Chinese tech indexes close at all-time highs as investors await Trump-Xi summit
Markets

Chinese tech indexes close at all-time highs as investors await Trump-Xi summit

Both the ChiNext and SSE Star 50 indexes closed at record highs on Wednesday, as investor optimism over China’s tech sector surges China’s tech-heavy ChiNext Index surged to an all-time high on Wednesday, closing past the 4,000-point mark as investor optimism rose ahead of US President Donald Trump’s trip to Beijing. The index, which tracks tech firms listed on Shenzhen’s Nasdaq-style ChiNext board, reached 4,038.33 by market close, its highest finish on record. Other Chinese stock indexes also made strong gains, with the Shanghai Composite Index rising to its highest level since 2015. In a Wednesday note, Morgan Stanley said China’s equities market could see “moderate upside by the second quarter of 2027” based on “improved earnings and growing dominance in global upstream supply chains”.

May 13, 2026
China sends embryos into orbit to find out if humans can have babies in space
Industry

China sends embryos into orbit to find out if humans can have babies in space

Artificial embryos sent to the Tiangong space station to study impact of zero-gravity on human development, CCTV reports China has sent artificial embryos to its space station to study whether humans could reproduce in zero gravity. The experiment was reported on Tuesday by state broadcaster CCTV. Project leader Yu Leqian said the main goal was to study the impact of gravity – and its absence – on early development, in preparation for eventual human settlement off Earth. Once the impact of the force on embryos was understood, scientists could develop interventions to control its effect, he told CCTV. Yu is a professor and investigator at the State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology of the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. “[We might] use certain technologies to mitigate the impact. This is our first attempt to answer [the questions]: Can humans survive and reproduce in space? I hope the answer is yes,” he said.

May 13, 2026
GEESPACE Satellite Network Enters Commercial Inflection Point: From Constellation to Monetization
Technology

GEESPACE Satellite Network Enters Commercial Inflection Point: From Constellation to Monetization

GEESPACE's low-orbit satellite network reaches commercial monetization stage, marking a new inflection point for China's commercial aerospace as satellite internet enters the 15th Five-Year Plan.

May 13, 2026
PL-Universe Robotics Unveils Industrial Embodied Intelligence Product Matrix 2.0
Technology

PL-Universe Robotics Unveils Industrial Embodied Intelligence Product Matrix 2.0

PL-Universe Robotics releases industrial embodied intelligence Product Matrix 2.0, including the world's first sub-millimeter precision data acquisition solution, targeting trillion-yuan industrial market.

May 13, 2026
Chinese company that tracked US bombers over Iran wears sanctions with pride
Industry

Chinese company that tracked US bombers over Iran wears sanctions with pride

MizarVision defiant after Washington imposes sweeping ban for publishing open-source images detailing Operation Fury activities The open-source intelligence (OSINT) start-up, formally known as Meentropy Technology Hangzhou Co Ltd, specialises in analysing data from commercial satellites and has conducted several observations of US military movements in recent months. It was added to the US Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list on Friday for publishing “open-source images detailing US military activity during Operation Epic Fury”. The company responded on Sunday, posting a recruitment advertisement on social media that prominently featured a screenshot of the US Treasury’s official sanctions notice alongside MizarVision job openings. “The outside world occasionally sends us a ‘surprise’, but we have always been the type to accept with a grin and keep charging forward,” the text reads. “If you believe in superiority through strength, love combat-grade engineering, know how to turn pressure into productivity – welcome to join us!” The company has not replied to queries from the South China Morning Post.

May 13, 2026
Cosmic order, political authority: the messaging in temple setting for Trump’s China visit
Industry

Cosmic order, political authority: the messaging in temple setting for Trump’s China visit

From Obama’s evening chats on Yingtai island in the grounds of Zhongnanhai to Trump’s tea reception in the Forbidden City, historic settings have long formed a symbolic backdrop to key moments in US-China diplomacy. As Trump prepares for his visit to China from Wednesday to Friday – the first by an American president in almost nine years – all eyes will not only be on the summit agenda, but also on the carefully choreographed details surrounding the reception, including sites featured in the...

May 13, 2026
Xiaomi YU7 GT Spotted Uncamouflaged in Cherry Red — Official Launch Set for End of May
Technology

Xiaomi YU7 GT Spotted Uncamouflaged in Cherry Red — Official Launch Set for End of May

Xiaomi YU7 GT spotted on public roads without camouflage in cherry red colorway, with official launch scheduled for end of May — 1,003 PS, 300 km/h top speed.

May 13, 2026
Xi-Trump meeting could lift Chinese stocks 12%: Morgan Stanley
Markets

Xi-Trump meeting could lift Chinese stocks 12%: Morgan Stanley

‘Moderate’ upside is possible as investors ‘direct attention back to China somewhat’, assuming trade truce is extended, bank says The bull case stretches to 27 per cent for the MSCI China gauge if the bilateral relationship improves and China breaks out of its deflation cycle. “We believe moderate index level upside is possible” based on the truce continuing, said the investment bank’s equity strategists. Investors would “direct attention back to China somewhat, after being occupied by the Middle East/Hormuz situation”, as well as the AI-related “supercycle” that had been making neighbouring markets such as South Korea, Taiwan and Japan “stand out more”, they said.

May 13, 2026
Japan aims to set first new global standard for second in 63 years
Economy

Japan aims to set first new global standard for second in 63 years

Instrument maker Shimadzu and others to use optical lattice atomic clock Shimadzu President Yasunori Yamamoto speaks next to BIPM Director Annette Koo and Riken President Makoto Gonokami May 12 in Kawasaki, Japan. (Photo by Akitoshi Sugiura) TOKYO/KYOTO, Japan -- A new type of atomic clock developed in Japan is close to being adopted as the tool for measuring the official length of a second.

May 13, 2026
Hong Kong activist investor Oasis reports 5.4% stake in Japan’s Kanadevia
Economy

Hong Kong activist investor Oasis reports 5.4% stake in Japan’s Kanadevia

Japanese engineering group Kanadevia's products include energy and desalination equipment. (Photo by Arisa Moriyama) OSAKA -- Hong Kong-based investment firm Oasis Management owns more than 5% of Japanese engineering group Kanadevia, according to a securities filing Tuesday.

May 13, 2026
The AI space race: US and China bet big on orbital data centers
Economy

The AI space race: US and China bet big on orbital data centers

The U.S. and China are both looking to space as the next frontier in data center construction. © NASA Asia supply chain gears up as Google, Nvidia and startups shoot for the stars PALO ALTO, California/TAIPEI -- Travis Beals spent two years trying to dismiss an idea that his Google colleague came up with: putting data centers in space, powered by the sun.

May 13, 2026
Japan’s Murata rewards in-house innovators to keep global capacitor lead
Economy

Japan’s Murata rewards in-house innovators to keep global capacitor lead

Electronics maker owns 40% market share for multilayer ceramic capacitors Multilayer ceramic capacitors are tiny parts that are essential for circuits in electronic devices. (Murata Manufacturing) KYOTO, Japan -- Murata Manufacturing looks to maintain its global lead in multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) over Chinese and South Korean rivals by focusing on intellectual property, boosting its rewards program for employees whose inventions lead to patents.

May 13, 2026