As you're walking along the street, China's newest surveillance technology could soon be watching you – from space. Scientists in Beijing have created'the world's most powerful spy camera' which can pick out facial details from distances exceeding 63 miles (100km). It means the spy camera could potentially be in space aboard a floating satellite while clearly seeing faces of people on Earth's surface. It could also take high-resolution images of foreign military satellites operated by other nations that are also orbiting Earth, the South China Morning Post reported. The technology, detailed by the scientists in a new paper, could be launched aboard a satellite in the near future.

It might look and act like a little girl, but this creepy entity may just be the next big breakthrough in artificial intelligence (AI). Tong Tong, meaning'little girl', has been dubbed the world's first AI child after it was revealed by scientists from the Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence (BIGAI). According to its creators, the AI child can assign itself tasks, learn autonomously, and explore its environment. And, although it sounds like the plot of the science-fiction movie The Creator, Tong Tong's engineers say the AI can even experience emotion. In a video, BIGAI says that Tong Tong'has her own joy, anger and sorrow'.

China has reportedly created an artificial intelligence (AI) system that can assess the loyalty of Communist Party members. According to Didi Tang, a reporter for the Times in Beijing, the system has been developed by researchers at Hefei Comprehensive National Science Centre. It can analyse facial expressions and brain waves of Communist Party members to determine how receptive they are to'thought education'. Tang says the technology was detailed in an article that was uploaded to the internet on July 1 and deleted shortly afterwards. The artificial intelligence (AI) system can check the loyalty of Communist Party members.

China has launched the world's first crewless drone carrier that uses artificial intelligence to navigate autonomously in open water. Beijing has officially described it as a maritime research tool, but some experts have said the ship has the potential to be used as a military vessel. The autonomous ship, the Zhu Hai Yun (pictured here) is around 290 feet long, 45 feet wide, and 20 feet deep and can carry dozens of air, sea, and submersible drones equipped with different observation instruments, according to the shipbuilder, CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipping Co. It describes the vessel as "epoch making" and the "world's first intelligent unmanned system mother ship." "The most immediate benefit to China is likely data collection," Matthew Funaiole, senior fellow of China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Insider.

Amid battling China's aggression tactics, Taiwan has decided to ramp up its air defense by setting up locally-made "Bee Eye" radar systems on the outposts of Dongyin and Quemoy. The radars will also be installed at the disputed Pratas and Spratly archipelagos in the South China Sea. The decision to bring in a new defense system next year comes after several low-flying objects from China began posing a threat to the island's security over the last few months, reported South China Morning Post. While such low-flying aircraft and drones are difficult to detect in an ordinary system, the Bee Eye has electronically-scanned array radars that help eliminate the blind spot. At present, Taiwan uses Lockheed Martin portable search and target acquisition radars (PSTAR) on those islands.

China has launched the world's first drone carrier, a vessel that will likely be used for military purposes. The ship, Zhu Hai Yun, can be controlled remotely to navigate autonomously in open water. Zhu Hai Yun, launched last week, has a wide deck equipped to carry dozens of unmanned vehicles including drones, unmanned ships and submersibles, reported the South China Morning Post. This also makes it a powerful platform to launch UAVs for military purposes, though Beijing claims the vehicle has been designed for marine research purposes. The drone mothership is expected to be commissioned by the end of the year after sea trials. According to the Chinese state-run Science and Technology Daily, the ship could be an "efficient tool in marine disaster prevention and mitigation, environmental monitoring and offshore wind farm maintenance besides delivering accurate marine information."

Despite the official policy of pacifism, which outlaws war as a means to settle international disputes, Japan is now looking to acquire attack drones for its arsenal. This comes amid Tokyo's increasing concerns over the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its territorial disputes with Moscow over the Kuril Islands. Japanese defense officials are considering buying drones as they believe these rudimentary weapons are not only impactful but also "cost-effective and easy to deploy," reported South China Morning Post. "There is no doubt that reconnaissance and attack functionality using a multitude of low-cost'swarm drones' would be militarily advantageous," Yoshihide Yoshida, chief of staff of the Ground Self-Defence Forces, was quoted by the news outlet. Japan had already taken the first step in this regard when it began using U.S.-built drones to identify and track ships across the Pacific last year.

China's spaceplanes are so advanced that they may not need launch sites and can take off and land at airports. The test flight of Tengyun was carried out in July by its developer, state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). So advanced is its technology of Horizontal Take-off and Horizontal Landing (HTHL) that it edges out its U.S. equivalent of X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), which is rocket-launched, reported South China Morning Post. The report, quoting the Chinese military magazine Naval and Merchant Ships, said this cost-saving development has added to concerns over the weaponization of space in the era of hypersonic missiles. "Chinese spaceplane technology was inspired by the US X-37B, but the American OTV still needs to be launched by rocket, while China has now overcome this limitation," magazine editor-in-chief Su Ming was quoted by the news outlet.

China, in the midst of a significant upgrade of its military forces and purported arms race with the U.S., showed off a new drone that has a wingspan of nearly 70 feet and can fly continuously for almost a full day. Known as the CH-6 drone, it is'aimed at high-end arms and dual-use markets,' according to Chinese news outlet, Global Times. The drone - built by CH UAV - can fly continuously for 20 hours and reach speeds of 435 miles per hour, the news outlet added. It can also reach heights of almost 50,000 feet. It is the latest step in a growing arms race between China and the US, as the Chinese seek to overhaul their military.

China on Monday dispatched its advanced J-20 stealth fighters for the first time as it began a joint five-day military drill with Russia in the Northwest region of the country. Besides the fighter plane, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) also deployed many of its newest weapons, including the Y-20 large transport planes, during the exercise, the first since the COVID-19 outbreak, reported The South China Morning Post. Over 10,000 troops will take part in the Zapad/Interaction-2021 exercise held at the Ningxia Hui autonomous region where innovative combat tactics like emergency troop and heavy weapon drops, long-range strikes by J-16 fighter bombers, and the use of drones, will be displayed. Liu Xiaowu, commander-in-chief of the Chinese troops, told state broadcaster CCTV that 81% of weapons being used in the drill were "brand new." "That includes the J-20 [stealth fighter jet], KJ-500 [airborne early-warning and control aircraft], and J-16, while surveillance and combat drones and new armored vehicles will also [be involved]," he said.