China

China Daily | English | News | Jan. 23, 2026 | UndeterminedTech Development/Adoption

Chinese biometric technology firm Saint Deem has launched its first dedicated vein-recognition manufacturing line in Huainan, Anhui province. The production line, covering more than 10,000 square meters, is designed to produce up to 2 million vein-recognition modules and authentication devices annually. This marks a step toward large-scale commercialization of vein recognition technology, targeting applications across consumer electronics, payments, vehicles, and smart infrastructure.

Saint Deem's new factory is the first specialized manufacturing line in China focused solely on vein-recognition products, addressing a gap in the country's biometric supply chain. Vein recognition identifies individuals by analyzing patterns of veins beneath the skin, offering a more secure alternative to passwords, fingerprints, and facial recognition, which are increasingly vulnerable to spoofing and AI-generated forgeries. Co-CEO Qian Haomin highlighted the shift from an R&D-driven model to one combining R&D and manufacturing, aiming to establish vein recognition as a trusted, universal key connecting people securely to both digital and physical worlds.

The technology has already been deployed in applications such as palm-vein payment systems, smart locks, public transport, and high-security environments. For example, Chengde Public Transport Group in Hebei province has implemented palm-vein payments to reduce reliance on cards and QR codes. Industry experts noted the potential for consumer markets to drive growth, given the relatively low penetration of smart locks in China despite significant sales.

Experts emphasized the importance of unified technical and security standards to ensure trust and prevent industry fragmentation as vein recognition moves toward mass adoption. Academician Zheng Zhiming and IT standardization expert Zheng Yinfei stressed that vein recognition’s higher-dimensional data provides fundamentally stronger security against evolving digital threats like AI-generated deepfakes, and that establishing evaluation and security benchmarks is critical to protect users and unlock the technology’s full value.

Peoples Daily | English | News | Jan. 23, 2026 | Cyber Attacks and Data Loss

In 2025, Chinese mainland authorities investigated and managed nearly 4,000 cyber attacks originating from Taiwan, marking a 25 percent increase compared to the previous year. These cyber operations targeted the theft of classified information from key sectors such as transportation, finance, science and technology, and energy.

The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council revealed that some of the cyber attacks were carried out by Taiwan-based organizations, including the military. Mainland officials also denied allegations from Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party that China had initiated cyber attacks against Taiwan, calling these claims a blatant distortion of the truth.

Xinhua | English | News | Jan. 23, 2026 | Regulation

China's Ministry of Finance issued a notice on January 21, 2026, to curb excessively low bidding in government procurement, effective February 1, 2026. The measure aims to reduce involution-style competition and promote a healthy market environment where quality is rewarded with fair pricing.

The notice requires procuring entities to set reasonable price ceilings and configure appropriate procurement packages to support competitive bidding. Financial authorities will oversee bid evaluations, and if evaluation committees fail to properly review abnormally low bids, corrective actions will be taken, including legal accountability for responsible experts.

Procurement entities are also mandated to ensure performance acceptance procedures comply with legal standards, with thorough reviews of all technical and commercial contract requirements during inspections and complaint handling.