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BEIJING — China’s leading technology companies showcased hundreds of cutting-edge products at the World AI Conference in Shanghai — from advanced robotics to artificial intelligence systems. The nation’s annual flagship AI event, which was held from July 17 to 20, took place against the backdrop of a heated U.S.-China tech rivalry. More than 1,100 companies participated. Chinese companies have developed more than 400 humanoid robot products, more than half the world’s total, state media said. Open-source AI models from China are increasingly challenging leading American ones as they are more widely adopted globally.

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Wu Chi-wai was granted permission to remain in the U.K. as a visitor, his lawyer said in late July, where he has reunited with his family after being locked up in the city’s prison for more than five years. Paul Harris, who represents Wu, told The Associated Press that immigration authorities had sent a letter to his attorneys saying Wu, the former chairman of Hong Kong’s once-biggest pro-democracy party, was being granted permission to remain as a visitor for six months. Wu’s family resides in the U.K. The British authorities’ decision came after Wu’s entry on a seven-day immigration bail raised widespread concerns from rights groups and Hong Kongers living in the U.K. and the Chinese territory. Wu was one of 47 activists charged in 2021 in Hong Kong’s biggest case under a Beijing-imposed security law that crushed a previously thriving democracy movement. He was sentenced in 2024 to four years and five months in prison for conspiracy to commit subversion over his role in an unofficial primary election. Wu said in a video published by online media outlet Green Bean that his heart was heavy over the past few days and he was happy that he eventually was allowed to spend more time with his family. "I hope all Hong Kongers can live well and cherish their loved ones," he said.

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s "Cockroach" movement has called off its weeks of protests, saying the government accepted all of its demands after the country’s education minister resigned over alleged exam paper leaks and irregularities in the education system. Dharmendra Pradhan announced his resignation in a post on X, handing a major victory to the youth movement that spearheaded nationwide demonstrations, sit-ins, and hunger strikes. His resignation marks the first significant concession by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to one of the most visible waves of public dissent it has faced in recent years. The government has rarely yielded to sustained public pressure during Modi’s more than 12 years in office. The most notable exception came in 2021, when it was forced to withdraw controversial farm laws after a yearlong farmers’ protest. The "Cockroach’" movement began more than a month ago after allegations of leaks in some of India’s biggest entrance exams. It started as a call for education reforms but grew into a broader protest over unemployment, government accountability, and economic opportunities. Students, professionals, families, and activists joined rallies in New Delhi and other cities across India. Following Pradhan’s resignation, movement organizers called off the protests, saying the government had accepted their remaining demands. Those included broader reforms to India’s education system, compensation for families of students who died by suicide following exam paper leaks, and a commitment that no legal action would be taken against those who participated in the protests. News of Pradhan’s resignation sparked celebrations among the thousands of protesters who camped at New Delhi’s protest site for more than a month. Many embraced each other and waved the Indian flag.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean tech giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix say they will invest a combined 800 trillion won ($518 billion) in building a new computer chipmaking hub in the country’s southwest region, capitalizing on surging artificial intelligence (AI)-driven demand. President Lee Jae Myung joined the companies’ chairs in announcing the plan, which dovetails with the government’s efforts to expand investment beyond the greater Seoul metropolitan area, the country’s economic center and heart of its semiconductor sector. The southwest has been a particular focus, as it lacks major industrial hubs and has historically trailed in economic development. The region has long been a political base for Lee’s liberal Democratic Party. Samsung and SK Hynix, which together produce about two-thirds of the world’s memory chips, said they will each build two fabrication plants in the southwest, expanding beyond their existing manufacturing complexes in Gyeonggi Province, south of Seoul. Samsung chairman Lee Jae-yong said the company’s new fabs will be built in the southwestern city of Gwangju, where experts have proposed several potential sites, including the grounds of a military air base slated for relocation. The companies didn’t specify when the fabs in the southwest regions would be completed. SK Hynix’s chairman Chey Tae-won said the project would be a complex, large-scale effort requiring "vast sites, along with sufficient power, water, and skilled workers." He said it took nine years for SK Hynix to establish its major manufacturing cluster in Gyeonggi Province. Still, a significant expansion of manufacturing facilities is needed for the company to keep up with global demand, Chey said. Government officials dismissed questions about whether the southwest has enough power and water to support major semiconductor fabs. They said the region’s strength in renewable energy would give the chipmakers an edge as they face growing global pressure to use cleaner sources of electricity.

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