China's Ant Group lifts R&D spending to nearly $3bn on AI, Alipay
SHANGHAI -- Chinese fintech company Ant Group said Thursday it spent 21.19 billion yuan ($2.92 billion) on research and development in 2023, including on artificial intelligence.
Asian news from China
U.S. tops China as ASEAN's largest export destination
TOKYO/KUALA LUMPUR/BANGKOK -- ASEAN countries' exports to the U.S. in the January-March period surpassed those to China for the first time in six quarters as the region's trade appears to be shifting along with moves in the global supply chain.
India attracts chipmaking equipment companies as China alternative
MUMBAI/TOKYO -- The chipmaking equipment industry is moving to set up bases of operation in India, as the country emerges as a promising alternative to China amid tensions between Beijing and the West.
Tesla shares up after Elon Musk says he is set for victory in $56 billion pay vote
Shares of Tesla popped higher after Elon Musk said shareholders are set to approve his controversial $56 billion pay package and a resolution to move the electric car maker's incorporation to Texas.
China's top smartphone player Honor launches first flip foldable phone in challenge to Samsung
Honor on Thursday launched its first flip foldable phone as the Chinese electronics maker looks to step up its challenge in the high-end market against major players like Samsung.
Fret not Delhi, Dhaka’s surely not in Beijing’s orb
For decades, Sino-Indian competition for sway over Bangladesh has been a hard-driving force in South Asia’s geopolitics. As a neighbor of India and a littoral state of the Indian Ocean, Bangladesh has often been embroiled in the rivalry, and accordingly, both Beijing and New Delhi have sought to expand their influence over the nation, often at the other’s expense.
Crucially limited buy-in to Ukraine peace summit
The “Summit on Peace in Ukraine”, hosted by Switzerland this weekend, is not a peace conference in the usual sense. Russia, which has dismissed it as irrelevant, won’t participate. And any summit aimed at ending the war can’t produce a final settlement without Russia’s involvement.
Premier Li Qiang pledges more trade as China extends visa-free travel to New Zealanders
Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Thursday his nation’s differences with New Zealand must not become a “chasm”, pledging greater trade and “friendship” after touching down in Wellington for rare bilateral talks.