A Chinese journalist jailed for four years after documenting the early phases of the COVID-19 outbreak from the pandemic’s epicentre was sentenced on Friday to four more years in prison, Reporters Without Borders said. She was first sentenced in December 2020 after she posted first-hand accounts from the central city of Wuhan on the early…
A Chinese company executive has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for trafficking in chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl, the US Justice Department said on Friday. Wang Qingzhou, 37, principal executive of Amarvel Biotech, a company based in Wuhan, and Chen Yiyi, 33, the firm’s marketing manager, were convicted in New York in February…
China is likely to see 300,000 driverless cabs operate in its four top-tier cities as early as 2030, buoyed by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and its highly competitive electric vehicle (EV) sector, UBS said on Thursday. The number of robotaxis on the mainland was expected to jump to 4 million by the late 2030s,…
The Chinese social media platform Weibo has shut down several accounts for “inciting gender antagonism” and vowed to continue cracking down on such behaviour. On Monday, the social media site announced via its official account that it had permanently closed an account named “Lilian Shuodao” for “continuously stigmatising the opposite sex and posting extreme anti-marriage…
A hotel in central China has attracted attention on social media by launching a “pet sleep-accompanying” service. However, the service has come with a warning from a lawyer that the hotel will have to bear full responsibility if the canines bite anyone. Biguiyuan Phoenix Hotel in Wuhan, Hubei province began offering the service at the…
China has released ethical guidelines for autonomous driving technology, highlighting the need for user safety and technology transparency. Publishing the guidelines on Wednesday, the Ministry of Science and Technology said automated driving systems “must demonstrate a high degree of respect for human life and actively seek effective strategies to minimise harm”. Algorithms, models and other…
The US consulate in the central Chinese city of Wuhan has suspended all visa interviews, citing “unsafe” indoor temperatures it blamed on building management. In a public notice posted on its official social media account on Friday, the consulate said temperatures in its interview waiting area exceeded 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit) in the…
A lead poisoning scandal at a kindergarten in northwest China – and the local government’s attempt to cover up wrongdoing – has sparked public backlash, and observers say the case highlights a familiar pattern often seen in the wake of high-profile safety incidents. The caller confirmed Liu’s identity, then curtly said “5.416” and hung up….
Manus is hiring more than 20 people for Singapore while shrinking its operations in Beijing and Wuhan, months after the Chinese-founded AI pioneer secured the backing of a prominent Silicon Valley investor. The startup has laid off dozens of China-based staff and is preparing to shift many of those roles to the island nation, according…
China could draw on its innovation in advanced manufacturing to improve business – and overall – ties with the United States amid a fragile trade truce, according to a prominent American political scientist. In an interview, Robert Pape, a professor at the University of Chicago, also said China could “rise peacefully” to be the world’s…