TechNode Weekly News | March 14

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China’s GAC to sell Level 3 autonomous driving vehicles with Huawei by Jill SHEN

China’s GAC said on Mar. 7 it will be among the first automakers selling vehicles this year with a Level 3 automated driving system, technology that enables the car to do all the driving, albeit with a driver required in the vehicle at all times to resume control if needed.

DJI implements mandatory 9 pm off-duty policy to tackle excessive overtime culture by Jessie Wu

DJI’s “mandatory 9 pm off-duty” policy has recently sparked widespread debate on Chinese social platform Weibo. Introduced on Feb.27, the drone maker requires employees to leave by 9 pm, with office lights forcibly turned off in Shanghai. Previously, DJI faced criticism for excessive overtime, as core R&D teams often worked past 11 pm or into the early morning.

UBTECH launches Tiangong Walker, a research-grade humanoid robot priced under $45k by Jessie Wu

On Wednesday, UBTECH and the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center jointly launched the Tiangong Walker (our translation), a full-size humanoid robot for research and education, priced at RMB 299,000 ($41,310). Shenzhen-based UBTECH said it is the industry’s first research-grade humanoid robot under RMB 300,000, and deliveries are expected to start in the second quarter.

Weixin Pay expands role in Singapore tourism as Chinese visitor demand grows by Shuang Jing

The recently formalized Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Singapore’s major tourism stakeholders and Weixin Pay marks a milestone in cross-border digital tourism development. The partnership brings together Sentosa Development Corporation, CapitaLand, and Weixin Pay to create a more seamless experience for Chinese travelers visiting Singapore. The collaboration builds on Tencent’s strategic interest in the region.