China

China warns US against ‘hegemonic thinking’

China’s foreign ministry has criticised the US for viewing China through a ‘hegemonic mentality’ after Washington labelled it the top military and cyber threat.

Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun accused the US of pushing the ‘China threat’ narrative as a means to contain and suppress the country.

The latest exchange highlights ongoing tensions between the two global powers, particularly over security, technology, and military influence. Beijing has consistently rejected US claims regarding cyber espionage and military expansion, arguing that such accusations are politically motivated.

Relations between China and the US have remained strained, with disputes spanning trade, Taiwan, and cybersecurity.

Despite diplomatic efforts to stabilise ties, the two nations continue to challenge each other’s policies and strategic moves on the global stage.

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Malaysia under scrutiny over semiconductor exports to China

Malaysia plans to tighten regulations on semiconductor shipments following US concerns over the potential transfer of high-end Nvidia chips to China.

Trade Minister Zafrul Aziz stated that the United States has urged Malaysia to closely monitor shipments, ensuring that advanced AI chips do not end up in unauthorised locations.

The move comes amid increasing global scrutiny over AI-related technology exports.

Authorities in Malaysia are also investigating whether local laws were breached in a case involving servers linked to a Singapore fraud investigation.

The case involves transactions worth $390 million, and reports suggest that some servers may have contained Nvidia chips subject to US export controls. Singapore media have linked the matter to potential transfers to Chinese AI company DeepSeek.

The United States has been tightening restrictions on advanced semiconductor exports to China, particularly chips crucial to AI development.

Malaysia’s role as a key semiconductor hub has drawn greater attention, with US officials pushing for stricter oversight.

The government is expected to introduce measures to ensure compliance with international regulations while maintaining its position in the global chip supply chain.

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Apple launches major renewable energy initiative in China

Apple has announced the creation of a new clean energy fund in China worth 720 million yuan ($99.22 million).

The initiative coincides with a visit to Beijing by CEO Tim Cook and aims to support Apple’s broader goal of transitioning its supply chain to 100% renewable energy by 2030.

The company stated that the fund will help expand clean energy capacity in China, a key manufacturing hub for Apple products.

Investments in renewable energy have been a priority for the tech giant, which has already made significant commitments to reducing its environmental footprint worldwide.

Apple’s latest move underscores its long-term sustainability strategy and commitment to clean energy adoption within its supply chain.

The initiative aligns with China’s push for greener technologies and reinforces Apple’s role in advancing global environmental goals.

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Chinese AI startup Manus gains recognition in state media

Chinese AI startup Manus has registered its AI assistant for the domestic market and gained state media attention, signalling government support for its expansion.

The company, which recently gained global recognition, was featured on China’s CCTV in a segment comparing its AI agent to the chatbot made by DeepSeek’s chatbot.

Beijing’s growing interest in homegrown AI firms follows the success of DeepSeek, which developed competitive AI models at a lower cost than its United States counterparts.

Manus has made headlines for developing an AI agent capable of making autonomous decisions with minimal prompting, a step beyond traditional chatbots like ChatGPT.

The firm recently announced a partnership with Alibaba’s Qwen AI team, a move that could accelerate its rollout in China. Currently, the AI agent is available only through invite codes, with a waiting list of two million users.

Regulatory approval was also secured for Monica, Manus’ AI assistant, allowing its launch in China. All generative AI applications in the country must comply with strict content regulations to align with Beijing’s policies.

Manus’ growing presence in China highlights the government’s strategy of fostering domestic AI innovations while ensuring regulatory oversight.

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AI firm Cognite targets India as global tech hub

Cognite, the Saudi Aramco-backed industrial software company, has launched an AI services centre in Bengaluru as part of its global expansion strategy.

The firm, which specialises in optimising industrial operations, is seeking contracts with major Indian conglomerates and has already secured deals with a leading cement manufacturer and a major automotive firm.

While declining to name the companies, Cognite’s executives confirmed significant investments in the Indian market, with plans for further expansion.

Chief Executive Girish Rishi described India as a key growth destination, highlighting its appeal as an alternative to China for global tech firms.

Cognite’s parent company, Aker ASA, and major shareholders like Saudi Aramco have been supporting its global push, as AI-driven solutions increasingly play a role in industrial automation, safety, and efficiency.

The company, which recently relocated its headquarters to the US, counts AkerBP, Japanese refiner Cosmo Energy Holdings, and US-based Koch Chemical among its major clients.

India’s rapidly expanding technology sector has drawn interest from several global giants, including Apple, Tesla, and Jabil, following the Indian government’s incentives to attract international firms.

With AI transforming industries worldwide, Cognite’s move signals growing confidence in India’s capabilities as a major player in the global tech ecosystem.

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Baidu dismisses claims of leaked user information

Chinese tech giant Baidu has denied claims of an internal data breach after the teenage daughter of a senior executive was accused of sharing users’ personal information online.

The controversy erupted when internet users alleged that the daughter of Baidu vice president Xie Guangjun had posted private details, including phone numbers, following an online dispute.

Baidu insisted that neither employees nor executives have access to user data and claimed the information came from illegally obtained ‘doxing databases’ on foreign platforms.

The company has filed a police report regarding false claims, including allegations that Xie had given his daughter access to Baidu’s databases.

Xie apologised, stating that the data had been sourced from overseas social networking sites.

The case comes amid ongoing crackdown in China on data privacy breaches, with stricter laws in place to prevent unauthorised sharing of personal details.

The controversy has impacted investor confidence, with Baidu’s shares falling more than 4% in Hong Kong trading.

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Tencent sees surge in profits and revenue

Tencent, a leading Chinese tech giant, has reported impressive financial results for the fourth quarter and full year, boosted by its strategic investment in AI.

For the three months ending December 31, Tencent’s net profits soared by 90% year-on-year to 51.3 billion yuan ($7.1 billion), while its revenue increased by 11% to 172.4 billion yuan, surpassing analyst expectations.

The company’s strong performance was attributed to AI-driven enhancements in its advertising platform, growing video account engagement, and solid results from its gaming division.

For the full year, Tencent’s revenue reached 660.3 billion yuan, up 8% from the previous year, with net profits jumping 68% to 194.1 billion yuan.

CEO Pony Ma highlighted the role of AI in driving innovation, noting that Tencent had reorganized its AI teams to focus on fast product development and advanced model research.

The company’s stock price has surged to its highest in nearly four years, reflecting strong investor confidence.

The increased AI interest follows the unexpected global success of DeepSeek, a Chinese startup whose chatbot development caught the attention of investors, positioning China as a competitor to Western tech leaders like OpenAI.

Ma expressed Tencent’s admiration for DeepSeek and confirmed its active integration of their technology. Tencent has also started testing its own AI model, ‘Hunyuan Thinker’, which aims to offer more professional and human-like responses.

Despite its financial successes, Tencent faces ongoing challenges, including a sluggish domestic economy and political tensions, particularly with the US.

In January, the US added Tencent to a list of firms linked to China’s military, a move the company and the Chinese government have criticized as unjustified.

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Tencent unveils new AI tools for 3D visuals

Tencent has unveiled a suite of new AI tools aimed at converting text and images into 3D visuals, showcasing China’s growing presence in the generative AI field.

The company launched five open-source models based on its Hunyuan3D-2.0 technology, including turbo versions capable of producing high-quality 3D visuals in 30 seconds.

A release like this follows Tencent’s push to challenge US dominance in AI, with competitors like AI startup DeepSeek offering similar performance at lower costs.

The launch of Hunyuan3D-2.0 builds on the company’s earlier introduction of 3D AI models, targeting designers and game developers to establish a competitive edge in text-to-3D and image-to-3D generation.

Tencent’s new models are praised for superior text consistency, geometric accuracy, and visual quality compared to leading industry benchmarks.

Meanwhile, ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has also entered the text-to-3D market with its VeOmniverse model, though it remains proprietary.

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BMW to equip cars with Huawei HiCar system

BMW will integrate Huawei’s HiCar system into its locally produced models starting in 2026, strengthening its presence in the Chinese market.

The partnership will enable seamless connectivity between Huawei devices and BMW vehicles, enhancing smart driving applications through the Harmony operating system.

The German automaker emphasised its commitment to deeper collaboration with Chinese partners, aiming to integrate them more closely into its global innovation network.

By working with local suppliers, BMW seeks to foster long-term cooperation and technological advancement in one of the world’s largest automotive markets.

An approach that aligns with BMW’s broader strategy of leveraging local expertise to remain competitive in a fast-evolving automotive landscape.

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Baidu launches new AI models to compete in global race

Baidu has unveiled two new AI models, including ERNIE X1, which it claims matches the performance of DeepSeek R1 at half the cost. The company says X1 is a deep-thinking model capable of autonomous tool use, with enhanced reasoning, planning, and adaptability.

Meanwhile, Baidu’s latest foundation model, ERNIE 4.5, boasts improved multimodal capabilities, advanced language understanding, and a better grasp of satire and internet culture.

The Chinese tech giant has been striving to compete in the rapidly evolving AI landscape, where startups like DeepSeek have disrupted the industry with high-performing, cost-effective models. While Baidu was one of the first Chinese companies to launch a ChatGPT-style chatbot, its Ernie LLM has faced challenges in achieving widespread adoption.

With growing competition from domestic and international AI firms, Baidu aims to solidify its position through continuous innovation. The company’s latest advancements highlight the push for more sophisticated AI systems capable of processing diverse forms of data, including text, images, and audio, as China intensifies its efforts to lead in AI.

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