping to leverage the Super Bowl’s influence to crack the North American market. Photo: Handout
Electric & new energy vehicles

Pony AI and Toyota roll out robotaxis in China’s autonomous drive push

Guangzhou-based Pony AI begins output of 1,000 autonomous cabs and targets a 3,000-unit fleet by the end of 2026 as it expands globally.

Pony AI is one of three robotaxi firms that have received approval from authorities to operate driverless cabs on designated roads in cities like Beijing and Shanghai. Photo: Handout
Pony AI is one of three robotaxi firms that have received approval from authorities to operate driverless cabs on designated roads in cities like Beijing and Shanghai. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

ByteDance’s new model sparks stock rally as China’s AI video battle escalates

Seedance 2.0 thrills early adopters with cinematic realism and fuels debate over AI’s role in filmmaking and content creation.

Mergers & Acquisitions

M&A market ‘firing on all cylinders’, headed for record year: Citigroup

Confident companies and investors, solid economic growth, low inflation and ample capital drive outlook, bank’s global M&A co-head says.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

AutoFlight unveils world’s largest flying car as China races to lead the skies

CATL-backed AutoFlight debuts Matrix, targeting global expansion, as Beijing moves to set standards for domestic eVTOL makers and operators.

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AutoFlight describes eVTOL aircraft Matrix as the largest of its kind in the world. Photo: Handout
AutoFlight describes eVTOL aircraft Matrix as the largest of its kind in the world. Photo: Handout
China’s private sector

China’s Year of the Horse shoppers let emotional satisfaction take the reins

Brand prestige fades in importance as consumers favour festival-themed toys, playful designs and pet items.

Artificial intelligence

US software rout spills over to China’s SaaS sector

The software sector in China has long been constrained by slower cloud adoption and a weaker appetite for recurring subscription fees.

Artificial intelligence

Sweet surge: Qwen overtakes Yuanbao after Alibaba’s bubble tea campaign

More than 10 million free orders put Alibaba’s AI app in the spotlight amid a high-stakes battle for Spring Festival attention.

More than 10 million free orders were placed within nine hours of the campaign, overwhelming many stores in mainland China. Photo: Handout
Solar energy

How Elon Musk’s space-based AI vision sparked a Chinese solar stock frenzy

Musk’s pursuit of space-based data centres has drawn attention to China’s solar industry, sparking market rallies – and calls for caution.

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Discussions between SpaceX and China’s solar suppliers underscore the competitiveness of the country’s solar sector, analysts say. Photo: Reuters
Discussions between SpaceX and China’s solar suppliers underscore the competitiveness of the country’s solar sector, analysts say. Photo: Reuters
ByteDance

TikTok tax time: ByteDance ‘encourages’ Chinese staff to declare global income

ByteDance’s notice to overseas staff reflects Beijing’s widening net over citizens’ foreign income.

Alibaba

From chatbots to replays: Alibaba rolls out AI suite for 2026 Winter Olympics

Alibaba Cloud has unveiled AI assistants for the 2026 Winter Olympics, integrating its Qwen model into Games operations.

Artificial intelligence

China’s chip champion Moore Threads sees beyond silicon with push into AI coding

Moore Threads is betting on AI coding software to complement its flagship GPU, as the battle for developer tools intensifies.

Moore Threads’ MTT S400 GPU. Photo: Handout
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