#China #funding - Clobotics, a startup that provides computer vision technology and services, has raised 200 million yuan ($31 million) in a preseries B-4 funding round. Clobotics deploys drone-based systems to manage and maintain wind turbines. (Asia Nikkei - subscription)

#India #Singapore #funding - Social media analytics and big data software-as-a-service company Circus Social has announced on Friday to have raised $1 million in a Pre-Series A Round led by Inflection Point Ventures. (Entrepreneur)

#China #IPO - China Shanghai Stock Exchange said on Friday it had terminated the planned initial offering (IPO) in JD.Com-affiliated JD Digits, which had aimed to list on the Nasdaq-style STAR Market. JD.Com has said it plans to transfer JD Cloud and artificial intelligence business to its financial technology unit, JD Digits. (Nasdaq)

#Japan #policy - Highly automated “Level 4” self-driving vehicles should be held responsible for following traffic rules and be operable without the need for a human with a driving license, according to recommendations from a report by a National Police Agency (NPA) expert panel dated April 1. (The Mainichi)

#Singapore #cancerresearch - National University of Singapore (NUS) researchers can now identify cancer cells by studying their acidity or pH levels using artificial intelligence technology. This technique could be potentially useful in detecting cancer cells in tissue samples. (Straits Times)

#SouthKorea #LG - LG has confirmed that it is shutting down its mobile business division, while increasing focus on other areas like electric vehicle components, connected devices, smart homes, robotics, artificial intelligence, and business-to-business solutions, as well as platforms and services. (Gizmo China)

#China #report - While Chinese government and commercial messaging on telecommunications aimed at foreign audiences demands adherence to market principles, internal Chinese discourse warns of the risks of reliance on foreign technology. (Brookings)

#China #EU #USA #tradewar - It only took one meeting for hopes of a reset in US-China relations under a Biden presidency to evaporate — instead alliances are fast forming on either side of an old dividing line: democracy. (AFP)

#India #Taiwan #trade - Taiwan is an Asian economic dynamo and a world leader in semiconductors. Under current President Tsai Ing-wen’s New Southbound Policy, Taiwan is looking to actively engage Southeast and South Asian nations like India. (Times of India)

#Japan #US #APAC - Japan and the U.S. will draw up guidelines on supporting the development of high-quality infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere as a counterweight to China’s Belt and Road initiative. (Asia Nikkei)

#China #US #semiconductors - China’s ambition to lead the world in digital technology by 2030 is hopelessly dependent on the US, Europe, Taiwan and South Korea. These countries have a virtual monopoly over design and manufacture of semiconductors, the brains in any electronic equipment. (National Herald)

#China #APAC #diplomacy - What role does science diplomacy currently play in Southeast Asia? With the Fourth Industrial Revolution well underway, what opportunities does science diplomacy present for the region? (Int. Policy Digest)

#China #UAE #diplomacy - “China and the UAE’s comprehensive strategic partnership has evolved to encompass an ever-broadening range of collaborations, including joint projects and initiatives in renewable energy, logistics, infrastructure, life sciences, as well as next-generation information technologies such as artificial intelligence.” Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the People’s Republic of China. (Emirates News Agency)

#China #drones - Hyundai’s luxury vehicle brand Genesis used 3,281 drones to create its logo over Shanghai’s skyline on March 29th in celebration of the brand’s arrival in China. That breaks the previous record set in September. (The Verge)

Carrington Malin helps large organisations, digital brands and fast growing tech ventures with brand, communications and go-to-market strategies.