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☆ Tesla clears another hurdle to launching full self-driving in China
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-10 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —Tesla is one step closer to launching full-self driving (FSD) technology in China after it clinched an agreement with Baidu to upgrade its mapping software. The Chinese tech giant said Saturday that it was providing lane-level navigation services for Tesla cars. China’s answer to Google has been been providing mapping services to Tesla since 2020. It could also accelerate Tesla’s global development of its self-driving technology, as data from China could be used to train Tesla’s algorithms needed for fully autonomous vehicles. “Tesla’s (own) navigation system can finally be used.”Introducing the FSD system could provide a revenue boost to Tesla, which is having a tough time in China.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Tesla, Elon Musk’s, ” Baidu, Tesla, ”, Elon Musk, ” Tesla, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Baidu, “, Google, ” CNN, CNN, Weibo, Tesla Locations: China, Hong Kong

☆ Chinese trade group seeks drone jammers for Russian buyers
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —A Chinese government trade body has sought drone detectors and jammers for apparent Russian buyers, adding to concerns that Beijing may be supplying dual-use technology to Moscow. They are known for being used by the Russian army during its 2022 invasion of Ukraine to identify drone activity. He told CNN by phone that it was removed because it was “improper.” CNN has also reached out to the Yunfu trade association for comment. Mastro said she is “not particularly surprised” that local Chinese governments would help Russian companies seek drone equipment. Last week, the US warned it could act against Chinese firms and financial institutions in response to Beijing’s alleged backing of Russian war efforts.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Volodymyr Zelensky, “, ”, Oriana Skylar Mastro, Stanford University’s Freeman, Mastro, doesn’t, Antony Blinken, Washington Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Guangdong Provincial Association, Promotion of, province’s Commerce Department, Assel Labs, 3MX, City’s Association, Promotion of International Trade, United, CNN, US, Stanford, Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, Moscow, Guangdong, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, United States, Singapore, “ Beijing

☆ As China’s Internet Disappears, ‘We Lose Parts of Our Collective Memory’
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Li Yuan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Chinese people know their country’s internet is different. They use euphemisms online to communicate the things they are not supposed to mention. Now they are discovering that, beneath a facade bustling with short videos, livestreaming and e-commerce, their internet — and collective online memory — is disappearing in chunks. “The Chinese internet is collapsing at an accelerating pace,” the headline said. Predictably, the post itself was soon censored.

Organizations: YouTube, Facebook Locations: WeChat

☆ Beijing Claims U.K. Recruited Chinese State Officials as Spies
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Daisuke Wakabayashi | Claire Fu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

China’s top security ministry accused Britain’s MI6 intelligence agency on Monday of persuading a married couple working for unnamed central Chinese government bodies to become spies for the British government, the latest in a volley of continuing espionage accusations between the two countries. The Chinese ministry said MI6 trained Mr. Wang to become a spy and ordered him to return to China to gather intelligence. It said that his wife, who has the surname Zhou, also agreed to spy for Britain. China said the matter was under further investigation, but it is not clear whether the couple are being detained by the Chinese authorities. This is the latest in a series of back-and-forth espionage accusations between Beijing and London, a source of escalating tension between the two countries.

Persons: Wang, Zhou Organizations: China’s Ministry of State Security Locations: British, Britain, China, Beijing, London

☆ China claims married couple working for government spied for UK’s MI6
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —China on Monday accused Britain of recruiting a married couple employed by the Chinese central government to spy for its MI6 intelligence service, as the two countries trade allegations of espionage. Those charges in the United Kingdom came after China’s MSS said in January it had detained the head of a foreign consultancy who had allegedly spied for MI6. Under Xi Jinping, China’s most authoritarian leader in decades, the country’s notoriously secretive spy agency has drastically raised its public profile and broadened its remit. In its latest statement Monday, the MSS detailed its allegations against the married couple. According to the MSS, foreign spies are omnipresent and infiltrating everything – from mapping apps to weather stations.

Persons: Hong, Xi, Wang, “, –, Zhou, ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Ministry of State Security, Conservative Party, China’s, ”, CNN, Britain’s Foreign, Secret Intelligence Service, CIA Locations: Hong Kong, China, British, United Kingdom, Britain

☆ China’s growing e-commerce market is creating a new set of winners
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"Improving domestic ecommerce market share should lead to better monetization eventually," Yao said. The investment firm expects Douyin to match PDD's market share of 21% next year, and surpass it by reaching 22% in 2026. Tencent's WeChat Video Account platform is expected to retain about 2% to 3% of GMV market share through 2026, the Goldman analysis said. The video streaming platform last month reported e-commerce GMV grew by 28.2% year-on-year in the first quarter to 288.1 billion yuan ($40,55 billion). The firm forecasts Kuaishou's e-commerce GMV revenue will grow by 25% this year, although livestreaming revenue — which has accounted for about a third of total revenue — is expected to drop due to a high base.

Persons: James Yang, Bain, Joe Tsai, Emily Tan, Yang, Alibaba, Goldman Sachs, Ronald Keung, David Ma, China's, Morgan Stanley, Eddy Wang, Kenneth Fong, JD, David Beckham, Alex Yao, monetization, Yao, Tmall's GMV, Douyin, Alibaba's, Tencent's, Goldman, Sophie Huang, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Bain and Company, PDD Holdings, Goldman, UBS, JPMorgan China, ByteDance, Hong Locations: China, Hong Kong, Asia, U.S, Alibaba, 2Q24, 2Q24E

☆ China made so many solar panels that even its own grid can't support all the energy produced
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China has made a lot of solar panels, dramatically lowering prices and helping the country's clean-energy transition. The problem is that Chinese manufacturers seem to have made too many solar panels, according to the US, the European Union, and their allies. China's facing its own overproduction problem at home following a breakneck pace of growth in solar energy — one key pillar of the country's "new three" economic drivers. Germany's energy prices are under pressure from too much solar energyIt's not just China getting hit by an excess of solar energy. Germany, too, has been producing so much solar energy that energy prices have fallen into negative territory when output peaks.

Persons: They're, Joe Biden, David Fishman Organizations: Service, European Union, Business, Reuters, Bloomberg, West, Longi Green Energy Technology, China Photovoltaic Industry Association, Lantau Group Locations: China, Beijing, overcapacity, Germany, that's

☆ Rich Chinese millennials are creating new status symbols. Here are 11 ways they are redefining luxury.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Alexandra Bacon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Rich millennials in the US have been known to splash out on their pets, new laundry rooms, and expensive coffee machines. And over in China, rich millennials have their own ideas of what counts as a luxury status symbol. AdvertisementExpect to see these rich millennials mixing luxury casual wear like T-shirts and sneakers with traditional luxury brands, Banta told BI. And getting regular aesthetic treatments has become a top priority for affluent millennials, Banta told BI. Independent luxury brands that offer more authentic products and those that draw on cultural heritage are also highly in demand, she said.

Persons: —, they've, Rich millennials, They've, Claudio Lavenia, Louis Vuitton, Daniel Langer, Amrita Banta, Budrul Chukrut, Elisa Harca, Ant Asia, Mary, Kate, Ashley Olsen, prioritizes, Harca, Banta, JUAN BARRETO, Olivia Plotnick, Port Ellen, Alexandra Bacon, Ewan Andrew, Langer, Black Pearl, JOHANNES EISELE, Olivier Morin, Plotnick, Tom Dixon, Potnick, Gen, Gabriella Tegen, Gen Z Organizations: Service, Business, Pepperdine University, Research, Getty, JUAN BARRETO Travel, Wai, Social, Diageo, Michelin, China Morning, Meituan, Clover, Bloomberg, Clover Suites, China News Service, McKinsey, Brands, Independent Locations: China, Antarctica, Iceland, Shanghai, Port, Scotland, That's, Harca, Singapore, Banta, millennials

☆ Apple desperately needs its Next Big Thing
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Paris Marx | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

But after a decade of doing that, iPhone sales are slowing, revenue is down, and the company, again, needs to find its next big thing. Apple's own outlook suggests poor iPhone sales will persist, especially as sales in China rapidly decline. The drawbacks of Cook's divestment from product design and development are now becoming clearer. Both the EU and the US cases would also make some people more likely to switch to a cheaper phone, which would threaten iPhone sales even further. The drawbacks of Cook's divestment from product design and development are now becoming clearer.

Persons: Steve Jobs, Jobs, Apple, Tim Cook, Cook, haven't, Steve, Tripp Mickle, Jony Ive, we've, wouldn't, Let's, aren't, Peter Kafka Organizations: Apple, Apple Watch, IBM, Google, EU, Bloomberg, Nasdaq, Business Locations: China, Asia, India, Indonesia

☆ Chinese journalist imprisoned for her Covid reporting due to be released after four years
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —A Chinese citizen journalist who has been behind bars for four years over her reporting on the initial Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan is due to be released Monday after serving her sentence, according to supporters and a court verdict. Zhang is due to finish her sentence on Monday, according to the court verdict on her case obtained and published by human rights groups. In the lead-up to her expected release on Monday, supporters and rights groups have called on the Chinese government to free Zhang on schedule. Failing healthThe 40-year-old has been on multiple hunger strikes since being detained and her health conditions have sparked concerns from supporters and rights groups. During a previous hunger strike, Amnesty International alleged Zhang was shackled and force fed, treatment the group said amounted to torture.

Persons: Zhang Zhan, ”, Zhang, ’ ”, Zhang’s, “, ” Zhang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Twitter, YouTube, Amnesty International, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, CNN, Foreign Ministry Locations: Hong Kong, Wuhan, Shanghai, China

☆ Qu Jing: Baidu’s PR chief sparks a PR nightmare for the Chinese tech giant
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hong Kong CNN —Chinese search engine giant Baidu has found itself in a public relations crisis, thanks to its own PR chief. Qu, Baidu's vice president and head of communications, has sparked backlash over her comments endorsing a tough workplace culture. China’s young workers have increasingly spoken out against the harsh workplace culture that has come to dominate many industries. Qu had asked all members of the PR team to create their personal accounts, according to the person, who requested anonymity. A former Baidu employee said Qu brought Huawei’s aggressive corporate culture with her to Baidu.

Persons: Qu Jing, Qu, I’m, ” Qu, “, ”, Jing, China’s, Ivy Yang, ” Yang, Alibaba, Jack Ma, Ma, Baidu, Cristina Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Baidu, Xinhua, Huawei, CNN Locations: China, Hong Kong, Weibo

☆ Baidu's PR boss, who threatened to destroy workers' careers, has reportedly left the company
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Qu Jing, executive at the Chinese firm, posted several videos online encouraging extreme work. In one video, she claimed she could destroy the careers of employees who failed to comply. In one video, reported by the FT, the Baidu PR executive said she expected employees to be prepared to travel for 50 consecutive days of business with her. In a post on WeChat, Baidu PR lead Qu acknowledged the criticism leveled at her, writing: "I deeply reflect on and humbly accept them." The system expected workers to put in toil from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week.

Persons: Qu Jing, —, Qu, Jack Ma —, Elon Musk Organizations: Service, Baidu, FT, Weibo, Twitter, Economic, CNN Locations: Beijing, China

☆ Taiwan says Chinese planes crossed median line, China carries out landing drills
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Taiwan's defense ministry said on Friday it had detected a renewed incursion by Chinese military aircraft across the sensitive Taiwan Strait, as China reported its navy had carried out combat drills with landing craft. Taiwan's defense ministry said on Friday it had detected a renewed incursion by Chinese military aircraft across the sensitive Taiwan Strait, as China reported its navy had carried out combat drills with landing craft. The median line is used to serve as an unofficial border between the two sides, but Chinese military aircraft now regularly cross it. Taiwan said on Thursday that China had carried out a "joint combat readiness patrol" near the island for the second time in a week. China's defense ministry did not answer calls seeking comment on Friday, the country being in the middle of its Labor Day holiday.

Organizations: Labor, Eastern Theatre Command, Liberation Army Locations: Taiwan, China, Beijing, Taipei, Keelung

☆ Huawei SUV crash kills three in China's Shanxi province, says state media
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

AITO Automobile, a Huawei-backed new energy vehicle brand, is investigating the incident in collaboration with the local traffic police department, the company said in a statement released on its WeChat and Weibo public social media accounts on Sunday. Three people, including a two-year old boy, died after a Huawei-backed Aito M7 SUV burst into flames following a crash with a truck on a highway in the Chinese city of Yuncheng in the northern province of Shanxi, state media said. Aito Automobile, a Huawei-backed new energy vehicle brand, is investigating the accident along with traffic police, the company said on its WeChat and Weibo public social media accounts on Sunday. Video on social media showed bystanders trying to break the window and door of the SUV as it was lodged under the truck with the front of the vehicle engulfed in flames. The Aito M7, made by Huawei in partnership with Seres Group , was launched in 2022, with Huawei providing technology for the vehicle and help with marketing.

Persons: Aito Organizations: AITO, Huawei, Aito, Seres Group Locations: Yuncheng, Shanxi

☆ US court sentences Chinese citizen to prison for threatening person who promoted democracy in China
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Rob Frehse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Xiaolei Wu, 26, who attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, was convicted in January of one count of cyberstalking and one count of interstate transmissions of threatening communication, prosecutors said. Wu is no longer enrolled as a student at Berklee College of Music, the school told CNN Wednesday. CNN previously reported that Wu allegedly sent threatening messages to a person who posted a flier on or near the college campus supporting Chinese democracy, according to the complaint. “Post more, I will chop your bastard hands off,” Wu reportedly said on WeChat, a Chinese messaging app. Charging documents allege Wu reported the person to the Chinese government and told them its representatives would “greet” their family members.

Persons: Xiaolei Wu, Wu, ” Wu, Joshua S, Levy, Wu’s, ” Levy, “ Mr, ” Organizations: CNN, US, Berklee College of Music, Federal Public, Office, “, United, People’s, Berklee, Department, Justice Locations: China, Massachusetts, Boston, People’s Republic of China

☆ A 6-month Chinese-food festival is bringing authentic and flavor-packed cuisine to New York City's masses
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Xintian Tina Wang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

At New York's Dragon Festival, authentic Chinese brands and restaurants excite locals' taste buds. Its founder shared some of her favorite vendors of soup dumplings and candies at the opening event. "This doesn't taste like home," said Xu, a 31-year-old entrepreneur and the creator of New York City's Dragon Festival, the biggest Chinese-food festival in the metropolitan area. Jessie YuChen for BIChen said that confectioners in her home province of Fujian, China, caught her attention when she was younger. In 2006, inspired by the soup dumplings made popular by Shanghai's Nanxiang district, Ma opened his first New York City storefront.

Persons: —, Xu, Jessie YuChen, she's, Mila, Tang Hulu, I'm, Bu Tong, Ivy Chen, Dragon Lulu, Chen, Vivian Cao, confectioners, Emperor Guangzong, Michael Ma, Xiang Xiao Long Bao, Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao, Ma, Nan, bartenders, Coco, Xibei Yang Organizations: Service, Park, Dragon, Prospect, lollipop, Michelin, Chi Forest, Haidilao, BI Locations: New York, SoHo, Chinatown, Flushing, York City, Koreatown, Union, Chelsea, Washington, Kwa, Henan, Queens, Prospect Park , Brooklyn, Beijing, Fujian, China, Shanghai, York, Nanxiang, New York City, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Chi, Thai, Bangkok, Sichuan, Manhattan

☆ China sees foreign threats ‘everywhere’ as powerful spy agency takes center stage
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

But among the crowds you and I together are protecting national security,” the narrator concludes. Chinese soldiers look at a poster promoting national security in the southwestern city of Beihai on National Security Education Day on April 15, 2024. CFOTO/Future Publishing/Getty ImagesAccording to the MSS, foreign spies are omnipresent and infiltrating everything – from mapping apps to weather stations. But China’s spy agency has gradually stepped out of the shadows as Xi makes national security a key priority. “Shenyin Special Investigation Squad” is a comic series based on real-life counterespionage operations, according to China's spy agency.

Persons: –, “, ”, Xi, Xuezhi Guo, Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Xi Jinping, Greg Baker, Mao Zedong, Greitens, Chen Yixin, Chen, “ Chen, ” Greitens, Xi –, denigrate, Bain, Alex Plavevski, Guo, influencers, China’s, can’t, James Zimmerman, Perkins Coie, Zimmerman, ” Zimmerman Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, National Security Education, “, Ministry of State Security, National Security, Publishing, CIA, National, Education, Capitol, Guilford College, Asia, University of Texas, Getty, Communist Party, FBI, National Security Propaganda, CCTV, Ministry of State, China’s National Security Commission, Group, China Development Forum, Perkins Coie LLP, ”, MSS Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beihai, British, American, Beijing, Austin, AFP, Zhejiang province, Shanghai, New York, overreaching

☆ Oklahoma Was a Legal Marijuana Utopia. Then Came the Mass Murder
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Matt Stroud | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +32 min

Fourteen months after the murders, the garage of the abandoned marijuana farm on prairie tableland northwest of Oklahoma City sits frozen and dark. Broadway Avenue in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, about 30 miles south of where Wu Chen, 47, executed four people at a marijuana farm. When Oklahoma legalized medical marijuana, the only real requirement was that Oklahoma residents had to be involved in marijuana growing and selling. But Oklahoma required 75% of any marijuana business to be owned by an Oklahoma resident. Deputies from the Kingfisher County Sheriff's Office were the first to arrive at the scene of a quadruple homicide at an abandoned marijuana farm.

Persons: Wu Chen, Mike Simons, Kevin Stitt, Sean Hannity's, Dan Newhouse, Liu, Chen, Yi Fei Lin, Mark Woodward, —, OBN, Adria Berry, BI Adria Berry, I'm, Barb Miuccio, Jeremy Grable, Jeremy, Barb, she's, Barbara Miuccio, Treez, Matt Stacy, Stacy, Stitt, Jeremy they'd, he'd, OMMA, didn't, Barb didn't, Barbara, Stacy —, she'd, Stacy hadn't, BI Jonathan Riedlinger, Riedlinger, Lin, Qirong Lin, Hechun Chen, Qiang Chen, Fang Lee —, Wenbo Lin, Wu Chen —, Wenbo Lin didn't, Reidlinger, Jed Green, Matthew Alan Stacy, Barb —, — he's, He'd, Woodward, Helen Carillo, He's, Kevin Pham, Pham, BI Pham, ProPublica, recriminations, Green, It's, they're, I'd, Ken Thompson, Thompson, Chen didn't, He'll, Jonathan Riedlinger, Kiki, I've Organizations: Oklahoma City, Broadway, BI, Marijuana, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, Republican, Sean Hannity's Fox, Fox News, Chen Inc, Narcotics, BI Adria, Oklahoma's Army National Guard, OBN, Business, Oklahoma State Bureau of, Sheriff's, Prosecutors, CSI Accounting Services, Whitney Economics, NBC, Cannabis, Virginia Slim, Florida . Police Locations: Oklahoma, Kingfisher County , Oklahoma, Ames , Oklahoma, Kingfisher , Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, California, Arkansas, Republican Washington, China, Kingfisher County, Dallas, Moore , Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, He's, Moore, Kingfisher, Hennessey , Oklahoma, OMMA, Mexico, Edmond, Tulsa, Russia, Bulgaria, Armenia, Steakhouse, Virginia, Florida, Miami Beach, Miami

☆ Op-ed: The effusive China tour is a failing playbook for Apple, Tim Cook, and every CEO
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Dewardric L. Mcneal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

This ritual, epitomized by high-profile engagements — such as Apple CEO Tim Cook's effusive overtures and statements of commitments to China — signals that American corporate titans think the strategy can still work. Tim Cook's narrative of China as "critical" to Apple , coupled with his admiration for the country's advanced manufacturing capabilities, embodies the ethos of this engagement playbook. Apple's Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook attends the China Development Forum in Beijing on March 24, 2024. It's not that the Apple CEO is doing anything wrong. Chinese Apple superfans jostled to enter the smartphone maker's newest store as it opened on March 21 night.

Persons: Tim Cook's, Tim Cook, Pedro Pardo, Jim McNerney, Xi Jinping's, Mark Zuckerberg, Deirdre O'Brien, Strstr, Xi, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang Organizations: Apple, American, titans, U.S, Apple's, China Development Forum, AFP, Getty, Boeing, Airbus, Volkswagen, Qualcomm, Google, Facebook, Huawei, Afp Locations: China, Beijing, Weibo, Shanghai

☆ 3 ways Apple’s monopoly lawsuit could change the iPhone experience for fans
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Apple added that the lawsuit could empower the government “to take a heavy hand in designing people’s technology.”But if successful, the lawsuit could ripple across Apple’s products and services. Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImagesChanges to the App StoreIf found liable, the company could be forced to change a number of things. One such change is how iPhone users could get greater access to “super apps” that have been largely restricted before. More open servicesAnother likely change is how hardware from other companies, such as smartwatches, will interact with the Apple range of devices and software, including the iPhone and Apple’s services like Fitness+. But Apple’s success stems in part to its tight grip on its products and services, keeping things intuitive and seamless.

Persons: Biden, Apple, here’s, General Merrick Garland, Anna Moneymaker, Dipanjan Chatterjee, Forrester, ”, Chatterjee, it’s, David McQueen, ” McQueen, ” Chatterjee Organizations: CNN, Apple, Department of Justice, ”, Apple Watch, ABI Research Locations: Washington ,, innovating

☆ A UPenn student started a YouTube channel. In weeks, her face was stolen on China's social media.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

That message included a link to a video on Xiaohongshu, a social media platform rapidly gaining steam in China. The student started her self-empowerment channel in November and has so far published eight videos and seven YouTube Shorts. The Xiaohongshu deepfakes of other YouTubers do the same. In a matter of about 10 minutes, BI found deepfake videos of at least five caucasian women on Xiaohongshu. But at least one Chinese deepfake version of Blakely has a different agenda to share on Xiaohongshu.

Persons: —, Olga Loiek, Loiek, Vladimir Putin, Loeik, Weibo, someone's, Lyu Siwei, it's, Haibing Lu, they've, Xiaohongshu, Natasha, she's, Annie, Sophia Elena, Katyusha, China, Lana Blakely, Blakely, Elizabeth Filips, Serbia, Filips, Lyu, Vincent Conitzer, Conitzer, Lu, Lyu who's, he's, Roy, Ari Lightman, she'll Organizations: Service, Business, Kremlin, YouTube, WhatsApp, Facebook, Media, University at Buffalo, Santa Clara University, University of Pennsylvania, BI, Russia, Institute for, Oxford University, Social, Carnegie Mellon University Locations: Munich, China, Moscow, Ukraine, Santa, China's Heilongjiang, Germany, Xiaohongshu, Russian, Russia, Stockholm, Xiaohongshu London, Pakistan

☆ Xpeng to launch cheaper EV brand amid fierce China price competition
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Chinese electric-vehicle maker Xpeng announced plans to launch a cheaper brand, entering a highly competitive segment amid an intense price competition in the EV industry. Competition in China's EV market has intensified as companies race to cut prices, with market leader BYD spearheading a deeper round of price reductions. Xpeng said it will successively introduce models under the brand, which it did not name, each with different levels of intelligent driving capabilities. The new brand is dedicated to creating "the first AI-assisted driving car for young people," it said. Sales of battery-powered EVs in China slowed to 18.2% in the first two months of the year from 20.8% for all of 2023, according to the China Passenger Car Association.

Persons: Xiaopeng, BYD, Xpeng Organizations: Xpeng, EV, China Passenger Car Association Locations: Beijing, China

☆ China's richest man is under fire over conspiracy theories that say he's secretly promoting Japan
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

China's richest man is being targeted by nationalists who say he's not patriotic enough. AdvertisementZhong Shanshan, the richest man in China, has been beset this month by accusations from an online nationalist crowd that he isn't loyal enough to his country. Some think Nongfu Spring loves JapanThe hostility escalated this week into claims that Nongfu Spring was intentionally planting elements of Japanese culture into its product marketing. CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images and Jinhee Lee/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesAnother complaint accused Nongfu Spring of using a red bottle cap that resembles the Japanese flag. China's nationalist groups have been notorious for turning on typically celebrated figures and businessmen.

Persons: Zhong Shanshan, Zong Qinghou, —, Zhong, he's, Zong, Zhong Shuzi, Jinhee Lee, NurPhoto, Mr Zong, Hu Xijin, shouldn't, Hu, Li Guoqing, Li, Zong Fuli, Mo Yan Organizations: Service, Nongfu, Hong, Hangzhou Wahaha, Hangzhou Wahaha Group, Getty Images, Weibo, Mount, Publishing, Getty, Global Times, The Global Times, Rongsheng Petrochemical, China Newsweek, China News Service, Business Locations: Japan, China, Hong Kong, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, American, Tokyo, Mount Fuji

☆ Nongfu Spring: Bottled water empire of China’s richest man Zhong Shanshan is facing a boycott by nationalists
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Zhong and his drinks firm Nongfu Spring, the country’s biggest maker of bottled water, are the latest targets of an army of internet zealots. WeiboThe nationalists have also highlighted the fact that prominent US investment funds, including Vanguard and BlackRock, are major shareholders of Nongfu Spring. “Taking advantage of Mr Zong’s death, a lot of slander against me and Nongfu Spring appeared on the internet. “Whether Wahaha or Nongfu Spring, we always insist on the same thing — producing good products for the people,” he said. Nongfu Spring is just the latest major target of China’s nationalists.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Zhong Shanshan, Zhong, Zong Qinghou, Zong, Zhong’s, —, “ Zhong Shuzi, ”, “, He’s, Mr Zong’s, ” Zhong, influencers, netizens, “ Zong, Wei Jiang, Mo Yan, Mao Zedong, Stringer, Li Ning Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Wahaha, Danone, Weibo, ”, Vanguard, BlackRock, Nongfu, American, Wahaha’s, CNN, Zhejiang Daily, Communist Party, Auto, Zhejiang University of Finance, Economics, People’s Liberation Army, AFP, Getty, Nike, Adidas, United, Toyota, Honda Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, American, Weibo, Nongfu, Zhejiang, Hami, China's, Xinjiang, AFP, United States, Japan

☆ Hong Kong proposes new security bill with life imprisonment for 'treason' and 'insurrection'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | In Ying-Shan-Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The flag of Hong Kong flies from a ferry boat on July 2, 1997, a day after the former British colony returned to Chinese rule. Hong Kong on Friday unveiled a new draft security bill proposing up to life imprisonment for offences such as insurrection and treason following a month of public consultation period for the bill. The draft legislation is necessary for Hong Kong to fulfil its constitutional duty to safeguard national security, China's Ministry of National Security emphasized in its official WeChat account on Monday. Beijing imposed a controversial law four years ago, which stamped out dissent and led to the arrest of many Hong Kong pro-democracy activists. China's 2020 national security law aimed at prohibiting secession, subversion of state power, terrorism activities and foreign interference.

Persons: Hong, John Lee Organizations: British, China's Ministry of National Security, Hong, U.S . State Department, Kong's Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing

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