China eyes chip-industry foothold with a tiny Han Xin code to challenge US standard

More than 74,000 people remained under evacuation orders in the Tokyo region as authorities warned of landslides and floods.

Cherie Geng is trying to free her husband, a pastor, who was among dozens of church members detained by the Chinese police. At the same time, she must rebuild her life in exile.

Japan’s prime minister will meet President Trump to discuss China’s economic and security pressure while also seeking to de-escalate tensions with Beijing.

Residents of a wide swathe of eastern Japan were picking up the pieces on Tuesday after Typhoon Dujuan tore through the area the previous day, causing extensive flooding, landslides, power outages, flight cancellations and at least four deaths. Nearly 2 million people were instructed to evacuate their homes in low-lying coastal areas, or be prepared to move at short notice, after the Japan Meteorological Agency had warned that the typhoon posed an “imminent threat to life”. While the evacuation...

Inside a brightly lit cleanroom at Chungbuk Semiconductor High School in South Korea, a group of teenagers in head-to-toe protective suits carefully handled silicon wafers, learning the same production processes used in commercial chip plants. About half of the school’s graduates head straight to large companies such as Samsung Electronics or SK Hynix without ever setting foot in a university classroom. The scene illustrates how South Korea’s semiconductor boom is beginning to challenge the...

Television maker Hisense Group Holdings’ optical communications unit made a strong debut in Hong Kong after raising HK$5.6 billion (US$714 million), adding momentum to a fresh wave of mainland Chinese conglomerates spinning off business units to tap overseas capital and support technology expansion. Shares of fibre-optic communications equipment maker Ligent Technologies jumped as much as 19.2 per cent on Tuesday morning, valuing the company at more than HK$35 billion. Following the initial...

Cambodia is set to present the outcome of its crackdown on scams to global governments and security agencies gathering in Phnom Penh this week. Yet questions remain over where the missing billions have gone – as well as the role of the country’s elite, who for many years denied the problem existed at all on Cambodian soil. Scam compounds took over declining mega-casinos during the pandemic. As borders closed, gamblers were replaced with scam workers: many tricked, trafficked and forced to commit...

Alibaba Group Holding has introduced what it called China’s most powerful artificial intelligence chip and teased plans to train an AI model with up to 10 trillion parameters, as top executives reaffirmed the tech giant’s ambition to pursue artificial superintelligence (ASI). Speaking at the company’s annual Apsara Conference in Hangzhou on Tuesday, group chairman Joe Tsai highlighted Alibaba’s commitment to building end-to-end capabilities. “Alibaba is firmly investing in building full-stack AI...

Believing that a lorry driver in the same neighbourhood had punctured his tyres, a private-hire driver twice left urine and faeces outside his neighbour’s flat in Singapore. Martin Chua Kim Soon, a 67-year-old Singaporean, was fined S$5,000 (US$3,920) by a court on Tuesday. He paid the fine in full after pleading guilty to two counts of insulting behaviour under the Protection from Harassment Act. The court heard that Chua was a private-hire driver with Tada at the time of the offences and lived...

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. South Korean killer’s drone escape from Philippine prison foiled by test footage A South Korean crime lord convicted of murder in the Philippines reportedly planned to escape prison by strapping himself to a drone – until his own accomplice’s rehearsal footage gave the...

Chinese fintech giant Ant Group has revamped its online payments operations by creating a new business group for Alipay, as it sharpens its artificial intelligence focus on “agentic commerce” to drive new growth. Ant, an Alibaba Group Holding affiliate, merged its Digital Payment Business Group, Alipay Business Group and Zhima Credit Business Group into a new business unit dedicated to Alipay, according to an internal letter from CEO Cyril Han Xinyi on Monday, as reported by Chinese media outlet...