A unit of Taiwanese consumer electronics giant Asus is developing a supercomputer, powered by Nvidia chips, that is expected to boost the island’s computing capacity by at least 50 per cent, according to a senior executive. Advertisement That infrastructure, a collaboration between Taiwan AI Cloud and the island’s National Centre for High-Performance Computing, is expected to launch its initial phase with a capacity of 80 petaflops in December, said Peter Wu, CEO of Asus Cloud and Taiwan AI Cloud, in an interview with the South China Morning Post. Located in…
Day: August 23, 2025
No passageway or parcel spared as Beijing tightens security for military parade
From public transport to postal services, the city of Beijing has tightened security in multiple ways for a rare military parade on September 3 celebrating a World War II triumph for China that will draw state leaders from around the world. Advertisement The parade is among events that will mark the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in the “war of resistance against Japanese aggression”, with Russian President Vladimir Putin and several Southeast Asian leaders among those expected to attend. The march route is due to proceed along Changan Avenue, a…
Chinese smartphone maker Vivo challenges Apple’s VR headset
Chinese smartphone maker Vivo unveiled a mixed-reality headset that resembles Apple’s Vision Pro in name, design and interface, but weighs about 35 per cent less and is likely to cost one third as much. Advertisement The Vivo Vision is similar to the Apple gadget that is controlled with intuitive eye tracking and hand gestures, according to information published on Vivo’s website on Thursday. But the Vivo device weighs 398 grams, much less than its US rival, which weighs at least 600g, addressing one of the most common concerns of high-end…
China’s path to military supremacy runs through an industrial powerhouse
China is on a mission to turn its military into a modern fighting force. In the second of this four-part series, we look at how its massive defence industry can support China’s military goals, and during wartime could be further bolstered by the civilian manufacturing sector. Advertisement In the northeastern city of Shenyang, the future of China’s defence manufacturing capacity is rapidly taking shape – an enormous new aviation industrial complex that will eventually occupy an area about the size of 600 football fields. Video of the site was aired…
Kmart supply chains under scrutiny for potential Uyghur forced labour links in Australian court case
The letter was effusively polite, the allegations anything but. “We have the honour to address you,” the seven United Nations special rapporteurs began their correspondence to the head of Jiangsu Guotai Guosheng garment factory in China’s Xinjiang province. The 2021 letter then detailed allegations of brutal working conditions for members of China’s Uyghur minority, reportedly forcibly transported hundreds of kilometres and arbitrarily detained for re-education and forced labour. “Workers are reportedly required to work in fenced-in factories … allegedly exposed to intimidation, coercion, threats, and restriction on their freedom of…
China’s Fujian carrier may join service next month, CCTV video suggests
China’s third and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, could be officially commissioned as early as wartime anniversaries next month, a video by state broadcaster CCTV suggests. Advertisement The video released on Saturday sought to draw a parallel between the Japanese naval incursions 88 years ago and the Fujian’s readiness to enter service, linking it with the memory of the Japanese invasion. China will be marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japanese aggression with a military parade on September 3. The CCTV video opened with views of China State…
Why China’s DF-31 missiles are still effective deterrents, decades after debut
Following what became a historic countdown, PLA Sergeant Major Zhao Jing tapped the laptop before him, declared “launch sequence initiated”, and exited the cabin of the missile vehicle he had ridden into the dense jungle of Hainan province. Advertisement The rare ICBM test also illustrated a credible second-strike nuclear capability for China, sending a strong geopolitical signal to the United States and its allies. In the launch tied to “the honour of the Rocket Force and the dignity and confidence of the nation”, what Zhao activated was a DF-31AG missile.…
Angola rail project not aimed at countering China, CEO says
Despite Washington’s framing of a key railway network in Angola as a strategic counter to China, the CEO of the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) says the company is “a purely commercial entity” with “zero geopolitical considerations”. Advertisement In an interview with the Post, Nicholas Fournier, the newly appointed executive, said the company was just one part of the broader Lobito Corridor, which aims to increase economic activity along the route. LAR has strong commercial ties to China and serves as an important logistics provider for Chinese-owned mining companies while relying…
Ministers delay planning decision on Chinese ‘super-embassy’ in London
Ministers have delayed a decision on whether to grant planning permission to a proposed Chinese “super-embassy” in London amid concerns about redacted drawings in the building’s plans. The deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, was expected to make a decision on 9 September but has pushed the date back to 21 October, saying more time was needed to consider the plans for the development, which would occupy 20,000 square metres (five acres) at Royal Mint Court in east London. The plan has met fierce opposition from local people and campaigners concerned…
Mixed signals from US lead Japan to broaden defence ties to counter China
Japan’s latest naval drills signalled its desire to broaden military ties as uncertainties grow over US defence support, while also sending a message to China, analysts said. Advertisement Earlier this month, F-35B Lightning II fighters from the British Royal Navy’s 809 Naval Air Squadron conducted landings and launches on the Japanese destroyer-carrier JS Kaga as part of a multinational exercise in the Philippine Sea. The British Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, as well as the US Marine Corps, were present on the deck of the Kaga to assist with…