As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to grip most countries of the world, some definite shoots of recovery are taking hold, not least in China.

Now plunged into absolute crisis by the outbreak of coronavirus Covid-19, Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, is an astonishing dynamo at the heart of China’s push for high-tech development, building directly on the city’s growth into an established industrial base. Home to 11 million, this huge manufacturing centre is frequently dubbed ‘the Chicago of the East’, and ‘four times the size of London’.

While China is often assumed to be a generation or two behind in chip-making skills, design engineers are now flocking to a bunch of ‘disruptive’ AI startups in China.

By 2025, China is to be the world’s leader in some AI technologies and their applications, while making major breakthroughs in fundamental AI theory. Applications will include smart manufacturing, smart healthcare, smart cities, smart agriculture, and national defence, with the value of core AI industries reaching 400 billion RMB (US$57.41 billion), while AI-related industries reach 5 trillion RMB (US$717.69 billion).

A recently completed eye-catching engineering feat at the heart of China’s Pearl River Delta is the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge-tunnel (HZMB), claiming the title of the world’s longest sea crossing, with a total 55 kilometres (34 miles) of roads, bridges and 6.7km tunnel.