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Thailand-China Investment Forum strengthens economic partnership

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. The Thailand-China (Sichuan) Investment and Economic Forum was held in Sichuan, southwest China, on July 18, bringing together government officials and business leaders from both countries. The event highlighted expanding cooperation in investment, artificial intelligence and technology. It featured the inauguration of the Thailand Board of Investment's Chengdu Office, marking a new milestone in China-Thailand economic cooperation.

July 18, 2026

Business

Tai Po fire inquiry panel to delay submitting final report to late October: source

‘We need more time to organise the evidence. There are many documents to review, much new material,’ source tells SCMP An independent committee examining the causes of Hong Kong’s deadly Wang Fuk Court blaze will delay submitting its final report to late October, a month later than expected, citing the need for more time to review documents, the South China Morning Post has learned. A source confirmed to the SCMP on Saturday that the judge-led panel’s final report was likely to be submitted to Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu in late October, rather than September as the committee’s nine-month investigation deadline had suggested. “We need more time to organise the evidence. There are many documents to review, much new material,” the source said. Set up in December last year, weeks after the inferno at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court had killed 168 people and displaced nearly 5,000, the independent committee was tasked with examining the fire’s cause, existing regulations, whether there were systemic problems concerning large-scale building renovation works in the city, and making suggestions on these areas.

July 18, 2026

Business

Why data may become China’s most durable advantage in the AI race

Accelerating buildout of national ecosystem of Chinese-language data has emerged as a ‘more winnable’ arena amid US tech restrictions Beijing has identified that layer as a new strategic frontier, accelerating the buildout of a national ecosystem of Chinese-language data for artificial intelligence (AI). The push covers everything from foundational text corpora and high-quality training datasets to technical standards and governance frameworks. The efforts have also become increasingly visible in recent months.

July 18, 2026

Business

China AI summit hears Global South needs equal access to avoid digital divide

Delegates at the World AI Conference in Shanghai warn fragmentation risks isolating emerging markets and concentrating advanced computing in rich economies Greater global cooperation and development-focused AI regulations are urgently needed to prevent a widening digital divide, scholars and international figures said at China’s premier AI conference on Saturday. “We need to build international consensus,” said Xue Lan, a prominent scholar of public policy and global AI governance and dean of the Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University, during a panel on Saturday. Xue called on international organisations to improve interoperability between national governance systems and prevent the fragmentation of global rules, while urging expanded cooperation between the Global South and the Global North. Meanwhile, representatives from developing economies cautioned that AI governance risked stifling early-stage progress in emerging markets. “Governance is not about regulating at the very beginning,” said Nambaryn Enkhbayar, former president of Mongolia, adding that nations had to first be able to seize technological opportunities and participate in the global AI economy.

July 18, 2026

Business

Chinese social media accounts ‘profit from leaking official corruption scandals’

‘Grey market’ exploiting legal loopholes has made prosecution difficult, state media report warns The trend had created a new challenge for Chinese law enforcement, state-run journal Banyuetan reported on Friday. One tactic involves posting an official’s resume as a coded signal that they are under disciplinary investigation, according to Banyuetan, which is affiliated with state news agency Xinhua. It cited a case from a year ago involving Zhou Xianwang – a former senior official from Hubei province. On July 6 last year, a private social media account published Zhou’s detailed career history. Just two days later, China’s top anti-corruption watchdog announced that he was under investigation. The sequence of events was far from coincidental or isolated, Banyuetan noted, but rather part of a lucrative grey market where leaked information is circulated and monetised through online networks.

July 18, 2026

Business

Sonam Wangchuk hospitalised after 21-day hunger strike over exam leaks

The 59-year-old Wangchuk has been fasting to demand the resignation of Modi’s education minister ‌over exam paper leaks that affected millions of students Authorities in India’s capital Delhi moved social activist Sonam Wangchuk to hospital against his will on Saturday, after his condition worsened on the 21st day of a hunger strike launched to demand the resignation of the federal education minister. Wangchuk, 59, had been fasting since June 28 in solidarity with India’s youth Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which is demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan step down ‌over exam paper leaks in May that affected millions of students. Wangchuk’s campaign has emerged as a rare public challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, drawing support across India and amplifying the activist’s demands through millions of views and shares on social media. Television footage on Saturday showed dozens of security personnel, some in plain clothes, holding large white sheets before Wangchuk was taken away. Wangchuk had told government doctors on Friday that he did not wish to be moved to a hospital. On Saturday, he was refusing treatment, hospital authorities said.

July 18, 2026

Business

AI-powered robots take over cotton topping

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. AI machines are replacing grueling manual labor during cotton topping season. Using 3D cameras & 108 robotic arms, the robot can work at a high temperature of 38°C, covering up to 600 acres of land daily. (Shang Jianglong contributed to this story.)

July 18, 2026

Business

Weather weapons: why the atmosphere could become the next geopolitical battleground

There is growing disquiet in several nations about how weather-manipulation tools are used in cross-border rivalries When devastating floods swept through Assam in northeastern India in 2018, the disaster quickly triggered a troubling question within New Delhi’s security corridors. As technology advances, could control over the weather become a tool of geopolitical pressure, or even a weapon? The project, which was first raised in 2016, aims to intercept and redirect atmospheric moisture across the Tibetan Plateau, but has triggered criticism both within China and abroad. “If this new system is introduced, there will surely be huge ramifications,” Sarma said, arguing that India could not afford to ignore the downstream effects of large-scale atmospheric manipulation. With China planning to expand its artificial rainfall capabilities across 5.5 million sq km (2.1 million square miles) – an area about 1.7 times the size of India – apparent regional speculation has evolved into a national security concern. With climate disasters becoming more frequent and destructive, from devastating typhoons in China to unprecedented floods that brought Dubai to a standstill, the sky is no longer just a symbol of climate change.

July 18, 2026

Business

3 arrested after 131kg of ketamine disguised as sugar cubes found in air cargo

Hong Kong customs intercept cargo from Germany with help from mainland authorities and find pails containing drugs worth about HK$51 million Hong Kong customs officers have arrested three men in connection with 131kg of suspected ketamine worth about HK$51 million (US$6.5 million), disguised as sugar cubes and found in air cargo transported to the city. Chiu Kai-wing, a senior investigator with the Customs and Excise Department’s drug investigation bureau, said on Saturday that officers had intercepted an air cargo consignment from Germany declared as containing sugar cubes on Tuesday, after exchanging intelligence with mainland Chinese authorities. “The syndicate exploited convenient logistics in the city, using a complicated and more expensive route to traffic drugs, in a bid to hide the goods’ origins and evade detection,” Chiu said. Customs officers discovered 131kg (289lbs) of suspected ketamine in the form of white crystals inside 17 of 117 plastic pails declared as containing sugar cubes. The suspected illegal drugs had an estimated value of around HK$51.4 million. Chiu said that the use of air transport, which is more expensive than road or sea freight, for low-cost goods such as sugar had aroused suspicions.

July 18, 2026

Business

Call to merge housing checking unit with Buildings Department after Tai Po fire

Some Wang Fuk Court residents question why team tasked with inspecting construction projects should remain under Housing Bureau Some residents left homeless by Hong Kong’s deadliest inferno in decades have called for merging the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit (ICU) with the Buildings Department after a public inquiry revealed communication failures between them. In recommendations submitted to the independent committee investigating the Wang Fuk Court fire, which were released on Saturday, legal representatives for nine residents said folding the ICU into the department would reduce regulatory overlap. “Given the systemic defects and collaborative failures as revealed by the fire, we recommend that the work of the Independent Checking Unit be handed to the Buildings Department, to reduce redundancy and avoid any errors caused by delays in information flow,” they said. The inferno that broke out at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on November 26 last year killed 168 people and displaced nearly 5,000. The eight blocks were undergoing renovation at the time. Following the disaster, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu ordered the establishment of the judge-led independent committee to investigate the cause of the fire.

July 18, 2026

Business

Hong Kong homebuyers snap up 138 Garden Regency flats in New Territories project

Top developer clears all units in weekend launch after offering a maximum 16 per cent discount Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP), Hong Kong’s largest developer by market capitalisation, has sold out the first batch of units at its Garden Regency project in the New Territories on Saturday, according to agents. By 3.30pm, all 138 flats the developer had launched in the Kam Tin North project in Yuen Long had found buyers, the agents said. “It’s been a while since we have seen the launch of a new project in Hong Kong,” said Norry Lee, senior director of projects strategy and consultancy at JLL. The slowdown in the launch of new projects in Hong Kong came amid an anticipated increase in interest rates in the second half of the year, with developers also expected to adjust their pricing strategy to boost sales. “I believe a potentially higher interest rate will slow the market,” Lee said. “But for Garden Regency, SHKP has already started with a lower price to counter the risk of a high-interest rate environment.” The first price list of the Garden Regency indicated a maximum 16 per cent discount on the flats, which ranged from 289 sq ft to 412 sq ft and were put on the market at HK$3.93 million (US$501,000) to HK$5.88 million.

July 18, 2026

Business

Why China’s approach is outperforming flashy narratives

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. Editor's note: Warwick Powell is an adjunct professor at Queensland University of Technology. This article reflects the author's opinion not necessarily those of CGTN's. Tourists taking photos and sightseeing at the Temple of Heaven, Beijing, China, June 9, 2026. /VCG In an era of relentless information warfare and competing global narratives, one might expect the side with the slickest messaging to dominate. Yet recent evidence suggests otherwise. A June 2026 Pew Research Center survey across 36 countries reveals a notable shift: In 25 nations, more respondents held favorable views of China than of the United States — the first time Pew has recorded this outcome in roughly two decades of tracking. China's favorability reached a median of around 46%, while the US sat at 36%. This reversal is particularly pronounced in middle-income and Global South countries. This outcome challenges assumptions about the supremacy of creative propaganda. China is not renowned for flashy public diplomacy.

July 18, 2026