China

One year after DeepSeek, Chinese AI firms from Alibaba to Moonshot race to release new models
28Jan mmBy Brian ThompsonNo Comments
Asia, China, World

One year after DeepSeek, Chinese AI firms from Alibaba to Moonshot race to release new models

Chinese companies are accelerating the rollout of new artificial intelligence models as competition with U.S.-based rivals OpenAI, Anthropic and Google intensifies. Just over a year ago, China-made DeepSeek rocked global markets with the release of an AI chatbot that undercut OpenAI’s ChatGPT on usage fees and production costs, raising questions about the efficacy of U.S. tech restrictions on China. On Tuesday, Beijing-based startup Moonshot AI revealed Kimi K2.5, which claimed to have video-generation and agentic capabilities that outperformed all three of the leading U.S. AI models. Agentic AI broadly refers to AI systems capable of carrying out tasks on behalf of people. The ultimate goal is to have sophisticated agents that work autonomously with minimal user interaction. ...
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China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan Railway Financing Loan Signed 
28Jan mmBy Brian ThompsonNo Comments
Asia, China

China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan Railway Financing Loan Signed 

CKU Railway Company LLC, a joint venture formed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan and a syndicate of PRC banks, signed a loan agreement to finance the  $4.7 billion China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan (CKU) railway construction project on December 16 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (Times of Central Asia, December 17, 2025). Under the deal, the PRC will provide $2.3 billion, approximately half of the project’s cost, as a 35-year loan to be repaid by the joint venture company. The remaining amount will be provided by the three countries, with the PRC contributing 51 percent and Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan each contributing 24.5 percent. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Kyrgyzstan’s Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Bakyt Torobayev said, “This achievement ...
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China’s ISSB-aligned reporting rules ‘go beyond many global standards’, say experts
26Jan mmBy Brian ThompsonNo Comments
China, World

China’s ISSB-aligned reporting rules ‘go beyond many global standards’, say experts

China has finalised its first national climate disclosure standard, which now ties corporate reporting to national targets. The finalised rules are broadly aligned with the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)’s rules and incorporate double materiality, requiring companies to identify the impact of their operations on the climate, beyond how climate risks affect them financially. “It goes beyond many global standards in terms of its rigour,” said Christoph Nedopil Wang, an expert on Chinese green finance policies and director of Brisbane-based Griffith Asia Institute. The new rules are “very ambitious” for mandating a double materiality lens, on top of disclosures of direct scope 1 emission and supply chain emissions – or scope 2 and 3 emissions, he added. ...
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The West can learn from China’s investment approach
25Jan mmBy Brian ThompsonNo Comments
China

The West can learn from China’s investment approach

Beyond Belt and Road: the balance-sheet alternative the West has ignored For more than a decade, China’s Belt and Road Initiative has framed how development, infrastructure investment and geopolitical influence are discussed. Responses – from the European Union’s Global Gateway to Japan’s ‘quality infrastructure’ agenda – have largely followed the same logic: mobilise alternative financing, co-finance through multilateral banks and mitigate risk for private capital. What has been almost entirely missed is a more powerful alternative – one that does not rely on exporting capital at all. China’s appeal lies not only in the scale of its financing, but in the concreteness of its offer: visible assets, execution and speed. Yet this debt-led model carries well-known risks, including r...
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House Seeks Say Over AI Chip Sales After Nvidia’s China Win
22Jan mmBy Brian ThompsonNo Comments
Asia, China, World

House Seeks Say Over AI Chip Sales After Nvidia’s China Win

Congress is one step closer to gaining the authority to review artificial intelligence chip sales to China, a move likely to open a rift with the Trump administration over plans to let Nvidia Corp. sell its powerful H200 processors to the world’s second-largest economy. A House committee focused on foreign affairs approved bipartisan legislation Wednesday that calls for arms-sale style congressional oversight of advanced AI chip exports. Beyond oversight, the text endorsed by the panel’s Republicans and Democrats would outright ban sales of Nvidia’s more advanced Blackwell chips to China for at least two years, codifying existing export controls into law. The bill marks a response to President Donald Trump’s decision last month to ease longstanding export controls on China, a mo...
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Exclusive: Britain, China to revive ‘Golden Era’ business dialogue during Starmer visit, sources say
22Jan mmBy Brian ThompsonNo Comments
Asia, China

Exclusive: Britain, China to revive ‘Golden Era’ business dialogue during Starmer visit, sources say

Britain and China will aim to revive a "golden era" business dialogue when Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Beijing next week, three sources familiar with the initiative said, with top company executives from both sides invited to participate. AstraZeneca (AZN.L), opens new tab, BP (BP.L), opens new tab, HSBC (HSBA.L), opens new tab, Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG.L), opens new tab, Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls Royce (RR.L), opens new tab, Schroders (SDR.L), opens new tab and Standard Chartered (STAN.L), opens new tab, are among the British firms set to join a revamped "UK-China CEO Council," said the sources, who are both Chinese and British. The council was originally conceived by then-Prime Minister Theresa May and then-Premier Li Keqiang in 2018, during a period of ties bo...
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China hits growth goal after exports defy US tariffs
20Jan mmBy Brian ThompsonNo Comments
China, USA, World

China hits growth goal after exports defy US tariffs

China said its economy expanded by 5% last year, meeting Beijing's official target as a record trade surplus boosted growth. The world's second-largest economy reached its goal despite growth slowing to 4.5% in the final three months of 2025. China's past year has been marked by struggles to boost domestic spending, a prolonged property crisis and turmoil caused by US President Donald Trump's tariff policies. Experts say the figures point to a "two-speed economy", with manufacturing and exports propping up expansion while people are still spending cautiously and the real estate market continues to weigh on the country. While China's official figures suggest it hit its growth goal, some analysts question the accuracy of the data given weak investment and consumer spending. ...
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China Economy: Shanghai sees increase in rental demand for commercial office space
20Jan mmBy Brian ThompsonNo Comments
China

China Economy: Shanghai sees increase in rental demand for commercial office space

In Shanghai, rental demand for commercial office buildings recovered significantly in the fourth quarter of 2025. Chen Tong takes a closer look at the factors driving the increase. This is a landmark project in Shanghai's city center. Covering an area of some 390,000 square meters, the development comprises three commercial office buildings. CHEN TONG Shanghai "This property project is located in Xintiandi, one of Shanghai's busiest commercial districts. So far, more than 60 percent of its space has already been rented, mostly by leading and well-known foreign companies." BRUCE DAI Deputy General Manager, Office Business Management Shui On Xintiandi "The Huangpu district is a core CBD area. It's not like a one or two single industries we are focusing. Instead, we have a lot o...
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Japan firms seen ‘stockpiling’ rare earths as Tokyo looks to G7 in face of China controls
12Jan mmBy Michael SmithNo Comments
Asia, China

Japan firms seen ‘stockpiling’ rare earths as Tokyo looks to G7 in face of China controls

Fears of China choking off exports of critical minerals to Japan amid a deepening political dispute have set off industry alarms and prompted Tokyo to elevate the issue at a G7 gathering of finance ministers this week, despite Beijing’s assurances that civilian trade would be spared. Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said last week that she would attend the Group of Seven event in Washington on Monday with the “risk of a rare-earth-supply interruption from China in mind”, the Tokyo-based Jiji Press reported. Officials from Canada, the United States and Australia were also expected to participate. The inclusion of rare earths on the G7 agenda reflects heightened concern in Japan over China controlling exports of 17 rare earth elements that are crucial for Japan’s massive...
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China inflation hits near three-year high in December as full-year CPI misses target
9Jan mmBy Brian ThompsonNo Comments
China

China inflation hits near three-year high in December as full-year CPI misses target

China’s consumer inflation accelerated in December to the fastest pace in nearly three years as spending picked up ahead of the New Year holiday, while factory-gate deflation remained entrenched, signaling that underlying demand stayed weak. Consumer prices rose 0.8% from a year earlier, their highest level since February 2023, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics on Friday. The improvement followed a 0.7% climb in November and matched the economists’ expectations in a Reuters poll. The rebound in consumer prices was largely driven by fresh vegetables, which rose 18.2% from a year earlier due to supply shortages during the cold winter. Among other food items, pork prices fell 14.6%. Core inflation, which excludes volatile prices of food and energy, was up ...
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