
Huawei and ZTE take AI to Belt and Road, shrugging off US sanctions
Huawei Deputy Chairman Eric Xu, now serving as rotating chairman, delivered a pitch Wednesday in a keynote address at the MWC Shanghai industry exposition.

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Japan Today
10 hours ago
- Japan Today
China urges global consensus on balancing AI development, security
Chinese Premier Li Qiang is seen on a screen at the opening ceremony of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 26, 2025 By Rebecca Bailey with Luna Lin in Beijing China's Premier Li Qiang warned Saturday that artificial intelligence development must be weighed against the security risks, saying global consensus was urgently needed even as the tech race between Beijing and Washington shows no sign of abating. His remarks came just days after US President Donald Trump unveiled an aggressive low-regulation strategy aimed at cementing US dominance in the fast-moving field, promising to "remove red tape and onerous regulation" that could hinder private sector AI development. Opening the World AI Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai on Saturday, Li emphasised the need for governance and open-source development, announcing the establishment of a Chinese-led body for international AI cooperation. "The risks and challenges brought by artificial intelligence have drawn widespread attention... How to find a balance between development and security urgently requires further consensus from the entire society," the premier said. Li said China would "actively promote" the development of open-source AI, adding Beijing was willing to share advances with other countries, particularly developing ones. "If we engage in technological monopolies, controls and blockage, artificial intelligence will become the preserve of a few countries and a few enterprises," he said. "Only by adhering to openness, sharing and fairness in access to intelligence can more countries and groups benefit from (AI)." The premier highlighted "insufficient supply of computing power and chips" as a bottleneck. Washington has expanded its efforts in recent years to curb exports of state-of-the-art chips to China, concerned that these can be used to advance Beijing's military systems and erode US tech dominance. For its part, China has made AI a pillar of its plans for technological self-reliance, with the government pledging a raft of measures to boost the sector. In January, Chinese startup DeepSeek unveiled an AI model that performed as well as top US systems despite using less powerful chips. 'Pet tiger cub' - At a time when AI is being integrated across virtually all industries, its uses have raised major ethical questions, from the spread of misinformation to its impact on employment, or the potential loss of technological control. In a speech at WAIC on Saturday, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Geoffrey Hinton compared the situation to keeping "a very cute tiger cub as a pet". "To survive", he said, you need to ensure you can train it not to kill you when it grows up. In a video message played at the WAIC opening ceremony, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said AI governance would be "a defining test of international cooperation". The ceremony also saw the French president's AI envoy, Anne Bouverot, underscore the "an urgent need" for global action. At an AI summit in Paris in February, 58 countries including China, France and India -- as well as the European Union and African Union Commission -- called for enhanced coordination on AI governance. But the United States warned against "excessive regulation", and alongside the United Kingdom, refused to sign the summit's appeal for an "open", "inclusive" and "ethical" AI. © 2025 AFP

Nikkei Asia
12 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
China's Premier Li proposes global AI cooperation organization
Chinese Premier Li Qiang speaks during the opening ceremony of World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 26. © Reuters SHANGHAI (Reuters) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Saturday proposed establishing an organization to foster global cooperation on artificial intelligence, calling on countries to coordinate on the development and security of the fast-evolving technology. Speaking at the opening of the annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, Li called AI a new engine for growth, but adding that governance is fragmented and emphasizing the need for more coordination between countries to form a globally recognized framework for AI.


Japan Today
19 hours ago
- Japan Today
Small businesses warn of Trump tariff impact on toy industry at Comic-Con
Small business owners used the festive backdrop of Comic-Con to discuss a sobering topic: the negative impact that US President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs are having on the toy industry Small business owners used the festive backdrop of Comic-Con to discuss a sobering topic: the negative impact that President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs are having on the toy industry. "Not the most sexy topic," Jonathan Cathey, chief executive of collectibles company The Loyal Subjects, admitted at a panel titled "Toys, Tariffs, and Trade Wars" at the four-day convention in San Diego, California. "But this ultimately affects you guys, it affects the end user," he said. "Prices will go up, and our rate of sales will go down." Toy companies have been fretting about the impact of Trump's global tariff blitz on the industry, particularly when it comes to China. Of over $17 billion worth of toys imported to the United States last year, more than $13 billion came from China. But a rollercoaster tariff row between Washington and Beijing has caused havoc for U.S. businesses and their Chinese suppliers. Panel moderator Daniel Pickett argued that the Trump administration is "imposing truly exaggerated, somewhat crazy, and frightening measures." He said Trump's proposal to impose additional tariffs on imports "has only wreaked havoc on the entire industry." Trump recently dismissed warnings by toy giant Hasbro's CEO Chris Cocks about rising prices if higher tariffs were imposed, defending his trade policy by emphasizing it favors domestic production. But Cathey argued the rhetoric doesn't reflect American reality. He said: "There's like 480,000 manufacturing jobs... that aren't even filled. So we're going to do what, we're going to bring a bunch of factory jobs back that nobody can fill." The business owner suggested that U.S. value-addition lies in innovation rather than manufacturing. "There are industries where tariffs make sense," Cathey continued, highlighting the automotive and mining sectors. "There's a mechanism where tariffs make sense that actually protect jobs, American workers, and our national security. Barbie ain't it." Brian Flynn of Super7, a collectibles and action figures brand, said the Trump administration's shifting tariff policies have caused chaos and uncertainty. "Nobody knows what's going to happen," he said, adding that the triple-digit tariffs Trump has sometimes mentioned would "drive everyone out of the market." Flynn said the impact was already visible at Comic-Con, where he had to limit himself to a small concession stand rather than a larger exhibit space. Consumers will feel the impact in their wallets next quarter, he warned. "And when it hits, that's going to make a big difference for us." © 2025 AFP