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[1/2] French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech to inaugurate the Festival Croisements at the Red Brick Museum in Beijing, China, April 5, 2023. For Macron's visit at least, there are high expectations in Beijing. "In other words, not everyone wants to see Macron's visit to China go smoothly and successfully." Later in the afternoon, Macron and von der Leyen will separately hold talks with President Xi Jinping before all three hold trilateral talks in the evening. "Three-quarters of the delegation are business leaders: the goal is first and foremost to sign contracts," left-wing MEP Raphael Glucksmann wrote on Twitter ahead of Macron's visit.

Macron last visited China in 2019 while it will be von der Leyen's first trip since becoming European Commission president that year. However, some analysts said ostentatious deal-signing would appear opportunistic at a time of heightened frictions between the United States and China. "Both (Macron and von der Leyen) have not only business in mind but also Ukraine," said Joerg Wuttke, president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China. Macron and von der Leyen are expected to echo the message that Xi should also talk to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. China and EU decoupling will only serve U.S. interests, but make both China and Europe suffer," it said.

TOKYO/BEIJING, April 2 (Reuters) - Japan's foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said he called on Beijing for the early release of a detained Japanese national during a meeting with Chinese diplomat Qin Gang held on Sunday. The visit comes a week after a spokesperson of Astellas Pharma Inc (4503.T) said its employee was detained in China for unknown reasons. Although Japan and China have their differences, both agreed to restart trilateral talks with South Korea, Hayashi said, calling the agreement "an important achievement" from his meeting with Qin. "We agreed to continue communicating closely on various levels, including the foreign ministerial and leadership levels," Hayashi added. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit last November, marking the first leadership-level talks in almost three years.

☆ China's navy is looking to junior high schools as it scrambles to find pilots for its growing aircraft carrier fleet
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Minnie Chan | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Chinese Navy's youth aviation schools have recruited about 4,500 boys aged 15 to 16 this month. China's navy needs pilots for its fleet of aircraft carriers, which grew to three ships in June. The navy draws on talent from the 14 schools for its aircraft carrier cadet pilot programme. AFP via Getty ImagesIt is unclear if this is the first year that students so young will attend the aviation schools. The average age of the newest crop of cadet pilots is 20, much younger than in previous years.

☆ Alibaba hands parched dealmakers a glass half-full
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Antony Currie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Then New York- and Hong Kong-listed Alibaba (9988.HK) revealed it was creating six independently run businesses. That will keep dealmaking teams busy for months if, as CEO Daniel Zhang envisions, multiple listed companies emerge from the $250 billion parent. And if a breakup is good for Alibaba, they can dust off pitchbooks for its domestic rivals. Follow @AntonyMCurrie on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSAlibaba CEO Daniel Zhang said on March 29 that he hopes multiple listed companies will emerge from the group. “I hope there will be multiple listed companies emerging from the Alibaba system, and that they will continue to nurture their own sons and daughters, and cultivate more listed companies”, Zhang said, according to the South China Morning Post.

HONG KONG, March 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - In the biblical parable of the prodigal son, a repentant wastrel returns home to a forgiving and beneficent father. In China, Alibaba (9988.HK) founder Jack Ma's homecoming and rehabilitation appears to be part of an official campaign to revive flagging private sector investment. However, if officials believe the mere sight of Ma in public will revive business confidence, that hope has a whiff of desperation. Ma the prodigal entrepreneur has returned, but perhaps not for long. Shares of Alibaba rallied as much as 4% in Hong Kong following the SCMP report before closing flat at HK$85.25 on March 27.

☆ Jack Ma returned to China to visit a private school he founded, 2 years after he first vanished from public view amid Beijing's tech crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

On Monday, Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma visited a private school he founded in Hangzhou, China. Ma first vanished from public view after angering authorities in 2020 amid Beijing's tech crackdown. The private school caters to students from kindergarten to high school. Ma returned to China amid signals that Beijing may be taking a friendlier stance toward private enterprises after more than two years of a widespread tech crackdown. His visit follows a top Chinese central banker's comments in January that Beijing's tech crackdown was coming to a close.

☆ Alibaba founder Jack Ma returns to China, ending year-long sojourn abroad -SCMP
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, March 27 (Reuters) - Alibaba (9988.HK) founder Jack Ma has returned to China, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Monday, ending a more than year-long sojourn overseas that was viewed by industry as reflecting the sober mood of China's private businesses. Ma, one of China's best known entrepreneurs, left mainland China in late 2021 and has been seen in photographs in Japan, Australia and Thailand in the months since. Once one of the country's most outspoken businessmen, he retreated from the public limelight in late 2020 after criticising China's regulatory system that was later blamed for triggering a wide-ranging regulatory crackdown by Beijing. Alibaba shares in Hong Kong rose more than 4% after the SCMP report was published. It added that he returned to China after a brief stop in Hong Kong.

☆ Yang Bing-yi: Founder of Din Tai Fung dumpling empire dies, age 96
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Yang Bing-yi, who set up the Taiwanese restaurant chain Din Tai Fung, “passed away peacefully” at the age of 96, the company said in a statement Saturday. He opened a small shop in Taiwan’s capital Taipei with his wife, naming it Din Tai Fung and selling cooking oil and Xiao Long Bao, steamed Chinese soup dumplings often made with pork. It expanded into a franchise, with outlets in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, United Arab Emirates, South Korea and Singapore. Steamed pork dumplings served at Din Tai Fung's Hong Kong branch. Its restaurant at the Taipei 101 skyscraper hosted Hollywood star Tom Cruise in 2013, who dined and joined chefs to make soup dumplings.

☆ 8 million Chinese youths sat for a test in the style of an 'imperial examination' — all for a job that pays about $7,000 a year
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A record 7.7 million Chinese youths sat for an intense test to try to secure one of 200,000 government jobs. The modern-day civil service tests are not far off the mark from their ancient iterations. In spite of the tough tests required to secure these jobs, civil service jobs are not high paying. "In general, civil service jobs could bring with them benefits for the whole family, like connections to positions of power," Wu said. For those who want to be active participants in the workforce, civil service jobs continue to be a solid option.

☆ North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missiles could hit central US in just 33 minutes, says Chinese study
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

North Korea's ICBMs can conceivably penetrate the US missile defense system, a Chinese study found. The study simulated the launch of a Hwasongpho-15 missile towards Columbia, Missouri. The study simulated the firing of a Hwasongpho-15 missile from the central North Korean city of Sunchon, towards Columbia, Missouri, per the SCMP. The report, released mid-February, came ahead of a series of North Korean test-firings this week. On Monday, two strategic cruise missiles were fired from a submarine off North Korea's eastern coast, according to Al-Jazeera.

☆ Banning TikTok would be an early Christmas gift to Mark Zuckerberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A TikTok sale or US ban could be a boon for Mark Zuckerberg and Meta. Instagram Reels could see a boost from a shift away from TikTok in the US, experts say. Zuckerberg has much to gain from a TikTok ban. It would be like Christmas coming early for Meta, which is looking to boost engagement of its rival service, Instagram Reels. In the short term, apps like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts could also see a boost.

☆ Chinese doctor who blew the whistle on SARS dies at 91
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Laurie Chen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING, March 15 (Reuters) - A Chinese military doctor who exposed the full extent of the SARS epidemic when it ripped through Beijing in 2003 has died at the age of 91, according to his friends and local media reports. Jiang Yanyong accused the government of deliberately underreporting the spread of the respiratory disease in an open letter sent to state media in 2003. News of his death was not reported in Chinese state media, as is the norm with politically sensitive public figures. Some media including the South China Morning Post said he died on Saturday of pneumonia, citing sources. SARS infected 8,908 people worldwide after emerging in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, eventually killing 774, according to World Health Organisation data.

☆ China's so desperate to boost its birth rates, it's even cracking down on customary betrothal gifts for brides to help people get married more easily
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China's cracking down on the custom of the "bride price" to facilitate marriages and boost birth rates. These betrothal gifts include cash, jewelry, cars, and even real estate. A delegate from the state-backed All-China Women's Federation proposed that authorities look into measures to curb expensive betrothal gifts, the women's rights organization said in a Wednesday statement. Still, nearly three-quarters of marriages involve the custom of betrothal gifts, according to a 2020 survey of 1,846 China residents by Tencent News. This is because betrothal gifts — which are typically given after negotiations between the two families — can include cash, jewelry, cars, and even real estate, according to the Tencent News survey.

☆ China aims to launch nearly 13,000 satellites to 'suppress' Elon Musk's Starlink, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Stephen Chen | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Chinese satellites could be equipped with an anti-Starlink payload to carry out various missions, such as conducting "close-range, long-term surveillance of Starlink satellites," they said. "The Starlink satellites may use their orbital manoeuvrability to actively hit and destroy nearby targets in space," the researchers said. China plans to build more powerful radar systems powered by new technology to identify and track Starlink satellites, they said. The Ukrainian military has used Starlink services effectively against Russian forces. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on February 18 that the US government had talked to Musk about the use of Starlink satellite internet in Ukraine, but did not elaborate.

☆ Hong Kong is giving out 500,000 free plane tickets. I tried to get one as a Singapore resident and ended up stuck in a waiting room behind 50,000 people.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Sponsored by Hong Kong's airport authority, the giveaway involves the distribution of 500,000 airline tickets via three of the city's carriers: Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Airlines, and Hong Kong Express. Residents in Singapore quickly snapped up all 12,500 free round-trip tickets Cathay Pacific was giving out on Thursday. Those interested need to apply for a free Cathay Pacific membership on its website and answer three quiz questions about Cathay Pacific correctly, according to SCMP. Budget carrier Hong Kong Express is slated to join the campaign later, but it hasn't released details. Hong Kong Airlines did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

☆ NASA imagery reveals China's Mars rover hasn't moved in months as Chinese scientists scramble to save the mission
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Chris Panella | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

NASA imagery from Mars shows that China's rover hasn't moved in months. Chinese scientists are scrambling to make contact, according to the South China Morning Post. China's rover, Zhurong, could be covered in dust and drained of energy, like NASA's InSight lander. Arrows highlight the location of China's Zhurong rover in March 2022, September 2022, and February 2023. A photo showing the back of China's Zhurong rover from its landing spot on Mars' Utopia Planitia following a May 15, 2021 landing.

☆ Beijing investigating illegal mining activities in Chinese lithium hub, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Workers are seen at the production line of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EV) at a factory near Shanghai, China. China's central government has sent a working group to probe illegal mining in the country's lithium hub Yichun, financial news outlet Yicai reported on Sunday. Yichun has 1.1 million tons of lithium oxide reserves and accounts for 12% of global output, according to the South China Morning Post. One lithium analyst, who declined to be named, told Yicai that the industry optimistically estimates that the shutdown will last for about a month. Yichun currently produces between 10,000 tons and 12,000 tons of lithium carbonate per month, it reported.

☆ Chinese students have developed a $40 set of lips that couples can use for 'long-distance kissing'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A remote kissing device, complete with a pair of 3D lips, is on sale in China for about $40. It appears to mimic the pressure, movement and heat of a partner's lips, the SCMP reported. The silicon device, complete with a set of 3D lips, is meant to imitate the pressure, movement, and heat of a partner's lips, the South China Morning Post reported Friday. The device, which is being sold on the Chinese online retail platform Taobao as a "long-distance lovers miracle kissing device," costs 260 Chinese yuan, or about $38, for one individual set of lips and about $79 for a pair. Listing for the remote "kissing device" on Taobao.

☆ China's Tencent establishes team to develop ChatGPT-like product -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Josh Ye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings (0700.HK) has set up a development team to work on a ChatGPT-like chatbot, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. ChatGPT's uncanny ability to create cogent blocks of text instantly has sparked worldwide frenzied interest in the technology behind it called generative AI. A number of Tencent rivals including Alibaba Group (9988.HK) and Baidu Inc (9888.HK) have also announced they are working on their own offerings. Asked for comment, Tencent reiterated a Feb.9 statement that it is conducting research on ChatGPT-tool technology. That also marked the first time an AI model has scored better than humans on CLUE since the test was established three years ago.

☆ Hong Kong police charge three in murder of model
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Hong Kong police said on Sunday they had charged three people in connection with the murder of 28-year-old model Abby Choi, whose legs were found in a refrigerator in a house on the city's outskirts. They also found a meat slicer and an electric saw at the scene in the rural Tai Po district, according to a police statement. The gruesome murder of local influencer Choi, who recently appeared on the digital cover of L'Officiel Monaco fashion magazine, has gripped local tabloids. Police statements said that four people have been arrested and three charged in the case, but did not identify them by name. Choi disappeared on Tuesday and was last seen in the Tai Po district, where she was found, police said.

☆ China appears to be pulling another U-turn, saying it'll promote the use of AI in daily life just days after reports it blocked ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China said it sees broad potential in the use of AI tech and wants to integrate it into daily life. But that's amid reports China — which controls information tightly — blocked access to ChatGPT. It now wants to integrate the tech into daily life, just days after reports emerged that it had blocked its citizens from accessing viral AI chatbot ChatGPT. Search engine giant Baidu — China's answer to Google — said on Wednesday it plans to launch its own AI chatbot Ernie Bot in March. "AI technology has reached a tipping point and all industries will inevitably go through transformation," Li said in the memo.

☆ Chinese air force bombers show off their growing reach with a long-range drill over the South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Kristin Huang | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Chinese H-6K bomber patrolling over islands and reefs in the South China Sea. "Probably, the fighter aircraft [was] deployed from the bases on the artificial islands in the Spratly Islands to support simulated strikes in the South China Sea. "The early warning aircraft can help monitor potential threats in the air, most notably enemy fighter aircraft that may try to shoot down the bomber. The early warning aircraft can also help coordinate activities among the different planes. Although the drill showed the enhanced ability of the Chinese air force, the bomber's capability boosted the threat already posed to US military forces by only a little, Heath said.

☆ VR firm Pico, owned by Chinese TikTok maker ByteDance, announces 'small' layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Josh Ye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Pico, a virtual reality (VR) headset manufacturer owned by TikTok's Chinese developer ByteDance, said on Friday it was laying off a small number of people, after local media reported the start of hundreds of redundancies earlier this week. The South China Morning Post reported unidentified sources on Thursday as saying Pico had trimmed some teams by as much as 30%. "We greatly appreciate these colleagues' contributions and are working closely with those impacted to support them through this time of change." The layoffs mark the latest streamlining for ByteDance, which like many tech peers in China has cut jobs since last year and undergone restructuring as economic growth slows. On Thursday, Tencent Holdings Ltd (0700.HK) said it was making some personnel adjustments after local media reported the Chinese gaming and social media major was laying off staff in its recently formed "extended reality" (XR) business.

☆ A license plate that only has the letter 'R' on it just sold for $3.2 million in Hong Kong — and it's not even a record in the city
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Felise Seah | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Hong Kong license plate that only has the letter 'R' was sold for $3.2 million on Sunday. But over in Hong Kong, a license plate that only has the letter "R" was sold for about 25.5 million Hong Kong dollars, or $3.2 million, at a Lunar New Year auction organized by the Hong Kong Transport Department on Sunday, according to an announcement by the agency. The news outlet further reported that the license plate "R" was expected to net at least HK$10 million, citing registration plate dealers who spoke to the media before the auction. The quest for a novelty car plate is not just limited to Hong Kong. A rare California license plate with the letters "MM" was sold at $24.3 million in 2021, taking the top spot for the most expensive license plate sold in the world, according to Luxe Digital.

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