Audi’s electric SUV, the E7X, will begin presales on May 8. The vehicle will incorporate AI features from ByteDance’s Doubao and iFlyTek. Evelyn Cheng | CNBC BEIJING — Chinese tech giant Alibaba said Friday that its Qwen artificial intelligence model will be integrated into vehicles from automakers including BYD and a local joint venture of…
Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan (left) speaks with CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick at the CONVERGE LIVE event on April 22, 2026. CNBC Should a war break out between China and the U.S. in the Pacific, “what you are seeing in the Strait of Hormuz will be a dry run,” Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said Wednesday….
BEIJING, CHINA – DECEMBER 22: A woman walks by the headquarters of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) on December 22, 2025 in Beijing, China. Zhang Xiangyi | China News Service | Getty Images China held its benchmark lending rates unchanged for an 11th straight month, keeping its powder dry as policymakers weigh the economic…
People walk outside a shopping mall during a week-long National Day holiday in Beijing on October 7, 2025. Greg Baker | Afp | Getty Images China’s economy gathered steam in the first quarter, as robust exports growth offset tepid domestic demand, though the Iran war-fueled energy shock clouds growth outlook, threatening global demand. Gross domestic…
Uber and WeRide are partnering to offer robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi. Courtesy Uber Technologies, Inc. BEIJING — At least three Chinese robotaxi companies are pressing ahead with expansion plans in the Middle East despite the ongoing Iran war. Ride-hailing company Didi plans to begin its first overseas robotaxi test in the United Arab Emirates…
Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. Altaf Qadri | AP The U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is not only squeezing Iran but also ratcheting up pressure on two of its most consequential relationships in Asia…
Hi, this is Evelyn, writing to you from Beijing. Welcome to the latest edition of The China Connection — a succinct snapshot of what I’m seeing and hearing from local businesses. Today, I talk to a smart glasses exec about why price-conscious Chinese consumers are paying $100 more for AI frames. What’s his strategy for…
US President Donald Trump attends UFC 327: Jiri Prochazka vs Carlos Ulberg at Kaseya Center in Miami, on April 11, 2026. (Photo by Julia Demaree Nikhinson / POOL / AFP via Getty Images) Julia Demaree Nikhinson | Afp | Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to impose a 50% tariff on China,…
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Kuomintang party chair Cheng Li-wun in Beijing on Friday, the first encounter between Xi and a sitting Taiwanese opposition leader in nearly a decade. In a readout released by Chinese state media, Xi said Beijing “welcomes any proposals conducive to the peaceful development of cross-strait relations.” That’s according to…
College students look for employment opportunities at the Large-scale Recruitment Fair for Science and Engineering Universities on March 24, 2026 in Harbin, China. Tyne Chin | Getty Images News | Getty Images Hi, this is Evelyn, writing to you from Beijing. Welcome to the latest edition of The China Connection — a succinct snapshot of…
