Alibaba

Baidu

ByteDance

Meituan

Pinduoduo

Tencent

Most Followed

KrASIA Connection

China's Auto Sector

Earnings Reports

Inside China's Startups

Venture Roundup

Our Events

View All

Collections

News

Features

Insights

Ecosystem

DeepSeek

Kuaishou

Li Auto

Xiaohongshu

Xiaomi

Xpeng

On the Radar

A life-sized mint green Labubu figure has sold for over USD 150,000 at a Beijing auction, highlighting surging demand for Pop Mart collectibles. Creat…

Events

Latest

About

36Kr (EN)

Consumer

Robotics

Fintech

What guides machine-led insights? Uncover AI applications, language models, and decision-making systems transforming sectors worldwide.

Artificial Intelligence

How do ideas shape industries? Learn how content, design, and digital artistry influence branding, marketing, and cultural impact.

Creative

What lies beyond familiar frontiers? Investigate emerging tech—like quantum computing and AI—transforming traditional sectors.

Deep Tech

What entertains a connected world? Track shifts in film, music, and media consumption, as platforms and audiences redefine cultural experiences.

Entertainment

China

Nooka turns books into conversational podcasts, creating a new form of content where storytelling starts with dialogue.

What happens when AI rewrites Kant, and you get to argue with it?

Decoding China&#039;s tech and business pulse

KrASIA

AI Now! is a global AI community of Chinese developers, professionals, and founders.

AI Now!

What grounds digital progress in physical form? Analyze chipsets, sensors, and advanced components driving device performance.

Hardware

What sets the world’s soundtrack? Follow streaming royalties, label strategies, and genre shifts guiding the global music industry’s rhythm.

Music

Anker’s audio brand is expanding beyond playback, aiming to turn headphones into contextual, conversational assistants.

From audio to assistant, Anker’s Soundcore wants to redefine what headphones can do

36Kr is China's most influential business and technology network, delivering high-quality content focused on China’s innovation and new economy trends since 2010. With its extensive traffic and network, 36Kr has built a comprehensive database and strong data analytics capabilities to provide insights into China’s technology landscape.

36Kr English

How do markets shape wealth creation? Study portfolio diversification, asset classes, and strategies balancing growth and risk.

Investment

When do companies invite public investment? Understand listing criteria, underwriter roles, and regulatory steps defining initial offerings.

Why do firms join forces? Investigate synergy goals, valuation methods, and negotiations driving corporate consolidation.

Merger &amp; Acquisition

What happens after acquisitions close? Examine deal structures, operational improvements, and exit strategies molding corporate outcomes.

Private Equity

What fuels startup ecosystems? Review funding rounds, investor strategies, and market insights guiding entrepreneurial growth.

Venture Capital

Australia

India

Oceania

Philippines

Southeast Asia

Bringing you the latest updates on funding deals and activities in the Asia Pacific.

Deals in brief: Atome secures USD 75 million facility, Sam Altman backs Coco Robotics again, 12 new China deals, and more

An alias used when humans and machines team up in our newsroom. Articles under this byline may be shaped with the help of AI, but are always vetted by a human before publication.

Sudo Lim

KrASIA tracks China’s tech and business stories—alongside key developments across the broader Asia Pacific region.

Header Section | KrASIA

Home

Sections

Header Section

A life-sized mint green Labubu figure has sold for over USD 150,000 at a Beijing auction, highlighting surging demand for <a href="/company/pop-mart">Pop Mart</a> collectibles. Created by artist Kasing Lung, the character has become a global icon amid Pop Mart’s expansion and Asia’s booming collectible toy craze.

Transsion’s Tecno has partnered with Spanish distributor MCR to roll out its AIoT product line, including laptops, gaming PCs, and smart wearables. The deal grants access to a 10,000-strong distributor network and advanced logistics, supporting Tecno’s push into the European market.

<a href="/company/tiktok">ByteDance's</a> TikTok surpassed one billion overseas monthly users in May, according to Sensor Tower. <a href="/industry/ai">AI-powered tools</a>, <a href="/industry/e-commerce">e-commerce</a> platforms, and short drama apps also gained in Southeast Asia and Latin America, driven by localized content and enhanced recommendation algorithms.

Nearly half of China’s listed supermarket chains posted losses in 2024, with over 900 store closures as firms scrambled to adapt. While Walmart and Sam’s Club bucked the trend, others launched aggressive overhauls, adopting leaner models and benchmarking top performers to stay competitive.

Once discontinued, peel-apart film is making a comeback in China as Gen Z consumers embrace its rarity and vintage aesthetic. Promoted by celebrities and photo studios, the unpredictable medium now commands steep prices, with some paying over RMB 900 for just three shots, despite expired stock and no option for reshoots.

Meta has reportedly taken a 49% non-voting stake in Scale AI for USD 14.3 billion and brought CEO Alexandr Wang onto its <a href="http://industry/ai">AI</a> team. The move bolsters Meta's "superintelligence" ambitions as it works to close gaps with <a href="/company/openai">OpenAI</a> and Google after underwhelming model releases.

Douyin E-commerce has updated its deposit policy to lower onboarding costs, offering zero-deposit entry for new sellers and cutting existing deposit tiers by up to 75%. Deposits apply only after 200 orders or RMB 10,000 in sales, and merchants may now withdraw excess balances on a weekly basis.

<a href="/company/nvidia">Nvidia</a> CEO Jensen Huang said autonomous vehicles, robotics, and machines are set to surge this decade, calling it a defining era for autonomous tech. Speaking at the Viva Technology conference in Paris, Huang noted Nvidia’s role in the space, supplying both hardware and software to players in the sector.

US President Donald Trump said on June 12 that he may raise tariffs on imported cars, arguing that higher rates would encourage automakers to expand US production. He cited recent commitments from GM and Hyundai as evidence the strategy works. Industry players have pushed back, with Ford and Subaru warning of rising costs, while GM has estimated USD 4–5 billion in tariff exposure.

<a href="/company/bytedance">ByteDance</a> and SenseTime have unveiled a new round of <a href="/industry/ai">AI</a> upgrades. ByteDance launched the Doubao 1.6 series with multimodal reasoning and cut token prices by over 60%, while SenseTime enhanced its chatbot Sensechat with real-time video, audio, and visual reasoning capabilities. The rollout follows recent updates from <a href="/company/deepseek">DeepSeek</a>, <a href="/company/baidu">Baidu</a>, and <a href="/company/alibaba">Alibaba</a>.

<a href="/company/leapmotor">Leapmotor</a> CEO Zhu Jiangming said the company will steer clear of <a href="/industry/ev">EV</a> price wars, calling recent discounts more promotional than structural. Backed by strong cost control and stable pricing, Leapmotor is targeting 50,000–80,000 overseas sales this year and plans to ramp up local production in Europe. The EV maker is expanding globally, having recently <a href="https://www.kr-asia.com/pulses/154528">opened its first store in Hong Kong</a>.

Europe

The EU bloc and Beijing step up talks, though analysts remain doubtful of any major breakthroughs.

EU pushes for China trade "rebalancing" as Trump factor looms

EU pushes for China trade &#8220;rebalancing&#8221; as Trump factor looms

As part of 36Kr’s ongoing partnership with Nikkei, you can read selected content from Nikkei Asia on KrASIA.

https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/aec5e55596415464d13490d0e0caa9a2?s=96&d=blank&r=g

Nikkei Asia

China’s tech ecosystem serves as a driving force behind the world’s second largest economy, influencing global digital markets.

Explore East Asia’s thriving tech hubs, global electronics producers, and fast-evolving digital platforms shaping cross-border innovation.

East Asia

Tencent, a Chinese tech conglomerate, invests in gaming, social media, and cloud services, supporting entertainment and connectivity worldwide.

After four aborted IPO attempts and a brief return to profitability, Ximalaya is being absorbed by Tencent.

Ximalaya’s swan song plays out in a USD 2.9 billion Tencent buyout

https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a6b9ace74da9df391d5f7ba1892f4393?s=96&d=blank&r=g

How does automation advance industry? Analyze robotic arms, drones, and AI-driven tools reshaping manufacturing and services.

While robots grab the spotlight, component makers like ZeroErr are quietly benefiting from the surge in demand.

Beijing auction sees Labubu mania peak

Latest Pulses

Most Recent

EU pushes for China trade “rebalancing” as Trump factor looms

Ximalaya’s swan song plays out in a USD 2.9 billion Tencent buyout

Behind the robotics boom, ZeroErr raises funds to build the parts that power it