分类： technology

As artificial intelligence continues to transform global industries and deepen existing digital gaps between developed and developing regions, Hong Kong is emerging as a critical linchpin to drive collaborative AI advancement across the Asia-Pacific and advance more equitable, inclusive digital growth, according to senior policymakers and industry leaders gathered at the World Internet Conference Asia-Pacific Summit. The high-level event kicked off Monday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, bringing together global stakeholders to chart a cooperative path forward for responsible AI development.

Zhuang Rongwen, director of the Cyberspace Administration of China and chairman of the World Internet Conference, highlighted that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) holds unparalleled advantages for advancing cross-border digital exchange and partnership. Built on Hong Kong’s longstanding status as a global hub for shipping, international trade and finance, its unique position as a strategic gateway connecting mainland China with the global economy creates natural synergies for AI collaboration that no other regional center can match.

“Across the Asia-Pacific, nations and regions have universally embraced digital transformation as a core strategy to unlock new growth opportunities and strengthen their global competitive edge,” Zhuang noted, adding that the fast-expanding digital economy has become one of the most dynamic bright spots driving regional integration and cooperation. “China remains fully committed to sharing the opportunities created by its own digital development with countries around the world,” he said.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu emphasized that hosting the WIC Asia-Pacific Summit underscores the city’s growing global reputation as an international innovation and technology hub, while strengthening the city’s deep integration into national development strategies.

Lee shared that the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone, which opened to the public last December, has already drawn more than 70 tenants specializing in high-growth sectors including artificial intelligence and data science. Spanning 0.87 square kilometers on the Hong Kong side and 3.02 square kilometers in Shenzhen, the cross-boundary cooperation zone is pioneering new frameworks to enable seamless movement of research materials and other critical innovation resources across the Hong Kong-mainland border, unlocking new potential for collaborative AI research and development.

Artificial intelligence sits at the core of Hong Kong’s broader innovation and technology development strategy, Lee noted, pointing to the city’s third-place global ranking in the Global AI Competitiveness Index, behind only New York and London. Even as the city leverages its competitive advantages in AI, Lee cautioned that the transformative power of the technology must be balanced by a commitment to responsible, inclusive deployment. “Technology is ultimately a tool, and it can only deliver maximum public benefit when rooted in a spirit of cross-border cooperation and shared creativity,” he said.

John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA Ltd, echoed this perspective, stressing that the future trajectory of AI will not be shaped by a single organization, industry, region or individual. Cross-border collaboration, he argued, is the most effective path to closing the persistent digital and economic divides that threaten to leave vulnerable communities behind in the AI transition. Hoffman added that China, including the HKSAR, holds a unique position to take a global leadership role in AI development, and its decades of experience driving innovative digital growth can serve as a model for nations around the world.

Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the HKSAR, observed that AI is entering an unprecedented new frontier driven by the rapid rise of autonomous AI agents, and the Hong Kong government is closely tracking the technology’s rapid evolution. While AI agents hold great promise for expanding AI applications across every major industry, Sun noted that they also introduce new, untested security risks that require proactive governance. “The Hong Kong SAR government’s approach to AI development and regulation is clear: innovation and progress must go hand in hand with thoughtful, risk-based regulation,” he said.

Samuel Migal, Minister of Investments, Regional Development and Informatization of Slovakia, echoed the call for coordinated global governance, noting that as digital and AI technology advances at breakneck speed, the shared global challenge is building fit-for-purpose new governance frameworks to guide development. While Migal acknowledged that different countries and regions will naturally adopt tailored regulatory models that match their own needs, he stressed that regulatory fragmentation cannot be the end result of global AI governance.

The summit has positioned Hong Kong to capitalize on its unique geographic, economic and technological advantages to bring together diverse AI stakeholders from across the Asia-Pacific and beyond, laying the groundwork for more inclusive, responsible AI growth that benefits all regions.

Chinese robotics firm Unitree Robotics has hit a historic milestone in legged humanoid robotics, with its flagship H1 model achieving a peak running speed of 10 meters per second — a new benchmark that pushes the limits of bipedal robotic mobility. The breakthrough comes just months after the company’s founder publicly predicted that humanoid robots would soon outpace legendary sprinter Usain Bolt’s world record 100-meter dash speed.

In demonstration footage published by Unitree this past Saturday, the H1 robot — which stands on 0.8-meter legs and has a total mass of 62 kilograms — was modified to remove non-essential head and arm components to reduce aerodynamic drag and excess weight, enabling it to hit the unprecedented 10 m/s mark. For context, this speed is just 0.44 m/s slower than the average speed Usain Bolt maintained when he set his still-unbroken 100-meter world record of 9.58 seconds in 2009.

The H1 robot is set to make its competitive public debut this Sunday at the 2026 Beijing E-Town Half Marathon, where it will compete in the event’s inaugural Humanoid Robot Half Marathon. To prepare for the challenging multi-kilometer course, which features uneven terrain, elevation changes, and sharp curves, Unitree’s engineering team has prioritized two key upgrades: boosting the robot’s long-distance endurance and refining its foot structure to handle complex real-world running conditions. The team has said it aims to achieve a new breakthrough in humanoid robot endurance racing with the event.

The 10 m/s milestone aligns with a prediction Unitree founder Wang Xingxing made during a public address on March 17. Wang noted that as of early 2026, humanoid robots had not yet matched top human sprinting speeds, but he claimed that by mid-2026, a transformative speed breakthrough would be achieved both globally and within China’s domestic robotics sector — one that would leave even Usain Bolt’s record-setting pace in the dust. This latest achievement puts the company well on track to deliver on that bold promise, marking a major step forward in the global race to develop high-mobility humanoid robots capable of operating in human-centric environments.

China’s top cyberspace governance body has introduced a sweeping set of new regulatory requirements for livestream tipping services, aiming to bring greater transparency to the fast-growing online streaming sector and strengthen protections for underage users, the regulator announced in an official notice published on Monday.

The Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission laid out 11 specific mandates that all major online platforms offering livestream services must follow to govern commercial monetization through viewer tipping, a practice that has generated billions in revenue for platforms and content creators but also drawn widespread criticism over exploitative practices and youth overspending.

Under the new framework, platforms that provide top-up services, host viewer tipping, publish creator popularity ranking lists, or design interactive monetization features are required to publish clear, straightforward terms of service that are easily accessible to all users. The rules explicitly ban platforms from hiding critical fee and tipping details behind multiple redirects or burying them in overly long, jargon-heavy user agreements that confuse consumers about the costs of their actions.

The regulator also introduced strict penalties for violators that break tipping-related rules. For livestream accounts that have previously committed violations and had their monetization privileges revoked, a three-month waiting period after the conclusion of their initial punishment must pass before privileges can be restored. If an account is temporarily muted for rule-breaking, its ability to earn revenue through viewer tipping must remain suspended for a period two to three times longer than the original mute penalty.

Additional user privacy protections are also included in the new rules. Platforms are prohibited from publicly sharing individual users’ tipping, top-up and gift purchase spending data without explicit prior consent from the user. Platforms are also required to step up content moderation for tipping-related interactions, banning any illegal or harmful content tied to tipping, and outlawing manipulative practices designed to induce unnecessary spending, such as offering cash-back rewards for tipping, artificially inflating tipping totals through creator self-tipping, and other misleading tactics.

A core focus of the new regulation is enhanced protection for minor users, who are considered particularly vulnerable to overspending and manipulation in livestream environments. The new rules implement a tiered system of protections: children under the age of 8 are completely barred from accessing any livestream tipping services, while minors between 8 and 16 years old can only use these services after platforms obtain explicit consent from a legal guardian. For 16- and 17-year-old minors, platforms must either secure guardian approval or verify that the minor has an independent source of income before granting access to tipping features.

China has achieved a landmark technological milestone in its reusable launch vehicle development program, with the country’s first 5-meter-diameter composite rocket module rolling off the production line on April 11, 2026. Developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology based in Beijing, this new component is the largest domestically produced composite module ever built for a reusable launch system, and is slated for use in a high-priority national space initiative.

Composite materials make up more than 60 percent of the module’s total construction, bringing major advantages in weight reduction compared to traditional metallic rocket structures. Despite its lightweight design, the module’s engineered wall panels are capable of withstanding an axial compressive load of up to 1,000 metric tons, while integrated self-adaptive adjustment interfaces add enhanced functionality for vehicle integration. The development team overcame a series of complex engineering hurdles, most notably the challenge of high-precision, high-quality manufacturing of large-scale advanced composite structures. Remarkably, the entire process from initial conceptual design to final production and delivery was completed in just seven months, a timeline that underscores the program’s rapid progress.

The breakthrough comes as China continues to advance its ambitious goal of building a full fleet of reusable rockets, a technology that is expected to slash space launch costs significantly while boosting the efficiency and enabling higher frequency of orbital space missions. Following this successful production milestone, the Beijing-based academy is now preparing to conduct a key recovery test for its reusable rocket prototype in the coming months, moving the program one step closer to operational deployment.

The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center opened two major robotics exhibitions Monday, drawing global attention to the booming humanoid robot sector led by Chinese manufacturers, with over 100 cutting-edge robotic systems on public display.

Among the standout exhibits was the X2 Ultra, developed by leading Chinese humanoid robot maker AGIBOT Innovation (Shanghai) Technology Co. Standing roughly the size of an elementary school student, this responsive humanoid wowed crowds with its versatile capabilities: it performed songs, communicated fluently in both Mandarin and English, accurately answered audience questions, and even identified people and objects in its surroundings. When asked about its personal interests, the robot rattled off a range of hobbies from sports and dancing to technology exploration and music listening.

Calvin Chiu, chief operating officer of Novautek Autonomous Driving, AGIBOT’s Hong Kong-based regional agent, explained that the X2 Ultra is designed to do more than complete functional tasks. It can deliver emotional companionship through natural conversation, act as a personalized learning companion for children and an educational guide for older adults, and can be custom-programmed to take on unique personalities. “It would be like a friend,” Chiu noted.

The exhibition comes as China’s humanoid robot industry has emerged as a global leader, positioned at the forefront of the country’s tech development strategy amid shifting global tech competition. Beijing’s 2026–2030 five-year plan explicitly prioritizes breakthroughs in cutting-edge science and technology, with accelerating the development and commercial application of humanoid robots listed as a core strategic goal. Official industry data from 2025 shows China is now home to more than 140 humanoid robot manufacturers producing over 330 distinct models.

A recent global industry assessment from London-based research and advisory firm Omdia ranked three Chinese firms — AGIBOT, Unitree Robotics and UBTech Robotics Corp. — as the world’s only first-tier humanoid robot vendors by shipment volume. The report confirmed all three shipped over 1,000 units of general-purpose embodied intelligent robots last year, with AGIBOT and Unitree Robotics each surpassing 5,000 units. The technology has already entered mainstream public consciousness in China: in February 2025, a collaborative martial arts performance featuring child performers and humanoid robots was one of the most viral highlights of China’s annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala, the most-watched Lunar New Year television broadcast in the country.

Exhibitors at the Hong Kong event showcased the wide range of capabilities already available in Chinese-made robots, from natural conversation and creative sand painting to acrobatic backflips and public security patrol operations where robots can apprehend suspects with nets. Shenzhen-based firm EngineAI brought its PM01 mobility robot to demonstrate its advanced agility, including impressive front flips. Robert Chan, the company’s global strategy officer, announced plans to open two new mass production facilities in China later this year to meet growing demand.

Chan highlighted the structural advantages that have allowed China’s robotics sector to grow faster than many Western competitors. Beyond access to low-cost engineering talent that keeps production costs competitive, China’s industry benefits from open knowledge sharing between companies, a model that contrasts with the tightly guarded proprietary technology cultures common among U.S. and European firms.

Looking ahead, Chan predicts the next era of robotic innovation will center on human-centric design that prioritizes more natural, emotionally connected interactions between robots and people. This shift will see robots develop increasingly human-like physical features, nuanced facial expressions, and even life-like biological cues such as simulated breathing, all aimed at closing the gap in cross-species interaction. “We need to build warmth and emotional exchange between robots and humans, beyond just functional help to make decisions and complete tasks,” Chan explained.

One exhibitor is already turning this vision into reality. In a corner booth, three human-like figures greeted attendees from a distance; up close, visitors discovered they were hyper-realistic humanoid robots built for customer service and cultural tour guiding roles. Wang Zuhua, business director at Shenzhen’s DX Intech Technology Co., the developer of these robots, said the company has already sold over 400 models featuring soft synthetic facial tissue and feminine design features. Many of these units are already deployed in mainland Chinese museums and government venues, where they guide visitors to facilities, lead venue tours, and answer public queries.

Russel Lupang, a visitor from Malaysia, expressed awe at how closely the robots resembled living humans, even as he noted the subtle difference in presence. “It’s beautiful, but not real feeling,” Lupang said. The exhibit nonetheless offered a clear preview of how rapidly humanoid robot technology is advancing, with Chinese manufacturers leading the global race to bring human-like interactive robots to commercial markets.

In a major milestone for China’s domestic satellite internet development, a Smart Dragon-3 (SD-3) carrier rocket successfully delivered a new technology test satellite to its pre-planned orbit on Saturday, April 11, 2026. The launch operation, conducted from offshore waters near Yangjiang, a coastal city in South China’s Guangdong Province, lifted off at 7:32 p.m. Beijing Time, marking another successful orbital mission carried out by the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center.

This test satellite is explicitly designed to advance research and validation of cutting-edge satellite internet technologies, laying critical groundwork for the future deployment of large-scale, low-latency global satellite internet constellations developed by China. Offshore launch capabilities, the method used for this mission, offer unique advantages including greater flexibility in adjusting orbital inclination, reduced restrictions on launch drop zones for rocket debris, and lower infrastructure costs compared to traditional inland launch sites, making it an increasingly popular option for commercial and research orbital missions.

The Smart Dragon-3 rocket, developed for commercial launch services, has established a consistent track record of successful missions, demonstrating the maturity of China’s commercial rocket technology and its ability to support a growing range of space research and application projects. This successful launch brings China one step closer to building a fully operational, self-developed satellite internet network, which will expand global connectivity options, support downstream applications in communications, navigation, remote sensing, and other technology sectors.

In a groundbreaking move that bridges millennia of cultural heritage and cutting-edge digital technology, the central Chinese city of Luoyang, Henan province, has launched the “Peony Capital” Global AI Creators Competition, an open call to artificial intelligence practitioners and digital artists across the world to reimagine the city’s iconic historical legacy through innovative AI-generated works. Running through an extended submission period, the competition invites participants to craft original digital artworks rooted in Luoyang’s thousands of years of cultural history, drawing inspiration from everything from its status as one of China’s ancient Four Great Capitals to its world-famous peony cultivation, UNESCO-listed Longmen Grottoes, and centuries-old imperial traditions. Organizers framed the initiative as a deliberate effort to unlock fresh, contemporary avenues for sharing and reinterpreting traditional Chinese culture for modern global audiences. Beyond celebrating creative talent, the event also aims to cultivate a cross-border, internationally recognized hub for AI creative collaboration, where technologists, artists, and cultural scholars can connect, exchange ideas, and explore the evolving intersection of artificial intelligence and cultural preservation. By centering Luoyang’s unique cultural identity in an AI-focused global competition, organizers hope to demonstrate how emerging technology can breathe new life into ancient heritage, making it accessible and engaging for younger, digitally native audiences while fostering global dialogue around cultural innovation through AI.