Josephine Ma

2 months ago | scmp.com | Josephine Ma

The ripples from DeepSeek continue to spread in China, where the government has embraced the tech start-up’s unexpected success by speeding up the development and use of artificial intelligence. The rise of DeepSeek, developed by home-grown tech talent, is evidence that Beijing’s strategy of pouring resources into training the next generation of innovators over the past decade has worked out.

Mar 4, 2025 | scmp.com | Josephine Ma

Every March, the annual sessions of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) – together known as the “two sessions” – offer a rare opportunity for overseas journalists to catch a glimpse into the opaque world of Chinese politics. The two sessions are very different from the legislative meetings of Western countries.

Mar 1, 2025 | scmp.com | Josephine Ma

Chinese President Xi Jinping has refocused attention on national security and risk reduction, telling the Communist Party’s inner circle that safeguarding the political system is the top priority. Addressing the Politburo on Friday, Xi said the party would advance the Peaceful China Initiative to an “even higher level”, despite changing conditions.

Mar 1, 2025 | scmp.com | Josephine Ma

China’s purchasing managers’ index, a key indicator for manufacturing activity, reached three-month high in February and returned to positive territory as the country ramped up measures to boost the economy. The PMI in February was 50.2 compared with 49.1 in January and 50.1 in December. A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while one below 50 reflects contraction. Analysts believe that January PMI had been hit by a slow season in the manufacturing sector due to the Lunar New Year holiday.

Feb 25, 2025 | scmp.com | Josephine Ma

The growing use of artificial intelligence tools by Chinese schoolchildren has triggered a debate about how to guide pupils to use the technology while ensuring they do not lose critical thinking skills. A survey conducted in one secondary school in northern China by Banyuetan, a biweekly magazine affiliated with the state news agency Xinhua, found that 40 per cent of the 700 or so respondents had used mainland chatbots such as DeepSeek, Doubao and Kimi for their winter break homework this year.