Field Briefings
China AI Tour Blog
Notes from the lab visits, deal rooms, and shopfloors that make up the 2026 expedition. Updated as the program evolves.
LLMsQwenDeepSeekChinese LLMs in 2026: Qwen, DeepSeek, Doubao, Kimi, Pangu, SenseNova — The Executive Comparison
A 2026 executive comparison of the leading Chinese LLMs. Who is good at what, where they are deployed, and which matter most for African enterprises.
Yubin Yang
TravelChinaAfricaHow to Prepare for a China AI Executive Tour: A Practical Checklist for African Delegations
Visas, payments, connectivity, translations, briefings, and the logistics nobody tells you about. A practical 2026 checklist for African executives heading to China.
Yubin Yang
AfricaPartnershipsStrategyChina–Africa AI Partnerships in 2026: Opportunities, Risks and a Practical Playbook
The China–Africa corridor is the fastest-moving AI partnership story of the decade. Here is the 2026 executive playbook — where value is real, where risks sit, and how to structure deals.
Yubin Yang
Smart CitiesPublic SectorAfricaAI in Smart Cities and the Public Sector: What African Cities Can Learn from Hangzhou and Shenzhen
Chinese smart-city operations are the most deployed in the world. Here is the 2026 briefing for African mayors, city managers and public-sector executives.
Yubin Yang
ManufacturingShenzhenAfricaSmart Manufacturing in Shenzhen: Lessons for African Industrialists
Shenzhen is the most concentrated smart-manufacturing region in the world. Here is what African industrial executives should take from a 2026 visit.
Yubin Yang
EnergyUtilitiesGridAI in Energy and Utilities: China's Grid Optimisation Playbook for African Executives
Grid optimisation, asset monitoring, demand forecasting and field operations — how Chinese utilities use AI at scale, and where African operators can catch up fast.
Yubin Yang
MiningAfricaIndustryAI in Mining: What South African Mining Executives Can Learn from China in 2026
Chinese mining operators are using computer vision, autonomous equipment, predictive maintenance and operations AI at real industrial scale. Here is the 2026 briefing for African mining leaders.
Yubin Yang
Financial ServicesBankingInsuranceHow Chinese Banks and Insurers Deploy AI at Scale: A Briefing for African Executives
From LLM copilots to fraud, underwriting and claims — here is a 2026 executive briefing on how AI is actually running in Chinese financial services.
Yubin Yang
EHangLow-Altitude EconomyeVTOLEHang and the Rise of the Low-Altitude Economy: Flying Cars in Shenzhen
The "low-altitude economy" is one of China's most deliberately built industries. EHang's flying-car experience in Shenzhen is where you see it first-hand.
Yubin Yang
BYDEVAutonomous DrivingBYD and AI-Driven Autonomous Driving: Inside the World's Largest EV Maker
BYD is the world's largest EV maker and a quietly aggressive AI operator. Here is what a live Shenzhen factory visit actually teaches executives.
Yubin Yang
HuaweiAscendPanguHuawei's Ascend, Pangu and MindSpore: A Field Guide for Visitors to Bantian HQ
Huawei is one of the cornerstones of China's AI infrastructure. Here is the 2026 map: Ascend AI chips, the MindSpore framework, Pangu models, and what to ask on-site.
Yubin Yang
UnitreeRoboticsHumanoidUnitree Robotics Explained: From Quadrupeds to Humanoids and Why Hangzhou Leads
Unitree is one of the world's leading consumer quadruped makers and now a fast-growing humanoid player. Here is the 2026 field briefing.
Yubin Yang
AlibabaQwenDAMO AcademyAlibaba, Qwen and DAMO Academy: What Executives Actually Learn at Alibaba HQ
A visit to Alibaba's Hangzhou headquarters is a compressed education in running AI across commerce, cloud and research — for more than a billion users.
Yubin Yang
SenseTimeSenseNovaFoundation ModelsSenseTime and SenseNova: How a National-Scale Chinese AI Platform Works
SenseTime is one of the few truly full-stack AI companies in China — infrastructure, foundation models and applied products. Here is the 2026 map.
Yubin Yang
LenovoShanghaiEnterprise AIInside Lenovo's Hybrid AI Strategy: A Visitor Briefing for the Shanghai Future Center
Lenovo is a Fortune Global 500 company quietly running one of the most interesting hybrid AI strategies in the world. Here is what to expect from the Shanghai Future Center visit.
Yubin Yang
ShenzhenHuaweiBYDShenzhen AI Hub Guide: Hardware–AI Integration, Super-Apps and Low-Altitude Economy
Shenzhen is where AI becomes product. Huawei, BYD, EHang and the Huaqiangbei supply chain make it the world's most interesting hardware-AI city.
Yubin Yang
HangzhouAlibabaUnitreeHangzhou AI Hub Guide: Alibaba, Unitree and the Cloud–Robotics Cluster
Hangzhou is where cloud-scale AI meets the highest-density robotics cluster in China. Two days there can reset how you think about operating AI at scale.
Yubin Yang
ShanghaiChina AICity GuideShanghai as an AI Hub: A 2026 Field Guide for Executive Visitors
Shanghai is home to one of the world's densest clusters of frontier language-model labs, capital, regulation, and enterprise pilots. Here is what to see, and why.
Yubin Yang
China AI TourProgramExecutiveWhat Is the China AI Innovation Executive Tour? A 2026 Guide
A 7-day, invitation-only expedition across Shanghai, Hangzhou and Shenzhen — designed for executives who want direct, operator-level exposure to how China builds and deploys AI.
Yubin Yang
AfricaStrategyChina AIWhy African Executives Should Study China's AI Ecosystem in 2026
Africa's next decade will be shaped by AI. The fastest way to learn how AI actually scales — not in slides, but in live operations — is on the ground in Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Shenzhen.
Yubin Yang