China calls for AI funding, policies to surpass US

Artificial intelligence has made its way on to the agenda of the government’s annual political show in Beijing, urged on by the country’s business and technology elites China’s government is preparing for a war of sorts with the United States to claim the vantage point to define the technological trend for the next generation. At the annual meeting of China’s parliament this week, the usual Communist Party agenda of economic growth, social welfare, jobs, health care and pension made way for an unusual addition: a clarion call by some of China’s most influential business and technology leaders for the government to set policies to define what they consider the Next Big Thing.

Alibaba seeks $5 bln loan amid tech financing rush – Basis Point

An employee is seen behind a glass wall with the logo of Alibaba at the company’s headquarters on the outskirts of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, April 23, 2014. Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd is in talks with banks to raise $5 billion in new funding, sources told Thomson Reuters’ Basis Point, amid a flurry of fund-raising by China’s tech giants.

Robot offers legal assistance in central China

The robot, FaGouGou, is backed with 30 million cases and massive legal knowledge data, covering the criminal, labor, marriage and traffic fields, said Liu Qian, a co-developer. It provides consulting service for lawyers as well as customer data mining service.

Gazprom’s Medvedev Channels Mao in Quest to Sell China Gas

Gazprom PJSC deputy head Alexander Medvedev is taking solace in old sayings by the founding father of the People’s Republic of China as the natural gas giant pushes ahead with a plan to become its biggest supplier. “Do you know this Chinese saying ‘Hard work for three years, happiness for 10,000’?” Medvedev said in an interview, referring to a loosely translated version of a Mao Zedong slogan.

Robot adept in interpreting sign language developed in C China

Song Jiyuan poses with a robot adept in interpreting sign language at a makerspace of the National University Science Park of Henan Province in Zhengzhou, capital of central China’s Henan Province, Feb. 23, 2017. The robot, developed by Song Jiyuan, a student from mechanical engineering department of Zhengzhou University, and his classmates, can quickly interpret sign language as well as translating voice into sign language.

Region in China’s restive Xinjiang to track vehicles as anti-terror measure

China today beefed up security measures in its volatile Xinjiang province by making it mandatory for all vehicles to install a satellite navigation system similar to the GPS as part of an anti-terror initiative. All vehicles will be required by June 30 to install GPS-style tracking devices connected to China’s proprietary Beidou navigation satellite, “so they can be tracked wherever they go”, the state-run Global Times reported on Tuesday.

ITL Group celebrates 40 years of medical device manufacturing

Founded on 25th February 1977, the design and manufacturing partner for leading life-saving medical technology has enjoyed success on a global scale. As the “go-to” contract design, development, manufacturing and consultancy partner for some of the biggest names in MedTech, the ITL Group has established operations in Shanghai, China and Richmond, Virginia, USA, in addition to their headquarters in Ashford, Kent, UK.

Watchdog revises standards, begins regulatory process for online sales

Beijing was a hive of activity last week as regulators revised standards on an extensive range of food lines, and released draft regulations on online food services for public comment. First, the national food and drug watchdog announced its course of action after the State Council’s recently issued a national strategy on food safety as part of its the 13th Five-year plan, which will last until 2020.

China plans smart health and elderly care

China plans to develop the smart health and elderly care industry in the next four years to grants universal access to health management services and home-based elderly care, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said Thursday. According to an action plan jointly made by the MIIT, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Health and Family Planning Commission, China will build a smart health and elderly care industry with more than 100 industrial leading enterprises and a number of brands by 2020.

People’s Bank of China warns Bitcoin exchanges against margin trading and money laundering

China’s central bank has warned Bitcoin exchanges against margin trading and money laundering, in a further step to tighten regulation over the digital currency. An inspection team from the People’s Bank of China met and gave verbal warnings to company officials of nine Beijing-based Bitcoin trading platforms yesterday afternoon, according to a PBoC statement today.

Making China Great Again

Passing the TPP is as important to me as another aircraft carrier,” said former U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter two years ago, as the negotiations on the huge new free trade organization were nearing completion. Given that the United States already has twice as many aircraft carriers as the rest of the world put together, that comment could be taken several ways, but Mr. Carter meant that the TPP was strategically important in his eyes.

Link between human body clock and breast cancer risk discovered

Biologists in Britain have discovered a link between the human body clock and the risk of breast cancer, the University of Manchester announced Tuesday. Chinese-born Dr. Qing-Jun Meng and Professor Charles Streuli have discovered that breast tissues have 24-hour body clocks, and that several hundred genes are regulated in a daily cycle.

New future forged in the kilns of China’s Forbidden City

Fine goods: Visitors browsing products on display at a souvenir shop inside the Palace Museum at the Forbidden Cityi i . – Bloomberg BEIJING: For 600 years China’s emperors brought the finest porcelain vases and cups from the imperial kilns to Beijing’s Forbidden City, stamped with the royal seal.

EU asks China to open markets following free trade support

European Union ambassador to China Hans Dietmar Schweisgut speaks at a press conference in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017. The Schweisgut has welcomed its endorsement of free trade in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump’s promise to restrict imports and appealed to Beijing to lower its own market barriers.

Alibaba’s billionaire founder Jack Ma is returning to Australia

An employee is seen behind a glass wall with the logo of Alibaba at the company’s headquarters on the outskirts of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. The internet giant is ramping up its presence in Australia and New Zealand, opening its regional headquarters in Melbourne on February 4. It is understood that Ma will be the guest of honour when the Melbourne office is launched.

Trump Set for – Antagonistic’ China Relations, Citigroup Says

Donald Trump’s administration may be on course for a fraught relationship with China amid disputes over trade policy, according to Citigroup Inc., which warned the new U.S. government could introduce more protectionist measures against manufactured goods from Asia’s top economy. “There are growing signs that the Trump administration is heading for antagonistic relations with China,” the bank said in a report that examined how commodities including metals and farm goods may fare in the upcoming lunar year.

Online educator to hire 20,000 North American teachers by 2017

Entrepreneur Cindy Mi’s office sits in a building that used to be a Taoist temple in one of Beijing’s oldest hutong areas, but there’s nothing traditional about her startup. Formally known as Future VIPKID, the company founded in 2013 has built a rapidly growing business by allowing Chinese children to learn English at home via videoconferencing with North America-based instructors.

LeEco Billionaire Apologizes for Remarks on Share-Boosting

Leshi Internet Information & Technology Corp.’s shares climbed Friday after billionaire founder Jia Yueting apologized for making “inappropriate” comments about boosting the share price of LeEco’s main listed unit to 100 yuan. Jia’s remarks, made to investors at a public forum, was the latest slip-up for a technology conglomerate that in past months has struggled to deal with a cash squeeze, pay its suppliers and respond to criticism about its capital-intensive business model.

China’s first cargo spacecraft to leave factory

A review meeting was convened last Thursday, during which officials and experts unanimously concluded that the Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft had met all the requirements to leave the factory. The take-off weight of Tianzhou-1 is 13 tonnes and it can ship material of up to six tonnes.

Chinese premier takes economy’s temperature in talks with entrepreneurs and economists

Premier Li Keqiang has solicited opinions from company bosses and economists before drafting the fourth annual government work report for his first five-year tenure as he offered a glimpse into the thinking of the country’s economic affairs. According to Xinhua, the premier underscored the importance of improving the foreseeability and ensuring accuracy in policymaking during the meeting with the business elites and government think tankers on Friday, pledging to maintain a stable economic growth despite grappling with stern challenges from geopolitical risks and downbeat mood.

Way found to reprogram mouse embryonic stem cells

This undated photo provided by animal clone scientist Zhou Qi of the Institute of Zoology in Beijing shows the mouse Xiao Xiao or “Tiny” from the induced pluripotent stem cells in its three-month old. Two teams of Chinese researchers have created live mice from IPS cells, answering a lingering question about the developmental potential of the cells, according to a press release published online by Nature on July 23, 2009.

Exclusive: Alibaba, part of planned Taiwan fund, won’t seek board seats at local firms – source

An employee is seen behind a glass wall with the logo of Alibaba at the company’s headquarters on the outskirts of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, April 23, 2014. Alibaba Group Holding, which is awaiting regulatory approval for a $45 million fund it is participating in, has promised the Taiwanese government it will not take board seats at local firms the fund invests in, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.

Feature: New technology at CES 2017 gives glimpse of future life

In the 50th year of the International Consumer Electronics Show , new generation TV, autonomous driving, drones, robots, 3-D printing and virtual reality technology gave a glimpse of future life. This year’s CES held in Las Vegas between Thursday and Sunday attracted over 3,800 companies and 50,000 professionals from 150 countries and regions in the world.

First China-U.K. Freight Train Departs as Xi Seeks to Lift Trade

China initiated a rail-freight service to Britain as part of President Xi Jinping’s efforts to strengthen trade ties with Europe. The first train departed Yiwu in eastern Zhejiang province on Jan. 1 and will cover more than 12,000 kilometers in about 18 days before reaching London, China Railway Corp. said in a statement Monday.