Home Blog Page 51

Fosun International Garners Five Awards from Corporate Governance Asia

By
Advertorial Desk
-

Chen Qiyu and Xu Xiaoliang, Co-CEOs of Fosun International win Asia’s Best CEO from Corporate Governance Asia

Fosun International receives Sustainable Asia Award 2026, Best Environmental Responsibility Award and Best Corporate Communications Award

HONG KONG, July 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On 30 June 2026, Corporate Governance Asia presented the 16th Asian Excellence Award. Chen Qiyu and Xu Xiaoliang, Executive Directors and Co-CEOs of Fosun International Limited (“Fosun International”, “Fosun” or the “Group”) (HKEX stock code: 00656) were both honored with Asia’s Best CEO. In addition, Fosun International received Sustainable Asia Award 2026, Best Environmental Responsibility Award and Best Corporate Communications Award.

Corporate Governance Asia is one of the most authoritative and influential corporate governance journals in the Asia Pacific region. The award recognizes outstanding industry leaders and enterprises that excelled in financial performance, corporate governance, corporate social responsibility, environmental protection, corporate communications, and investor relations over the past year. Other award recipients of the 16th Asian Excellence Award include well-known Asia Pacific companies such as Sino Land, Sun Hung Kai Properties, Bank of China (Hong Kong), China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, China Communications Services, and PetroChina, etc.

Recognizing Excellence in Business Performance and ESG Practices

According to Corporate Governance Asia, in 2025, amid rapid global economic transformation and ongoing technological breakthroughs, Fosun maintained strong strategic focus, concentrating on its core businesses, pursuing steady development, and actively strengthening the operational capabilities of its advantageous industries, demonstrating solid operational resilience. In a complex external business environment, Chen Qiyu and Xu Xiaoliang, as CEOs of a large global private enterprise, have consistently driven Fosun’s high-quality development through the twin drivers of “innovation” and “globalization”. At the same time, they have actively advanced the deep integration of the Group’s ESG into its businesses to build a core competitive advantage for sustainable development, consistently contributing to a better world. Therefore, Chen Qiyu and Xu Xiaoliang were awarded Asia’s Best CEO.

Chen Qiyu, Executive Director and Co-CEO of Fosun International, said, “We are deeply honored to receive several prestigious awards from Corporate Governance Asia, including Asia’s Best CEO and the Sustainable Asia Award. These accolades recognize not only individual achievements but also reflect the collective efforts of the entire Fosun team. Over the years, we communicate transparently and efficiently with various stakeholders and rating agencies. Our relentless efforts in the ESG domain have garnered much external recognition. By adhering to innovation driven development and global operations, we continuously optimize resource allocation and focus our strengths on innovative research, ensuring our innovative achievements benefit the world. Upholding the philosophy of ‘Innovation for Good Health’, we will leverage original innovation to strengthen the foundation of sustainable development and steadily advance toward a more resilient and efficient sustainability journey.”

Xu Xiaoliang, Executive Director and Co-CEO of Fosun International, said, “Fosun’s globalization journey has evolved from ‘Combining China’s Growth Momentum with Global Resources’ to ‘Combining Global Resources with China’s Capabilities’. Fosun has consistently leveraged global resources to deliver more high-quality products and services to families around the world. With an increasingly sophisticated global business presence, Fosun has operated responsibly across more than 40 countries and regions, improving lives worldwide and creating sustainable value. As a global company rooted in China, Fosun began integrating ESG principles at an early stage, reflecting values deeply embedded in the Group’s DNA and corporate culture. Since its founding, Fosun has upheld its original aspiration of ‘Contribution to Society’, striving not only to create commercial value but also to generate broader social impact. Looking ahead, Fosun will actively respond to national strategies, implement ‘dual carbon’ goals, promote rural revitalization, expand impact across global communities in areas such as healthcare, educational equity, community construction, culture and art. The ultimate goal is to help more families enjoy healthier, happier, and wealthier lives.”

Advancing Global Sustainable Development with Outstanding ESG Performance

Corporate Governance Asia highlighted that Fosun has consistently advanced sustainable development through “innovation” and “globalization”, continuously improving its ESG system, actively addressing climate change and social challenges, and demonstrating outstanding achievements in green development, biodiversity conservation, public health, social welfare, etc. As a result, Fosun was honored with Sustainable Asia Award 2026, Best Environmental Responsibility Award and Best Corporate Communications Award. These accolades not only affirm Fosun’s outstanding performance in promoting global sustainable development and fulfilling corporate social responsibility, but also highlight its steadfast dedication to ESG knowledge sharing and climate advocacy.

Despite global economic, environmental, and social uncertainties in 2025, Fosun remained steadfast in its sustainability commitment and made remarkable strides. Fosun International’s MSCI ESG rating has been upgraded to the highest rating AAA. It has maintained a Hang Seng Sustainability Rating of AA-. It has also been included in S&P Global’s Sustainability Yearbook 2026 and consistently ranked among the top 1% in China. Its FTSE Russell ESG score rose to 4.2 (maximum score: 5) and has been included in the FTSE4Good Index Series for the fifth consecutive time.

Actively Responding to Climate Change and Protecting Biodiversity

In response to climate change and low-carbon transition, Fosun actively responds to the national “dual carbon” goals by promoting carbon neutrality and energy conservation and emissions reduction. In 2021, Fosun made a commitment to society – “strive to peak carbon emissions by 2028 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050”. Fosun has formulated strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation to align with the 1.5°C temperature control target set in the Paris Agreement. Building on its commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, Fosun has set a mid-term target to reduce the intensity of Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by 20% by 2034, using 2024 as the base year. This reflects Fosun’s rigorous management of operational emissions and demonstrates the Group’s commitment and execution in advancing low-carbon transition.

In addition to actively addressing climate change, Fosun also places great importance on biodiversity conservation. In 2018, Atlantis Sanya under Fosun Tourism Group officially established an aquatic wildlife rescue station. Over the years, it has rescued a total of 42 wild sea turtles. On 23 May this year, World Turtle Day, the Sea Turtle Shelter at the Atlantis Sanya aquarium was officially inaugurated. Sea turtles with minor injuries are treated and released back into the sea upon full recovery, while those unable to return to the wild are given a permanent home at the shelter. Covering an area of 388 square meters, the Sea Turtle Shelter features rehabilitation pools, an educational exhibition hall, and breeding beaches designed to replicate a natural ecosystem, offering both a recovery space and long-term habitat for sea turtles.

Driven by Innovation, Committed to Social Contribution

Fosun adheres to an innovation-driven strategy. Its Health segment has developed anticancer and antimalarial drugs that have widely benefited cancer patients and severe malaria patients. Among them, HANSIZHUANG, HLX43, HLX22, and other marketed and pipeline innovative drugs have delivered several “world’s first” breakthroughs. HANSIZHUANG became the world’s first monoclonal antibody targeting PD-1 approved for first-line treatment of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC), and has been approved for marketing in over 40 countries and regions. HLX43 has shown significant advantages, with a favorable efficacy and safety profile in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), gynecological tumors, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), and other indications. HLX22 is the world’s first anti-HER2-targeted therapy to receive Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) approvals from both U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Commission (EC) for gastric cancer. As of 31 December 2025, Fosun Pharma’s independently developed artesunate for injection had saved more than 88 million severe malaria patients worldwide, with more than 440 million doses supplied globally.

In order to better promote the fulfillment and implementation of corporate social responsibility, Fosun Foundation was established in 2012. It has been making unremitting efforts in the fields of global emergency relief, rural revitalization, health, education, culture and art, youth development, to create social value. Among these efforts, the Rural Doctors Program, launched in 2017, has covered 78 counties in 16 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions across the country, supporting 25,000 rural doctors and benefiting 3 million rural families.

Looking ahead, Fosun remains dedicated to advancing its social responsibility through innovation and responsible global operations. Guided by its “Create IMPACT” sustainable development strategy, Fosun will intensify its efforts to build a more responsible, inclusive, and sustainable future.

FSMOne Malaysia Clients’ Unit Trust Investments Returned an Average of 18.8% Over the Past Year

By
Advertorial Desk
-

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, July 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — For the first time, FSMOne Malaysia has published what its individual clients’ unit trust investments actually returned. Over the 12 months from 1 June 2025 to 31 May 2026, those investments returned an average of 18.8%, net of sales charges and fund management fees. The figure was shared at FSMOne Malaysia’s Recommended Unit Trusts Awards 2026/27, held at W Kuala Lumpur.

The 18.8% covers clients’ full unit trust holdings, from money market and fixed income to balanced and equity funds and is measured across all FSMOne individual client accounts with unit trust investments.

Over the same period, unit trust investments held through the Private Retirement Scheme (PRS) returned an average of 25.37%, while unit trust investments made with EPF savings through the EPF Members Investment Scheme returned an average of 16.5%.

Over the year, FSMOne clients’ unit trust investments carried notable exposure to Asia, Japan, the technology sector and gold. Asia and technology were among the markets and themes where FSMOne’s research held a constructive view throughout the period, and that positioning is reflected in the results.

FSMOne Malaysia General Manager, Mr Koh Soo Cheng said, “Two decisions shape an investor’s outcome more than any other: what to invest in, and where. This year, we are sharing what those decisions delivered for our clients.”

“Those returns came from getting two things right, choosing quality funds and being in the right markets, which is exactly what we help investors do: our Recommended Unit Trusts list takes the work out of fund selection, and our research points to where the opportunities are.”

The Awards recognised 43 funds across 35 categories, covering asset classes, geographies, and both conventional and Islamic strategies, with 15 fund houses among this year’s winners. The full list is available at www.fsmone.com.my.

FSMOne Assistant Manager, Research, Mr Kevin Khaw said, “Global markets have delivered strong returns despite concerns surrounding trade tensions, geopolitical developments, fiscal deficits, and the interest rate outlook. However, one characteristic of this rally has been the growing concentration of returns among a relatively small group of companies and sectors.”

Khaw noted that investors should look beyond the handful of US mega-cap beneficiaries within the Digital Economy theme. “The next phase of growth is likely to create opportunities across semiconductors, digital platforms, cloud infrastructure, software, data centre enablers, and the broader AI ecosystem.”

While the US remains a key focus, Khaw added that Asia presents broader opportunities backed by improved earnings and reasonable valuations. Several markets within the region could benefit from structural reforms, technological advancement, and increasing capital flows.

He highlighted that Singapore stands out for investors who are seeking quality and resilience. “Investors are effectively being paid to wait, with attractive dividend yields, while a strong banking sector, healthy corporate balance sheets, and ongoing capital market initiatives support long-term earnings growth.”

While challenges remain, China’s supportive policy measures signal renewed opportunities. FSMOne remains constructive on artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and digital innovation sectors.

Meanwhile, corporate governance reforms and structural changes continue to strengthen Japan’s long-term investment case.

Overall, FSMOne maintains a constructive outlook on Asia as a major beneficiary of supply chain diversification, technological investment, and regional capital flows. Fixed income continues to offer real income and diversification benefits.

“Following the strong rally across global equities, technology, and Asian markets this year, investors should not overlook the importance of portfolio reviews and rebalancing. While long-term opportunities remain attractive, maintaining appropriate asset allocation and risk discipline is often more important than attempting to maximise returns from the latest market winner,” Khaw concluded.

About FSMOne Malaysia & iFAST Capital

FSMOne Malaysia (previously known as Fundsupermart.com Malaysia) is a Multi-Asset Investment Platform under iFAST Capital Sdn. Bhd. (“iFAST Capital”), established in Malaysia since 2008.

iFAST Capital is a subsidiary of iFAST Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. which is wholly owned by iFAST Corporation Ltd. (“iFAST Corporation”). Incorporated in 2000 and listed on the Singapore Exchange Mainboard in December 2014, iFAST Corporation operates in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mainland China and the UK.

Media Contact:

Chin Ru Shi | +6019 266 2666 | rushi@ifastfinancial.com / ir@ifastfinancial.com

Visit www.fsmone.com.my for more details.

JUSTCO APP Enables On-Demand Booking Of Workspaces – No Monthly Membership Required

By
Advertorial Desk
-

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 2 July 2026 – JustCo Holdings Limited (“JustCo“), a Singapore-grown flexible workspace operator with an extensive Asia Pacific network, announced pay-per-use access via the JustCo App, allowing professionals to find, book, and access hot desks and meeting rooms on demand across its network, without membership or upfront commitment.

JUSTCO APP ENABLES ON-DEMAND BOOKING OF WORKSPACES – NO MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED
JUSTCO APP ENABLES ON-DEMAND BOOKING OF WORKSPACES – NO MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED

Professionals increasingly need reliable workspaces that can be accessed as needed, whether for a few hours, a day, or specific meetings. JustCo App’s pay-per-use access caters to the demand for increased flexibility and short-term access.

New users can simply download the app, create an account, and immediately browse available JustCo workspaces. There are no upfront membership fees, making it ideal for freelancers, business travellers, remote workers, and visiting team members to access JustCo locations when and where they need it.

Users can purchase Hot Desk (Day) passes or make Meeting Room bookings directly in the app. Multiple passes can be purchased and shared with colleagues or partners. This supports common scenarios such as hosting meetings, working between locations, or enabling visiting teammates to use a workspace immediately.

Pay-per-use features are currently available in Australia, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia, and will subsequently roll out across other locations.

This builds on JustCo’s broader strategy to integrate workspace discovery, access, and usage into a unified digital platform across markets. The JustCo Store, available on web and powering the app, provides real-time visibility of workspace availability across locations.

Concurrently, since the start of the year, JustCo has successfully opened new locations across Bengaluru, Gurugram, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Singapore and Taipei, reflecting a steady pipeline growth. Additional openings have also been confirmed across Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, Seoul, Tokyo and Yokohama, providing clear visibility for the second half of the year.

Together, these openings underscore JustCo’s commitment to executing the expansion strategy presented to investors at the time of its IPO and further strengthening its footprint across Asia Pacific’s leading commercial hubs.

Visit the JustCo Store at www.justcoglobal.com to browse available offices and membership plans, with selected spaces available for move-in as early as the next business day. Or download the JustCo App on iOS and Android.
Hashtag: #JUSTCO

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About JustCo Holdings Limited

JustCo is a platform building the future of work across Asia Pacific. Our vision is to be the global benchmark for flexible workspace by creating connected ecosystems where people, businesses and communities can thrive.

Through our portfolio of brands, including The Collective, JustCo and the boring office, we support organisations of all sizes, from startups and SMEs to multinational corporations, with flexible workspace solutions across multiple cities and markets.

Beyond workspace, JustCo helps businesses scale faster through flexibility, operational simplicity and access to a regional network. For landlords, we transform buildings into vibrant business destinations that attract demand, enhance asset performance and create long-term value.

Together with our members, partners and landlords, we are building an ecosystem that connects work, business, learning, wellness and community, enabling people and organisations to grow and succeed.

For more information, visit: justcoglobal.com

Chinese Companies Prioritise Supply Chain Resilience, AI and New Markets for Growth

By
Advertorial Desk
-

  • Data from DP World’s Global Trade Observatory shows 58% of Chinese supply-chain executives plan to increase suppliers and diversify sourcing in 2026
  • Growth priorities are led by technology and market access, with respondents citing deploying AI (50%), digitalisation (44%), growing demand from new markets and consumers (43%) and new value chains (34%)

SHANGHAI, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 2 July 2026 – Despite recent disruption and uncertainty across global trade, Chinese companies are focused on long-term growth strategies centred on supply chain resilience, AI adoption and access to new markets, according to DP World’s Global Trade Observatory.

-

The international survey, which included 292 supply chain and logistics executives in China, shows companies looking beyond cost and scale alone as they adapt to a changing trade environment, with a clear focus on sourcing diversification, digital capability, new markets and practical trade facilitation.

When asked about strategic changes planned for 2026, the most popular option was increasing suppliers to diversify sourcing (58%), followed by near-shoring operations (38%), friend-shoring operations (36%), and increasing inventories (32%).

Businesses in China are using logistics networks to build a more layered approach to resilience: more suppliers, more route options, more regional flexibility and more ability to shift as rules, costs and demand change.

However, the drivers behind the strategic changes were not purely defensive. Across the strategic changes identified by Chinese supply-chain executives, the strongest drivers included sustainability and ESG requirements, new technology enabling operational change, greater agility and resilience, local market trade policies and incentives, response to tariffs, and new market entry.

Glen Hilton, CEO and Managing Director, Asia Pacific, DP World, said:

“China’s next trade advantage will come from resilience and adaptability, not just scale. Chinese companies are already diversifying suppliers, entering new corridors and investing in digital systems and AI. But that ambition creates most value when companies can see their cargo, switch between routes, clear borders, manage documentation and fulfil reliably across markets. What customers increasingly need is not a disconnected set of providers. They need an operating partner that can connect the physical and digital layers of trade – ports, terminals, freight forwarding, customs, warehousing, systems and last-mile execution. DP World is built to help make that complexity work at an international level, so businesses can keep moving even as routes, rules and demand change.”

Technology emerged as the leading growth priority. When asked about the top drivers of growth for their business over the coming one to three years, 50% of respondents identified deploying AI, 44% cited wider digitalisation, 43% cited growing demand from new markets and consumers, and 34% cited new value chains.

This emphasis on AI and digitalisation also aligns closely with the direction set out at China’s “Two Sessions”, where New Quality Productive Forces, including AI and advanced technologies, were positioned as central to the country’s next phase of economic development.

DP World, which provides end-to-end supply chain solutions and handles around 10% of global containerised trade, has seen these themes reflected in its work supporting customers in China across sectors including e-commerce, automotive, fashion and luxury, food and beverage, healthcare and technology.

Its capability in China combines global network reach with local operating expertise across freight forwarding, contract logistics, warehousing, customs and documentation support, ports and terminals, and technology-enabled supply-chain visibility. This is designed to help customers reduce hand-offs, improve control, and execute more reliably across borders.

Notes to Editors

The Global Trade Observatory survey was conducted in November 2025 and included 292 supply chain and logistics executives in China. Percentages are rounded and multi-select questions add to more than 100%.

A dedicated China Country Report with additional local insights is also available here

Hashtag: #DPWORLD



The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

DP World

DP World is reshaping the future of global trade to improve lives everywhere. Operating across six continents with a team of over 125,000 employees, we combine global infrastructure and local expertise to deliver seamless supply chain solutions. From Ports and Terminals to Marine Services, Logistics and Technology, we leverage innovation to create better ways to trade, minimizing disruptions from the factory floor to the customer’s door.

In Asia Pacific, DP World employs over 12,000 people across 22 geographies. We operate 16 ports and terminals, complemented by a comprehensive suite of end-to-end supply chain solutions – to connect the region to the rest of the world.

WE MAKE TRADE FLOW

XTransfer Returns to the Summer Davos Forum

By
Advertorial Desk
-

SMEs Serve as a “Buffer” for Globalisation

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 2 July 2026 – XTransfer, the World’s Leading B2B Cross-Border Trade Payment Platform, attended the World Economic Forum’s 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions (Summer Davos) in Dalian. Marking a new milestone, XTransfer has officially become an Institutional Member of the World Economic Forum and is the only institutional member from China’s B2B cross-border payments sector. Moving from participant to co-builder, XTransfer joined political and business leaders to discuss transformation in international trade and digital finance.

XTransfer Joins Summer Davos

At the forum, Bill Deng, XTransfer Founder and CEO, delivered a keynote in the session “China Platforms Go Global”. He described how Chinese e-commerce platforms have evolved from domestic “digital disruptors” to global “rule reshapers” and outlined key obstacles in cross-border payments, including compliance demands, geopolitics, and varying regulatory regimes. Deng noted that while deglobalization and geopolitical risks can weigh heavily on large enterprises, SMEs tend to be more resilient due to light-asset models and their ability to enter or exit markets quickly. In a fragmented global economy, SMEs can adapt faster, form new connections, and act as a “buffer” that supports stability and deeper global integration.

Deng was also invited to attend a closed-door meeting between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and business representatives, as well as multiple closed-door strategic discussions in the financial sector, where views were exchanged on payment risk management, international cooperation, and trends in Chinese companies expanding overseas.

Deng shared, “China’s expansion is moving from ‘trade going global’ toward ‘ecosystem going global’ spanning manufacturing, brands, culture, and financial services, with SMEs playing a central role.” He added that emerging markets are becoming new growth hotspots and urged businesses to leverage supply-chain strengths and move early into markets with strong demand and relatively limited competition.

Deng also shared that XTransfer has grown rapidly in recent years, with over 890,000 registered customers, partnerships with more than 170 financial institutions and provides services across 200+ countries and regions. In 2025, the platform processed over US$60 billion TPV, becoming the world’s largest B2B cross-border trade payment platform.

He emphasised that risk control and compliance are the toughest challenges for cross-border payments. XTransfer’s self-developed LLM, TradePilot, has helped keep the fraud rate at 0.003%, among the industry’s lowest, enabling SMEs to transact safely, efficiently, and compliantly in global expansion.

Hashtag: #XTransfer #summerdavos #WEF #CrossborderPayment


The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Philips Evnia Launches the World’s First Triple-Mode Fast IPS Gaming Monitor that Allows Gamers to Switch Between Three High-Performance Resolution Modes

By
Advertorial Desk
-

SINGAPORE, July 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Philips Evnia has launched the New M4 gaming lineup built with revolutionary Triple-Mode technology. It offers three switchable high HZ-and-resolution presets tailored for different gaming scenarios, bringing unprecedented flexibility to players. The range includes Philips Evnia 27M4N3500PT and 27M4N5500PT, features Fast IPS panel and delivers HDR gaming across three selectable display modes, each optimized for a different play style. Innovative industrial design achieves perfect integration of appearance, structural rigidity and practical usability, bringing futuristic visual flair to modern gaming setups.


Triple Resolution Mode Delivers Greater Gaming Flexibility

In QHD (2560×1440) mode, the panel hits an overclocked 275Hz with HDR enabled, delivering rich details and fluid visuals for immersive AAA gaming. Esports competitors can shift to HD (1280×720) mode and unlock a blazing 540Hz overclocked refresh rate to secure ultra-low latency and instant in-game response. Sitting between the two is the balanced Full HD (1920×1080) mode running at 360Hz, striking a perfect balance between picture fidelity and competitive speed.

Unlike traditional dual-mode screens, this third preset fills the gap between top-tier graphics and peak esports performance. Gamers can toggle between all three configurations instantly via the on-screen menu without complicated manual settings.

Comfort for Marathon Gaming Sessions

Built for long-hour gaming marathons, the monitor effectively protects users’ eyes. Its Fast IPS panel cuts blue light output. Together with Low Blue Light and Flicker-Free technology, it greatly reduces eye fatigue without compromising picture quality.

The Philips Evnia 27M4N5500PT is equipped with the SmartErgoBase stand, which supports height, tilt and swivel adjustment, plus 90-degree vertical pivot, making it ideal for multi-screen workstation setups. It also features a brand-new innovative EVNIA AI gaming iconglow light, and the base adopts a minimalist geometric cut design, elevating gaming aesthetics to a new level.

Key Specs and Additional Features

Beyond its Triple Mode technology, the monitor is equipped with a range of premium features designed to deliver an exceptional gaming experience, including:

  • Fast IPS panel with Anti-Glare (Haze 25%)
  • Reaches 350 nits of peak brightness
  • AI-enhanced gaming feature: Including stark shadow boost, smart crosshair, smart sniper and smart MBR sync
  • HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 connectivity

Engineered for contemporary gaming rigs, Philips Evnia 27M4N3500PT and 27M4N5500PT integrate outstanding speed, immersive visuals and convenient operability. This triple-mode monitor will be officially released in APAC region.

Switzerland Marks 20 Years of Permanent Presence in Laos, Celebrates Longstanding Partnership

By
Public Diplomacy
-
Switzerland marks 20 years of its cooperation office in Laos, highlighting decades of bilateral ties, development cooperation, and shared regional partnerships.

This year Switzerland and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic are marking the twentieth anniversary of a permanent physical presence of Switzerland in Laos, a milestone that builds on more than six decades of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which were celebrated in 2023.

In an interview with the Lao media, the Ambassador of Switzerland reflected on the evolution of bilateral ties and the steady expansion of cooperation over the decades.

“I was here to celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations between Lao PDR and Switzerland back in 2023, together with Saleumxay Kommasith, who was then the Minister of Foreign Affairs, now Deputy Prime Minister of Laos, and now I have the opportunity to celebrate for the second time. We have twenty years of establishment of our cooperation office here in Vientiane, and we have a steady development over 60 years of more and more cooperation.”

The twentieth anniversary of the Cooperation Office highlights Switzerland’s long-term commitment to development partnership in Laos, complementing the broader bilateral relationship established more than six decades ago.

The Ambassador also noted that despite the geographical distance between the two countries, there are meaningful similarities that contribute to mutual understanding.

“Our countries are 8,800 kilometers apart, and they seem very different at first glance, but then you see similarities. We both have five neighbours, and we are both landlocked or land-linked countries.”

Both Switzerland and Laos are shaped by iconic river systems: such as the Rhine and the Rhône in the one and the Mekong in the other. Being surrounded by powerful neighbours has enabled both countries to find national strength through regional connectivity, active international cooperation and constructive diplomatic dialogue.

Throughout his tenure, the Ambassador has visited Laos extensively, both officially and privately, gaining a deeper appreciation of the country and witnessing firsthand the impact of development cooperation.

“I had the opportunity to travel a lot to Lao PDR. Eight times I visited the country officially and twice I came privately, to spend holidays and to get to know the country better. One of the projects that struck me very much is a project in the South, where Switzerland helps communities to save fish reservoirs in the Mekong River together with WWF. It clearly shows how much the human communities and the relations between human beings and development are connected.”

Such initiatives, one of many, highlight Switzerland’s focus on sustainable development and locally driven solutions, particularly in areas where environmental protection and livelihoods are closely linked.

Beyond his official work, the Ambassador shared personal reflections from his travels across Laos, describing the country’s natural beauty and cultural richness.

“Lao PDR is a beautiful country with great landscapes, great people and incredible handicraft talents. So it is worth visiting for tourists, and I was also here to explore that potential on my own. I took my car and drove from Bangkok once with my parents to Vientiane and to the southern part of Laos, and another time with my wife to the northern part of Laos. I also went to rural areas. I went to see Pak Beng, which is on the beautiful Mekong River, in a region hardly anybody visits, and I came back home with great impressions. These impressions will stay with me forever, and I have beautiful photographs from the trips.”

As the interview concluded, the Ambassador expressed gratitude for the opportunity to strengthen ties between Switzerland and Laos and extended his well wishes to the Lao people.

“It has been a privilege to get to know this wonderful country and its people. I am grateful to have contributed to strengthening the friendship between Switzerland and Laos. I wish the people of Laos all the best during these challenging times, and I am pleased that Switzerland will continue to stand alongside them.”

The twentieth anniversary of the Swiss representation stands as a testament to a long-standing partnership grounded in mutual respect, shared priorities, and a continued commitment to sustainable development.

Editor’s Note: This article is part of The Laotian Times Public Diplomacy section and was contributed by the Swiss Embassy in Laos. Views and information presented are those of the contributing organization.

Dnotitia Unveils STAR-KV, Achieving UP to 20x KV Cache Compression, Selected as an ICML 2026 Spotlight Paper

By
Advertorial Desk
-
  • Introduces a low-rank-based approach to KV cache compression, one of the key bottlenecks in long-context AI
  • Speeds up attention computation by up to 6.9x and overall generation throughput by up to 3.1x, moving beyond memory savings to faster inference
  • Selected as a Spotlight paper at ICML 2026, representing about 2.2% of reviewed submissions and about 8.4% of accepted papers
  • Following the attention around Google’s TurboQuant at ICLR 2026, STAR-KV presents another approach to advancing KV cache compression
  • Paper available on arXiv; source code released on GitHub

SEOUL, South Korea, July 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Dnotitia Inc. (Dnotitia), a company specializing in long-term memory AI and semiconductor-based AI infrastructure technologies, has released the paper and source code for “STAR-KV: Low-Rank KV Cache Compression via Soft Thresholding for Adaptive Rank Control.” The technology was developed through a joint research effort involving UC San Diego’s VVIP Lab and Dnotitia researchers, and the paper was selected as a Spotlight paper at ICML 2026 (International Conference on Machine Learning 2026), one of the world’s leading conferences in machine learning.

Dnotitia contributed STAR-KV, selected as an ICML 2026 Spotlight Paper, achieving up to 20x KV cache compression and faster inference through low-rank compression and GPU optimization
Dnotitia contributed STAR-KV, selected as an ICML 2026 Spotlight Paper, achieving up to 20x KV cache compression and faster inference through low-rank compression and GPU optimization

In the experiments reported in the paper, low-rank compression alone reduced the KV cache by up to 75%. Combined with the mixed-precision quantization method proposed in the paper, STAR-KV compressed the full KV cache by up to 20x. The technology also improves computation speed through custom GPU kernels, increasing attention computation speed by up to 6.9x and overall generation throughput by up to 3.1x. STAR-KV also showed higher accuracy than major existing KV cache compression methods.

KV cache compression has become a key technical challenge in AI infrastructure. As research into reducing the memory bottleneck of long-context AI gains momentum, including the attention around Google’s TurboQuant at ICLR 2026, STAR-KV presents a new approach that combines low-rank compression with quantization and GPU execution optimization.

The KV cache is temporary memory stored on the GPU so that a large language model (LLM) does not have to recompute context it has already processed. As AI evolves into agentic systems that use multiple documents, conversation history, code, search results, and outputs from external tools, the amount of context a model must process is growing rapidly. In this environment, the KV cache has emerged as a key bottleneck affecting both GPU memory usage and inference cost.

According to the STAR-KV paper, when a LLaMA-3.1-8B model processes a 128K-token context at a batch size of 4, the KV cache accounts for about 81% of total GPU memory. As long-context AI becomes more widely used, KV cache compression is increasingly viewed as a core AI infrastructure technology for processing long context at lower cost.

ICML, where the STAR-KV paper was accepted, is widely regarded as one of the top international conferences in AI and machine learning, alongside NeurIPS and ICLR. ICML 2026 will be held from July 6 to 11 at COEX in Seoul. This year, 23,918 papers entered review, 6,352 were accepted, and 536 were selected as Spotlight papers. Spotlight papers account for about 2.2% of all reviewed submissions and about 8.4% of accepted papers.

Going forward, Dnotitia plans to further advance STAR-KV for use in real-world AI service environments and explore its application to open-source LLM inference frameworks such as vLLM.

“Technologies that help AI process longer context faster and at lower cost are advancing rapidly” said MK Chung, CEO of Dnotitia. “STAR-KV addresses the core bottlenecks in KV cache capacity and attention processing speed, and Dnotitia aims to contribute to the AI inference ecosystem through open sourcing.”

1...505152...6,334Page 51 of 6,334