Two Western defence companies appear to have Chinese warships in their sights, with promotional videos of their weapons systems targeting vessels that look a lot like those belonging to the PLA Navy. London-based BAE Systems posted videos on social media on Wednesday for “game-changing naval weapons and launching systems” it said it was showcasing at a US defence industry conference last week. One animated video simulated a naval base under attack. The base then launches missiles from containers...

Two Western defence companies appear to have Chinese warships in their sights, with promotional videos of their weapons systems targeting vessels that look a lot like those belonging to the PLA Navy. London-based BAE Systems posted videos on social media on Wednesday for “game-changing naval weapons and launching systems” it said it was showcasing at a US defence industry conference last week. One animated video simulated a naval base under attack. The base then launches missiles from containers...

In a landmark case in China, two AI chatbot developers have appealed against their convictions on pornography charges over software that generated sexual content for paid users. The Shanghai First Intermediate People’s Court began on Wednesday hearing the appeal by the two defendants against an earlier decision by a lower court to sentence one of the developers to four years and the other to 1½ years in prison for “creating pornographic material for profit”. The hearing has been adjourned,...

Cambodia has extradited to the mainland a Chinese billionaire whom Beijing accuses of operating a transnational crime network, including alleged involvement in a casino and fraud. At the request of Chinese authorities, Cambodia arrested three Chinese nationals – including Chen Zhi, the founder of Prince Holding Group – and transferred them to China on Tuesday, the Cambodia China Times reported on Wednesday night. The Cambodian Ministry of Interior said law enforcement from both countries had...

Taiwan’s air force has suspended training missions for its F-16 fleet and ordered maintenance and inspections as it searches for a pilot who went missing after reportedly parachuting from one of the fighter jets. The pilot, Hsin Po-yi, took off in an F-16V jet at 6.17pm on Tuesday for routine nighttime training then ejected from the aircraft at around 7.29pm near Hualien county, after which all contact was lost, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA). Both the pilot and the aircraft...

China’s ideology chief has again called on propaganda officials to focus on the economy, as the country grapples with a slowdown, high unemployment and weak consumer demand. Cai Qi, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, told a national meeting of publicity department heads in Beijing on Monday that “a good start should be set” for the next five-year plan, state news agency Xinhua reported. The country’s new blueprint for social and economic development has officially begun and runs until...

Foreign forces have used deepfakes and other artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to create public panic and obtain sensitive information, posing a threat to China’s national security, the country’s top intelligence agency has warned. Deepfake technology, which uses AI’s deep learning algorithms to simulate and forge images, audio and video, could be abused or used maliciously to endanger individual legal rights, social stability and national security, the Ministry of State Security (MSS)...