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Nearly a year after DeepSeek's AI breakthrough rattled global markets, mainland China is entering 2026 with a fresh wave of technological advances that are powering a stock rally, even as its economy remains fragile. Thanks to fresh progress in sectors from commercial rockets to robotics and flying cars, Chinese tech shares have begun the new year with a bang. An onshore Nasdaq-like tech gauge has shot up almost 13 per cent so far this month, while a measure of Hong Kong-listed Chinese tech......

This year is likely to be a watershed one for the global drive by Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers, as more Western countries open up their markets to high-performance made-in-China models. Despite low expectations for a hefty jump in overseas sales, EV assemblers like BYD and Geely are expected to get off to a strong start in some of their untapped markets, honing their image as world leaders in terms of production and technology before establishing a long-term foothold, according to......

Researchers at Tencent Holdings are looking to collaborate with other major artificial intelligence developers to improve how most generative AI services, such as chatbots, interact with the elderly, left-behind children and other vulnerable users in society. Specialised data sets can make AI services more helpful to vulnerable users who have become progressively reliant on them for emotional support and health assistance, according to Lu Shiyu, a senior researcher at Tencent Research Institute......

More economy and mid-range hotel operators in China are leasing office buildings for conversion to guest accommodation, and such flexible, mixed-use approaches are expected to increase amid a continued weakening of the office market. In some Chinese cities, the practice of multiple hotel brands co-leasing separate floors within a single building has become more prevalent, fuelled by interest from both property owners and hotel operators. In Hangzhou, the capital of eastern China's Zhejiang......

After several subdued years, 2025 marked a turning point for demand in Hong Kong's most prestigious housing enclaves, as mainland buyers streamed back into scarce ultra-luxury homes once prices stabilised and transaction momentum rolled into the new year. That shift was most visible in The Peak and Southern district – two low-density, ultra-wealthy neighbourhoods on opposite ends of Hong Kong Island. Mainland purchasers bought about HK$16 billion (US$2.05 billion) worth of homes in the areas in......

Europe's debate over its technological future is both timely and necessary. The centre of gravity for platform technologies, advanced semiconductors, hyperscale cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI) has undeniably shifted towards the United States and China. While the US boasts giants like Microsoft and Nvidia, and China has cultivated powerhouses like Huawei and Tencent, Europe has seen its share of the digital platform market shrink. However, viewing this shift as inevitable......

China's total electricity consumption hit a record high of 10.4 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2025, more than double that of the US, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said on Saturday. The 5 per cent jump from the previous year marked the first time in China's history that annual electricity consumption had surpassed 10 trillion kWh – the highest in the world and more than the combined total of the European Union, Russia, India and Japan, state broadcaster CCTV said, citing NEA......

Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP), the city's biggest developer, put more than 200 units on sale at a residential project on Saturday amid hopes of a steady recovery in the city's home market. SHKP sold 78 flats out of 229 units on offer at the Sierra Sea project in Sai Sha Wan as of 1.30pm on Saturday, according to real estate agents. The per-unit price ranged between HK$4.04 million (US$518,000) and HK$10.7 million, but with a 15 per cent discount the selling prices were from HK$3.44 million to......

“Small yard, high fence” was how Jake Sullivan, national security adviser under President Joe Biden, described US tech policy towards China. The approach, designed to fence off sensitive US technologies from China, was most commonly associated with export controls that, among others, restricted Chinese firms' access to Nvidia's advanced chips, the critical inputs for developing cutting-edge artificial intelligence systems. Beijing is now fighting back by taking a leaf out of that playbook. For......

An increasing number of Chinese and foreign banks are launching gold-linked structured deposits to attract investors seeking higher returns tied to gold prices, which analysts say provide an alternative to poor returns from time deposits. Rising gold prices, which continue to hit new highs this year, are fuelling renewed enthusiasm in gold as an investment in mainland China. While gold has increased 6 per cent this year to over US$4,620 an ounce, a Goldman Sachs forecast last month projected......

Like many long-time reporters in Hong Kong, I had occasional dealings with David Webb, the market transparency and shareholder rights crusader who died this week of prostate cancer at the relatively young age of 60. Almost all of my encounters with him over the years were annoying and slightly unpleasant. But they made me respect him all the more. He once chastised me for misstating a relatively obscure Nasa space mission in the 1960s and demanded a print correction. I thought, who cares? But I......

Hong Kong took another big step in its journey to become an international tech hub on Friday, as the city basked in its inaugural turn as host of a summit under the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC). In his video address to the conference held in the Hong Kong Science Park, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said: “We must harness the power of AI, not just to innovate, but to build – to build more inclusive economies, more resilient communities and a more sustainable future for......

The newest landmark office tower in Hong Kong's main business zone is nearing full occupancy a year and a half after it welcomed its first tenants, suggesting improving fortunes in the city's office property segment. The Henderson – the prime commercial development and namesake tower for one of Hong Kong's largest developers – reached 90 per cent occupancy recently, Henderson Land said on Friday. The 36-storey building in Central counts among its tenants auction house Christie's, alternative......

Taiwan has committed to driving hundreds of billions of dollars of extra investment into America's chip industry as part of a US trade deal announced on Thursday, with the island's biggest semiconductor producer already moving to buy more land in the US state of Arizona. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) – the world's largest contract chipmaker – confirmed on Thursday that it had bought a second tract of land in Arizona. The 365-hectare (901-acre) plot nearly doubles the......

HSBC Holdings' exploration of options for its insurance business in Singapore may lead to a sale of the unit as the group reallocates resources to its insurance business in Hong Kong and mainland China, according to analysts. “It makes sense for HSBC to consider an exit from Singapore's insurance market to focus on Hong Kong and mainland China, as so many mainlanders are coming to Hong Kong to buy insurance products here,” said Kenny Tang Sing-hing, chairman of the Hong Kong Institute of......

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Companies across the Greater Bay Area (GBA) are stepping up plans to expand into Southeast Asia, even as global trade conditions remain unsettled. A joint study by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and UOB Hong Kong shows that 73 per cent of surveyed firms intend to speed up business development in the ASEAN region, suggesting that many businesses are prepared to move forward while managing a broad set of......

Alibaba's ambition to turn its chatbot app into a powerful AI assistant that dramatically changes the way people interact with smart devices appears to be paying off, according to users and analysts. Instead of repeatedly swiping a screen to complete a task, a user can tell the Qwen app to conduct a range of tasks from ordering drinks to paying electricity bills after the Hangzhou-based technology giant links it to the group's existing apps like shopping platform Taobao and payment interface......

China accounted for more than four out of five humanoid robot installations globally in 2025, driven by domestic start-ups AgiBot and Unitree Robotics, as mass production and commercialisation accelerated, according to a report by Counterpoint Research. A total of 16,000 humanoid robots were installed globally in 2025, mainly for data collection and research, as well as in the logistics, manufacturing, and automotive sectors, according to Counterpoint data released on Wednesday. The market was......

Shares of Chinese electricity and grid equipment makers rose after State Grid unveiled a 4 trillion yuan (US$574 billion) plan to upgrade the country's power networks, as surging demand and the global race in artificial intelligence drive investment in energy infrastructure. Baoding Tianwei Baobian Electric, which makes transformers, surged 10 per cent to 15.25 yuan in Shanghai and power equipment manufacturer Henan Pinggao Electric jumped 7.4 per cent to 21.32 yuan. Suzhou Electrical Apparatus......

Kuaishou Technology plans to raise a combined US$2 billion from a dual-currency bond sale as the short-video platform operator tapped the debt market to strengthen its businesses. The company would issue two tranches of US$1.5 billion bonds and 3.5 billion yuan (US$502.4 million) of bonds, it said in an exchange filing. The US dollar bonds maturing in January 2031 will carry a coupon rate of 4.125 per cent, while those due in January 2036 will 4.75 per cent. The yuan bonds will have a coupon......