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China’s Midea pledges US$8.7 billion for AI and...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/11

Midea Group, the owner of industrial robot giant Kuka, is the latest Chinese company to pledge heavy investment in AI and robotics – another 60 billion yuan (US$8.7 billion) over the next three years – as traditional industries embrace futuristic technologies. The planned expenditure on research and development, with a focus on “AI, embodied intelligence and other cutting-edge areas”, matched its total spending over the past five years, the company announced in Shanghai on Tuesday. The

How Iran’s strikes on US bases could offer a preview...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/11

Iran’s retaliatory strikes on US military assets across the Middle East serve as a preview of how Beijing might target American bases in Asian countries in the event of a Taiwan Strait conflict, according to analysts. In retaliation for large-scale air attacks by the US and Israel since February 28, Iran has launched missiles and drones at Gulf states that host US military bases and facilities, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait. Those targets included Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the...

On inauguration day, Chile’s new president inherits a...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/11

The Chilean capital Santiago awoke on Wednesday to a mixture of celebration and tension. As the city prepared for the inauguration of its centre-right president, the new government’s first crisis was already unfolding behind the scenes: an undersea fibre-optic cable linking the South American country to Hong Kong that had enraged Washington and may prove a watershed moment in how Latin America handles critical infrastructure projects and its partnership with Beijing. Jose Antonio Kast was...

Eli Lilly boosts China footprint with US$3 billion...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/11

Eli Lilly has pledged an additional US$3 billion investment in China over the next decade to strengthen its local supply chain and manufacturing capabilities, deepening the footprint of foreign pharmaceutical giants in the world’s second-largest healthcare market. The move would bring the total cumulative investment of Eli Lilly, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company by market capitalisation, in China to nearly US$6 billion, according to a statement released on its WeChat account on...

Late superstar Leslie Cheung to add magic to Hong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/11

A newly restored 4K film featuring the late Hong Kong superstar Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing will be part of this year’s Pop Culture Festival, but the government expects a 25 per cent drop in attendance over last year due to a shorter programme. Pat Wong Kit-yi, a chief manager at the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, said on Wednesday the festival welcomed 800,000 visitors in 2025, but this year 600,000 were expected to attend. “We’ve condensed the festival by a month, lasting from April

Hong Kong to expand scheme cutting stroke patient...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/11

Hong Kong authorities plan to expand a pilot programme to cut the transfer time by 80 minutes for patients suffering from serious strokes to public hospitals equipped with relevant surgical facilities. The Hospital Authority said on Wednesday that the diversion programme, which was launched in December and is currently only available in the New Territories, would be gradually expanded to the whole city after sufficient data had been collected. Before the pilot scheme’s launch, ambulances

China warns US against granting AI ability to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/11

China’s military on Wednesday warned the United States against allowing artificial intelligence (AI) to “determine life and death” in warfare, as a dispute between the Pentagon and AI firm Anthropic highlighted growing tensions over military use of the technology. Speaking at a regular briefing in Beijing, defence ministry spokesman Jiang Bin said the “unrestricted application of AI by the military” could “erode ethical constraints and accountability in wars” and risk a “dangerous

Iran’s data centre attacks in the Gulf are strikes on...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/11

For decades, geopolitical risk in the Gulf was largely synonymous with oil. Pipelines, export terminals and processing facilities were viewed as the obvious tender spots in times of regional escalation. In an oil-reliant economy, hydrocarbons were both the engine of growth and the primary vulnerability. Risk assessments, insurance premiums and sovereign spreads were managed accordingly. The episodic risks in the oil and gas industry led to a conventional playbook for navigating crises. Gulf...

Germany, Japan to unblock oil reserves as G7 stands...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/11

Japan and Germany said on Wednesday they would tap into their oil reserves to tackle the rise in crude prices due to the Middle East war, with Berlin saying the IEA global energy body had asked member states to release 400 million barrels. France, the current chair of the Group of Seven countries, said nations were coordinating their steps as G7 energy ministers said they stood ready to take “all necessary measures”. The latest announcement came as leaders of the Group of Seven advanced...

Only 1 Hong Kong landlord seeks subdivided flat...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/11

Only one landlord in Hong Kong has sought certification approval for subdivided flats since a new law on minimum housing standards took effect about two weeks ago, while applications for a grace period have been submitted for more than 1,100 homes, according to authorities. The Basic Housing Units Ordinance, which took effect on March 1, stipulates that only subdivided homes that meet minimum standards and are certified by building professionals can be legally leased. Non-compliant landlords...

Chinese firm claims it intercepted B-2 radio signal...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/11

A private company in China providing intelligence-gathering services to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) claims to have intercepted radio signals from American stealth bombers that struck Iran on March 1 as part of the US-Israel military action. Jingan Technology, a defence technology firm based in east China’s Hangzhou, also asserted that it detected signals linked to US military activities well before tensions with Iran escalated, using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse early...

Demand for AI talent in China outpaces job postings...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/11

China’s spring hiring season is revealing a sharp surge in demand for artificial intelligence talent as companies speed up the deployment of related technologies, turning it into one of the country’s hottest professional fields. The number of AI-related job postings in China in the first two months of the year grew about 12-fold year on year, far outpacing growth in other “new-economy” industries such as healthcare, renewable energy and semiconductors, People’s Daily reported on Tuesday,

Why China stands to gain from US moving military...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/11

Beijing could gain a strategic edge in the Taiwan Strait as US military assets are diverted to the Middle East, even though it remains committed to peaceful reunification, a prominent mainland expert on the Taiwan issue said on Tuesday. Li Yihu, dean of the Taiwan Research Institute at Peking University and a deputy to China’s National People’s Congress, said Washington’s involvement in multiple conflicts, including the ongoing war in Iran, was straining its armed forces and diminishing its...

‘Thank you for coming to Okinawa’: Japan girl offers...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/11

A Chinese tourist touched many people online by telling how a young Japanese girl not only helped her find a bus she needed but also initially gave her 1,000 yen (US$6). The woman traveller, from eastern China’s Zhejiang province, posted her story on March 6, using the alias Yuyu, the news outlet 163.com reported. She was travelling to Okinawa at the beginning of March, and as she did not know much about the transport system in the region, she was checking schedules at a bus station. A young...

Award-winning memory chip expert Shi Guojun leaves US...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/11

An expert on semiconductor packaging and memory chips has left the University of California, Irvine after more than two decades to join a leading conductive materials company in eastern China. Shi Guojun has taken on the role of chief strategic scientist and director of the Future Industry Research Institute at DK Electronic Materials, the company said in a statement posted online on March 6. According to DKEM, Shi will lead the company’s strategic planning and development in emerging...

CATL profit jump fuels Hong Kong battery stocks amid...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/11

Betting on rising global demand for energy storage, shares of Chinese lithium battery makers continued to rally on Wednesday, led by Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL), which reported stronger-than-expected growth driven in part by its expansion into new energy storage markets. CATL shares surged more than 10 per cent to HK$608 during morning trading hours in Hong Kong on Wednesday – the highest level in five months – before closing 9 per cent higher at HK$599.50. That followed another

Suspected wartime grenade found in Hong Kong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/11

Hong Kong police and a bomb disposal unit were deployed to a residential area in Happy Valley on Wednesday afternoon after a driver spotted a suspected wartime grenade lodged on a hillside.Police received a report at about 1.40pm from a driver passing the Villa Monte Rosa housing estate on Stubbs Road. The device, described as being roughly the size of a lemon, was found on a slope near the luxury residential complex. Officers from the explosive ordnance disposal bureau were called to the

China’s ‘two sessions’ 2026: everything you need to know

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/11

We have put together stories from our coverage of China’s ongoing “two sessions”. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Taiwan, trade war, PLA and AI: Li Qiang lays out priorities at ‘two sessions’ China’s premier pledged to champion “orderly” multipolarism and “inclusive” globalisation at the opening ceremony of the National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing. 2. Xi Jinping calls on China’s provincial powerhouses to lead in tech, risk

Former Hong Kong councillor jailed for laundering...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/11

A former Hong Kong opposition district councillor has been jailed for three years and nine months for handling HK$590,000 (US$75,409) in telephone scam proceeds on behalf of a fraud syndicate, saying he wanted to earn quick cash to repay his gambling debts and cover his father’s medical expenses. Sheep Wong Chun-yeung, 31, had initially insisted that he was secretly gathering evidence against what he believed to be a triad-run debt collection ring when he received money from six elderly

Geely Auto beats BYD sales in first 2 months of 2026...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/11

Geely Auto has gained the upper hand in mainland China’s intensifying automotive sector, as its diverse product line-up pays off after electric vehicle (EV) king BYD suffered a setback following partial withdrawal of a tax break. Controlled by Chinese billionaire Li Shufu, Geely overtook BYD in sales during the first two months of the year because of its vehicles’ quality and reliability, even as Beijing intensified efforts to curb price competition among carmakers, according to...

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