More power than Britain: China kick-starts mega dam to bolster economy
Chinese Premier Li Qiang announced on Monday that building has started on the 1.2 trillion yuan ($256 billion) dam on the Tibetan Plateau, which is expected to be at least three times larger than the controversial Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River.
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Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Fight together': Britain warns on China, backs Australia
Healey spoke after being asked by The Telegraph what the UK was doing to help countries like Taiwan prepare for potential escalation from China, but he added that he was speaking in general terms and that the UK wanted to settle any disputes peacefully and through diplomacy. Australians are cautious about the nature of the nation's strategic challenge with China, with 28 per cent of voters saying in March 2023 that it and Russia pose threats that need to be confronted soon. The results, in the Resolve Political Monitor for this masthead, found that 52 per cent thought China and Russia were threats that could be managed carefully over time. Deterrent effect The Resolve Political Monitor found that a clear majority of Australians did not want to side with the US against China, when asked in the days after Donald Trump won the US presidential election last November. The respondents were asked if they believed Australia should avoid taking sides in any conflict between the US and China. The survey found that 57 per cent agreed, 16 per cent disagreed, and the remainder were unsure. The UK has made a significant show of force with its contribution to Talisman Sabre this year, sending 3000 personnel at a time when some in the Trump administration have questioned why it should send forces to the Indo-Pacific. The aircraft carrier was accompanied by an air-defence destroyer and a tanker. Lammy warned on the weekend that China had to be challenged on its conduct with the UK and other countries, as he blamed it for espionage, repression in Hong Kong and helping allies such as Russia, Iran and North Korea. The UK Foreign Secretary echoed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese by saying the goal was to work with China while disagreeing when necessary. 'We wanted a consistent position on China where we would co-operate what we can, but we would absolutely challenge where we must,' he said. Albanese has often said: 'We should co-operate where we can, disagree where we must.' Lammy named China's actions in recent days, when Hong Kong authorities offered cash to anyone who would help them arrest pro-democracy activists in other countries, as an example of 'transnational repression' that should stop. Loading 'We challenge China on their espionage in the UK; we are hugely concerned about the sanctioning of members of parliament. We have big issues with transnational repression,' he said in a question-and-answer session with Lowy Institute executive director Michael Fullilove. 'So we have very tough issues that I have raised continually with [Foreign Minister] Wang Yi and the Chinese.' At the same time, he said, he wanted to co-operate with China on climate change, world health and trade. Lammy said he had presented Chinese leaders with a list of their companies helping Russian leader Vladimir Putin in the war in Ukraine. 'I've been in Kyiv, I've seen the shells that have come from North Korea, killing Europeans,' he said during remarks to the Lowy Institute on Saturday.
The Age
2 hours ago
- The Age
‘Fight together': Britain warns on China, backs Australia
Healey spoke after being asked by The Telegraph what the UK was doing to help countries like Taiwan prepare for potential escalation from China, but he added that he was speaking in general terms and that the UK wanted to settle any disputes peacefully and through diplomacy. Australians are cautious about the nature of the nation's strategic challenge with China, with 28 per cent of voters saying in March 2023 that it and Russia pose threats that need to be confronted soon. The results, in the Resolve Political Monitor for this masthead, found that 52 per cent thought China and Russia were threats that could be managed carefully over time. Deterrent effect The Resolve Political Monitor found that a clear majority of Australians did not want to side with the US against China, when asked in the days after Donald Trump won the US presidential election last November. The respondents were asked if they believed Australia should avoid taking sides in any conflict between the US and China. The survey found that 57 per cent agreed, 16 per cent disagreed, and the remainder were unsure. The UK has made a significant show of force with its contribution to Talisman Sabre this year, sending 3000 personnel at a time when some in the Trump administration have questioned why it should send forces to the Indo-Pacific. The aircraft carrier was accompanied by an air-defence destroyer and a tanker. Lammy warned on the weekend that China had to be challenged on its conduct with the UK and other countries, as he blamed it for espionage, repression in Hong Kong and helping allies such as Russia, Iran and North Korea. The UK Foreign Secretary echoed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese by saying the goal was to work with China while disagreeing when necessary. 'We wanted a consistent position on China where we would co-operate what we can, but we would absolutely challenge where we must,' he said. Albanese has often said: 'We should co-operate where we can, disagree where we must.' Lammy named China's actions in recent days, when Hong Kong authorities offered cash to anyone who would help them arrest pro-democracy activists in other countries, as an example of 'transnational repression' that should stop. Loading 'We challenge China on their espionage in the UK; we are hugely concerned about the sanctioning of members of parliament. We have big issues with transnational repression,' he said in a question-and-answer session with Lowy Institute executive director Michael Fullilove. 'So we have very tough issues that I have raised continually with [Foreign Minister] Wang Yi and the Chinese.' At the same time, he said, he wanted to co-operate with China on climate change, world health and trade. Lammy said he had presented Chinese leaders with a list of their companies helping Russian leader Vladimir Putin in the war in Ukraine. 'I've been in Kyiv, I've seen the shells that have come from North Korea, killing Europeans,' he said during remarks to the Lowy Institute on Saturday.
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
Humanoid robots embodiment of China's AI ambitions
Serving craft beer, playing mahjong, stacking shelves and boxing, the dozens of humanoid robots at Shanghai's World AI Conference (WAIC) this weekend were embodiments of China's growing AI prowess and ambition. The annual event is primed at showcasing China's progress in the ever-evolving field of artificial intelligence, with the government aiming to position the country as a world leader on both technology and regulation as it snaps at the United States' heels. Opening the event on Saturday, Premier Li Qiang announced China would set up a new organisation for cooperation on AI governance, warning the benefits of development must be balanced with the risks. But in the cavernous expo next door, the mood was more giddy than concerned. "Demand is currently very strong, whether in terms of data, scenarios, model training, or artificial construction. The overall atmosphere in all these areas is very lively," said Yang Yifan, R&D director at Transwarp, a Shanghai-based AI platform provider. This year's WAIC is the first since a breakthrough moment for Chinese AI this January when startup DeepSeek unveiled an AI model that performed as well as top US systems for an apparent fraction of the cost. Organisers said the forum involved more than 800 companies, showcasing over 3,000 products -- the undeniable crowd pleasers being the humanoid robots and their raft of slightly surreal party tricks. At one booth, a robot played drums, half a beat out of time, to Queen's "We Will Rock You" while a man in safety goggles and a security vest hyped up a giggling crowd. Other droids, some dressed in working overalls or baseball caps, manned assembly lines, played curling with human opponents or sloppily served soft drinks from a dispenser. While most of the machines on display were still a little jerky, the increasing sophistication year-on-year was clear to see. The Chinese government has poured support into robotics, an area in which some experts think China might already have the upper hand over the United States. At Hangzhou-based Unitree's stall, its G1 android -- around 130 centimetres (four feet) tall, with a two-hour battery life -- kicked, pivoted and punched, keeping its balance with relative fluidity as it shadowboxed around a ring. Ahead of the conference's opening, Unitree announced it would launch a full-size humanoid, the R1, for under $6,000. - 'Digital humans' - Most high-tech helpers don't need hardware though. At the expo, AI companions -- in the form of middle-aged businessmen, scantily clad women and ancient warriors -- waved at people from screens, asking how their day was, while other stalls ran demos allowing visitors to create their own digital avatars. Tech giant Baidu on Saturday announced a new generation of technology for its "digital humans" -- AI agents modelled on real people, which it says are "capable of thinking, making decisions, and collaborating". The company recently ran a six-hour e-commerce broadcast hosted by the "digital human" of a well-known streamer and another avatar. The two agents beat the human streamer's debut sales in some categories, Baidu said. Over ten thousand businesses are using the technology daily already, the department's head Wu Chenxia told AFP. Asked about the impact on jobs -- one of the major concerns raised around widespread AI adoption -- Wu insisted that AI was a tool that should be used to improve quality and save time and effort, which still required human input. In China, the integration of AI into everyday life is beginning to pick up pace. At WAIC, Baidu also announced it had been granted a permit to operate fully driverless robotaxis in parts of the massive Pudong district, the service's first foray into downtown Shanghai. For now, few visitors to the WAIC expo seemed worried about the potential ramifications of the back-flipping dog robots they were excitedly watching. "When it comes to China's AI development, we have a comparatively good foundation of data and also a wealth of application scenarios," said Transwarp's Yang.
