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Robotics is a key part of the Made in China 2025 initiative, launched a decade ago to position the country at the forefront of hi-tech industries

China’s share of the global robotics market was about 40 per cent last year, according to the report by Hong Kong-based analysts Sheng Zhong and Chelsea Wang. A specific forecast for China’s market share by 2028 was not provided.

“China is not only the largest market but also is arguably the world’s innovation hub, propelling cost efficiencies and next-gen robotics development,” they said.

“Robots have been reshaping China’s manufacturing and will have a deeper impact on society in the future as they become more intelligent, collaborative and affordable.”

Separate data published by China’s National Bureau of Statistics on Monday revealed that the country’s industrial robot output surged 35.5 per cent year on year in May, reaching 69,056 units, while service robot output jumped 13.8 per cent to 1.2 million units.

China’s humanoid robots test skills in unique kickboxing competition

Mainland Affairs Council expresses ‘deep regret’ over Ma’s remarks at cross-strait forum branded by the DPP as a united front operation

But back home, Ma is facing a fierce backlash from pro-independence politicians and critics, who accuse the former Kuomintang chairman of “dancing with Beijing” to undermine Taiwan’s political standing.

Taiwan leader William Lai says Beijing has no authority over island in Double Tenth speech

Addressing the forum’s opening ceremony in the southeastern city of Xiamen, Ma reiterated that only by adhering to the “1992 consensus” and opposing Taiwan independence could both sides of the Taiwan Strait achieve a peaceful and positive outcome.

The 1992 consensus, a mutual understanding that there is only “one China”, was reached when the KMT was in power in Taipei.

Despite early optimism, experts caution about progress on fentanyl cooperation, military exchanges and a Trump-Xi summit

While last week’s trade talks in London generated cautious optimism about de-escalating US-China tensions, observers have questioned whether this momentum can spur broader bilateral dialogue on challenging issues like military communications, security, climate and fentanyl cooperation.

Both sides seemed upbeat about the outcome of the talks, which addressed rare earths, Chinese student visas and US exports of jet engine parts to China, with Trump calling it “a great deal”.

“Many communication mechanisms have been disrupted, and [the latest progress in London] offers an opportunity for their gradual restoration and reinstatement,” he said.

The president’s actions – even on immigration – are increasingly unpopular, yet he continues to forge ahead instead of reaching out for unity

The nationwide demonstrations knocked the parade off the top headlines. A shooting during a march in Salt Lake City that left one person critically injured pushed Trump’s event further below the fold.

US holds first major military parade after 34 years to honour army’s 250th anniversary

230 mothers donated 900 litres, helping to support 120 infants in neonatal intensive care units

Hong Kong’s first breast milk bank supported 120 infants in its first six months, with 230 mothers donating 900 litres (1,902 pints), just shy of exceeding health authorities’ initial full-year target.

Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau on Monday recognised donors’ selfless dedication, saying that “donating breast milk could even be harder than donating blood”.

“Donors have to take care of and breastfeed their own newborns while undergoing blood tests before they can donate their breastmilk. This requires a lot of effort,” he said at the official opening ceremony of the Hong Kong Breast Milk Bank.

He added that the authorities initially had set a target of collecting 1,000 litres per year, a goal that was almost reached in half that time.

Donation collection started on January 6 this year and began providing breast milk in March to babies with health complications due to illness or premature birth in neonatal intensive care units.

Among the 230 registered donors, Yoyo Chan Ho-yin shared her personal motivation at the ceremony, driven by her experience of two miscarriages.

“The moment I knew about the programme, I decided that I would want to help save the lives of other premature and sick babies,” said Chan, who was at the ceremony with her one-year-old daughter.

Housing Bureau also says it expects an extra 10 months of construction due to site’s ‘complex geology’

Hong Kong housing authorities have revealed that a now-suspended plan to build 8,300 public flats in a northern town will face higher costs of up to 90 per cent for each home and require an extra 10 months to complete if it goes ahead.

The Housing Bureau said on Monday that the postponement was prompted by its investigation that found the site had “complex geology with a deep bedrock layer”.

“The authority stresses that it has not abandoned the project,” the bureau said.

It added that geological issues were expected to bring a longer-than-normal construction period and significant costs for foundation works.

The bedrock level had been found at depths exceeding 80 metres (262 feet) below ground in general, with the deepest recorded at 120 metres.

Deep foundation work would be involved if the site were to be used to build public housing, the bureau said.

The international unit of TP-Link is scaling back its chip development efforts after one product failed final testing, sources say

TP-Link, China’s leading Wi-fi router manufacturer, has laid off most employees at a chip development unit in Shanghai amid setbacks, according to people familiar with the matter and local media reports.

Lianzhou International, known globally as TP-Link Systems and the overseas arm of the router maker, cut the majority of workers at its Shanghai-based chip unit last week, according to two people with knowledge of the situation, who declined to be named because they are not authorised to speak to news media.

The lay-offs, first reported by Chinese media on Saturday, primarily affected employees working on the front-end module of Wi-fi chipsets, spanning roles such as algorithms and verification, according to the reports.

The total number of affected employees remains unclear. TP-Link did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

One source said the cuts followed difficulties in chip development, with one product failing to pass final testing.

Xi is looking to foster solidarity with his counterparts against unilateralism and protectionism

The trip is Xi’s third abroad this year and his sixth to Kazakhstan in the decade or so since he became president, making it Xi’s second most visited country after Russia.

He is accompanied on the trip by top aide Cai Qi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and was greeted on arrival in Astana on Monday by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, with the two leaders holding in the afternoon.

In addition to Xi and Tokayev, leaders from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan will be in Astana for the summit, two years after the Chinese city of Xian hosted the first gathering.

This week’s summit comes as leaders of the Group of 7 gather half a world away in Canada to confront a global economy battered by uncertainty and conflict.

Sun Weidong, head of the China-Central Asia Mechanism which organises the regional summit, said Beijing’s aims were to deepen political trust between the partners, stabilise global industrial and supply chains, and foster an open and stable trade environment.

Former actor acknowledges having sex with a 15-year-old is a ‘very huge mistake’, apologises to the victim as he begins 40-month jail term

Alongside him, Fang’s mother rejected what she called inaccurate reports, saying they had “proof” that he did not give the victim a sexually transmitted infection.

Speaking to reporters outside Singapore’s State Courts, the 35-year-old Fang said in Mandarin: “When you make a mistake, you have to take responsibility. I’m here now to accept the punishment and legal consequences that I deserve. Of course, I also hope that everyone can give me a chance to be reborn, to start over.”

In English, Fang added: “This is something that I need to pay. It’s an expensive and very huge mistake that I need to pay off. But I believe it will definitely make me a better person.”

He also directly apologised to the victim, saying: “I am sorry. Everyone has been hurt.”

Fang’s public appearance marked his first since his conviction on May 19 on three counts of sexual penetration of a minor.

According to the court records, Fang met the teenage girl at an entertainment event in 2024. The two went on to have unprotected sex on multiple occasions, even though she was underage. He also admitted harassing the girl during the investigation, including repeatedly calling her late at night and pressuring her to plead for leniency on his behalf.

China has rapidly expanded its visa-free entry schemes in recent years to boost its tourism sector. Here is how the systems work

Visiting China used to be a costly, time-consuming process. Obtaining a Chinese visa often requires filling out pages of paperwork, paying more than US$100, and waiting for days for the documents to be processed.

But things have changed rapidly over the past few years, as Beijing has introduced a slew of new visa-free entry policies in a bid to attract more foreign visitors and boost the country’s tourism sector.

There are also several other visa-free policies in effect, each of which has different rules and eligibility criteria. Here are five different options for travellers planning to enter the mainland without a Chinese visa.

Passport holders from 55 nations – including Australia, Russia, the United States and countries throughout Europe – can enjoy an extended stay in much of mainland China when transiting through one of its international airports.

Travellers can enter China via 60 ports of entry across 24 provincial-level regions under the scheme, including airports in Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guilin, Kunming, Qingdao, Shenyang, Tianjin, Wuhan, Xiamen, Guangdong province and the Shanghai-Jiangsu-Zhejiang cluster.