Day: January 25, 2026

A rail system that accelerates heavy objects faster than the speed of sound using pure electromagnetic force has been operating in the eastern Chinese city of Jinan for more than two years. But one of the biggest mysteries remains: how does it stay in control? The sonic boom the system generates at ground level could blind or wreck traditional sensors, while the slightest miscalculation due to missing data could mean disaster at supersonic speeds. Advertisement The system, known as the electromagnetic sledge, made headlines in 2023 when it became the…

New share listings by Chinese technology firms in Hong Kong have delivered above-average returns on their debuts so far in 2026, as investors faced with a challenging macro environment bet on Beijing’s push for technology self-reliance. Graphics processing unit (GPU) maker Shanghai Biren Technology, semiconductor maker OmniVision Integrated Circuit Group and three others rose by an average of 30 per cent on their debuts, beating the 24 per cent return of the 11 total initial public offerings (IPOs) on the city’s stock market this year. The outperformance underlines that the…

China’s leading planemaker is poised for a moderate ramping up of production and deliveries of its C919 narrowbody jet this year, aiming for 28 units or more, with two having already rolled off the production line just three weeks into the new year, according to sources and an industry analyst. While setbacks forced Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) to cut back on its delivery targets last year, a manager briefed on the state-owned giant’s plans said it expected supply chain improvements to continue in the new year. “Things started…

The United States will impose 100 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports should Ottawa finalise a new trade deal with China, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday, amplifying a similar threat from US President Donald Trump a day earlier. “We can’t let Canada become an opening that the Chinese pour their cheap goods into the US,” Bessent said on ABC’s This Week programme. During a visit to Beijing on January 16, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a thaw in bilateral relations with China, saying the two countries had…

Jeffrey Ding is an assistant professor of political science at George Washington University. He is the author of Technology and the Rise of Great Powers, an award-winning book exploring the impact of technology on geopolitical competition, as well as the founder of the ChinAI newsletter, which tracks developments in China’s artificial intelligence (AI) industry. In this interview, Ding explains why “diffusion”, not innovation, will determine whether China or the US will prevail in the AI race, the Trump administration’s “counterproductive” policies around the technology, misconceptions about the two countries’ respective…