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China Future Tech briefing

China Future Tech briefing
As China bets on tech and innovation to drive its growth, it has placed its chips on several industrial sectors that are expected to play increasingly important roles in development and trade, which will bring fresh opportunities and challenges for stakeholders. SCMP’s China Future Tech is your go-to destination for the latest news, insights, and opinions on these select industries. Explore in-depth coverage of EVs, AI, semiconductors, aerospace, robotics and biomedicine sectors. Follow us to stay ahead in China's evolving competitive landscape.
AI to narrow China’s rural-urban economic divide
Artificial intelligence

AI | AI to narrow China’s rural-urban economic divide

Farmers, schools and healthcare facilities in rural China are benefiting from policies designed to promote the use of artificial intelligence nationwide.

China’s private sector

Biomedicine | China challenges US in new drugs after industry transformation

Space

Aerospace | Chinese rivals to Musk’s Starlink wrestle with rocket constraints

CES

AI | Humanoid robot guides to hiker exoskeletons: CES 2026 round-up

Chinese companies comprised about one in four exhibitors at the world’s largest electronics expo, and they showcased everything from stair-climbing robot vacuum cleaners to AI-powered pet companions.

Humanoid robot guides to hiker exoskeletons: CES 2026 round-up
Energy storage

New Energy | China AI, mega-batteries stoke renewables power drive

Artificial intelligence, new energy-storage facilities and power lines stretching across the country are helping China boost energy efficiency and take advantage of its renewable power resources.

China's space programme

Aerospace | Lunar race pits China against US as humans seek return to moon

China and the US are vying to put people on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years in a contest that is as much about economics and geopolitics as it is about technology.

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Artificial intelligence

AI | China chases superintelligent AI without sci-fi movie risks

AI systems with human-level intelligence, or higher, offer the promise of solutions to humanity’s biggest challenges but the risk of humans losing control.

China chases superintelligent AI without sci-fi movie risks
Hong Kong

Aerospace | Flying cars take off as China extends drone-market domination

Chinese electric-vehicle makers are branching into making flying cars, adding to the nation’s booming low-altitude economy.

Wearables

AI | Smart-glasses makers see AI as long-awaited must-have app

Chinese smart-glasses makers, such as Rokid and Alibaba, and global giant Meta are counting on artificial intelligence to kick-start demand for the devices.

Robotics

Robotics | China’s humanoid robots enter workforce as Tesla wait goes on

Xpeng, Unitree and other Chinese robot makers are nearing mass production of humanoid units as problems including hands delay Elon Musk’s plans.

China’s humanoid robots enter workforce as Tesla wait goes on
US-China tech war

Rokid’s AI eyewear joins the quest to be the biggest thing since the smartphone

Start-up Rokid is teaming up with eyewear brand Bolon on lightweight AI glasses as competition heats up to deliver the next ‘iPhone moment’.

The Rokid AI glasses (left) and the newly launched Bolon-branded AI glasses without a display. Photo: Wency Chen
Aerospace: Companies

Aerospace | Musk’s SpaceX faces China threat in reusable rocket race

At least nine reusable rocket projects are nearing maiden flights in China, posing a potential threat to Elon Musk-led SpaceX’s grip on the commercial satellite launch market.

China National Nuclear Corporation

China’s nuclear power plans match rest of world combined

About half of the world’s under-construction nuclear power plants are in China as the country races to boost electricity supply and meet emissions reduction pledges.

Artificial intelligence

Exclusive | Zhipu AI sees tenfold surge in foreign users as Chinese AI gains traction

The Beijing start-up is leveraging its affordable ‘good enough’ open model to compete in the fast-growing AI coding market.

Mobile phone shows the website of Beijing Zhipu Huazhang Technology (Z.ai). Photo: Shutterstock
China Telecom

AI | China races towards 6G networks’ near-limitless, instant data

Next-generation cellular networking promises speeds 100 times faster than 5G, enabling holograms in meetings and real-time digital twins.

China races towards 6G networks’ near-limitless, instant data
Quantum computing

Semiconductors | Chinese quantum computer cracks billion-year problems in seconds

Superfast and powerful, quantum computers could help solve some of humanity’s biggest challenges, as well as transforming finance, drug discovery and other fields.

Autonomous vehicles

EVs | China’s robotaxis lead race into overseas markets

Apollo Go, Pony.ai and WeRide are all expanding beyond China and into the Middle East and Europe, giving them a head start over potential US competitors.

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Artificial intelligence

AI | AI accelerators offer opportunity for China chipmakers

Huawei and Alibaba are among Chinese companies working on specialised AI chips called ASICs that work alongside GPUs made by Nvidia and others.

AI accelerators offer opportunity for China chipmakers
China National Nuclear Corporation

China’s ‘artificial sun’ aims for limitless nuclear fusion energy

Nuclear fusion offers near limitless, pollution-free energy provided that scientists in China and elsewhere can sustain reactions at temperatures six times hotter than the sun’s core.

Artificial intelligence

AI | User-friendly and autonomous, AI agents ready to handle any task

Manus and other Chinese AI agents are helping users with complex requests, such as planning a trip, building a website or sourcing business supplies.

Biomedicine: Companies

Biomedicine | AI turns China biotechs into drug discovery leaders

Beijing’s push to use artificial intelligence to find new drugs is paying off, with China-based companies earning billions by licensing discoveries to Western firms.

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AI turns China biotechs into drug discovery leaders
China trade

China, Pakistan pledge stronger tech and trade cooperation amid US charm offensive

Agriculture, space and trade top the agenda during Pakistani prime minister’s visit to Beijing.

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Premier Li Qiang meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua
China manufacturing

China closes biotech gap with US as new drugs, pipelines top 30% of global total

Beijing has ramped up support for the bioeconomy with a five-year plan aimed at making the country a global leader by 2035.

Egypt

Biomedicine | China goes big on weight-loss drugs in Novo, Eli Lilly challenge

Demand for anti-obesity drugs has expanded along with people’s waistlines, and Chinese companies are seeking to cash in with new treatments.

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Semiconductors

Semiconductors | China chipmakers seek to loosen Nvidia’s AI stranglehold

Huawei and Cambricon are among Chinese companies trying to challenge Nvidia as export bans on the chip giant’s most advanced processors stoke government efforts to pare reliance on US technology.

China chipmakers seek to loosen Nvidia’s AI stranglehold
China education

AI enters the classroom: China’s Hangzhou makes lessons compulsory in schools

Local governments are beginning to take action after Beijing said it wants all primary and secondary students to study the advanced tech.

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Primary school students watch a dancing robot performance in Handan, China, on October 29, 2024. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images
IPO

Alibaba to spin off Banma self-driving business via Hong Kong IPO

Alibaba’s stake in Banma will drop to 30 per cent from the current 44.72 per cent after the IPO, the tech behemoth says.

Artificial intelligence

AI | China, US lead AI-fuelled data centre construction surge

AI will drive a US$6.7 trillion global spending boom on data centres up to 2030, according to McKinsey, testing nations’ abilities to construct sufficient power supplies.

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