The half-marathon in Beijing’s E-Town economic and technological development zone on Sunday showcased a leap in the capabilities of Chinese-made humanoid robots. The winner of the race, autonomous-navigation robot “Lightning”, developed by Honor, completed the race in an impressive 50 minutes and 26 seconds, despite a minor mishap near the finish line, surpassing the human world record. “Lightning” incorporates Honor’s proprietary integrated joint modules, delivering a peak torque of 400 Nm. Its liquid-cooling system features cooling channels that penetrate deep into the motor’s interior like capillaries to dissipate heat, while…
Posts published in “Technologies”
Japanese companies will finance investments valued at $36 billion in energy and minerals projects in Ohio, Texas and Georgia as part of a trade agreement that will cut U.S. tariffs on Japanese imports to 15%, according to the Trump administration. The announcement is part of Japan’s 2025 agreement to invest $550 billion over the next four years at the direction of the U.S., with the funds aimed at rebuilding and expanding core American industries. In October, the Trump administration provided details on Japanese investments of up to $332 billion to…
The dazzling performances by humanoid robots at China’s 2026 Spring Festival Gala made headlines on multiple overseas media outlets, and their video clips flooded social media platforms within hours. Reuters noted that the four companies showcasing their products at the Gala demonstrated the China’s cutting-edge industrial policy and push to dominate humanoid robots and the future of manufacturing. The report also mentioned that Elon Musk said he expects his biggest competitor to be Chinese companies as he pivots Tesla toward a focus on embodied AI and its flagship humanoid Optimus. …
Japan is preparing to lift long-standing restrictions on lethal weapons exports, marking another step in the erosion of its post-war arms export taboo. While the reform creates new diplomatic and commercial opportunities and allows deeper security cooperation with regional partners, Japan’s defence industrial base remains small, costly and capacity-constrained. Domestic procurement demands and labour shortages mean exports will likely remain modest, limiting the policy’s practical and strategic impact on regional military balances. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government is looking to loosen Japan’s long-standing restrictions on weapons exports, marking another step…
China’s YH-1000S, a self-made hybrid unmanned cargo aircraft, the world’s first of its kind, has completed its maiden flight in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, its developer said on Tuesday. According to the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics, YH-1000S was equipped with a high-performance hybrid power system, jointly developed with a new energy vehicle manufacturer, during the debut flight. This aircraft boasts shorter takeoff-landing distances, increased payload capacity and extended flight ranges, compared with its predecessor YH-1000, which made its maiden flight in May last year. Designed to meet the demands…
Some of China’s top military aviation products, including the J-35A stealth fighter and the J-10CE, are being exhibited at the Singapore Airshow that kicked off on Tuesday, with the J-10C fighters of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s Bayi Aerobatic Team making their flight-performance debut in Singapore. A Chinese aviation expert said Chinese warplanes offer high performance, reliability and reasonable pricing, giving them strong potential in the international market. At the indoor exhibition area, the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) showcased a wide range of products including…
On Monday, Yan Junjie, born in 1989, walked into a conference room in Beijing. At 37, he was likely the youngest entrepreneur at a symposium chaired by Chinese Premier Li Qiang to solicit opinions on the draft government work report and the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30). Who is this young man, and why does his voice matter to China’s economic strategy? Yan is the founder and CEO of MiniMax, an AI startup that became China’s second “AI tiger” to go public on January 9. The company achieved in four years…
Determined to push back against online falsehoods, the French state is turning to facts, humour and a new digital voice to challenge misleading narratives wherever they spread. France has set up a new digital rapid-response unit – titled “French Response” – to push back against what it sees as a rising tide of online disinformation, and it wasted little time making its presence felt. When the US secretary of state Marco Rubio took a swipe at European culture on X this week, the English-language account run by the French foreign…
China launched a group of internet satellites into orbit late on Tuesday night, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the leading State-owned space contractor. The satellites, part of the 18th group of low-orbit hardware in China’s State-owned internet network, were lifted by a Long March 8A carrier rocket that blasted off at 11:25 pm from the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center, a coastal spaceport in Wenchang city, and soon reached their orbital positions, CASC said in a news release. The satellites were designed and made by the…
The ongoing Dutch restrictions against Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia risk causing “multi-layered and irreversible” real-world damage to the stability of semiconductor supply chains in Europe and globally, deputy chief of a chip industry association has warned in an exclusive interview with the Global Times. The comments from Wei Shaojun, vice chairman of the China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA), came in response to the Netherlands placing Nexperia under special administrative measures over so-called security concerns. The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs revealed on October 12, 2025 that it had invoked the 1952…