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China technology

China technology
Latest news, features and opinion on China’s technology industry, including AI, the US-China tech war, 5G, smartphone makers and apps, and issues surrounding China’s Great Firewall.
China may be preparing to launch its Jielong-3 rocket from a converted barge in the South China Sea on Saturday, according to a leaked schedule circulating on social media. Photo: Xinhua
Science

Is China about to launch a rocket from South China Sea international waters?

Methane risks, sonic boom and rocket debris make the open ocean an attractive option for increasing launch traffic.

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Artificial intelligence

Alibaba’s Qwen family captures over 50% of global open-source downloads: report

Electric & new energy vehicles

China amps up battery buildout to ‘10 times US 2025 capacity’

Artificial intelligence

Alibaba cloud growth forecast to climb with AI push, higher charges: analysts

The company’s cloud and AI businesses are gaining speed, with token usage and pricing changes fuelling growth, analysts say.

The Alibaba building in Xuhui Binjiang Park, also known as “AI Park”, in Shanghai. Photo: EPA
Robotics

Unitree to debut cheapest humanoid robot globally via Alibaba: sources

The international launch of the company’s cheapest humanoid robot next week is expected to cover North America, Europe, Japan and Singapore.

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IPO

Hangzhou ‘Six Little Dragons’ member Manycore seeks US$130m from Hong Kong IPO

The spatial design software developer is selling 161 million shares priced between HK$6.72 and HK$7.62 each, with listing set for April 17.

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Science

Is a leading US AI-robot scholar about to join China’s tech talent pool?

Su Hao, of UC San Diego, appears on Fudan University faculty list as professor in electronic information specialising in AI.

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In July 2025, Su Hao co-founded the AI robotics company Hillbot and served as its CTO. Fudan University lists him on its faculty list as a new PhD supervisor. Photo: Handout
Electric & new energy vehicles

Volkswagen tests China’s appetite for locally developed EVs

The three models, which will be launched over the next two weeks, use technology developed by Volkswagen’s Chinese partners.

Artificial intelligence

AI fuels global trade growth as China-US flows shift, McKinsey finds

Data-centre expansion and AI investment push global trade ahead of economic growth, consultancy says.

China consumption

Xi Jinping backs services sector to power China’s next growth phase

Beijing is counting on services to rebalance growth as it faces economic headwinds and demographic challenges.

President Xi Jinping chairs a symposium in the Xiong’an New Area, north China’s Hebei province, on March 23. Photo: Xinhua
Alibaba

Alibaba sets up top tech committee led by CEO to sharpen AI push

Restructuring brings core AI teams under tighter leadership as competition in China’s model and agent space intensifies.

Alibaba CEO Eddie Wu Yongming says the changes are aimed at accelerating Alibaba’s AI push. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

China’s Zhipu AI open-sources GLM-5.1, raises prices to trim gap with US rivals

The company’s second price increase this year signals a push to monetise advanced AI models while keeping costs below US peers.

Semiconductors

Proposed US chip curbs on China risk deeper supply chain disruption

New US bill pressures Japan and the Netherlands to align on China chip curbs, with potential fallout for global supply chains.

Artificial intelligence

China’s DeepSeek adds expert chatbot mode ahead of much-awaited V4 release

The Hangzhou start-up’s latest chatbot update sparks speculation over whether the expert mode is linked to the long-delayed V4 model.

The changes come ahead of the much-anticipated release of DeepSeek’s next-generation flagship model V4 this month. Photo: Reuters
China trade

China enforces new supply chain security rules as Iran war shakes markets

The new regulation makes protecting China’s supply chains a national security issue – and allows Beijing to punish any entities that threaten them.

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China is taking steps to shore up its supply chains amid rising global uncertainty unleashed by the US-Israel war on Iran. Photo: AP
China trade

Explaining China’s supply chain security rules

SCMP Plus annotates 18-point regulation issued by China’s State Council providing a legal basis for the country to respond to sanctions and export controls that threaten supply chains.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese carmakers bet on solid-state batteries to drive next EV phase

Carmakers push next-generation battery tech as they chase longer range and improved safety, despite high costs.

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China-Latin America relations

Brazil blacklists China EV giant BYD for its slave labour conditions

Government officials said staff were working excessively long hours while being kept in degrading circumstances in their accommodation.

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BYD’s electric vehicle factory’s construction site in Camaçari, Brazil, in December 2024. Photo: Reuters
Semiconductors

Chinese memory giants seen grabbing market share on lower prices, more capacity

Firms like YMTC and CXMT are scaling NAND and DRAM production, leveraging cost advantages and subsidies to challenge global leaders.

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Trending in China

Profile | From tech PhD to China Taoist priest, Zhang Gaocheng inspires a new generation

While in the US, he organised 45 Taoist events, attracted a following of 25,000 believers, earning the ‘Taoist Silicon Valley CEO’ title.

Electric & new energy vehicles

More foreign marques face a do-or-die moment as Chinese buyers shun petrol cars

Following Skoda’s exit from China, other carmakers with falling sales are also likely to close shop this year, analysts say.

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Skoda, Volkswagen’s mass-market brand, shut down its Chinese operations this year. Photo: AFP
Artificial intelligence

China’s rigid corporate culture slows AI adoption, ex-OpenAI executive says

China’s tech-savvy consumers embrace AI, but rigid corporate hierarchies hold back enterprises, Zack Kass says.

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China has a very “techno-centric consumer”, while the US has a very “techno-centric enterprise”, according to a former OpenAI executive. Photo: Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence

Who is Xu Rui, the ex-ByteDance executive tapped by Meta to lead AI hardware?

The veteran Chinese executive will lead a team that develops AI devices at the Facebook parent’s superintelligence unit.

Robotics

Meter running: CaoCao backs heavy-asset play to scale robotaxis

Geely-backed firm targets 100,000 autonomous vehicles by 2030, banking on tighter control of cars, tech and operations to drive efficiency.

Artificial intelligence

How can Beijing lure top-tier Chinese AI professionals based abroad?

Strategy would help country transition from ‘major trainer’ of talent to ‘development highland’ as tech competition with US intensifies.

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China’s strength in training large numbers of AI talent has not been matched by equally robust development environments. Photo: Xinhua
Tianjin

Japanese chains lose ground in north China as competition and deflation bite

Store closures in Beijing and Tianjin highlight mounting pressure from domestic rivals amid shifting consumer habits.

Analysts say Japanese retailers must adapt more quickly to China’s evolving retail landscape. Photo: Shutterstock
Mainland China

China’s GPS rival, BeiDou, dominates at home. Now, it aims to convert the world

China is overhauling its home-grown satellite navigation system as part of a push to expand the network’s global influence.

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Artificial intelligence

Competition or ‘co-opetition’: how is convergence shaping Sino-US AI race?

Speech by CEO of Chinese AI start-up at Nvidia event in US highlights symbiotic nature of tech relationship despite geopolitical tensions.

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