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This year marks the 5th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership, the inaugural year of the “Plan of Action to Implement the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2026-2030)”, and a critical year for accelerating the implementation of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) 3.0 Upgrade Protocol following its signing.

The 23rd CAEXPO has a total exhibition area of approximately 170,000 square meters, showcasing the latest achievements of cooperation between China and ASEAN countries, as well as new business opportunities under the Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA). More than 3,400 enterprises from over 70 countries and regions are participating, with the total number of exhibitors increasing by 5.3% compared to the previous session. Timor-Leste made its debut as a formal ASEAN member state and co-organizer of the CAEXPO. This marks the first time that all 11 ASEAN countries have gathered in Nanning, Guangxi, since ASEAN’s expansion, representing a historic moment for the CAEXPO’s circle of friends. In addition to the main exhibition area at the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center, two other exhibition areas are set up at CAAIC Community and the Guilin International Conference & Exhibition Center.

For the first time, an ASEAN country demand exhibition is set up during the event, and an ASEAN demand list is released for the first time, focusing on showcasing projects and application needs of ASEAN countries in areas such as transportation, smart logistics, artificial intelligence applications, urban management, and park construction, creating a new one-stop precise matchmaking platform for China and ASEAN.

In addition, more than 50 economic and trade promotion activities will be held during the event, focusing on trade and investment facilitation and regional economic integration, cross-border industrial and supply chain cooperation, “Shop in China”, “Export to China”, “Invest in China”, and other topics.

Hashtag: #CAEXPO#CABIS

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By T N Ashok The passage by the US Congress of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 has confronted India with a problem that is simultaneously diplomatic, economic and strategic. The immediate headline is stark: the legislation creates a statutory pathway allowing President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up […]

The article India’s Graham Act Dilemma: Energy Security Meets US Tariff Weapon appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).

The Peerium Computing Architecture achieves strong scaling to the million-processor level through nested parallelism, unified memory addressing, and peer interconnect. It breaks through the Turing paradigm with the introduction of Nested BSP (Nested Bulk Synchronous Parallel), extends the von Neumann single-machine architecture, and overturns the master–slave architecture that has prevailed for decades, so that a million processors truly become one larger computer.

UnifiedBus (UB) is the key interconnect technology that makes the Peerium Computing Architecture possible. Built on a single open protocol, UB is a high-speed bus that scales without limit to connect CPUs, NPUs, memory, SSDs, network interface cards (NICs), and switches. With UB, peer interconnect is achieved across compute, storage, and networking.

The Atlas 950 SuperPoD and SuperPoD-based SuperClusters are the first-generation product built on the Peerium Computing Architecture. An Atlas 950 SuperCluster with 256,000 cards is already being deployed, and the Atlas 960 system based on near-packaged optics (NPO) is currently under testing.

Eric Xu, Huawei’s Rotating Chairman, said, “In the AI era, Huawei is drawing on the Peerium Computing Architecture we pioneered to continuously build the SuperPoDs and SuperPod-based SuperClusters that meet customer needs for training and inference, making computing power available everywhere and intelligence accessible to all.”

Hashtag: #Huawei

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Dr. Julie Xing, Global Board Chairman and CEO Discusses New Pathways to High-Quality Growth with Global Business Leaders

GUANGZHOU, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 17 September 2026 – Lee Kum Kee Sauce (“Lee Kum Kee”), the century-old sauce brand and the only sauce and condiments brand among this year’s Forum partners, actively participated in the 2026 Fortune Global 500 Forum, held on September 16 in Guangzhou, China. Julie Xing, Ph.D., Global Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lee Kum Kee Sauce, was invited to speak at a panel discussion and to attend the Most Powerful Women (MPW) Breakfast, joining other leading global business leaders to explore the key pathways for enterprises to achieve sustainable growth.

Under the theme “The New Growth Equation”, this year’s forum brought Dr. Xing and three other industry leaders, including Pingyi Huang, Senior Vice President of Shandong Weiqiao Pioneering Group Co., Ltd.; Weiming Xiang, Vice President, GE Aerospace and President, GE Aerospace Greater China; and John Qu, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company, for a panel discussion titled “The Invisible Moat: Revaluing Soft Power and Sustainability”. Moderated by Wei Yue, Senior Editor at Fortune China, the discussion explored what truly constitutes long-term advantages that can withstand cycles amid rapid technological iteration and intensifying competition. Topics spanned brand trust and consumer mindshare in consumer goods, data insights and organizational transformation in the AI era, and the pathways and stages of globalization for Chinese enterprises.

During the Forum, Dr. Xing was invited to share her insights at the MPW Breakfast themed “Decision-Making Power in the Age of Efficiency”, where she joined leaders from across industries to discuss opportunities and challenges for businesses in the new era. She highlighted that while AI enhances operational efficiency, human judgment, leadership and long-termism remain more critical competitive advantages.

As a recipient of the 2026 Fortune China’s MPW list, Dr. Xing has earned this recognition for three consecutive years. Launched in 2010, the MPW list is regarded as one of the most representative rankings of women business leaders in China.

The Fortune Global 500 Forum this year brought together representatives from over 350 leading global companies, academic institutions, and business leaders worldwide. Discussions focused on topics including artificial intelligence, global supply chain transformation, sustainable development, and opportunities in emerging markets.

Looking ahead, Lee Kum Kee will continue to uphold its commitment to quality and innovation. Alongside driving business growth, the company will further deepen its sustainability practices, nurture talent, and enhance corporate governance, working with all stakeholders to forge new pathways to high-quality growth.
Hashtag: #LeeKumKee #LKK

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About Lee Kum Kee Sauce

Lee Kum Kee Sauce is the global gateway to Asian culinary culture, dedicated to promoting Chinese culinary culture worldwide. Since 1888, it has brought people together over joyful reunions, shared traditions and memorable meals. Beloved by consumers and chefs alike, Lee Kum Kee Sauce’s range of more than 300 sauces and condiments sparks creativity in kitchens everywhere, inspiring professional and home chefs to experiment, create and delight. Headquartered in Hong Kong, China and serving over 100 countries and regions, Lee Kum Kee Sauce’s rich heritage, unwavering commitment to quality, sustainable practices and “Constant Entrepreneurship” combine to enable superior experiences through Asian cuisine for people worldwide. For more information, please visit www.LKK.com.

About Fortune

Fortune is the premier global media company for global business leaders, built on a 96-year-old legacy of trusted, award-winning journalism. Independently owned, Fortune tells the story of business, spanning legacy companies to the world’s new generation of innovators. Fortune measures corporate performance through rigorous benchmarks, and holds companies accountable, in regions around the world. Its iconic rankings include Fortune 500, Fortune Global 500, Most Powerful Women, and World’s Most Admired Companies. Fortune builds world-class communities by convening industry thought leaders for exclusive summits and conferences, including the Fortune Global Forum, Fortune Brainstorm Tech, and Fortune Most Powerful Women. For more information, visit fortune.com.

The model supports multimodal inputs including text, images and video, and generates high-fidelity 1080p videos of 5 to 20 seconds with natively synchronized audio

BEIJING, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 17 September 2026 – HiDream.ai, an AI company specializing in foundation models and generative AI, announced the launch of HiDream-O1-Video-1.0, or HiDream V1, its native omnimodal video generation model.

Designed around a deeper understanding of creative intent and real-world physics, HiDream V1 supports multimodal inputs including text, images and video. It can generate high-fidelity 1080p videos ranging from 5 to 20 seconds, with enhanced narrative planning, character consistency, physical plausibility and audiovisual synchronization.

In its debut on two independent international benchmarks, HiDream V1 ranked No. 4 globally on the Artificial Analysis Image to Video Leaderboard (With Audio) and No. 8 on the Arena.ai Image-to-Video leaderboard, placing it among the world’s leading video generation models.

Artificial Analysis independently evaluates leading AI models through standardized and reproducible benchmark testing. Arena.ai uses anonymous head-to-head comparisons and user voting to assess model outputs. Together, the two platforms provide third-party perspectives on model performance based on both standardized testing and real-world user preferences.

HiDream V1’s results demonstrate its competitiveness across key dimensions including visual quality, prompt adherence, motion quality, narrative coherence and audiovisual coordination.

The global AI video generation market has become increasingly competitive, with models developed by Chinese teams—including Seedance and MiniMax H3—maintaining strong positions on international leaderboards. HiDream V1’s top-tier debut further expands China’s presence among the world’s leading video generation models.

“The next generation of video models will not be defined solely by higher resolution or longer duration,” said Yao Ting, Chief Technology Officer of HiDream.ai. “What matters is whether a model can genuinely understand a creator’s intent and how objects, actions and sounds interact in the real world. HiDream V1 was designed from the outset to represent text, video and audio within a unified framework. Our goal is to move video generation beyond simply looking sharp and moving smoothly toward understanding instructions, sustaining coherent performances and keeping sound aligned with visuals. Its performance on two independent international benchmarks provides encouraging validation of our native omnimodal approach.”

Upgrades in Visual Fidelity, Narrative Coherence and Character Consistency
HiDream V1 introduces broad improvements in high-fidelity rendering, narrative continuity and character consistency. Rather than optimizing only for the quality of individual frames, the model is designed to maintain coherence across an entire video sequence.

Once characters, emotions, motivations and physical rules are placed within a continuous sequence, each element can affect the others. HiDream therefore uses a technical framework built around three stages: planning first, followed by joint generation, and then alignment through multimodal reward signals.

Under this approach, the model first plans the narrative and character states at a global level. It then jointly constrains visuals, movement and semantics during generation, before using multimodal reward signals to align visual quality, continuity and physical plausibility.

Native Omnimodal Architecture for Better Intent and Physics Understanding
The central challenge in AI video generation is shifting from the quality of individual frames to a broader understanding of complex instructions, continuous motion and the rules governing the physical world.

User prompts often contain multiple layers of information, including characters, actions, settings, camera directions, dialogue and sound. To handle these requirements more effectively, HiDream V1 incorporates multimodal intent understanding and planning. Before generation begins, the model structures the user’s request across elements such as shot duration, setting, character state, movement, facial expression, composition, camera motion, dialogue and ambient sound.

Through this “understand, plan and generate” workflow, HiDream V1 plans narrative development and character states at a global level, while coordinating visuals, motion, semantics and audio during generation. This is designed to improve content completeness, character consistency and continuity between shots.

Physical reasoning is another core capability of HiDream V1. The model incorporates factors such as gravity, inertia, collisions, deformation, materials, lighting and spatial continuity into the generation process. As a result, object movement, character actions and environmental responses can more closely reflect the behavior of the real world.

This approach moves video generation beyond reproducing visual appearances and toward modeling how a dynamic world operates over time.

Content-Adaptive Video Duration
Most current video generation models require users to specify a fixed duration in advance, forcing the content to fit within a predetermined time window. This can lead to unnecessary pauses after an action has ended or the use of slow motion to fill the remaining time.

HiDream V1 instead incorporates duration into its narrative planning process. Within a range of 5 to 20 seconds, the model can determine an appropriate video length based on how an event unfolds, how long an action takes to complete and the pacing required by the content.

The capability is not simply a matter of adding or removing frames. It is designed to make duration serve the narrative, producing more natural pacing and more complete sequences. Users can focus on describing the event and intended outcome, while the model plans the corresponding temporal structure.

Conventional AI video generation systems often follow a staged workflow in which visuals are generated first and sound is added afterward. This can lead to mismatches between lip movements, physical actions, ambient sound and sound effects.

HiDream V1 uses a native omnimodal architecture to jointly model text, video and audio signals. The three modalities constrain and inform one another within a single generation process. Visual motion influences sound timing, dialogue and sound effects contribute to the emotional tone of a scene, and text conditions guide the generation process throughout.

This unified approach is designed to improve synchronization across character performance, environmental changes and physical actions.

During post-training, HiDream uses Diffusion Reinforcement Learning and a multimodal reward model aligned with human perception and aesthetic preferences. Generated content is evaluated across multiple dimensions, including visual quality, semantics, motion, physical plausibility and sound, helping improve overall consistency and realism.

Completing HiDream’s Native Omnimodal World Model Portfolio
HiDream V1 is not a standalone model. It is a core component of HiDream’s native omnimodal world model strategy.

Built on a unified UiT, or Unified Transformer, foundation, the company’s portfolio now comprises four major model families:

• HiDream-O1-Image, for image understanding and generation;
• HiDream-O1-Video, for dynamic content generation and temporal storytelling;
• HiDream-O1-World, for 3D environment simulation and real-time interaction; and
• HiDream-O1-Embodied, for spatial reasoning, action planning and feedback in embodied AI.

Rather than operating as four separate technology stacks, the models are designed to evolve from the same unified architecture. Together, they cover spatial understanding, temporal modeling, 3D interaction and embodied action, creating an integrated system for perceiving, understanding, generating, interacting with and acting upon the physical world.

HiDream’s models have previously achieved leading results on several independent benchmarks. HiDream-O1-Image 1.5, the commercial version of the company’s image model, ranked No. 2 globally and No. 1 among Chinese models on the Artificial Analysis text-to-image leaderboard, while its open-source edition also reached No. 2. HiDream-O1-World ranked No. 1 overall on WBench, a benchmark for interactive world models. HiDream-O1-Embodied achieved first-place results in the disturbance adaptation and spatial reasoning categories of RoboColiseum.

“We are not building four isolated model product lines,” said Dr. Mei Tao, founder and CEO of HiDream.ai. “We are building a native omnimodal system that shares a unified technical foundation and continues to evolve toward a deeper understanding of the real world. Competition among the next generation of foundation models will depend not only on improvements in individual capabilities, but also on whether different modalities can understand, generate and interact within a unified architecture.”

From understanding and generating the world to simulating and acting within it, the launch of HiDream V1 completes a key part of HiDream’s native omnimodal world model portfolio.

Alongside the launch of HiDream V1, HiDream announced the completion of a Series C+ financing round backed by New Micro Capital, Jiaozi Capital and ICBC Capital. The proceeds will support native omnimodal model research and development, product iteration, AI computing infrastructure and the expansion of industry applications.

New Micro Capital was jointly established by Shanghai New Micro Technology Group, Shanghai Science and Technology Venture Capital Group and its management team. The firm manages nearly RMB 10 billion in assets.

As the corporate venture capital arm of New Micro Technology Group, New Micro Capital is expanding its investments in artificial intelligence. Drawing on the group’s industrial capabilities in specialty integrated-circuit manufacturing, it seeks to advance collaboration across AI infrastructure, model technologies and end-user applications.

Jiaozi Capital is a wholly owned state-backed equity investment platform under Chengdu Jiaozi Financial Holding Group. The firm focuses on artificial intelligence and other strategic technology sectors, using long-term capital and industrial resources to accelerate technology commercialization and ecosystem development.

With the launch of HiDream V1, HiDream’s native omnimodal world model strategy is moving from a technical roadmap toward an integrated system supported by a unified foundation, a coordinated model portfolio and deployable product capabilities.

HiDream V1 is currently in internal testing and is expected to become available in the near future. Users can learn more at: https://hiharness.ai/

Hashtag: #HiDreamAI

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About HiDream.ai

HiDream.ai is an artificial intelligence company focused on generative AI and native omnimodal world models. Built on its unified UiT architecture, the company’s model portfolio spans image generation, video generation, interactive world simulation and embodied intelligence. HiDream aims to develop AI systems capable of understanding, generating, simulating and acting upon the real world.

Leaderboard disclaimer: Rankings cited in this release reflect publicly available results at the time of publication and may change as participating models, evaluation data or platform methodologies are updated.

Rotating chairman David Wang said at Huawei Connect 2026 in Shanghai on Thursday that the company plans to release the 960DT in the first quarter of 2027 and the Ascend 960PR in the third quarter. The roadmap places Huawei’s next generation of accelerators at the centre of its effort to build domestic alternatives for training and running increasingly demanding AI models.

Huawei also unveiled the Ascend 960 SuperPoD and an upgraded version of its UnifiedBus interconnect technology, designed to link large numbers of processors so they can function as one computing system. The company said a combination of UnifiedBus and its Hi-ONE optical system could connect as many as 4,000 processors within a SuperPoD, extending high-speed optical links deeper into the machine.

The strategy reflects a broader shift towards system-level performance rather than relying solely on the capability of individual chips. Advanced AI workloads require thousands of processors to exchange data rapidly, making networking bandwidth, memory access and cluster efficiency increasingly important alongside raw chip performance.

Wang said Huawei has developed 11 semiconductors based on UnifiedBus technology for use across its large computing systems. Its biggest planned superclusters will be able to support up to one million AI processors, he said, while the company has already shipped more than 1,000 smaller supernodes to more than 370 customers.

Huawei did not identify those customers or give a detailed breakdown of shipments. It also did not provide independently verified benchmarks directly comparing the new 960-series chips with Nvidia’s leading accelerators, leaving questions over single-chip performance, software compatibility and manufacturing scale.

The company had previously said the Ascend 960 would offer twice the computing power, memory capacity, memory bandwidth and interconnect ports of the Ascend 950 generation. Huawei has also been developing the Atlas 960 SuperPoD and SuperCluster, with the larger system intended to combine more than one million neural processing units when it reaches the market.

Huawei’s current product roadmap also includes the Ascend 950DT, due in the fourth quarter of 2026. The company has said that processor will use its HiZQ 2.0 high-bandwidth memory, providing 144 GB of capacity and 4 terabytes per second of bandwidth. Those specifications are intended to support both model training and the decode stage of inference workloads.

US restrictions have limited China’s access to cutting-edge Nvidia processors and advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment, giving domestic suppliers greater room to expand. Huawei has emerged as the most prominent of those suppliers, but Nvidia retains a major advantage through its CUDA software ecosystem and a broad global developer base.

Chinese AI developers have increasingly turned to domestic accelerators for inference, where trained models generate responses, even as many frontier laboratories continue to depend on Nvidia hardware for the most demanding training jobs. That split has made Huawei’s ability to improve both hardware and software a critical test of whether China can reduce its dependence on foreign computing infrastructure.

Huawei is also contending with shortages of high-bandwidth memory, a key component in AI accelerators. The company has designed memory for some newer Ascend products, but supply constraints across the industry have increased costs and complicated efforts to scale production quickly enough to meet demand.

The group is seeking to offset those limitations through architectural changes, advanced packaging, optical networking and tighter integration between chips, systems and software. Its SuperPoD approach is intended to compensate for weaker performance from individual processors by allowing much larger numbers of chips to work together with lower latency.

Response by KK Chiu, International Director, Chief Executive, Greater China, Cushman & Wakefield:

Response by John Siu, Managing Director, Hong Kong, Cushman & Wakefield:

Planning Ahead for AI and Data Centre Infrastructure

We welcome the Government’s commitment to accelerate the development of the Sandy Ridge Data Facility Cluster, which is expected to provide computing power equivalent to 36 times Hong Kong’s current capacity by 2032, alongside a HK$1 billion injection into the Artificial Intelligence Subsidy Scheme. These initiatives will provide important support for the development of Hong Kong’s artificial intelligence and data centre sectors, further strengthening the city’s position as a regional digital and innovation hub.

However, with rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, large language models and cloud computing, demand for computing power is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. We believe that, in addition to planning data centre sites, the Government should proactively review long-term requirements for power supply, electricity grid capacity and related infrastructure. As AI adoption becomes more widespread, access to reliable power and supporting infrastructure will be a key factor in maintaining Hong Kong’s competitiveness as a technology and data centre hub.

We support the Government’s stated direction of pursuing “high-efficiency computing power, stable electricity supply and low-carbon transition”. Looking ahead, we recommend that the Government regularly review future demand for land, power supply and supporting infrastructure arising from the growth of artificial intelligence and data centre activities, particularly within the Northern Metropolis and other strategic development areas. A coordinated approach to computing, energy and digital infrastructure planning will help attract more data centre operators and technology companies to Hong Kong, while supporting the city’s long-term development as a regional hub for data and artificial intelligence.

Hashtag: #Cushman&Wakefield

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Cushman & Wakefield

Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) is a leading global commercial real estate services firm for occupiers and investors with approximately 53,000 employees in over 350 offices and nearly 60 countries. In Greater China, a network of 23 offices serves local markets across the region. In 2025, the firm reported revenue of $10.3 billion across its core services of Valuation, Consulting, Project & Development Services, Capital Markets, Project & Occupier Services, Industrial & Logistics, Retail, and others. Built around the belief that Better never settles, the firm receives numerous industry and business accolades for its award-winning culture. For additional information, visit www.cushmanwakefield.com.hk or follow us on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/company/cushman-&-wakefield-greater-china).

Bae said South Korea was still trying to close the gap with leading AI powers while creating new markets, making its position different from countries or companies at the technological frontier. “We cannot afford to slow down AI right now,” he wrote on social media, describing the government’s approach as one of “speed responsibility” rather than speed control.

His remarks place Seoul firmly on the acceleration side of a widening debate over whether developers should moderate the pace of capable AI systems. Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei has called for a slowdown in frontier model development to allow more time for safety work, while OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and other technology leaders have voiced support for stronger precautions as capabilities advance.

Bae said South Korea should continue expanding research, industrial adoption and home-grown model development while strengthening protections against deepfakes, cyber threats and privacy violations. Faster progress, he said, required safety and trust measures to move at the same pace rather than follow after deployment.

The minister pointed to a broader technology agenda that includes sovereign foundation models, systems capable of processing vision and language, and models able to interact with physical environments. He said the country also needed to prepare for AI becoming deeply embedded across industries and everyday life.

The government has made domestic foundation-model development a central part of its ambition to place South Korea among the world’s top three AI powers. The Ministry of Science and ICT has been running a sovereign AI foundation model programme intended to improve domestic capabilities and reduce dependence on foreign technology.

Three teams led by Upstage, SK Telecom and LG AI Research advanced after the programme’s second-stage evaluation this year. The ministry has said models developed under the initiative were built with comparatively limited resources but were released as open source as part of an effort to expand the domestic AI ecosystem.

Bae indicated that further details on the next phase of the foundation-model programme would be announced after ongoing reviews. His comments also referenced government work on security-focused AI models and frontier systems, alongside an “AI for All” initiative intended to spread adoption across the economy.

The policy push is being developed alongside South Korea’s AI Basic Act, which establishes rules covering both the development of artificial intelligence and the creation of a framework for trust. The law’s stated purpose includes protecting rights and human dignity while supporting quality of life and national competitiveness.

That legal structure gives Seoul a basis for pursuing faster adoption without presenting safety as a separate objective. Bae said competitiveness and sustainability were linked, arguing that development speed and safeguards should advance together.

The global dispute has intensified as leading executives and policymakers weigh the economic benefits of faster AI deployment against concerns over misuse and loss of control. Amodei has proposed independent safety evaluators, coordination among major laboratories and greater international cooperation, while Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has argued against slowing technological progress and favours advancing safety alongside innovation.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday backed calls for greater caution and said frontier AI laboratories would be invited for talks on managing risks. Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, by contrast, said AI companies already had strong incentives to build systems safely and did not require an industry-wide slowdown.

Bae’s intervention highlights the competitive pressures facing countries outside the United States and China, where most frontier AI investment and model development remains concentrated. South Korea has strong semiconductor and technology industries, but its government has acknowledged the need to strengthen domestic models, computing capacity and commercial adoption to narrow the gap.

The 2026-2030 plan, released on Wednesday, calls for an integrated gold ecosystem covering storage, trading, clearing, refining and related financial services, while encouraging more renminbi-denominated commodity products. The government said it would strengthen links with mainland exchanges and attract international investors as it develops the city’s role as a global offshore renminbi centre.

It describes gold as an asset and envisages a one-stop storage, trading and clearing centre.

The strategy gives formal five-year backing to a gold-market expansion already under way. Hong Kong began trial operations of a central clearing and settlement system for gold in July and plans to launch the system formally in the first quarter of 2027. The administration is also seeking to expand storage capacity, improve refining capability and support more gold dealers and financial institutions in establishing operations in the city.

The plan says Hong Kong will explore renminbi-denominated gold and commodity markets and deepen co-operation with the Shanghai Gold Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange. It also aims to increase the range of products priced in the Chinese currency and encourage the use of renminbi for pricing and settlement in spot commodity transactions.

Chief Executive John Lee’s administration has framed the programme as part of a broader effort to strengthen Hong Kong’s position as an international financial centre while aligning more closely with China’s national development priorities. The five-year plan also seeks to enlarge the city’s offshore renminbi business, improve liquidity support and expand the range of renminbi bonds and other financial products.

Hong Kong remains the world’s largest offshore renminbi market. The government said offshore renminbi lending reached a record 935 billion yuan in 2025, while renminbi bond issuance reached 1 trillion yuan for a second consecutive year. The new plan proposes a dedicated offshore renminbi liquidity provision mechanism and wider use of the currency in trade, investment, financing and government expenditure.

Gold is intended to provide the first platform for a wider commodities push. The government said Hong Kong would use its status as an approved delivery point in the London Metal Exchange’s global warehousing network to develop trading, risk-management and financing services across additional commodities.

Since Hong Kong joined the LME warehousing network in 2025, approved storage space has exceeded 60,000 square metres and metal inventories have risen above 20,000 tonnes, according to the government. Authorities plan to facilitate more LME-approved warehouses in the Northern Metropolis and introduce a half-rate tax concession for physical commodity trading to attract additional market participants.

The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing group also plans to announce details this year for new renminbi-denominated, physically settled gold futures contracts. The government said the contracts are intended to strengthen the currency’s role in precious-metal pricing and provide another channel for international investors to gain renminbi exposure.

Other measures include possible tax concessions for qualifying gold and commodity activities, additional insurance capacity for gold storage and trading, and support for an industry-led trade association. Officials are also examining tokenised warehouse-receipt financing and blockchain-based systems that would allow commodity inventories to be used more flexibly as collateral.

The administration has set a target of lifting Hong Kong’s gold storage capacity to more than 2,000 tonnes within three years. It is also encouraging internationally qualified refiners to establish or expand local operations, with government agencies assisting interested companies in identifying sites and navigating regulatory requirements.

Closer integration with mainland markets is another element of the strategy. The plan calls for wider market access between Hong Kong and mainland gold markets and further collaboration with the Qianhai Mercantile Exchange, including development of renminbi-settled commodity futures, options and spot products.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Monday that artificial intelligence was a consequential technology for humanity and should be developed openly and inclusively. Asked about calls from Dario Amodei, Sam Altman and Elon Musk for companies to slow frontier development, Guo warned that “fear-mongering, confrontation and vicious competition” would hinder sound global AI governance.

The response came as Washington’s debate over AI safety widened into a strategic argument about China. Anthropic chief executive Amodei has urged tougher safeguards for advanced systems and has argued that a Chinese lead in frontier AI could create national security risks for the United States. OpenAI chief executive Altman and Musk have also called for stronger precautions as systems become more capable.

Trump, however, has resisted proposals that could materially slow US development. He said this week that America already had tools to police the industry and stressed the importance of maintaining leadership over China. House Speaker Mike Johnson similarly rejected a moratorium, saying any pause could hand Beijing a competitive advantage and create national security risks.

The dispute places AI governance among the issues likely to shadow the Trump-Xi meeting scheduled for September 24 in Washington. The leaders are also expected to confront trade disputes, semiconductor restrictions and China’s controls on rare-earth exports, all of which affect the broader contest over computing capacity and advanced manufacturing.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is due to meet Vice-Premier He Lifeng before the summit.

China has presented a different framework for AI governance, emphasising access, development and multilateral rules while opposing measures it regards as technological containment. At the BRICS summit this month, Xi proposed an open-source and inclusive AI initiative and said China would help establish a BRICS AI open-source community and digital ecosystem platform.

Beijing has nevertheless acknowledged the risks posed by increasingly powerful systems. Chinese officials have called for stronger global governance and risk awareness, while arguing that safety should not become a justification for blocking technological diffusion. The government has also supported the establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, whose founding agreement was signed in Shanghai in July by 29 countries.

The argument over safety is closely linked to semiconductor controls. Washington has maintained restrictions on the export of advanced computing technology to China, although the Commerce Department in January shifted applications for Nvidia H200, AMD MI325X and comparable chips to case-by-case review under specified security conditions. Beijing has repeatedly criticised US technology restrictions as discriminatory and has threatened countermeasures when Chinese companies are targeted.

China’s Commerce Ministry last week also challenged a US cybersecurity advisory accusing China-based AI companies of using distillation campaigns against American models. The ministry said China was prepared for an intergovernmental AI dialogue with the United States but would respond if Washington used such allegations to suppress Chinese firms.

That exchange underscored the difficulty of separating AI safety from the strategic rivalry. US officials and technology executives increasingly frame advanced models as both commercial assets and national security capabilities, while China portrays broad restrictions as attempts to preserve US dominance.

There are areas of overlap. Both governments have said advanced AI presents risks requiring governance, and the two sides have agreed to launch an intergovernmental dialogue on the technology. Informal discussions among researchers and policy specialists have also continued, though official positions remain far apart on access to chips, model controls and the balance between safety and development.

The September 24 summit follows Trump’s May visit to China, when the two leaders agreed to pursue what the White House described as strategic stability and set up new bilateral trade and investment mechanisms. Artificial intelligence was not the centrepiece of those agreements, but it has since moved higher on the bilateral agenda as concerns over model capabilities, export controls and industrial competition have intensified.

• Launched in H1 2026, Heavy Weight Express service saw a 16% increase in Weight per Day growth for the region (excluding China)
• High-value, technology-related cargo, engineering & manufacturing, and automotive are the biggest drivers, making up two-thirds of the total weight of heavyweight segment

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 16 September 2026 – Following DHL Express’s introduction of Heavy Weight Express (HWX) this year, DHL Express recorded a 16% growth in its Time Definite International Weight per Day in Asia Pacific (excluding China) between January and July2026. This reflects how DHL’s Smart Industrial Growth Strategy is yielding positive outcomes as businesses are moving heavier, critical components, machinery, and industrial equipment across borders.

The heavyweight market has been gaining traction in recent years. Industry research shows that an estimated 10.2 million tons of heavyweight shipments¹ are being moved in Asia Pacific (excluding China) each year. Many companies have spent years reducing inventory and improving efficiency across their supply chains. However, companies today operate in a far less predictable environment marked by trade disruptions, manufacturing bottlenecks, and fluctuating demand. The rise in heavyweight shipment volumes mirrors a shift in how businesses are managing supply chain risks, as they increasingly turn to express logistics not only to handle sudden shifts in demand but also to have greater agility, certainty and control over timelines.

“Behind the numbers is a simple reality: Businesses are shipping heavy when timing matters and when it’s critical,” said Ken Lee, CEO for Asia Pacific, DHL Express. “As companies continue to navigate a complex landscape where uncertainty has become the norm, speed and reliability have also become part of the business decision. Customers are making deliberate decisions on what they ship through our network. Our Heavy Weight Express solution helps companies avoid downtime, protect working capital and keep operations moving when supply chains don’t go exactly as planned.”

Technology, Engineering & Manufacturing, and Automotive top Asia Pacific’s heavyweight contributors

Across the region, high-value, technology-related cargo, such as computer chips and semiconductors, accounts for the largest share of DHL Express’s heavyweight segment at over 34%, driven by rapid investment in data centers to support the growing demandfor computing capacity, data storage, cloud services, as well as artificial intelligence. This has fueled demand for technology-related shipments, from semiconductors and servers to cooling systems and electrical infrastructure. However, a data center crunch is creating supply chain bottlenecks as demand for semiconductor manufacturing outpaces infrastructure supply. As a result, express logistics services are urgently activated to move critical components quickly and efficiently, helping to keep projects on schedule.

The other main contributors to the heavyweight segment are businesses in engineering & manufacturing as well as the automotive industry.

Automotive is the fastest growing sector

HWX service is also gaining strong momentum in the automotive sector, with its shipment weight increasing at a rate of nearly 20%. As the leading export region for this sector, Asia Pacific is also seeing a surge in Asian automotive brands, particularly Electric Vehicle (EV) manufacturers from China and Southeast Asia. As these brands expand into new markets, they are also moving vehicle parts sourced from different suppliers and manufacturers across borders. This has created the appetite for expedited shipments to keep production running. In this sector, a single late or failed shipment could instantly cost automotive manufacturers millions of dollars.

Asia affirms role as a vital trading hub

In Asia Pacific (excluding China), the fastest growth in heavyweight shipments for the first seven months of the year came from India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan and Hong Kong. These markets reflect two of the region’s strongest trade corridors – Southeast Asia’s firm role as a manufacturing and sourcing base, and North Asia’s strategic position as a hub for high-value technology, industrial and automotive supply chains. Additionally, India, the Philippines, and Vietnam are also recognized as key markets of the geographic tailwinds initiative.

“As companies continue to manufacture out of Asia, balancing project timelines and building more resilient and agile supply chains become a priority. To maintain production continuity and ensure certainty, they are consolidating goods into heavier shipments. These non-negotiable conditions are also “urgency drivers” that put us at an advantage to help deliver our customers’ shipments at a definite time,” said Ken Lee, CEO for Asia Pacific, DHL Express.

In recent years, DHL Express has added several new infrastructures across the region, including an expanded global hub in Hong Kong, facilities near Cebu and Manila airports, gateway at Christchurch airport, Hanoi gateway near Noi Bai airport, as well as Delhi gateway, culminating in approximately 1,000 facilities in the Asia Pacific region. This is further supported by a robust aviation network of around 810 flights per day.

¹McKinsey/IHS Markit (2024)
Hashtag: #DHLExpress #GlobalTrade #HeavyWeightExpress

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DHL – The logistics company for the world

DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. Our DHL divisions offer an unrivaled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfillment solutions, international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With approximately 389,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global sustainable trade flows. With specialized solutions for growth markets and industries including technology, life sciences and healthcare, engineering, manufacturing & energy, auto-mobility and retail, DHL is decisively positioned as “The logistics company for the world”.

DHL is part of DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of approximately 82.9 billion euros in 2025. With sustainable business practices and a commitment to society and the environment, the Group makes a positive contribution to the world. DHL Group aims to achieve net-zero emissions logistics by 2050.

The value of technology goes beyond efficiency. Emma Wu noticed that a large number of overseas fresh fruit brands are stepping up their presence in China, while many domestic brands are showing a strong desire to go global. Emma Wu remarked: “A growing number of international brands are now registering Chinese brand names, setting up dedicated consumer brand teams, and increasing their investment at the retail end. The essence of branding lies in brand owners extending their quality commitment to the end consumer. This, in turn, requires them to maintain effective control of product condition at every link of the domestic supply chain. The same applies to Chinese brands going global.”

In the past, once imported fruit arrived at port, quality essentially entered a “black box” — brand owners had no visibility over key metrics like arrival temperature, handling status, or outbound records across the supply chain.

Emma Wu added that AI is transforming the fresh fruit and vegetables industry from one that “runs on experience” to one that “makes decisions with data.” In sorting and quality inspection, AI vision technology can assess coloration, size, and defects within a second — with greater accuracy and consistency than the human eye. In warehousing, automated equipment is taking over repetitive tasks such as material handling and palletizing. In transportation, IoT sensors track the temperature and location of every load in real time, and could raise the alarm before any issue arises.

Built around the unique characteristics of berry products, VX Logistics has customized a comprehensive end-to-end solution encompassing precision temperature and humidity management as well as rapid in-warehouse throughput — supporting the annual market launch of close to 200 million boxes of berries for Driscoll’s.

Zespri has been a partner of VX Logistics for over a decade. VX Logistics has built a full end-to-end system for Zespri in China – covering warehousing, quality inspection, ripening, automated sorting, and packaging.

“Cold-chain logistics is not a cost center — it is a value center.” She further pointed out that cold-chain logistics today is no longer merely a cost item for warehousing and transportation. It is a provider of supply chain solutions for brand clients. Both expanding overseas and deepening presence in China demand stable temperature and humidity control and quality assurance. The technological nature and professional reliability of cold-chain operations make cold-chain logistics an “added value” that safeguards product quality and reduces loss.

After 13 years of dedicated development, VX Logistics’ cold-chain scale now ranks first in Asia and stands firmly among the global top tier. As the supply chain service provider behind renowned fruit brands such as Zespri, Driscoll’s, Envy Apples, and Rockit, VX Logistics’ core competitive edge lies in its technology-driven supply chain services.
Hashtag: #VXLogistics

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By TN Ashok The 18th BRICS Summit, held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 12–13, 2026, was never going to escape Washington’s shadow — and it didn’t. Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi steered eleven member states toward a unanimously adopted New Delhi Declaration that pointedly avoided naming the United States, President Donald […]

The article India steers 18th BRICS summit deftly, keeps anti-West rhetoric at bay appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).

As the Macau Grand Prix weekend revs up, on 20 and 21 November, Galaxy Macau gathers a standout line-up of 15 of Asia’s most awarded chefs and mixologists for the anticipated return of its eponymous dining festival – early bird tickets on sale now

MACAU SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 15 September 2026 – On 20 & 21 November, Galaxy Macau elevates its gastronomic offering with the standout eponymous edition of Galaxy Stars of Gastronomy 2026. The fourth presentation of Galaxy Macau’s large-scale immersive outdoor culinary event will showcase an elite line-up of 12 of the region’s most sought-after culinary masters, deliveringa cumulative 24 Michelin stars. In addition, featuring three prominent mixologists, including this year’s Asia’s 50 Best Bar’s champions. Galaxy Stars of Gastronomy cements its place as Asia’s leading dining destination, and home to some of the region’s most awarded restaurants, chefs and culinary experiences, all under one roof., under one roof.

The city’s most elevated sensory gastronomy festival takes place across three sittings from Friday 20 November, to Saturday 21 November, spanning two dazzling nights and one thrilling day-time session. Following the standout success of the festival’s first three years at Galaxy Macau, this cornerstone event during Macau Grand Prix weekend has cemented the city’s undisputed status as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy and the home of Formula 3 racing on the global stage.

Galaxy Stars of Gastronomy celebrates the elemental exchange of cultures, craftsmanship and creativity through a series of extraordinary dining experiences curated exclusively for Galaxy Macau. Tickets from MOP1,988 per person (min. 2 persons) are now on sale at www.galaxymacau.com with an incredible 20% early bird discount offer which includes a complimentary free-flow wine package, on or before 4 October, while tickets last.

Drawing inspiration from the nourishing philosophy of the Five Elements, Galaxy Stars of Gastronomy 2026 invites Asia’s top chefs to interpret Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth through their own creative culinary lens. Set against a vibrant al fresco backdrop of live performances at the Cabana, guests will be immersed in a celebration of flavour, creativity and craftsmanship led by Asia’s foremost culinary masters.

An All-Star Line-up of Culinary Visionaries

Working in small groups, 12 talented masters will showcase their distinct culinary philosophies through diverse ingredients and techniques, transforming nature’s bounty into dishes inspired by the Five Elements. Guests will enjoy an up-close and personal opportunity to engage with Asia’s leading celebrity chefs, as each dish is meticulously prepared in front of them.

Gathered at Galaxy Macau will be a standout, award-winning team of Asia’s elite culinary talents, representing the pinnacle of excellence region-wide:

• Chef Julien Royer: Three-Michelin-Starred Odette, Singapore
• Chef Jimmy Lim: Three-Michelin-Starred JL Studio, Taichung
• Chef Darren Teoh: Two-Michelin-Starred Dewakan, Kuala Lumpur
• Chef Hiroyasu Kawate: Two-Michelin-Starred Florilège, Tokyo
• Chef Vianney Massot​: Two-Michelin-Starred BLACKSWAN, Beijing
• Chef Eom Taejun: One-Michelin-Starred Solbam, Seoul

Galaxy Macau and StarWorld Hotel’s elite culinary team is set to include:

• Chef Masaaki Miyakawa, Three-Michelin-Starred Sushi Miyakawa & One-Michelin-Starred Sushi Kissho by Miyakawa
• Chef Umberto Bombana: Three-Michelin-Starred 8½ Otto e Mezzo BOMBANAHong Kong& One-Michelin-Starred 8½ Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA Macau
• Chef Xu Jingye: Two-Michelin-Starred 102 House, Shanghai & House of Origin at Galaxy Macau
• Chef Vicky Cheng: One-Michelin-Starred VEA Hong Kong, and Estuary by Vicky Cheng
• Chef Chan Chek Keong: Two-Michelin-Starred Feng Wei Ju at StarWorld Hotel
• Chef Yam Lok Hin, Assistant Vice President and Chef Creator – Pastry and Bakery, Galaxy Macau, StarWorld Hotel and Broadway Macau

Exceptional Pairings Beyond the Plate

Building on Galaxy Macau’s reputation as a bars innovator, the event brings together some of Asia’s most respected names in cutting-edge mixology.

Leading the line-up is Andrew Ho of Guangzhou’s Hope & Sesame, recognised as “Asia’s Best Bar” this year by Asia’s 50 Best Bars; alongside Shelley Tai, founder-mixologist of Hong Kong’s celebrated Mius, ranked No. 36 on this year’s list and recipient of the “Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award” at Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026. Representing Galaxy Macau is award-winning mixology innovator Nokoy Mak, Bar Manager at Long Bar, Raffles at Galaxy Macau and “Tatler Best 20 Bars 2026” in Macau.

Together, they will present an innovative collection of cocktails and non-alcoholic creations designed to complement the event’s culinary offerings with thrilling pairings.

A Culinary Journey Inspired by the Five Elements

With the elite assembly of 15 of Asia-Pacific’s most celebrated culinary and mixology masters, Galaxy Stars of Gastronomy 2026 presents a unique exchange of knowledge and skills. Guided by the Five Elements, each chef curates with their own distinctive approach, creating an immersive dining experience that reflects the diversity and dynamism of the region’s gastronomic landscape.

Each element embodies a distinctive flavour expression: Wood celebrates freshness and vitality; Metal highlights precision and purity; Water explores depth, texture and umami; Fire showcases transformation through grilling, roasting and seasoning; while Earth brings richness and grounding through nutty, root-driven and comforting flavours.

From 20-21 November, 2026, Galaxy Macau cements its place one of Asia’s most compelling dining destinations, offering a wide array of pristine dining options from Michelin-starred restaurants and celebrated chefs to acclaimed local delicacies. Galaxy Stars of Gastronomy 2026 further reinforces this constellation of inspirational dining, offering guests a thrilling one-stop experience of Asia’s most acclaimed culinary artists – all within one destination, for one weekend only.

For more information about Galaxy Macau and Galaxy Stars of Gastronomy 2026, please visit www.galaxymacau.com.

Galaxy Stars of Gastronomy 2026

Hashtag: #GalaxyMacau

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GALAXY MACAU INTEGRATED RESORT

Galaxy Macau, world-class luxury integrated resort, delivers the “Most Spectacular Entertainment and Leisure Destination in the World”. Developed at an investment of HK$43 billion, the property covers 1.1 million-square-meter of unique entertainment and leisure attractions that are unlike anything else in Macau. Nine award-winning world-class luxury hotels provide close to 5,000 rooms, suites and villas. They include Banyan Tree Macau, Galaxy Hotel™, Hotel Okura Macau, JW Marriott Hotel Macau, The Ritz-Carlton, Macau, Broadway Hotel, Raffles at Galaxy Macau, Andaz Macau, and Capella at Galaxy Macau. Unique to Galaxy Macau, the 75,000-square-meter Grand Resort Deck features the world’s longest Skytop Adventure Rapids at 575 metres, the largest Skytop Wave Pool with waves up to 1.5-metre high and 150-metre pristine white sand beach. Two five-star spas from Banyan Tree Spa Macau and The Ritz- Carlton Spa, Macau help guests relax and rejuvenate.

As the dining destination in Asia, Galaxy Macau offers a wide variety of gastronomic delights, exquisite experiences and ingredients of the finest quality with over 120 dining options from Michelin dining to authentic delicacies; Galaxy Promenade is the hottest shopping destination featuring the latest in fashion and curated experiences in Macau. Spanning over 100,000-square-meter, luxury flagship stores, lifestyle boutiques and our selection of labels are among the more than 200 world-renowned brands for a world-class shopping journey; Galaxy Cinemas, immersive thrills and luxurious comfort go hand in hand at Galaxy Cinemas. All 10 theatres are equipped with the latest audio-visual technology; CHINA ROUGE, one-of-a-kind deluxe lounge that evokes the glitz and glamor of Shanghai’s golden era with entertainment in luxury and style; and Foot Hub presents the traditional art of reflexology to make you feel more relaxed and revitalized. For Authentic Macau Flavours & Vibrant Asian Experiences, Broadway Macau – just a 90-second walk via a bridge from Galaxy Macau, has over 35 Authentic Macau & Asian Flavours at its Broadway Food Street. The 2,500-seat Broadway Theatre plays host to world-class entertainers and a diverse array of cultural events. Meeting, incentive and banquet groups are also well looked after with a portfolio of unique venues in Galaxy Macau and a professional service staff.

Galaxy International Convention Center (GICC) is the latest addition to the Group’s ever-expanding integrated resort precinct and will usher in a new era for the MICE industry in Macau. GICC is a world- class event venue featuring 40,000-square-meter of total flexible MICE, and a 16,000-seat Galaxy Arena – the largest indoor arena in Macau.

For more details, please visit www.galaxymacau.com, www.broadwaymacau.com.mo and www.galaxyicc.com.

The Uzbek delegation of 24 members was warmly received by Dr. CHOI Yuk-Lin, Secretary for Education of the HKSAR Government; Prof. Harry SHUM, Council Chairman of HKUST; Prof. Nancy IP, President of HKUST, and senior university leaders.

In a high-level meeting with the University’s leadership, Prime Minister Aripov engaged in in-depth discussions on higher education development, artificial intelligence (AI), technological innovation, talent cultivation, research commercialization, and opportunities for closer collaboration between Uzbekistan and HKUST. The exchange also explored pathways for strengthening academic partnerships, expanding student and faculty mobility, and supporting Uzbekistan’s ambitions in developing a knowledge-based economy and emerging technology sectors.

Prime Minister Aripov said, “We are deeply impressed by HKUST’s achievements and its ability to translate cutting-edge research and innovation into practical industrial applications. With over 7,000 Uzbek students pursuing higher education across China, we see tremendous potential to strengthen our academic ties with Hong Kong and prioritize HKUST as a key destination for our students. As both Uzbekistan and HKUST mark their 35th anniversaries, establishing this partnership presents a symbolic and meaningful opportunity to expand educational excellence and global reach together.”

Prof. Shum said, “We are deeply honored to welcome Prime Minister Aripov and the distinguished Uzbek delegation to HKUST during the Belt and Road Summit. As a young, globally minded university celebrating our 35th anniversary, HKUST serves as a vital super-connector—bringing together diverse talent from over 80 nationalities. Building on our foundation with the El-Yurt Umidi Foundation, this visit marks a pivotal step in deepening ties between Hong Kong and Central Asia, opening up new horizons for collaborative growth and youth development along the Belt and Road.”

President Ip added, “We were delighted to engage in a highly productive and forward-looking dialogue with Prime Minister Aripov and his delegation. Uzbekistan’s strategic priorities in AI, robotics, fintech, and cybersecurity align closely with HKUST’s research strengths and advanced facilities. AI and medical science, in particular, offer promising areas for collaboration and could serve as important starting points for future joint initiatives. Beyond educational exchanges, we see tremendous opportunities to deepen cooperation in research, innovation, talent development, and knowledge transfer. We look forward to visiting Uzbekistan and working closely with our partners to co-create impactful solutions, nurture future-ready talent, and contribute to sustainable economic and technological development.”

HKUST also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The agreement establishes a framework for educational collaboration and promotes excellence and innovation in teaching, learning, and research. Witnessed by Prime Minister Aripov, Dr. Choi, and Prof. Shum, the MOU was signed by President Ip and Mr. Salomov Uktam RAHIMOVICH, Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The Prime Minister and his delegation toured the HKUST Von Neumann Institute, where they learned about the University’s world-leading research and innovation capabilities in AI. The delegation was introduced to HKUST’s latest advancements in next-generation multimodal AI systems, robotic intelligence technologies, AI-driven 3D understanding and generation, and large-scale healthcare models, as well as their potential applications in addressing societal and industrial challenges. During the visit, the delegation met with 31 Uzbek students studying in Hong Kong, including 14 undergraduates currently enrolled at HKUST, to learn about their academic experiences and life in the city.

Hashtag: #HKUST

https://hkust.edu.hk/

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About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (https://hkust.edu.hk/) is a world-class university renowned for its innovative education, research excellence, and impactful knowledge transfer. Adopting a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to education, HKUST was ranked 33rd globally and 6th in Asia in the QS World University Rankings 2027 and QS Asia University Rankings 2026, respectively. It was also ranked 20th worldwide in the Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026, placing first among universities in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland for the third consecutive year. Eleven HKUST subjects were ranked among the world’s top 50 in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026. In addition, HKUST’s Computer Science discipline, which encompasses areas such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, was ranked No. 1 in Hong Kong for the tenth consecutive year in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2026. Its graduates are highly competitive, consistently ranking among the world’s top 30 most sought-after employees. In research and entrepreneurship, more than 80% of HKUST’s research was rated “world-leading” or “internationally excellent” in the University Grants Committee’s Research Assessment Exercise 2020. As of July 2026, HKUST members had founded more than 2,000 active start-ups, including 11 unicorns and 22 successful exits through initial public offerings (IPOs) or mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

Chinese President Xi Jinping used the 18th BRICS Summit to argue that countries should pursue development paths suited to their own national conditions, a message that overlapped with the summit’s broader emphasis on policy autonomy, inclusive growth and reform of global institutions.

Addressing the first leaders’ session on September 12, Xi marked 20 years of BRICS cooperation and said members had strengthened themselves through unity while preserving independence in choosing their economic and social models. He described BRICS as an increasingly important platform for emerging markets and developing countries.

The summit’s New Delhi Declaration gave that theme wider institutional form. Leaders called for a more representative international order, greater participation by developing countries in global decision-making and reforms to institutions including the United Nations, World Trade Organization and international financial architecture.

The declaration also reflected the diversity within the expanded grouping. Rather than prescribing a single model of development, BRICS leaders stressed national circumstances, differing capacities and the need for policy space, particularly in areas such as energy transition, industrialisation and climate action. That approach broadly matched Xi’s argument that development strategies should reflect domestic conditions rather than external templates.

Xi sought to extend the idea into technology policy. He proposed an initiative on artificial intelligence-enabled industrialisation, deeper cooperation in research and applications, and stronger industrial and supply-chain links. China also promoted open-source AI collaboration and international platforms intended to improve access to emerging technologies for developing economies.

Other leaders framed similar priorities through their own national perspectives. Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability, the four themes of India’s 2026 BRICS chairship, and called for solutions developed within the grouping to serve a wider range of developing countries. He also urged members to translate summit commitments into practical programmes.

BRICS members agreed on measures spanning digital cooperation, food and energy security, health, trade facilitation and the use of local currencies in cross-border transactions. The declaration supported stronger payment connectivity while stopping short of endorsing a common BRICS currency.

The economic agenda also underlined the practical test facing the grouping. Members backed use of national currencies in trade and investment, stronger cooperation through the New Development Bank and efforts to improve financial resilience. Such measures are intended to widen financing options for developing economies without committing members to a single monetary framework or common currency.

The expanded bloc now brings together countries with sharply different political systems, strategic alignments and economic structures. That breadth gives BRICS a larger claim to represent developing-country concerns, but it also limits how far members can converge on detailed policy prescriptions. Analysts have noted differences over whether the group should remain primarily an economic and development forum or assume a stronger geopolitical role.

Those tensions were visible alongside the development agenda. Leaders opposed protectionism and unilateral economic measures, supported a stronger multilateral trading system and called for reforms that would increase the voice of developing countries. At the same time, members avoided turning the summit into a unified ideological platform, relying instead on consensus language broad enough to accommodate competing interests.

Xi’s second summit intervention on September 13 placed a “people-centred” development philosophy within a wider call for Global South cooperation. He urged progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, improvements to global climate governance and a consensus-based framework for governing artificial intelligence.

China’s approach also carries strategic implications. Beijing has increasingly used BRICS and other multilateral forums to promote its views on development, sovereignty and global governance. Some members share its criticism of unequal representation in international institutions, while others remain cautious about allowing BRICS to become identified with any single country’s geopolitical agenda.

The BG-5 Golden Dragon Fish was demonstrated at the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services, held at Shougang Park from September 9 to 13. Developed by Boyagongdao Marine Technology Group, the robot is designed to resemble a golden arowana and propel itself through water with a flexible, multi-joint tail rather than a conventional propeller.

The machine can detect obstacles and adjust its route autonomously instead of following only a fixed, pre-programmed path, according to information released by the developer and statements made at the exhibition. Its fish-like movement is intended to improve manoeuvrability while giving the platform a less conspicuous profile than many conventional underwater vehicles.

Boyagongdao lists the BG-5 as a 640-millimetre-long robot weighing about 3 kilograms. The published specifications give it a maximum operating depth of 5 metres and a top speed of 0.6 metres per second. The company says infrared recognition supports autonomous obstacle avoidance, while wireless communications allow online debugging and control.

The manufacturer also offers a BG-5V configuration that combines the robotic fish with a software platform for more advanced experiments. The listed capabilities include global and local path planning, task allocation, formation control, cooperative transport and coordinated operations involving multiple robots.

Those functions broaden the possible uses beyond a single demonstration unit. Groups of small robotic fish could, in principle, divide an underwater area for inspection or monitoring, maintain formations and coordinate tasks in locations where larger vehicles would be harder to deploy. The company presents the platform for research and teaching as well as operational fields including search and salvage, hydropower, safety and rescue and national defence.

Claims that the robot has been formally deployed as an underwater surveillance system have not been substantiated by publicly available official information. The specifications and the developer’s stated defence-related work show that reconnaissance or monitoring applications are technically plausible, but the model displayed at CIFTIS was presented as a biomimetic robotic platform rather than as an announced military deployment.

Boyagongdao says its bionic robot series draws on more than a decade of research associated with Peking University’s College of Engineering. The systems use high-speed biomimetic drive mechanisms and central pattern generator control algorithms intended to reproduce the smooth, rhythmic movement of aquatic animals.

The company has also disclosed work on defence-oriented underwater technology. Its website says technologies developed for military-related directions have been adapted for higher education products, and company material from earlier exhibitions describes unmanned and intelligent underwater equipment as an area of military development. It has separately publicised the ROBO-SHARK, a larger shark-inspired underwater robot developed with a military unit.

The BG-5 itself is not a newly created model. Boyagongdao had displayed the robotic fish before this month’s services trade fair and promoted it earlier this year at Beijing technology events. The latest CIFTIS appearance nevertheless drew renewed attention because of the machine’s autonomous obstacle avoidance and increasingly realistic biomimetic movement.

China’s work on underwater robotics extends well beyond fish-shaped machines. Universities, research institutes and commercial groups are developing autonomous systems for coral monitoring, infrastructure inspection, marine ranching, emergency rescue and deep-sea research. Some platforms are designed to carry cameras, sonar or environmental sensors, while others use robotic arms for intervention tasks.

A separate ecological-monitoring deployment in Hangzhou has used biomimetic robotic fish to patrol West Lake, measuring indicators including water temperature and pH, detecting invasive species and transmitting data to monitoring centres. Other Chinese underwater robots have been used for reef observation and for identifying and removing crown-of-thorns starfish.

The BG-5 demonstration at CIFTIS focused on embodied intelligence underwater, where navigation software, sensing and propulsion are integrated into a machine that moves more like a living animal than a standard remotely operated vehicle.