1. (Xinhua) The number of Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) companies has surged from just over 1,400 to more than 5,000 in the past five years, according to data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology at the World Smart Industry Expo in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.  

    China has set up over 40,000 smart factories, 11 national pilot zones for AI innovation and application, as well as 17 national demonstration zones for intelligent connected vehicle testing, said Xin Guobin, vice minister of industry and information technology.  

    Xin added that a 60-billion-yuan (about 8.4 billion U.S. dollars) national AI industry investment fund has been launched, accompanied by rules on AI ethics, China-BRICS center for AI development and cooperation, and over 240 standards for core AI technologies.

    The China Internet Development Report 2021 noted that in 2020, there were only 1,454 AI companies in the country.  

    China has placed strong emphasis on promoting its AI industry. In 2017, the State Council released a development plan for the next generation of AI. This August, it followed up with guidelines on advancing the "AI Plus" initiative, designed to accelerate the building of an intelligent economy and a smart society characterized by human-machine collaboration, cross-sector integration, and shared innovation.  

    "The healthy development of China's AI industry derives from drawing on the valuable experience of early movers, and making full use of self-advantages like abundant data resources, a complete industrial system, broad application scenarios, and vast market potential," said Wan Gang, president of the China Association for Science and Technology.

    Source: Xinhua  2025-09-08 17:00:15

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  2. (Xinhua) Shanghai's Pudong New Area, China's first artificial intelligence (AI) innovation pilot zone, inaugurated the Zhangjiang AI innovation town on Tuesday, aiming to cluster 1,000 new AI enterprises by 2030, targeting a 100 billion yuan (about 14.08 billion U.S. dollars) industry scale and establishing a globally influential AI innovation hub.  

    Located in Zhangjiang Science City's core, the 2-square-km town integrates R&D, ecology, application, and living spaces. It features 700,000 square meters of industrial areas and 1 million square meters of supporting facilities, such as conference halls and residential zones, all designed to promote a synergistic AI ecosystem.  

    Zhu Hui, general manager of Shanghai Zhangjiang Sciengate Towers Technology Development Co., Ltd., said that the Zhangjiang AI innovation town will integrate municipal and district-level policy efforts, enhance AI industry clustering advantages, establish a comprehensive support system, promote industrial upgrading, assist Pudong in building a world-class AI cluster, and contribute to Shanghai's high-quality development.  

    Ten high-quality development policies were also released to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship in Zhangjiang, offering subsidies such as computing power vouchers and support for public service platforms. A 2-billion-yuan seed fund set up by Pudong will partner with more than 20 institutions to provide full-lifecycle capital services.

    Source: Xinhua 2025-09-17 15:11:18

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  3. (China Daily) China will boost consumption and improve regulations to ensure steady and high-quality growth of the automobile industry as it faces challenges such as disorderly competition during rapid development, officials noted at an industry forum recently.  

    Guo Shougang, an official at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said China will optimize tax incentives for new energy vehicles and promote the adoption of NEVs in rural areas, at the International Forum (TEDA) on Chinese Automotive Industry Development held in Tianjin in mid-September.  

    These measures are part of a new plan to stabilize growth in the auto industry for 2025-26, issued by MIIT and seven other government departments a day before the forum.

    The plan targets 32.3 million in vehicle sales in 2025, below the 32.9 million units projected for the year by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. For NEVs, the target is 15.5 million units, up 20 percent year-on-year from 2024 levels. CAAM's NEV forecast was 16 million units.  

    The plan also addresses unruly competition in the industry, which proposes strengthening cost investigations, price monitoring, and product consistency checks, while urging key manufacturers to honor payment term commitments.  

    Major Chinese automakers, including BYD, SAIC, Changan, and Chery, have responded positively to this initiative and established clear rules to make timely payments to suppliers.

    Geng Hongzhou, an official with the Ministry of Commerce, said that the MOC will use reform measures to eliminate restrictive measures that hinder automobile consumption, shifting from managing purchases to managing usage, and foster new growth in automobile consumption innovatively.  

    As of Sept 10, the number of applications for automobile trade-ins, a policy allowing consumers to exchange old cars for new ones with subsidies, reached 8.3 million this year, according to Geng.  

    Data from the CAAM shows that from January to August, car production and sales reached 21.05 million and 21.13 million units respectively, with a year-on-year growth of 12.7 percent and 12.6 percent.

    NEVs, as the main growth driver, saw sales of 9.62 million units, a year-on-year increase of 36.7 percent. NEVs accounted for 45.5 percent of total new car sales — far exceeding MIIT's 2020 target, which aimed for NEVs to make up around 20 percent of total new car sales by 2025.  

    Ouyang Minggao, a professor at Tsinghua University, highlighted that China has entered the era of intelligent electric vehicles, where electrification and autonomous capabilities will reshape the industry.  

    He predicted that NEV sales in 2025 will exceed 15 million units. After that, the sector will enter a steady period with the year-on-year growth declining but NEV ownership rising. By 2030, China's NEVs on the road are expected to reach 100-160 million units.

    The year 2025 marks the end of China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period. Looking back, the industry's breakthroughs in scale expansion and green transformation can be glimpsed from data provided by Li Tianwei, an official with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.  

    He noted at the forum that during the five years, China's vehicles rose by 25 percent, while nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds emissions fell by 31 and 13 percent respectively. The share of outdated heavy-duty trucks dropped from 59 percent in 2020 to 30 percent in 2024, and new energy heavy truck sales increased from less than 1 percent in 2020 to 18 percent by August 2025.  

    An Tiecheng, chairman of the China Automotive Technology and Research Center, said that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China's auto industry shifted from "being large in scale" to "being strong in competitiveness". But it still faces challenges, including bottlenecks in automotive-grade chips, insufficient vehicle-road-cloud collaboration capabilities, and international trade barriers.

    Looking ahead to the next period, An proposed priorities which include boosting independent innovation, advancing intelligent connectivity and deepening international cooperation.  

    "The next period will undoubtedly be a critical phase for Chinese automakers to evolve into global players," said Wu Huixiao, CTO of Great Wall Motor.  

    "Globalization will no longer be limited to simple product exports, but rather an ecosystem-based global expansion encompassing technology, brands, manufacturing, supply chains, and cultural values," she said at the forum.

    The auto industry is expected to enter a phase of steady refinement and advancement over the next five years. Stability is not about being slow; it's about returning to the essence of car manufacturing and seeking a leap in systemic capabilities under a long-term approach, Wu said.  

    This requires Chinese automakers to respond to market conditions and regulatory requirements, understand preferences in diverse markets, and achieve a comprehensive layout in R&D, production, supply chains, and brand building, she added.

    Source: By Cao Yingying | China Daily | Updated: 2025-09-22 09:58

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  4. (Xinhua) Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang has called for leveraging scientific and technological innovation to drive industrial innovation and building central China's Hunan Province into a national hub of advanced manufacturing.  

    Ding, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection tour in the province on Tuesday.  

    He visited an advanced technology research institute and an audio-visual laboratory in the province, urging new-type research institutes to adopt market-oriented operations and further unleash innovation vitality. Additionally, he highlighted the role of digital empowerment and intelligent transformation in cultural development to foster new cultural business forms that feature modern technologies.

    The vice premier also inspected the development and large-scale application of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. He stressed an unswerving commitment to independent innovation, synergistic development between the BeiDou system and satellite internet, and deeper integration with artificial intelligence and the low-altitude economy to expand application scenarios across key industries and into consumer markets.  

    While visiting local intelligent manufacturing facilities, Ding underscored the need to develop specialty industrial clusters in line with local conditions, and build a modern industrial system with advanced manufacturing as its backbone.  

    Ding also called for efforts to bolster technological innovation by enterprises and leverage disruptive innovation to promote the high-end, smart and green development of industries.

    Source: Xinhua  2025-09-25 17:12:15

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  5. (Xinhua) The Shenzhou-20 taikonaut crew on China's orbiting space station completed their mission's fourth round of extravehicular activities on Friday morning, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).  

    The trio -- Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie -- worked for approximately six hours and had completed all tasks by 1:35 a.m. (Beijing Time), assisted by the space station's robotic arm and ground-based researchers.  

    Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, tasked with conducting spacewalk operations, completed the installation of space debris protection devices and the inspection of external equipment, the CMSA said.

    The agency noted that this marked the first time that two members of China's third batch of taikonauts had jointly carried out a spacewalk.  

    To date, the orbiting Shenzhou-20 crew has completed four rounds of extravehicular activities -- making it one of the two Chinese crews to have conducted the most extravehicular missions.  

    The Shenzhou-20 crew has been in orbit for more than 150 days. As planned, they will also carry out a large number of scientific experiments and technological tests.  

    The three taikonauts will celebrate the upcoming National Day (Oct. 1) and Mid-Autumn Festival (Oct. 6) on the Chinese space station Tiangong, the agency said.

    Source: Xinhua  2025-09-26 10:39:45

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  6. (Xinhua) China proposed the AI+ International Cooperation Initiative at a high-level meeting on the Global Development Initiative held on Tuesday.  

    The following is the full text of the initiative:

    Artificial Intelligence (AI) is inherently empowering. It represents not only a technology upgrade, but also a systematic and comprehensive transformation with profound implications. It also plays a vital role in advancing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. China maintains that consistent with the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, efforts should be made to promote deep integration of AI into the economic and social development, develop new quality productive forces at a faster pace, ensure that high-quality development and greater security reinforce each other, and bring the benefits of AI to people of all countries, including the Global South.  

    To this end, China calls upon all countries to proactively carry out AI+ campaigns in light of their national conditions, enhance policy exchange and practical cooperation, and share best practices and solutions on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit.

    I. Carrying out the "AI+ public well-being" campaign to raise the sense of fulfillment among people of all countries  

    We should harness AI to enhance public services, improve people's quality of life and provide solutions for issues concerning people's livelihood. In healthcare, we should use AI to promote disease prevention and control, pharmaceutical research, assisted diagnosis and telemedicine, expand the coverage of medical services in remote and underdeveloped regions, and improve global health. In education, we should use AI to promote equitable distribution of high-quality education resources, drive innovation in education and teaching, and boost education quality at a faster pace.  

    II. Carrying out the "AI+ technological advancement" campaign to stimulate the dynamism of global innovation

    We should harness AI to lead the paradigm shift in global technological innovation, shorten research and development cycles, propel new interdisciplinary studies and areas of research, seek breakthroughs in basic sciences, promote the integration and iteration of knowledge across disciplines, and help scientists and researchers bridge the gap between theory and practice, and push the boundaries of human knowledge.  

    III. Carrying out the "AI+ industrial application" campaign to shape new engines for future economy  

    We should harness AI to revitalize traditional industries, fuel the boom in emerging sectors, foster new business forms, models and applications, create more jobs, and inject fresh energy into economic growth. We should join hands to keep the industrial and supply chains stable, and foster a steady stream of innovations, continuous upgrade of industries, and release of more AI-enabled dividends.

    IV. Carrying out the "AI+ cultural prosperity" campaign to promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations  We should support the use of AI to inherit and promote the fine traditional cultures of all countries, and achieve creative transformation and innovative development. Technologies such as Al-enabled restoration, digital preservation and immersive exhibition can bring new life to the cultural treasures of all countries. 

    We should use AI to actively promote cultural communication and inter-civilization exchanges, enhance the affinity among people of all countries, and preserve the diversity of world civilizations and the unique culture of different countries.  

    V. Carrying out the "AI+ talents cultivation" campaign to build the foundation for future development  

    We should step up the joint development and sharing of AI education resources, promote talents exchanges to train AI talents equipped with digital literacy, innovation skills and a global vision, establish a system for the cultivation of AI talents, and help all countries enhance their ability to understand, accept and apply AI and better adapt to the evolving era.

    Source: Xinhua  2025-09-24 15:51:16

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  7. (China Daily) Chinese chipmaker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp, is running trials on the country's first domestically produced advanced chip-making equipment in an effort to challenge western rivals in producing artificial intelligence processors, the Financial Times reported.  

    The report quoted two anonymous sources as saying that SMIC is testing a deep-ultraviolet (DUV) lithography machine made by Yuliangsheng, a Shanghai-based start-up.  

    The ability to produce advanced DUV machines would represent a huge leap in China's efforts to strengthen its domestic chip-making industry. Due to the US government's control on chip exports, Chinese companies cannot access the most advanced lithographic machines made by the Dutch company ASML.

    SMIC was testing a Chinese-made 28 nanometers DUV lithography machine and utilizing so-called multi-patterning techniques to produce 7 nm chips, two people with knowledge of the development said, according to the Financial Times.  

    SMIC did not respond to requests for comment. Yuliangsheng was not immediately available for comment.

    Source: By Ma Si | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2025-09-24 14:21

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  8. (China Daily) The surging demand for higher computing power is driving the growth of China's liquid cooling sector, with global players such as Castrol seeing huge business opportunities, said a senior executive.  

    "Although traditional air cooling still dominates, the rising demand for GPUs (graphics processing units) driven by AI development requires much higher thermal efficiency and the future market will undoubtedly belong to liquid cooling, which offers far greater performance," said Peter Huang, global president of British lubricant supplier Castrol's thermal management and data center business.  

    From the chip perspective, Huang said some high-end GPUs may consume over 1,000 watts nowadays, comparable to household microwaves and ovens. When a single chip reaches this level, an entire cabinet can easily surpass 50 kilowatts, or even 100 kW, as seen in next-generation AI servers from Nvidia and Inspur.

    Liquid cooling helps manage heat generated by high-performance computing systems, servers and data centers — increasingly related to artificial intelligence — using a liquid medium.  

    "Such high-density cabinets can only rely on liquid cooling technology," Huang added.  

    According to the latest data from high-tech industry consultancy TrendForce, as cloud operators accelerate AI data center upgrades, liquid cooling penetration worldwide is forecast to rise from 14 percent in 2024 to 33 percent in 2025, with further growth ahead.  

    "When power reaches 70 to 80 kW, hybrid cooling is still possible, but beyond 100 kW, air cooling is ineffective and liquid solutions are the only way," Huang explained.

    It is now widely recognized by industry players that if a data center runs AI computing, about 70 percent of resources are allocated to GPUs and 30 percent to storage or cloud services, he added.  

    "With 70 percent of resources used for AI computing, at least 70 percent of equipment must adopt liquid cooling, showing great market potential for the new technology," he said.  

    In China, the liquid cooling server market is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 46.8 percent between 2024 and 2029, reaching $16.2 billion by 2029, said global market consultancy IDC.

    Huang described China's liquid cooling industry as being at a "critical and opportunity-rich stage".  

    "Most liquid cooling product lines start from hardware, and China is undoubtedly the best in the world in terms of design and manufacturing," he said. "The range of supplies and application scenarios is also very complete, which is why we attach such great importance to this market."  

    For example, in places such as Dongguan, Guangdong province, many refrigeration and air-conditioning companies are shifting to liquid cooling component manufacturing, contributing to a rather complete and mature supply chain, the executive added.

    However, Huang also pointed to challenges as the industry moves from a component focus to integration and new business models.  

    "Many companies are still at the stage of 'having a good product', but when it comes to design, deployment and meeting end-user needs, there is still room for integrated development. We see great potential in this area," he said.  

    In response, Castrol has introduced its end-to-end liquid cooling solutions first in the China market this month, covering deployment, operation, maintenance and upgrades across the full lifecycle.  

    "Leveraging China's supply chain advantages, we aim to build comprehensive solutions that directly serve end customers, where we see tremendous market opportunities," Huang said.

    Source: By Li Jiaying | China Daily | Updated: 2025-09-24 09:23

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  9. (Xinhua) A Chinese satellite constellation for Internet of Things (IoT) operations has deployed its first-phase network with 64 satellites, enabling real-time, global surface communications excluding polar regions.  

    It came after a rocket lifted off on Wednesday from the sea in East China's Shandong province, sending 11 Geely-06 satellites into a preset orbit.  

    Geespace, the private satellite arm of automaker Geely Holding Group, deployed its constellation with six launches from 2022 to 2025, delivering full satellite reliability and network availability.

    The constellation is designed to serve 20 million users worldwide, capable of handling up to 340 million messages per day. Serving up to 5 million high-frequency users and 15 million medium- and low-frequency users, it transmits 1,900-byte packets for text, voice and images.  

    The first-phase network is poised to expand to 72 satellites, thereby boosting capacity and enhancing service reliability. Geespace then plans to have 264 satellites in orbits in Phase Two for direct-to-smartphone links and 5,676 in Phase Three for global broadband. With its first phase complete, Geespace is planning to roll out commercial satellite-IoT connectivity worldwide.  

    Built for space-based connected-vehicle networks, the constellation enables real-time positioning and messaging, keeping cars continuously linked.

    Geespace has partnered with China Unicom, Geely Auto, and construction machinery giant Zoomlion to pilot satellite-IoT fusion in smart vehicles, marine fisheries, heavy machinery, and logistics.  

    Supported by the constellation, some Geely Zeekr and Galaxy electric vehicles now feature space communication. Users can send and receive messages via satellite when ground networks are disrupted.  

    China is now rapidly advancing the development of intelligent connected vehicle technologies. This pivotal platform integrates automotive technology with AI, information and communication, cloud computing, and big data, serving as the strategic compass guiding the global automotive industry's transformation.

    China Unicom, which secured the country's direct-to-phone satellite license in early September, conducted a field trial in February using Geely satellites, achieving two-way "vehicle-satellite-platform" links. This proved the worth of low-orbit satellites for connected cars and emergency communications.  

    For sectors like heavy machinery, the network can operate in a low-frequency, ultra-low-power mode, which cuts costs and extends battery life for satellite-supported devices. In emergencies, it's capable of switching to priority channels for instant response.  

    Globally, the space firm has signed agreements with telecommunications companies in more than 20 countries. In June 2024, the Geely constellation logged its first overseas commercial trial in Oman, according to Geespace.

    To mass-produce spacecraft, Geespace built an intelligent satellite gigafactory in the eastern Chinese city of Taizhou, reducing build time to 28 days, increasing output tenfold, and lowering costs.  

    Geespace has also established a joint laboratory with Peking University to develop next-generation communications and smart-computing technologies. An experimental satellite from the lab was launched on Wednesday.

    Source: Xinhua | Updated: 2025-09-25 15:38

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  10. (China Daily) China's J-20 fifth-generation fighter jet has outstanding stealth capability and can easily penetrate enemy air-defense networks, a senior designer said on Saturday, marking the first time that a project insider has given a detailed introduction about the world-class combat plane.  

    "The J-20's radar signature is extremely low, and its infrared characteristics are tremendously good. It can penetrate our adversaries' air-defense networks like a needle," Gong Feng, deputy chief designer at the Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, an Aviation Industry Corp of China subsidiary in Sichuan province, said at the People's Liberation Army Air Force Aviation Open-House Activity in Changchun, the capital of Jilin province.  

    Radar signature and infrared characteristics refer to physical properties of an aircraft that can be measured by radar searching for it. They are major elements that may expose an aircraft when it flies into the scanning range of enemy planes or ground-based air defenses. The lower the levels of radar signature and infrared characteristics, the less likely the aircraft can be detected by radar.

    Besides the stealth capability, the J-20 features strong combat prowess, Gong said.  

    "Its flight range is very long, which means the operational scope is substantially larger than those of fourth-generation planes. It has an advanced active phased array radar that gives it a target detection range much longer than those of fourth-generation jets," he said.  

    "The plane's multiple kinds of sensors can work together perfectly and complement each other, allowing for multidimensional situational awareness and accurate identification of targets. Moreover, its missiles can fly a very long distance. Together with smart strike management systems, they promise the J-20 a hit success rate that is much higher than those of previous jets," Gong added.

    In addition, the stealth fighter is able to team up with early-warning aircraft and unmanned planes to form a combat system, according to the designer.  

    "The J-20's deployment enables the Air Force to carry out not only defensive tasks but also offensive operations. The jet's excellent solo and joint combat power has resulted in the creation of new fighting patterns by the Air Force," he said.  

    He also noted that the integrated aerodynamic configuration of the J-20, which features a lifter body and two fully movable canards, also known as foreplanes, is an internationally pioneering design.

    Code-named the Mighty Dragon, the J-20 made its public debut in November 2016 at the 11th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, Guangdong province. It entered service with the Air Force later that year, becoming only the third stealth fighter jet in the world to enter service following the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II of the United States.  

    To date, there have been three models in the J-20 series: the baseline configuration, which is on display in Changchun; the J-20A, an upgraded single-seat variant that is equipped with new, more powerful domestically developed engines; and the twin-seat J-20S.  

    All of the three types took part in a flight performance during a grand parade earlier this month in Beijing.

    Source: By Zhao Lei and Liu Mingtai in Changchun | China Daily | Updated: 2025-09-22 07:18

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