World Insight with Tian Wei

Media reports say an Iranian parliamentary commission has approved plans to collect tolls on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened that the United States will “completely” obliterate Iran's oil wells and Kharg Island if the strait is not “immediately” reopened and a peace deal is not reached “soon.” Analysts are sharing insights into the possibility of long-term structural oil repricing, as well as contingency measures to prevent a broader energy crisis.

China's 15th Five-Year Plan has attracted many tech-savvy companies to focus on China as an innovation hub. Senior business executives share their insights on why China is a leading center of innovation.

At a time of global uncertainty, China's economic fundamentals continue to demonstrate resilience, reinforcing its role as a stabilizing anchor for the world economy. Analysts share perspectives on issues such as China's role in global innovation and the strategic importance of clean energy.

Participants at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference are seeking answers to the same question: how to inject more certainty into an uncertain world? The conference organized a high level dialogue on the same topic, bringing state leaders, heads of international organizations and scholars from Asia.

Innovation is the key, especially in China where consumers are captivated by cutting edge technology and truly intelligent electronic vehicles. That's the view of Ola Kallenius, chairman of the board of management of Mercedes Benz group. He underscored the company's resolve to move forward with courage and boldness and competing and cooperating with Chinese partners while embracing the opportunities of China's 15th five year plan.

The 15Th Five-Year Plan is a top agenda at the China Development Forum over the weekend. The plan's big push for innovation, particularly with digital connectivity, is a welcome development for the Global System for Mobile Communications Association, better known as the GSMA. Director General Vivek Badrinath shares his insight.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang spelled out the nation's top challenges and opportunities at the just concluded China Development Forum. He raised three points: First, markets are now scarcer, but new ones hold big potential. Second, competition may be inevitable, but healthy competition with cooperation can reap mutual benefits. Third, confidence, responsibility and actions combined can lead to a better place for all. For more on this, we spoke to leading voices of the business world to learn about how they navigate the complexities and focus on the opportunities with actions.

Experts share their opinions on the "AI Plus" Initiative, which has been mentioned in China's annual political sessions for three consecutive years.

Iran stepped up attacks on its Gulf neighbors' energy infrastructure Thursday, setting Qatari liquefied natural gas facilities and a Kuwaiti oil refinery ablaze. This came as Iran hit back after an Israeli attack on its main natural gas field, a major escalation in the Mideast war that has sent global fuel prices soaring. The Pentagon has asked the White House to approve a request of over 200 billion dollars for Congress to fund the ongoing US strikes on Iran. Our panelists share their insights into the Middle East conflict.

OpenClaw has quickly gained ground as a favorite artificial intelligence-driven digital assistant in China. It's a lobster-themed open-source AI agent that can pro-actively do common work - like with emails, meetings and bookings simultaneously - with little effort. It's a far cry from chatbots that need prompts. OpenClaw is so popular that big Chinese tech companies like Tencent and Alibaba are rolling out OpenClaw agents on their platforms. But OpenClaw's level of autonomy, which means opening data and systems for it to function well, has sparked worries over potential privacy and security risks. It raised fears over sensitive data getting compromised. So, what measures and guard rails can fix these concerns? What will it take to fill China's appetite for cutting-edge AI but minimize the downside?