The navy of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Saturday that two "violating" oil tankers incurred explosions and caught fire within the preceding hour after hitting naval mines while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz through an "unauthorized" route.
In a statement published by the state-run IRIB news agency, the navy identified one vessel as a supertanker and said both had turned off their radar and navigation systems.
It warned shipowners and shipping companies that the same fate awaits any vessels trying to pass through the strait without coordination with its traffic-control center and in disregard of the Iranian regulations.
Iran tightened its grip on the strait on Feb. 28, barring safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following their joint strikes on Iranian territory.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in its latest weekly maritime security report released on Friday that maritime security incidents related to the Iran-U.S. conflict in its monitoring area have reached 163 so far this year, an increase of eight from the figure published on Nov. 6.
The report showed that as of Nov. 13, UKMTO had issued 173 maritime security warnings and 23 security advisories this year. In addition, six attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and 44 piracy-related incidents have been recorded.
UKMTO said that it continues to monitor key waters including the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, collecting information on vessel transits, maritime security incidents and satellite navigation system interference to provide security warnings for international shipping.
Iran's IRGC says 2 "violating" tankers caught fire after hitting mines in Hormuz Strait
From China's tokens and software to Malaysia's AI studios and offices, China's digital services are building a digital foundation for Asia-Pacific businesses.
As Malaysia's short-drama and AI animation scene is starting to take off, creators at Sunstrong Entertainment, a leading film production and cultural entertainment company, are using AI to generate scenes, characters, and effects -- work that requires millions of tokens.
"The biggest chance we see is [to] give more choice and more opportunity for audience, [and] get more entertainment option," said Jment Lim, founder of Sunstrong Entertainment.
But the digital brain behind some of this work is 3,000 kilometers away in Shantou, south China's industrial powerhouse of Guangdong Province, from which the tokens -- the smallest unit of information processed by a large AI model -- are going overseas through submarine optical cables to Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries.
In April 2026, Shantou became the first city in China to export tokens. The process spans offshore data centers, token production and overseas applications, with data transferred in compliance with regulations.
Shi Yang, who works at one of the city's token production facilities, said it comes down to four factors.
"There are abundant international submarine cable resources, rich offshore wind power resources, pilot areas for token exports, and overseas Chinese business networks connecting Southeast Asia," said Shi, general manager of Guangdong Suihong Token Overseas Technology.
And those advantages are already showing up in the numbers.
"So far, average daily token invocations have risen from 100 million to 100 billion. We have rolled out 10 policies on token exports, and established overseas AI service centers in 10 countries, including Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia," said Fang Xiaomin, deputy director of the management committee of China (Shantou) Pilot Zone for Economic and Cultural Cooperation with Overseas Chinese.
But sending data across borders also means strict compliance rules. That's where Daria Peng's company comes in.
"We use secure connections, access control, limited data use, and clear use for data storage and deletion," said Daria Peng, founder and CEO of Daxi Technology.
Tokens and computing power AI, but software is needed to run a cross-border business, and Shenzhen is one of China's top software export hubs. In 2025, its digital trade alone exceeded 66 billion U.S. dollars.
Kingdee is one of the companies driving that flow. Last year, Kingdee added 463 new overseas clients, including Chin Hin Group in Malaysia, where teams use Chinese software to run finance and operations across borders.
"One thing about Kingdee is that the AI operating system is called Lingee, it's seamlessly integrated. You don't need additional MCP to make it happen, right? In that context, I think most of -- 80 percent of -- the issue has been resolved within the day," said Abel Saw, chief transformation officer of Chin Hin Group.
"Kingdee has been expanding across key markets including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Qatar, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Macao Special Administrative Region, aiming to build local marketing, delivery, customer success and R and D capabilities. We are also building an open partner ecosystem," said Daniel Xu, president of Kingdee International Holdings.
And that ecosystem is already happening on the ground as China’s trade in digitally deliverable services reached over 432 billion U.S. dollars in 2025.
China's tokens, software empower Asia-Pacific businesses
