China’s economy strains, Beijing’s oil threat vow: SCMP daily highlights

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1. China’s economy strains in August as retail sales, industrial output miss forecasts

China’s economy showed signs of strain in August, as sluggish domestic demand, headwinds from the US trade war and a prolonged property downturn continued to weigh on several major indicators.

2. Zheng Yongnian on why China must look beyond the West to build a better AI

The political analyst says strong narrative based on factual Chinese framework must be included in artificial intelligence knowledge feed

3. Central Asia beckons for China’s cultural tourists retracing ancient Silk Road

Beijing’s infrastructure programme and other partnership initiatives with the Central Asian republics have seen visitor numbers soar.