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‘Striving to be a top global chip supplier, we need to expand from the China market to the global market,’ general manager Eugene Wang says

Chinese automotive chip firm SemiDrive will start supplying its cockpit system-on-a-chip (SoC) to an undisclosed European carmaker late next year, marking its first collaboration on the continent to push for global sales, a senior executive said.

The chips would be used in several of the carmaker’s models including sedans and SUVs produced and sold in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, general manager Eugene Wang said. The vehicles were expected to feature its X9 SoC, which integrates high-performance CPUs, GPUs, AI accelerators and video processors designed for advanced cockpit applications, he added.

“It will be the first time we supply our chips to foreign OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] in their mass-produced vehicles overseas,” Wang said on the sidelines of the four-day International Automotive & Supply Chain Expo in Hong Kong. “Striving to be a top global chip supplier, we need to expand from the China market to the global market.”

SemiDrive, founded in 2018, specialises in developing high-performance automotive-grade chips for smart cockpits and microcontroller units (MCUs). SAIC Motor, Sequoia Capital, Walden International and Matrix Partners participated in its fundraisings since 2019. The firm is based in Nanjing in the eastern province of Jiangsu.

It has produced four chip series to date, including the X9, the smart-driving chip V9, the central-gateway chip G9 and the high-performance MCU E3. The firm has supplied more than 8 million chips since 2021, used in more than 100 models produced by Chery Auto, Chang’an Auto, SAIC Motor, GAC, BAIC and Li Auto, Wang said.

Fewer than 10 per cent of these chips were used in vehicles bound for export markets, Wang said. As such, the tie-up with the European carmaker represented a significant milestone in its global expansion plans as the company aims to “connect with foreign carmakers and reach a bigger marketplace”, he added.

Analysts say Kim views the 2019 summit’s failure as a personal insult and is now more focused Russia, despite Trump’s continued overtures

Trump has signalled fresh interest in direct engagement with North Korea, with the White House confirming last week that “the president remains receptive to correspondence with Kim Jong-un” following reports that Trump had sent another letter to Pyongyang – which North Korean officials declined to accept.

But analysts say Kim is increasingly unwilling to risk another high-profile encounter, citing lingering scepticism after the collapse of the 2019 Hanoi summit, which damaged his domestic standing and deepened distrust of Washington’s intentions.

“There is little possibility of the North returning to talks in the foreseeable future, as Washington has yet to present any concrete policy towards Pyongyang,” Hong told This Week in Asia.

Sohu.com founder Charles Zhang says college students need to ‘gain some real experience’ by working for a company

Zhang, 60, suggested that college graduates can “think about starting some business”, as they gained know-how from working at a company.

Weather forecaster warns heavy rain may bring about flash floods, urging people to stay away from watercourses

Hong Kong’s weather forecaster has issued an amber rainstorm signal, warning that flash floods may hit some low-lying and poorly drained areas.

The Hong Kong Observatory raised the warning at 7.30am on Tuesday, which means heavy rain exceeding 30 millimetres has fallen or is expected to fall across the city.

“Heavy rain may bring about flash floods. People should stay away from watercourses. People who are likely to be affected by flooding should take necessary precautions to avoid losses,” it said.

The area of intense thundery showers associated with an active southwesterly airstream is affecting the vicinity of the Pearl River Estuary, according to the Observatory.

More than 20 millimetres of rainfall were recorded over Hong Kong’s New Territories in the morning. Over 50 millimetres, meanwhile, were recorded over Shenzhen and even exceeded 150 millimetres over Zhongshan and Zhuhai.

Two-month-old Doberman puppy was found abandoned in a park with infections caused by ear cropping

The calls for urgent amendments to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance on Monday followed the death last week of a two-month-old female Doberman puppy from infections caused by ear cropping.

The puppy was found abandoned in Cherry Street Park near Yau Ma Tei with 8cm (3 inch) incisions in its ears, which had been poorly stitched and glued to a paper cup to keep them upright.

Mark Mak Chi-ho, founder of the non-profit-making Veterinary Services Society, said ear clipping and tail docking were still very common in Hong Kong.

Historically, ear cropping was done in some working dog breeds to prevent injury.

But nowadays, owners subjected Dobermans, which have naturally floppy ears, to ear cropping for aesthetic purposes, Mak said.

Senior furniture firm boss issues stinging notice warning of on-the-spot sackings and salary reductions for slacking staff

A senior executive from a well-known home furnishing company in China has sparked online controversy by announcing a series of bizarre workplace rules.

Among the strange requirements are fines for looking in the mirror and eating snacks during work hours. The rules also require staff to clock in six times a day.

The controversy unfolded in May after it was revealed online that a senior executive in the e-commerce department of Man Wah Holdings Ltd, surnamed Liu, had issued a notice.

It banned eating at work, mandated overtime, required six daily clock-ins and said staff unwilling to comply should resign.

Founded in 1992, Man Wah Holdings is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange and is based in Guangdong province in southern China.

The company specialises in sofas, mattresses and panel furniture. It employs 27,000 people.

One of its best-known brands signed Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau Tak-wah as a brand ambassador in 2016.

New recognised roles – particularly in culture and tourism – have been touted as helping fill employment gaps, but opinions are mixed

The city of Xian in western China – renowned as the country’s ancient capital and home of the Terracotta Army – has long been a prime destination for tourists from home and abroad. But Chang Youli, a stylist of traditional Chinese clothing (hanfu) based in the city, has noticed many people are joining her trade to cater to a particular type of traveller.

“Thanks to government promotions, the tourism industry here has grown, and more people are coming to experiencehanfu,” said Chang, who now runs her own make-up studio. “It has inevitably led to more competition, but it also helps more people know about our culture.”

Tourists visiting Xian’s city wall or other heritage sites often spend half a day or more dressing up,applying make-up and posing with notable landmarks. A cottage industry has developed to meet this new demand, employing costumiers, make-up artists and photographers – with some enterprising minds packaging these services together for an all-in-one experience.

Roughly 306 million trips were made to the city last year, generating tourism income of 376 billion yuan, a year-on-year growth of 10.3 per cent and 12.3 per cent, respectively.

A Japanese veterinarian’s puzzling death from SFTS highlights the danger of this tick-borne virus for which there is no known cure

The vet, who has not been named, developed symptoms of the virus after treating a cat at his practice in Mie prefecture in May, an official of the Japan Veterinary Medical Association (JVMA) confirmed. The vet was hospitalised but died a few days later.

Puzzlingly, an autopsy did not find the telltale tick bite that typically transmits the virus, while the cat’s owner and other staff at the clinic have not displayed any symptoms.

“We are still not absolutely sure how this infection happened and the ministry of health is working with prefectural authorities to determine all the details,” said Daisuke Tsukamoto, a spokesman for the JVMA.

“We have been working with our members in Mie prefecture to try to find out more, and we quickly issued an alert to our members to share as much information about SFTS and how to avoid being infected,” he told This Week in Asia.

The National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) – a research institute affiliated with Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare – has also issued a 17-page report for veterinarians detailing what to look out for in infected animals, the precautions that should be taken to avoid being bitten by a tick, the dangers of exposure to fluids from an infected animal and the safest way to dispose of a dead animal.

Dashcam video shows truck swerving across lanes before crashing into bus stop along Chatham Road North and killing woman

A 51-year-old Hong Kong woman has died after getting trapped under a truck that rammed into a bus stop, as police search for the driver who fled the scene.

The force said the accident occurred at around 6.30am on Tuesday along Chatham Road North in Hung Hom.

A truck driver travelling in the direction of Yau Ma Tei near Fat Kwong Street suddenly lost control and steered towards the bus stop, hitting two women.

The victim was rescued from beneath the vehicle by firefighters and transported to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where she was pronounced dead later.

The other woman, 33, suffered injuries to her limbs and was also taken to the same hospital for a check-up.

In a dashboard camera footage circulating online, the vehicle appears to have lost control after skidding and swerving across the slow lane, narrowly avoiding a bus.

Cutting and severe scratching were among the most common forms of self-injury, the report found

The findings, published in March, were drawn from a national study conducted by Singapore’s Institute of Mental Health (IMH) involving 2,600 respondents. It categorised behaviours such as cutting, burning, hitting or other forms of deliberate self-harm as non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI).

The median age that such self-harm starts is 14, while males typically have a second peak at around age 18, according to the study.

Roughly 11.6 per cent of respondents reported engaging in self-harm at least five times.

Cutting was the most prevalent form of self-injury, cited by about 13.5 per cent of respondents, followed by severe scratching, self-punching and headbanging.

Although NSSI is not formally classified as a mental disorder, experts have cautioned that it often reflects underlying psychological distress. Swapna Verma, chairman of IMH’s medical board, told The Straits Times that young people may turn to self-harm when overwhelmed by emotions they are unable to manage in healthier ways.