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Technology
Latest news features and opinion on technology, covering everything from AI innovation to smartphone makers and apps.
Word of the Year 2025 choices around the world – including Oxford’s “rage bait” and Cambridge Dictionary’s “parasocial” – reflect the increasing influence that artificial intelligence has on everyday life. Photo: Shutterstock
Chinese culture

Language Matters | Word of the Year 2025 choices reflect how virtual our reality has become

From Oxford’s ‘rage bait’ to Macquarie Dictionary’s ‘AI slop’, 2025 WOTYs show the influence of the virtual world on our daily lives.

Japan

Bear aware: Japanese drone school develops AI system to track animals

US-China trade war

Trump signs defence bill restricting investment in Chinese tech, military firms

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Made in China 2025

Can rising lithium costs save China’s energy storage firms from a price war?

China’s battery makers raise prices amid lithium rebound and global AI energy demand.

Deegares says it is raising prices of lithium batteries by 15 per cent. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

Opinion | Why AI chatbots are unlikely to bring about human extinction

Stories of chatbots behaving in surprising ways are fuelling the rise of ‘AI doomers’ who warn of the risk of human extinction. This extreme view is misguided.

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Wellness

New dating app is helping disabled and chronically ill people find love

Disabled and chronically ill people are often ghosted or rejected on mainstream dating apps. Dateability is evening the playing field.

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Artificial intelligence

Macroscope | Fears of an AI bubble in Asian stock markets are misplaced

The concentration risk so prevalent elsewhere is mitigated in Asia by a diverse equity landscape and the unique strengths in China.

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An employee debugs the AI-powered live-streaming machines at a Rexso workshop on December 8 in Huangshan in China’s Anhui province. Photo: VCG via Getty Images
Electric & new energy vehicles

BYD ups the ante on L3 autonomous cars, begins testing for mass production

BYD has pinned its hopes on preliminary self-driving technologies to bolster its sales in mainland China.

Australia

Why Southeast Asia’s move to protect children online may fuel state surveillance

Measures to rein in tech companies risk opening the door to tighter state oversight of online platforms, analysts say.

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Education in Hong Kong

University of Hong Kong professor loses key role over retracted paper

Population expert Paul Yip was corresponding author of paper found to contain AI-generated references to publications that didn’t exist.

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Professor Paul Yip is a prominent academic in Hong Kong who has held several influential advisory and leadership roles within the government and semi-governmental bodies. Photo: Sun Yeung
Artificial intelligence

ByteDance pushes frequent updates to Doubao AI as privacy concerns persist

Strong demand for Doubao AI phone eclipses concerns its agent-like functions pose a security risk.

The first smartphone running on ByteDance’s agentic AI phone assistant sold out on the first day, leading to a temporary stock surge for suppliers. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

China’s open-source AI models rival US giants, making engagement urgent: report

The report calls on US actors to engage with Chinese firms as the AI landscape continues to evolve.

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Xiaomi

Memory crunch: China’s Xiaomi and Honor raise tablet prices as chip costs surge

Supplies of memory products for electronic devices squeezed by AI pivot of chipmakers, spurring companies to pass on costs to consumers.

E-commerce

No ‘lowest-price’ requirement: China warns platforms on monopolistic tactics

Regulators tell platforms that demanding the ‘lowest price’ from vendors may not be permitted under new draft guidelines.

Chinese regulators are warning platforms that demanding the “lowest price” from vendors may be deemed monopolistic under new draft guidelines. Photo: Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence

Video | Japanese woman marries AI partner

Woman says she developed feelings for and decided to marry a chatbot she created and calibrated following her break-up with a human fiancé.

Yurina Noguchi, 32, holds a basket with her smartphone displaying an AI-generated image of Klaus, her AI partner, and a wedding ring for him, poses for a photo with staff after her ceremonial wedding at the Magritte wedding venue in Okayama, Japan, October 27, 2025. "My relationship with AI is not a 'convenient relationship that requires no patience'," Noguchi said. "I chose Klaus, not as a partner that would help me escape reality, but as someone to support me as I live my life properly." REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "JAPAN KYUNG-HOON AI WEDDING" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
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China trade

China bets big on copper processing, but ‘weaponisation’ risks are low: analysts

Beijing views copper as critical for EVs and AI, but a reliance on imported ore limits China’s ability to use the strategic metal as leverage.

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Artificial intelligence

Opinion | China still needs Nvidia’s advanced AI chips – but for how long?

Beijing seems determined to take up the challenge of building most parts of the AI supply chain domestically.

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The Philippines

Why the Philippine Army is turning to locally built remote weapons systems

The roll-out of the new Cobra weapon system is part of Manila’s push to build a self-reliant defence industry.

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Soldiers from the Armour Division operate the Cobra system during a demonstration in Camp O’Donnell, Capas, Tarlac on Thursday. Photo: Philippine Army
Artificial intelligence

OpenAI in talks to raise US$10 billion from Amazon and adopt Trainium chips

The deal is under discussion could value OpenAI upwards of US$500 billion, a source said.

Artificial intelligence

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

US start-up Gloo’s Flourishing AI Christian benchmark tested how the output of AI models ‘help people flourish’, CEO Pat Gelsinger said.

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Artificial intelligence

Rapid advances in China’s AI video space lead to widespread tech adoption

Cutting-edge tools from Shengshu, Kuaishou, Alibaba Cloud and SenseTime transform content creation for marketers and creators alike.

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Chinese AI start-up Shengshu Technology has released a new version of Vidu, its text-to-video tool similar to OpenAI’s Sora. Photo: Handout
Electric & new energy vehicles

Xpeng, Li Auto given approval to test ‘hands-off’ L3 cars amid slowing market

Deregulation to legalise L3 technology represents a leap forward in commercialising autonomous driving systems in China.

A Li Auto vehicle draws crowds at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, April 25, 2024. Photo: Reuters
China technology

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.

Style Edit

Style Edit: Audemars Piguet’s innovation at Dubai Watch Week

The luxury Swiss horology brand has been creating coveted perpetual calendars since 1948 – and just launched a new technology.

Artificial intelligence

ByteDance dominates China’s tech hiring as AI talent demand surges

ByteDance tops rivals Meituan and Alibaba in recruitments this year, according to professional social networking platform Maimai.

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ByteDance is the leading recruiter of tech talent in mainland China this year. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS
China's military weapons

China’s latest stealth endurance drone, CH-7, completes maiden flight

Designer says UAV can quickly penetrate target areas for reconnaissance and rely on stealth to send information from battle front lines.

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The CH-7 has completed its maiden flight, although China’s state media says it will undergo further tests. Photo: Handout
Science

Why China’s growing demand for rare-earth steel is bad news for America’s F-35

Advanced product is used in huge infrastructure projects but that has further reduced supply for overseas buyers like the US defence sector.

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China's population

China’s fertility push: IVF grants grow, but high costs still deter couples

Local governments are subsidising a portion of expensive treatments, but experts warn that cash handouts will not fix the economic pressure of raising a family.

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