In recent years, Asia — and China in particular — has been steadily transforming into one of the world’s key centers of technological development. This shift is driven by long-term policy planning, large-scale investment and the ability of local companies to rapidly deploy and scale new technologies.

China has built strong positions across multiple high-tech sectors. Hongfa Technology is now one of the global leaders in relay manufacturing, supplying electromechanical components for electronics, automotive applications and smart home systems to more than 120 countries while maintaining a dominant position in the domestic market.

Amid restrictions on Western semiconductor supplies, China is accelerating efforts toward technological self-sufficiency, particularly in artificial intelligence hardware. Cambricon Technologies plans to produce up to 500,000 AI chips in 2026, including its flagship Siyuan 590 and 690 processors manufactured on SMIC’s 7-nm process.

In autonomous mobility, Baidu has become one of the global frontrunners. Its Apollo Go robotaxi service now completes more than 250,000 rides per week — a level comparable to that of U.S.-based Waymo.

China also leads the United States and Japan in industrial robot density. At electric vehicle manufacturing plants, robots developed by Leju Robotics are already deployed for material handling and sorting operations.

Semiconductor manufacturing remains a strategic priority. China’s largest foundry, SMIC, has demonstrated the capability to produce 7-nm chips, while maintaining large-scale output at 14-nm and 28-nm nodes, forming the backbone of the country’s domestic chip supply.

Together, these developments highlight China’s transition from technology adoption to full-scale innovation and industrial leadership.

China has successfully tested a new control system that allows multiple freight trains to travel in a coordinated convoy without physical coupling. According to developers, the technology could increase the country’s rail freight capacity by more than 50% without the need to build new tracks.

The test was conducted on the Baoshen Railway in Inner Mongolia. Seven freight trains with a combined load of 35,000 tons moved along the line at the minimum safe distance from one another.

Control was carried out using wireless signals, enabling synchronized acceleration and braking across all trains with no risk of collision.

The platoon-control system was developed with the participation of state-owned enterprises and research organizations and is seen as a promising direction for advancing high-tech solutions in rail freight transport.

South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party has introduced a bill to establish a special fund that will finance a massive $350 billion investment package in the United States, including $150 billion dedicated to modernizing the U.S. shipbuilding industry.

The bill, developed jointly with the government, fulfills Washington’s primary condition for reducing tariffs on Korean automobiles and auto parts starting November 1.

Under the proposal, the fund would be financed through revenue from South Korea’s overseas assets and the issuance of government bonds on offshore markets. Seoul and Washington finalized the investment mechanism in November after three months of negotiations aimed at preventing pressure on the Korean won.

South Korea has already notified U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Latnick of the bill’s submission and formally requested the start of the tariff-reduction process. The investment package allocates $250 billion to U.S. strategic industries and $150 billion to shipbuilding modernization — a move that could significantly reshape technological and defense cooperation between the two countries.

The bill is backed by South Korea’s Democratic Party, one of the two major political forces in the country.

The fund will be state-owned and managed by the Korean government through the Ministry of Industry and national financial institutions.

China’s Embassy in Greece has issued a strong response after U.S. Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle suggested in an interview with Greek TV channel ANT1 that the Port of Piraeus “might one day be put up for sale.”

Beijing called the comments a “malicious distortion of normal China–Greece commercial cooperation” and “a serious interference in Greece’s internal affairs.”

China stressed that the involvement of Chinese companies in Piraeus has been a successful model of bilateral cooperation, helping Greece recover during its debt crisis and transforming the port into one of the largest hubs in the Mediterranean and Europe.

According to the Chinese side, the partnership is based purely on mutual benefit, not geopolitical ambitions, and Chinese investors continue to expand the port’s development jointly with Greek workers.

Analysts note that the ambassador’s remarks reflect growing U.S.–China competition for influence over Europe’s strategic infrastructure, while Piraeus remains a key node of China’s Maritime Silk Road initiative.

About the Port of Piraeus:

It is the largest port in Greece and one of the biggest in the Mediterranean. Since 2016, its main container terminal has been operated by COSCO Shipping Ports, a Chinese state-owned company holding a controlling stake through its investment arm.

A serious maritime accident occurred off the coast of Guangzhou, China, where the Chinese cargo vessel Hai Li 5 collided with the Singapore-flagged container ship Wan Hai A17. As a result, Hai Li 5 sank, and two of its 15 crew members are missing. Search and rescue operations are currently underway.

According to Wan Hai Lines, the crew of the Singaporean vessel was not injured, and no fuel leaks or water pollution have been detected. The Wan Hai A17 has been detained in port pending investigation.

Authorities in Singapore and China are coordinating efforts to determine the cause of the incident.

Earlier, in June 2025, another vessel operated by Wan Hai Lines — Wan Hai 503 — suffered a major fire and was stranded at sea for more than three months before being allowed to dock at the port of Jebel Ali (UAE).