North Korea is rumoured to be sending tens of thousands more troops to Russia in support of its war in Ukraine, marking a deepening of the two countries’ defence ties and a major escalation of Pyongyang’s involvement in the conflict, if confirmed. Late on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that preparations had been under way in Russia’s Voronezh region to receive another 30,000 North Korean troops since last month. He also claimed Pyongyang was planning to send additional...

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. After Apple leak, has India lost ground in its supply chain race with China? In the wake of a cyberattack on a local Apple partner, insiders say India has a long way to go before challenging China as a manufacturer. 2. China wants unique access to minerals with Indonesia offer, analyst says China...

The University of Hong Kong’s (HKU) president and vice-chancellor Xiang Zhang has announced that he will be stepping down in 2028 after completing a second five-year term, according to an email seen by the South China Morning Post. In the email, sent to the university community in the early hours of Monday, Zhang described the past eight years spent working to elevate HKU’s academic standing as “a defining honour” of his life. Two members of the university’s council told the SCMP that Zhang’s...

When Zhou Yuxiang, founder and CEO of Shanghai-headquartered Black Lake Technologies, wanted to sell his artificial intelligence (AI) automation solutions to millions of family-run factories across China, he came up with an unconventional strategy: hiring food delivery workers to make sales. His entire sales team, hired from various industrial cities, survived a gruelling five-day boot camp on articulating how AI can solve specific manufacturing pain points. “They are very street-smart,” the...

A Chinese university is looking into reports that a gene-editing trial caused the death of a six-year-old girl, which was not disclosed in the published research, the school said on Sunday. Shanghai Jiao Tong University Ruth Mulan Building. Photo: Wikicommons. The girl, given the pseudonym “Mei”, died last year around a week after receiving a spinal infusion of trillions of viruses designed to penetrate the brain for treatment, according to a joint investigation by Science and Retraction Watch. The experimental gene therapy was meant to fix a rare genetic condition that caused a delay in cognitive development, the report said on Thursday. Neuroscientist Zilong Qiu, the lead researcher, went on to publish a paper on related animal studies in the prestigious journal Nature that made no mention of Mei. In response, the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine said in a statement that it “attaches great importance to the matter and has set up a special working group to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incident”. Neuroscientist Zilong Qiu. Photo: Future Forum. “The School of Medicine has always attached great importance to scientific research integrity and research norms, and firmly opposes conducting medical scientific research in violation of scientific research ethics,” it said. The statement added that “serious action” would be taken in accordance with the investigation’s findings. Mei’s parents, who paid more than US$800,000 to fund the experiment, were not adequately informed about the risks, the report by Science and Retraction Watch said. Qiu was aiming to offer the world’s first gene-editing therapy directed at the brain, rewriting the mutated gene in her neurons so she could make a vital protein, it said. The previously undisclosed death is a fresh blow to China’s ambitions to rival the United States as a biotech power following the 2018 scandal around He Jiankui, a biophysicist who secretly produced gene-edited babies.

The University of Hong Kong’s (HKU) President and Vice-Chancellor Zhang Xiang has said he will step down in 2028 and return to the laboratory to focus on research. University of Hong Kong president and vice-chancellor Zhang Xiang. Photo: University of Hong Kong. The 62-year-old Chinese-American mechanical engineer said in a letter to the university community that he had informed the governing HKU Council of his decision, so a successor could be found. Zhang said it was an honour to lead HKU, citing the transformative impact of AI and the challenges of a complex global environment for his decision. “[I] have reflected deeply on what we have achieved and where this great university is heading. We live in a complicated, rapidly changing world, marked by polarized views and conflicts. At the same time, the AI tsunami is transforming human life in ways not seen for hundreds of years,” he said in the letter. “I have realized that it is time for HKU to embrace fresh ideas and for a new leader to guide this great transformation. At the same time, I remain a scientist and a professor at heart. I yearn to return to my laboratory, to answer profound scientific questions, and to make a societal impact.” Zhang Xiang’s letter in full – click to view Dear colleagues, students, alumni and friends of the University, I hope you have all enjoyed a restful summer. I am writing to you today regarding an important matter concerning university leadership and my own future. As I enter the ninth year of my tenure as your President and Vice-Chancellor, I have reflected deeply on what we have achieved and where this great university is heading. We live in a complicated, rapidly changing world, marked by polarized views and conflicts. At the same time, the AI tsunami is transforming human life in ways not seen for hundreds of years. How do we redefine education to ride these rapid societal changes? What is the new paradigm for a university where humans and machines coexist and collaborate? And how do we transform our legacy teaching systems to address these grand challenges? I have realized that it is time for HKU to embrace fresh ideas and for a new leader to guide this great transformation. At the same time, I remain a scientist and a professor at heart. I yearn to return to my laboratory, to answer profound scientific questions, and to make a societal impact. Therefore, I am announcing my decision to retire from the Presidency and Vice-Chancellorship after I complete my ten-year tenure in 2028. I am sharing this decision with you now to give the University ample time to search for its next leader. I have also informed the Council Chairman of my decision. Over the past eight years, it has been the defining honor of my life to work with you to elevate HKU’s academic standing. Together, we have achieved a staggering amount. We have risen to 11th globally and 1st in Asia in the QS rankings. The brilliance of our faculty shines brighter than ever, with Clarivate’s highly cited researchers more than tripling to 54. We have welcomed over 100 top-tier scholars worldwide, including Nobel laureates and Fields Medalist. Nearly 86% of our disciplines have improved significantly, with 15 in the global top 20. In the next two years, I hope to continue this path with you. We will pursue our transformative reform agenda, ensuring our structures serve our greatest asset—our people. We will also match intellectual growth with an expanded physical footprint: the soon-to-complete Tech Landmark, Pokfield Campus, and visionary Global Innovation Centre, alongside our growing presence in Shanghai and planned campus in Europe. Becoming a world-leading university is within our grasp. We must fulfil our founding mission as China’s international university: a nexus of East–West knowledge that advances the nation’s leadership in science and human development. Change is never easy, and I thank you for your steadfast support. The academic standards we have set and the outstanding scholars we have welcomed form a durable foundation for HKU to innovate and thrive in the future. Lastly, I would like to thank all of you, all our stakeholders, HKU Council, HKSAR Government and the Central Government for supporting HKU and myself in our mission. With your continued support, let us work together to make HKU truly world-leading. Thank you. Professor Xiang Zhang, JPPresident and Vice-ChancellorThe University of Hong Kong He said he would continue to push for research and campus development during the final two years of his ten-year term. He will focus on the Tech Landmark, the Pokfield Road campus, the Global Innovation Centre, and campus projects in Shanghai and Europe. Chequered tenure During Zhang’s tenure, the city’s leading university rose to 11th globally in the QS World University Rankings and first in Asia. The institute also set a new record last year with 54 academics named in Clarivate’s “Highly Cited Researchers 2025” list. The University of Hong Kong. File photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP. However, HKU has also faced scandals over the use of AI by academics and students, as well as criticism over censorship after a campus memorial to the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown dead was replaced with seating. In 2024, he was cleared of misconduct after a 6-month internal investigation in which he was accused of mishandling funds and hiring a headhunter without following procurement procedures. In 2020, he joined other university heads in publicly backing the national security law.

China to legislate on preschool education

China to legislate on preschool education

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