China Calls Panama Canal Ruling 'Absurd," Fate of Ports Uncertain
中国称巴拿马运河裁决“荒谬”，港口前景不明
2026-02-05
| China called the recent Panama court ruling nullifying CK Hutchinson's licenses to operate two ports on the Panama Canal "absurd" and warned there could be consequences. The foreign ministry said "it's clear who is trying to monopolize the canal," adding that China will "take all necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies." Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison said its Panama Ports unit has initiated international arbitration proceedings against Panama, though the case could take years to resolve, Reuters reported. The court ruling is part of a complex tug-of-war between China and the US over control of the Panama Canal, a vital shipping artery. President Donald Trump said last year the US wants to reclaim full control over the canal and end Chinese influence there. CK Hutchinson included the two ports – located at either end of the canal – in a mega-deal to sell its interests in 43 global ports to US private equity firm BlackRock and Italy's Mediterranean Shipping Co for US$23 billion. Beijing, which must approve the deal, insisted its state-owned shipping company Cosco be a stakeholder in the deal. Who will operate the ports now is uncertain. | |
| 来源: Shanghai Daily |
对 AI 的担忧导致股价进一步回落
2026-02-05
| Technology shares suffered a second day of losses in New York on Wednesday, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq down 1.5 percent after a 1.4 percent drop a day earlier. Bitcoin, considered a bellwether of investor sentiment on AI development, lost nearly 4 percent. Software stocks have come under pressure as investors worry about the huge demand that artificial intelligence large language models place on chip makers. A shortage of memory chips is already hitting smartphone production hard. Concerns have also resurfaced about the astronomical sums of money, often borrowed, are being plowed into AI development, with near-term returns uncertain.
The MSCI global software and services index has dropped 13 percent in five days. "We are not yet at the point where AI agents will destroy software companies," Ben Barringer, head of technology research at Quilter Cheviot, told Reuters. "But during times of volatility, people often shoot first and ask questions later." |
|
| 来源: Shanghai Daily |
腾讯在“自家后院”遭遇春节分歧风波
2026-02-05
| Tencent's battle with Alibaba and Baidu to woo consumers to their AI apps with big cash giveaways for the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday period hit a snag when two of its own subsidiaries got into a battle of their own. Tencent announced it was splashing out 1 billion yuan (US$144 million) in digital "red packets" of cash through its AI chatbot Yuanbao and the rewards could be boosted if shared on its WeChat social media platform. But the heavy ad tactics and online traffic riled some WeChat users, causing the platform to announce that it's restricting the direct digital link from Yuanbao. | |
| 来源: Shanghai Daily |
在核谈判前夕，美国击落一架伊朗无人机
2026-02-04
| A US aircraft carrier shot down an Iranian drone that it said "aggressively approached" off Iran's southern coast in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday, just days before US-Iranian nuclear talks are scheduled. In a separate incident on Tuesday two Iranian gunboats approached a US-flagged chemical tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and threatened to board and seize the ship. The US Central Command said no one was injured and no equipment damaged in either incident. Global oil prices rose, with benchmark Brent crude up 2.6 percent to US$68 a barrel.
Friday talks were scheduled to be held in Istanbul, but Iran is now demanding they be held in Oman and that the scope of the negotiations be narrowed to nuclear issues and not include US proposals to limit Iranian ballistic missile production. The US wants Iran to end its nuclear weapons development, but Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. The talks would be the first since President Donald Trump moved a military strike force close to Iran last month amid threats of an attack if no nuclear deal is reached. |
|
| 来源: Shanghai Daily |
中国禁止汽车使用隐藏式门把手
2026-02-04
| China has become the first country to ban hidden door handles on cars, a trend first popularized by Tesla electric cars. The crackdown comes after two fatal crashes last year involving Xiaomi brand electric vehicles, when power failures prevented the electronically controlled doors from being opened to rescue passengers. Starting on January 1, 2027, all cars in China must come equipped with a manual release system on both inside and outside, the Ministry of Information Technology said. It also set specifications on handle recesses to allow easy access. Hidden handles now feature on the 100 best-selling new energy vehicles on the mainland. Tesla's door handles are also under investigation by US and European safety regulators. | |
| 来源: Shanghai Daily |
极氪确认 8X 新车在发布前发生信息泄露
2026-02-04
| Chinese electric automaker Zeekr confirmed details leaked ahead of schedule about its new high-performance flagship SUV, the Zeekr 8X. The company said the premature disclosure has disrupted the planned rollout. The 8X has entered pre-production testing. Zeekr said it aligns major announcements with actual vehicle development to provide accurate information for users and the media. The 8X is expected to strengthen Zeekr's position in the high-end of the market. | |
| 来源: Shanghai Daily |
在金价、银价大幅下跌之际，亚洲股市遭到抛售
2026-02-03
| Asian stock markets fell sharply on Monday as gold, silver and cryptocurrencies continued their steep selloff from record highs and geopolitical concerns about US warmongering persisted. South Korea's Kospi dropped as much as 5 percent, led by the nation's biggest chipmakers, prompting a temporary trading halt. Hong Kong Hang Seng lost 2.23 percent by the end of the day, and the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index was down 2.48 percent. Japan's Nikkei tumbled 1.25 percent. However, markets in Europe and the US subsequently posted strong gains on Monday as investors focused on corporate earnings, not precious metals.
Spot gold in Asian trading fell as much as 6 percent, adding to Friday losses, and silver retreated as much as 12 percent after crashing 31 percent on Friday in its worst trading day since 1980. Bitcoin, often considered a barometer on risk sentiment, has lost more than a third of its value since a record high last October. In New York, gold was trading down 1.4 percent late Monday at US$4,680 and silver rose 1 percent to just under US$80 an ounce. Bitcoin gained 2 percent but remained below US$80,000, a level last seen in April. Analysts said the Asian plunge reflected multiple factors, including worries that Kevin Warsh, the nominee to replace Jerome Powell as chairman of the US Federal Reserve, may tighten liquidity, and recurring concerns about the AI investment bubble. In addition, Chinese investors tend to cash out ahead of long holidays, like the China Lunar New Year holiday that starts on February 15. |
|
| 来源: Shanghai Daily |
SpaceX 与 xAI 合并，估值达 1.25 万亿美元
2026-02-03
| Elon Musk's SpaceX said it is taking over xAI, merging the two Musk companies in a deal that Bloomberg News valued at US$1.25 trillion. The combined company is headed for a blockbuster initial public offering that may price shares at US$527 each. SpaceX has asked US regulators for permission to launch a constellation of 1 million satellites to create a network of solar-powered data centers to accommodate explosive demand for AI computing. | |
| 来源: Shanghai Daily |
中国的 AI “红包大战”正在上演
2026-02-03
| Chinese tech giant Alibaba has committed to spending 3 billion yuan (US$342 million) in giveaways of Chinese Lunar New Year "red packets" in a battle with rivals Tencent and Baidu to entice consumers to its AI apps during the holiday. Red packets are envelopes of cash traditionally given to children for the holiday. Alibaba said its AI app Qwen, will anchor a Spring Festival campaign across its multiple platforms, including lottery-style free orders and red packets, beginning on February 6. Tencent and Baidu have followed suit with multimillion yuan promotions of their own. Tencent's Yuanbao app has climbed to the top of Apple's China App Store free-app rankings, helped by red-packet giveaways. Another rival, ByteDance, has announced what it called an exclusive AI cloud partnership with China Central Television's Spring Festival Gala, the country's most-watched annual broadcast, which will air the eve of the new year on February 16.
Separately, the 40-day travel period surrounding Spring Festival began on Monday, with Chian Railway predicting it will handle a record 540 passenger trips. The festival season, which includes nine days of official holidays, is always a big travel event in China, as millions of people return to hometowns for family reunions or go on domestic or foreign holidays. Airlines are also braced for a rush of travelers. |
|
| 来源: Shanghai Daily |
ADAspace Off and Running in Global Race for Orbital Computing
国星宇航（ADAspace）加速起跑，参与全球轨道计算竞赛
2026-02-02
| Wang Yabo, vice president of China commercial aerospace startup ADAspace, told a conference in China last week that the company's ambitious plan to develop a 2,800-satellite space computing network has successfully gotten underway with the deployment of several satellites using Alibaba's Qwen-3 large language model -- the world's first general purpose AI model to be operated in orbit. The system can process data and return it to Earth in two minutes or less. The first tests in space included so-called "real inference tasks" in contrast to passive benchmarking or post-mission analysis, indicating the system is integrated with onboard processors and satellite sub-systems to enable near-real-time data processing without relying on constant downlinks to ground stations. ADAspace said the technology will benefit self-driving vehicles, drones and robots across land, air and sea. Chinese firms are competing against Elon Musk, among others, in a global race to develop massive space-based, high-speed computing power using the cheaper costs of solar energy outside the Earth's atmosphere. | |
| 来源: Shanghai Daily |
