Latest news with #NgHanGuan
Toronto Star
10-07-2025
- Business
- Toronto Star
Ottawa's national security review, shutdown order ‘procedurally unfair': Hikvision
Staffers wait for visitors under a display of CCTV images at the booth for Hikvision, a state-owned surveillance equipment manufacturer, during the Security China 2023 trade show in Beijing. Ng Han Guan/AP file photo flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
Toronto Star
08-07-2025
- Business
- Toronto Star
Chinese surveillance equipment company appeals Ottawa's shutdown order
Visitors pass by a booth for state-owned surveillance equipment manufacturer Hikvision at the Security China 2018 expo in Beijing, China. Ng Han Guan / The Associated Press File photo flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
Japan Today
30-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
Chinese factory activity improves slightly with delay on tariffs, but still lags
FILE - Shipping containers are seen ready for transport at the Guangzhou Port in the Nansha district in southern China's Guangdong province, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File) By ELAINE KURTENBACH Chinese factory activity improved somewhat in June after President Donald Trump agreed to delay imposing higher tariffs on imports from China for 90 days, but overall activity was still contracting, according to a survey released Monday. The purchasing managers index, which reflects new orders and other measures, rose to 49.7 from 49.5 in May, the National Bureau of Statistics reported. That's on a scale of 0 to 100 where 50 and above shows expansion. Other reports showed similar trends in Japan and Korea. Trump has said he's not planning to extend the 90-day pause on tariffs on most nations beyond July 9. The delay for imposing much higher tariffs on China, agreed to in early May, expires about a month later. The hiatus for tariffs brought a revival of manufacturing activity as companies and individuals rushed to take advantage of lower import duties. But that mainly helped large manufacturers, with small and mid-size companies' output still contracting. Hiring also fell. New export orders and exports also remained below the 50-level that marks expansion. In Japan, manufacturing output edged 0.5% higher in May, well below analysts' estimates for a 3.5% increase. 'The subdued rise in industrial production in May means that firms were not benefitting from sky-high U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports, and their production forecasts point to continued weakness,' Marcel Thieliant of Capital Economics said in a report. South Korea's government reported that its 'all industry' measure of output fell 2.9% from a year earlier in May, with production of computer chips falling 2%. Production of vehicles fell 2.3% year-on-year, after falling 4.1% in April. In an interview with Fox News Channel's 'Sunday Morning Futures,' Trump said he's not planning to extend a 90-day pause on tariffs on most nations beyond July 9. The delay for imposing much higher tariffs on China, agreed to in early May, expires about a month later. Trump said his administration will notify countries that the trade penalties will take effect unless there are deals with the United States. He had played down the deadline at a White House news conference Friday by noting how difficult it would be to work out separate deals with each nation. The administration had set a goal of reaching 90 trade deals in 90 days. Despite a recent trade deal with Beijing over rare earth exports from China, establishing a fairer relationship will require significant tariffs. Details of the latest agreement to deescalate trade tensions are scarce and major issues between the world's two biggest economies remain unresolved. 'I think getting along well with China is a very good thing,' Trump said. 'China's going to be paying a lot of tariffs, but we have a big (trade) deficit, they understand that.' © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Hindustan Times
30-06-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
AI robots play football matches in China, show off skills, and take a few falls
There's a lot that has been done using artificial intelligence, including chatbots and agentic AI. But now, AI-powered robots have been used to play an actual football match. Yes, this is exactly what has happened in Beijing, wherein four teams of humanoid robots participated in 3-on-3 football matches on Saturday night. This was reportedly a preview of what is to come at the World Humanoid Robot Games, expected soon in Beijing, AP reported. Robots battling it out in the field at the inaugural RoBoLeague robot soccer competition held in Beijing, Saturday, June 28, 2025. ((AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)) The report added these humanoid robots were functioning fully autonomously on artificial intelligence, and there was no human support involved. Now, how does a humanoid robot function on its own without human intervention? Well, firstly, they would need sensors and hardware capable enough to navigate their weight through the field, and this is exactly what the case is in this instance as well. These robots had advanced visual sensors, and they could identify the ball and go through the field accordingly, the report added. Further, the robots are also able to stand on their own if they accidentally do fall, just like real-life players do. But not all was smooth sailing for the humanoid robots involved in this game, as many had to be carried off the field, t As for the final match, Tsinghua University's THU Robotics actually ended up defeating China Agricultural University's Mountain Sea Team in a score that was, at the end of the match, 5 to 3, and they did end up winning the championship. China Is Boosting Its Robotics Prowess There are already talks in place which might allow humanoid robots to play alongside humans. But for this, safety would be a great priority, Cheng Hao, founder and CEO of Booster Robotics, who provided the hardware for the competition, said. He said that in the future, "we may arrange for robots to play football with humans. That means we must ensure the robots are completely safe." He added, 'For example, a robot and a human could play a match where winning doesn't matter, but real offensive and defensive interactions take place. That would help audiences build trust and understand that robots are safe.' MOBILE FINDER: iPhone 16 LATEST Price and More (With AP Inputs)
Japan Today
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Japan Today
China's humanoid robots generate more soccer excitement than their human counterparts
Teams compete using the T1 robots from Booster Robotics during the inaugural RoBoLeague robot soccer competition held in Beijing, Saturday, June 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) While China's men's soccer team hasn't generated much excitement in recent years, humanoid robot teams have won over fans in Beijing based more on the AI technology involved than any athletic prowess shown. Four teams of humanoid robots faced off in fully autonomous 3-on-3 soccer matches powered entirely by artificial intelligence on Saturday night in China's capital in what was touted as a first in China and a preview for the upcoming World Humanoid Robot Games, set to take place in Beijing. According to the organizers, a key aspect of the match was that all the participating robots operated fully autonomously using AI-driven strategies without any human intervention or supervision. Equipped with advanced visual sensors, the robots were able to identify the ball and navigate the field with agility They were also designed to stand up on their own after falling. However, during the match several still had to be carried off the field on stretchers by staff, adding to the realism of the experience. China is stepping up efforts to develop AI-powered humanoid robots, using sports competitions like marathons, boxing, and football as a real-world proving ground. Cheng Hao, founder and CEO of Booster Robotics, the company that supplied the robot players, said sports competitions offer the ideal testing ground for humanoid robots, helping to accelerate the development of both algorithms and integrated hardware-software systems. He also emphasized safety as a core concern in the application of humanoid robots. 'In the future, we may arrange for robots to play football with humans. That means we must ensure the robots are completely safe,' Cheng said. 'For example, a robot and a human could play a match where winning doesn't matter, but real offensive and defensive interactions take place. That would help audiences build trust and understand that robots are safe.' Booster Robotics provided the hardware for all four university teams, while each school's research team developed and embedded their own algorithms for perception, decision-making, player formations, and passing strategies—including variables such as speed, force, and direction, according to Cheng. In the final match, Tsinghua University's THU Robotics defeated the China Agricultural University's Mountain Sea team with a score of 5–3 to win the championship. Mr. Wu, a supporter of Tsinghua, celebrated their victory while also praising the competition. 'They (THU) did really well,' he said. 'But the Mountain Sea team (of Agricultural University) was also impressive. They brought a lot of surprises.' China's men have made only one World Cup appearance and have already been knocked out of next years' competition in Canada, Mexico and the United States. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
