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Xiaomi’s new 17 Ultra premium smartphone. Photo: Weibo

Tech Trends

Xiaomi’s 17 Ultra, backed by Leica, challenges Apple’s iPhone Pro Max in imaging

The 17 Ultra’s US$998 starting price is nearly 8 per cent higher than the previous generation owing to the soaring cost of memory chips.

Mercedes-Benz buys US$191 million stake in Chinese autonomous driving developer

Trip.com suspends partnership with Cambodia amid border clashes, cyber concerns

Tech

Hong Kong to broaden crypto rules with new licences for dealers and custodians

New frameworks mooted for virtual asset dealing and custodian services, as Hong Kong forges ahead with plans to become a digital-asset hub.

Regulators said on Wednesday they would finalise legislative proposals for two new licensing frameworks. Photo: Shutterstock
Regulators said on Wednesday they would finalise legislative proposals for two new licensing frameworks. Photo: Shutterstock

China Business

China’s AI toy boom: Huawei, JD.com, UBTech make big push into growing sector

China’s AI toy sector is forecast to expand to US$12 billion by 2030, up from US$3.5 billion this year.

Tech Trends

Chinese AI champion iFlytek forms new entity to expand into semiconductor design

Shandong Yixun Information Technology’s scope of operations includes integrated circuit design and other AI-related fields.

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Companies

AI-for-Science start-up DP Technology raises US$114 million in Series C round

The Beijing-based AI-for-Science firm said the Series C round would fund hiring and R&D, as interest grows in using AI to speed up scientific discovery.

AI for Science (AI4S) startup DP Technology announced on Wednesday that it had completed Series C financing round, raising over 800 million yuan. Photo: Handout
AI for Science (AI4S) startup DP Technology announced on Wednesday that it had completed Series C financing round, raising over 800 million yuan. Photo: Handout

Tech Trends

ByteDance, other major Chinese tech firms lead local consumer AI market: report

ByteDance-owned Doubao remains the country’s top consumer AI app, as DeepSeek’s namesake chatbot takes the No 2 spot.

Big Tech

China’s AgiBot aims for US$142 million revenue as humanoid robots gain momentum

Fast-growing robotics start-up expects to ship out 5,000 units in 2025 amid Beijing backing of the embodied intelligence industry.

Tech

Jack Ma-backed YF Capital takes stake in Shanghai memory chipmaker InnoStar

A YF Capital affiliate has taken a 2.1 per cent stake in InnoStar Semiconductor, making it the chipmaker’s 14th largest shareholder.

InnoStar headquarters in Shanghai. Photo: InnoStar

China EVs

Luxury EV built with Huawei tops Porsche’s Panamera and BMW’s 7 Series in China

Chinese carmakers gain confidence in the premium segment as Maextro S800 – developed by Huawei and JAC Group – tops sales above US$100,000.

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The Maextro S800 recorded more than 2,100 deliveries in mainland China last month. Photo: Getty Images
The Maextro S800 recorded more than 2,100 deliveries in mainland China last month. Photo: Getty Images

Tech Trends

China’s Zhipu and MiniMax release latest AI models ahead of Hong Kong listing

The near-simultaneous release on Monday underscores the two firms’ efforts to drum up interest for their respective Hong Kong IPOs.

Big Tech

China’s Xiaomi rejects claims of military ties after appeal by US lawmakers

Smartphone-to-vehicle giant says it ‘has always been and continues to be a consumer product company’.

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Big Tech

Alibaba’s DingTalk rolls out Agent OS as it bets bigger on AI agents

DingTalk is moving beyond software into a fuller-stack AI agent play, launching a dedicated operating system and physical terminals.

The headquarters of Alibaba’s DingTalk in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. Photo: Getty

Big Tech

China’s Kuaishou hit by breach as explicit content floods live-streaming rooms

Short-video platform’s services are thrown into chaos on Monday night after the cyberattack it blames on ‘black and grey industries’.

Explicit content flooded Kuaishou’s high-traffic live rooms for more than an hour on Monday night, reports say. Photo: Shutterstock
Explicit content flooded Kuaishou’s high-traffic live rooms for more than an hour on Monday night, reports say. Photo: Shutterstock

Big Tech

Nvidia aims to start H200 AI chip shipments to China by mid-February: sources

The US chip designer plans to fulfil initial orders from existing stock, with shipments expected to total 40,000 to 80,000 H200 chips.

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Banking & Finance

HKIC ends year on high note but Hong Kong cost of living a drawback for talent

Government-backed fund strengthens VC ecosystem and fosters collaboration, but the city’s high cost of living remains a challenge.

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Tech War

How Nexperia saga exposes Europe’s waning influence in US-China chip war

The dispute around the Dutch chipmaker shows the erosion of Europe’s geopolitical neutrality in the face of escalating US-China rivalry.

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Nexperia is caught in a geopolitical tussle between the Netherlands and China. Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Nexperia is caught in a geopolitical tussle between the Netherlands and China. Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Tech War

China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race

The AI war is increasingly waged among ‘hyperscalers’ – companies with full-stack capabilities across software, hardware and applications.

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Tech War

How Huawei and DeepSeek are tending the garden of China’s AI aspirations

Amid growing AI rivalry with the US, the two companies are leading China’s drive to shake off the nation’s dependence on Nvidia processors.

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Big Tech

Immediate gratification: instant commerce transforms China’s retail market

Instant commerce has developed over a short period of time, as providers expanded their on-demand delivery coverage beyond food.

Illustration: Henry Wong
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China Future Tech
HIGHLIGHTS FROM
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Tech

China’s Qwen and DeepSeek edge out US AI models in Christian values benchmark

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The questions in FAI-C were reviewed by a panel of Biblical experts, including theologians, pastors, psychologists and scholars of ethics. Photo: SCMP

China Business

Mercedes-Benz buys US$191 million stake in Chinese autonomous driving developer

The three-pointed star logo of German carmaker Mercedes-Benz. Photo: Getty Images

China Business

UBTech’s US$237 million Fenglong deal tightens humanoid robot supply chain

Chinese robotics firms are increasingly turning to acquisitions of mainland-listed companies to deepen industrial capabilities and secure access to domestic capital markets. Photo: Xinhua

China EVs

CATL poised to bring Yichun lithium output back online after licence lapse

A restart of the Yichun lithium mine could strengthen CATL’s output capacity at a time when carmakers are pushing suppliers to cut costs. Photo: AFP

China Business

Chinese SUV maker Jetour pushes localised offerings to hasten go-global drive

Jetour International president Ke Chuandeng speaks at a fan gathering in Abu Dhabi on December 20,2025. Photo: Handout
MORE IN China Future Tech
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OPINION
Jake Sullivan

Opinion | US and China must get serious about AI risk

Jake Sullivan
Christine Loh

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Opinion | How China can help Africa build human capital

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James David Spellman

Opinion | Why 2026 will be the year AI hype collides with reality

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Andrew Sheng

Opinion | Age of AI holds both promise and peril

Andrew Sheng
Jeffrey Wu

Opinion | Why the real AI race is within China and not across the Pacific

Jeffrey Wu
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MULTIMEDIA
Video

Hongkongers urged to use eMPF to ward off scams

Hongkongers urged to sign up for eMPF platform as defence against scams
Video

How a Shanghai start-up is digitalising Chinese tea

Safety, verification and trust behind start-up company Teakan Technology’s goal to make traditional Chinese tea digitally traceable
Video

Humanoid robots take centre stage at Shanghai summit

Competitions mainly focused on robotic applications in industrial assembly, home services, flower arranging, healthcare and elderly care, as well as restaurant services
Video

Australia’s under-16 social media ban due to take effect

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