Science & Technology
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The Wet Foundations of the Digital Age
The global race for artificial intelligence is usually framed as a battle over chips, code, and national security. But behind the scenes, the AI economy runs on something far more basic: water. From cooling data centers to manufacturing semiconductors, modern computing depends on enormous and growing volumes of freshwater. As…
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Malaysia’s Silent Trade War: China’s Overproduction, Malaysia’s Overreliance
Malaysia is facing a silent trade war with China, as cheap imports erode the local market and weaken its domestic industrial base. Chinese dumping, which is driven by subsidies and overcapacity, has accelerated Malaysia’s premature deindustrialization. Anti-dumping duties can only provide a temporary buffer. Thus, only by attracting long-term, high-quality…
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The Rise of Cheap, Chinese Humanoid Robots
The world of humanoid robotics is undergoing a remarkable transformation. Once confined to sci-fi stories and elite research labs, robots are now becoming affordable, mass-produced tools thanks to China’s rapid innovation. Powered by a “good enough, fast, and accessible” mindset, Chinese companies are challenging costly Western prototypes and opening new…
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The New Iron Curtains of AI: How US and Chinese Rulebooks Are Rewiring Power
AI policy has become industrial policy, export control, and alliance management at once. Since 2020, Washington and Beijing have converged on a blunt insight: whoever writes the rules for models, chips, and data flows sets the pecking order. Both are building regulatory perimeters that do more than “keep us safe.”…
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China’s Semiconductor Investment Defies Economics—But Makes Perfect Strategic Sense
In 2024, China launched the third instalment of its National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, a $48 billion investment vehicle to turbocharge the nation’s semiconductor industry, even as it continues to lag behind industry leaders. The country has decided to double down on what appears to be an economically irrational…
Sino-Southeast Initiative 