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Straits Times
29-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
China offers Pacific Islands increased support in addressing climate change
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a press conference for a ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC Forum, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, in Beijing, China May 13, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo BEIJING - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pledged increased support from the world's second-largest economy to Pacific Island countries in addressing climate change, during a summit China's Xiamen on Wednesday, according to a ministry readout. The world's biggest bilateral lender will undertake 100 "small but beautiful" projects across Pacific Island countries with China ties over the next three years, Wang said, referring to one of the guiding principles of Chinese President Xi Jinping's flagship "Belt and Road" infrastructure initiative. Beijing will also invest $2 million in the island countries' clean energy, fisheries, oceans, low-carbon infrastructure and tourism sectors, the statement added, an amount in line with a downturn in Chinese lending as its $19 trillion economy slows. "China fully recognises the vulnerability of the economic and social development of the Pacific Island countries in the face of the climate change crisis," the statement said. China's renewed push to boost its influence with Pacific Island countries comes as U.S. aid programs to the region have been frozen, and several nations have been hit with hefty U.S. tariffs. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Standard
26-05-2025
- Business
- The Standard
Over 70 percent of Country Garden bondholders back offshore debt overhaul plan
A logo of Chinese developer Country Garden is pictured in Tianjin, China August 18, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
The Star
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Star
Xiaomi to invest at least $6.9 billion in chip design, founder says
Visitors walk past a Xiaomi logo at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, or Auto China 2024, in Beijing, China, April 25, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
GMA Network
17-05-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
China's humanoid robots will not replace human workers, Beijing official says
A humanoid robot Tiangong by Beijing Innovation Center of Humanoid Robotics Co. moves an orange as a demonstration at its company, during an organized media tour to Beijing Robotics Industrial Park, in Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, China May 16, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang BEIJING - China's humanoid robots will not replace human workers and cause mass unemployment, according to a Chinese official who oversees a tech hub in Beijing, amid a rapid expansion of the sector and state funding for it. Liang Liang, a deputy director at the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, which hosts one of China's largest tech hubs, said in an interview on Friday with foreign media that he does not believe that humanoid robots will replace their human creators, but will boost productivity and operate in hazardous environments. "We don't believe robots will make people unemployed, but rather they'll boost efficiency or take on tasks humans are unwilling to do - like exploring the vast universe or the ocean depths where people can't go. Machines can assist us in that exploration," Liang said. "When it's nighttime and humans need rest, machines could keep working, giving us better, cheaper, and more user-friendly products. So we see this as the direction for our future development," he added. Liang explained that the world's first robot half-marathon held last month in Beijing was deliberately set up in a way that would highlight his and other officials' hopes that these humanoids will support and assist humans, rather than replace them. The half-marathon featured two tracks separated by a railing, with humans competing against each other on one side while on the other side 20 teams each operated a robot, varying wildly in size and ability. "You see, in the marathon, humans have their track where they push their physical limits, and the machines have their own track where they jointly challenge their limits - but they aren't trying to take over the human course to sprint to the finish line. The future will be like this too," Liang said. Liang spoke to reporters at the headquarters of state-backed X-Humanoid, also known as the Beijing Humanoid Robotics Innovation Centre, whose robot Tiangong Ultra won the inaugural robot half-marathon. Besides the sports-focused Ultra model, which can reach a top speed of 12 kph (7.56 mph), the center also displayed other protypes that showed it was working on robots that can complete mundane tasks in the face of obstructions and changing environments. In one demonstration, an employee repeatedly moved the position of a piece of litter or snatched it from the robot's hand, which would then relocate the object and carry out the task until it was completed, a self-corrective ability the center says will be key in turning the humanoids into productive workers. —Reuters
Straits Times
15-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
China grants visa-free entry to some of Latin America's biggest economies
FILE PHOTO: Tourists use their phones as they visit the Forbidden City in Beijing, China February 21, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo BEIJING - China will extend its visa-free policy to nationals of Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay, putting some of Latin America's largest economies on equal footing with many European and Asian countries as it sought stronger ties with the region. The visa-free arrangement will be effective from June 1 for a year, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday during a regular press conference. Brazil, Argentina and Chile are among the top five biggest economies in their region. Travel to China has been visa-free for most European countries as well as its neighbours Japan and South Korea since last year. The announcement came after a high-profile forum among Chinese and Latin American and Caribbean officials in Beijing earlier this week, at which President Xi Jinping vowed to boost China's footprint with a new $9 billion credit line and fresh infrastructure investment. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
