Beijing, EU agree on plan; Nvidia CEO Huang delights Chinese fans: SCMP's 7 highlights
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The EU and China agreed on a new mechanism to help smooth the export of rare earth elements and magnets, as Brussels pushed Beijing to take its trade concerns seriously, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a summit in the Chinese capital on Thursday.
An X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System drone seen aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush in 2013. The US X-47B programme was cancelled 10 years ago. Photo: AFP
Chinese aerospace engineers have a revolutionary software design that they say will allow them to overcome a major barrier to stealth aircraft development.
Cambodian soldiers reload a BM-21 multiple rocket launcher in Preah Vihear province on Thursday. Photo: AFP
Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodia on Thursday as a simmering border dispute erupted into open conflict, with soldiers on both sides exchanging fire and Cambodian troops unleashing rockets that killed at least 12 Thais, most of them civilians.
A Chinese company has converted a giant cargo ship into a mobile fish farm as part of a project that aims to boost the nation's food security by repurposing old vessels for use in aquaculture.
China's new mega dam project is being built on the Yarlung Tsangpo river, shown here in 2021, near Nyingchi city in the Tibet autonomous region. Photo: AFP
On the eastern rim of the Tibetan plateau, China envisions a future powered by the roaring waters of the Yarlung Tsangpo, also known as the Brahmaputra. The river will be the site of a mega dam – the world's most ambitious to date – that promises to bring clean energy, jobs, infrastructure and prosperity to the region.
Construction on the world's largest hydropower dam began on Saturday, according to Premier Li Qiang, who called it the 'project of the century'. But the project is not just about electricity and economic benefits – the stakes are far higher. Regional security, ecological stability and the future of one of Asia's great rivers all hang in the balance.
Four Hong Kong Airlines passenger flights touched down at the city's airport while the highest typhoon signal was still in force on Sunday, with experts saying such landings were possible under the right wind and operational conditions.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang captivates millions of Chinese fans with a charm offensive that includes wearing a Tang suit and speaking imperfect Mandarin. Photo: SCMP composite/AP/Kyodo
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang captivated millions of Chinese fans by donning a Tang suit and speaking in rusty Mandarin at the third China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE), marking his third visit to China this year.
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RTHK
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Shaolin abbot disrobed for 'extremely bad behaviour'
Shaolin abbot disrobed for 'extremely bad behaviour' Shi Yongxin is said to have 'seriously violated Buddhist precepts', including allegedly engaging in 'improper relationships' with women. File photo: Reuters The head of the Chinese temple known as the birthplace of kung fu will be disrobed for "extremely" bad behaviour, Beijing's top Buddhist authority said on Monday, after allegations of embezzlement saw him placed under investigation. The Shaolin Temple said on Sunday that Abbot Shi Yongxin, known as the "CEO monk" for establishing dozens of companies abroad, was suspected of "embezzling project funds and temple assets". It said Shi had "seriously violated Buddhist precepts", including by allegedly engaging in "improper relationships" with multiple women. "Multiple departments" are conducting a joint investigation, it said in a statement on WeChat. The Buddhist Association of China, overseen by the Communist Party, said on Monday it would cancel Shi's certificate of ordination. "Shi Yongxin's actions are of an extremely bad nature, seriously undermining the reputation of the Buddhist community, hurting the image of monks," the association said in an online statement. Shi had previously been accused by former monks of embezzling money from a temple-run company, maintaining a fleet of luxury cars and fathering children with multiple women. China's government exercises authority over the appointment of religious leaders, and "improper" conduct is often grounds for removal from office. A hashtag related to the temple scandal had been viewed more than 560 million times on social media platform Weibo as of Monday morning. The last post to the abbot's personal account on Weibo declared: "when one's own nature is pure, the pure land is here in the present". Shi faced similar allegations in 2015 which the temple called "vicious libel". Shi, 59, took office as abbot in 1999 and in the following decades expanded Shaolin studies and cultural knowledge overseas. He helped the temple establish dozens of companies – but received backlash for commercialising Buddhism. The temple, established in AD 495, is known as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and Chinese kung fu. Shi was first elected vice-chairman of the Buddhist Association of China in 2002 and has served as a representative to the National People's Congress. (AFP)
HKFP
2 hours ago
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China's Shaolin Temple head removed over embezzlement claims
The head of the Chinese temple known as the birthplace of kung fu will be disrobed for 'extremely' bad behaviour, Beijing's top Buddhist authority said Monday, after allegations of embezzlement saw him placed under investigation. The Shaolin Temple said on Sunday that Abbot Shi Yongxin, known as the 'CEO monk' for establishing dozens of companies abroad, was suspected of 'embezzling project funds and temple assets'. The monastery said Shi had 'seriously violated Buddhist precepts', including by allegedly engaging in 'improper relationships' with multiple women. 'Multiple departments' were conducting a joint investigation, it said in a statement on WeChat. In response, the Buddhist Association of China, overseen by the ruling Communist Party, said Monday it would cancel Shi's certificate of ordination. 'Shi Yongxin's actions are of an extremely bad nature, seriously undermining the reputation of the Buddhist community, hurting the image of monks,' the association said in an online statement. The association 'firmly supports the decision to deal with Shi Yongxin in accordance with the law'. Shi had previously been accused by former monks of embezzling money from a temple-run company, maintaining a fleet of luxury cars and fathering children with multiple women. China's government exercises authority over the appointment of religious leaders, and 'improper' conduct is often grounds for removal from office. A hashtag related to the temple scandal had been viewed more than 560 million times on social media platform Weibo as of Monday morning. The last post to the abbot's personal account on Weibo declared: 'when one's own nature is pure, the pure land is here in the present'. Shi faced similar allegations in 2015 which the temple called 'vicious libel'. Shi, 59, took office as abbot in 1999 and in the following decades expanded Shaolin studies and cultural knowledge overseas. He helped the temple establish dozens of companies — but received backlash for commercialising Buddhism. The temple, established in AD 495, is known as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and Chinese kung fu. Shi was first elected vice-chairman of the Buddhist Association of China in 2002 and has served as a representative to the National People's Congress, the country's top lawmaking body.
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Chinese AI firms play it smart amid US tech curbs
Chinese AI firms play it smart amid US tech curbs Digital AI glasses are the focus at a Rokid booth at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai. Photo: AFP China's artificial intelligence companies have announced two new industry alliances, aiming to develop a domestic ecosystem to reduce dependence on foreign tech as they seek to cope with US export restrictions on advanced Nvidia chipsets. The announcements were timed to coincide with the three-day World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai ending on Monday and came on the same day that the Financial Times reported that the United States has paused curbs on tech exports to China to avoid disrupting trade talks with Beijing and support President Donald Trump's efforts to secure a meeting with President Xi Jinping this year. The conference also showcased a slew of new products, such as an AI computing system from Huawei that experts believe rivals Nvidia's most advanced offering, as well as consumer-friendly products such as several kinds of digital AI glasses. The "Model-Chip Ecosystem Innovation Alliance" brings together Chinese developers of large language models (LLMs) and AI chip manufacturers. "This is an innovative ecosystem that connects the complete technology chain from chips to models to infrastructure," said Zhao Lidong, CEO of Enflame, one of the participating chipmakers. Other manufacturers of graphics processing units (GPUs) in the alliance include Huawei, Biren, and Moore Threads, which have been hit by US sanctions that block them from purchasing advanced tech made with US know-how. The alliance was announced by StepFun, an LLM developer. A second alliance, the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce AI Committee, aims to "promote the deep integration of AI technology and industrial transformation". Participants include SenseTime, also sanctioned by the US and which has pivoted from facial recognition technology to LLMs. Others are StepFun and another LLM developer, MiniMax, as well as chipmakers Metax and Iluvatar CoreX. One of the most talked about products at the conference was Huawei's CloudMatrix 384 which incorporates 384 of its latest 910C chips and outperforms Nvidia's GB200 NVL72 on some metrics, according to US research firm SemiAnalysis. Huawei's system design capabilities have meant that it has been able to use more chips and system-level innovations to compensate for weaker individual chip performance, SemiAnalysis said. At least six other Chinese computing firms showcased similar "clustering" chip technology. Metax demonstrated an AI supernode featuring 128 C550 chips designed to support large-scale liquid-cooled data centre requirements. Other events included Tencent's unveiling of its open-source Hunyuan3D World Model 1.0, which the company said enables users to generate interactive 3D environments through text or image prompts. Baidu announced what it said was next-generation "digital human" technology that helps businesses to create virtual livestreamers. It features "cloning technology" that can replicate a human's voice, tone and body language from just 10 minutes of sample footage. Alibaba was among those announcing AI glasses. Its Quark AI Glasses are powered by its Qwen AI model and are due to be released in China by the end of 2025. They will allow users to access the tech giant's map service for easy navigating and to use Alipay by scanning QR codes with voice commands. (Reuters)
