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Entrepreneur and investor Duan Yongping said he sold his shares in China Shenhua Energy to increase his stake in Pop Mart.…

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

China

DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company, develops large language models and machine learning solutions for enterprise applications and scientific research.

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

East Asia

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

Artificial Intelligence

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

Deep Tech

Foundation and Large Models

DeepSeek V4 has clear advantages, but it also shows why no AI model can serve every use case yet.

How do industry professionals in China view DeepSeek V4’s strengths and limits?

Decoding China&#039;s tech and business pulse

KrASIA

Cheng Zi is based in China, covering technology- and business-related events. She works with her colleagues at 36Kr Global to provide coverage in both English and Chinese.

Cheng Zi

Pop Mart, a Chinese company, designs and sells toys, figurines, and collectibles, primarily in a blind box format.

What sets the bar for convenience? Examine on-demand platforms, subscription models, and personalization transforming consumer expectations.

Consumer Economy

Executives said the priority for now is to build richer experiences around its characters, not to chase profit.

Pop Mart announces upgrade to Beijing theme park Pop Land

From left to right: Genping Liu, Dennis Sze, Lemuel Low, Edmund Tan, and Chan Yip Pang. Sze, Low, and Tan are co-founders of ReN3, while Liu and Chan serve as general partner and executive director of investments, respectively, at Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India.

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

Singapore

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Bringing you the latest updates on funding and investment activity across the Asia Pacific.

Deals in brief: Vertex Ventures backs ReN3 and Formas.ai; Featherless and SiamDL raise Series A funding; latest China investments, 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.

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Entrepreneur and investor Duan Yongping said he sold his shares in China Shenhua Energy to increase his stake in <a href="/company/pop-mart">Pop Mart</a>.

GAC ranked first in the Hong Kong private car market in April 2026, selling 1,646 units. The total included 1,596 battery electric vehicles and 50 plug-in hybrids. The company also reported a 133.9% year-on-year increase in global exports for the first four months of 2026, reaching 70,474 units.

Bambu Lab and Pop Mart reached a settlement in March to resolve a copyright dispute over 3D printing models on the MakerWorld platform that were alleged to be based on Labubu. The lawsuit, which had been scheduled for an April hearing, followed a surge in unauthorized user-generated content. Bambu Lab has since removed the disputed models from its community platform.

<a href="/company/nio">Nio</a> will open its 1,739-kilometer battery swapping route along the Hexi Corridor on May 10, connecting Xi’an to Dunhuang with 20 stations. The route will allow Nio and Onvo users to complete the journey using only battery swapping services. Nio plans to complete its full Silk Road route by the second half of the year, enabling travel across all provincial-level regions in mainland China.

Moonshot AI is set to raise USD 2 billion in a funding round led by Meituan, valuing the Chinese startup, known for its Kimi model and chatbot, at USD 20 billion.

<a href="/company/insta360">Insta360</a> reported record 2025 revenue of RMB 9.74 billion, up 74.76% YoY, but its fourth-quarter net profit fell 50%. The company faces pressure from <a href="/company/dji">DJI</a> in the panoramic camera market, prompting price cuts and higher supply chain costs. It is pivoting toward drones and <a href="/industry/ai">AI</a>-driven content ecosystems to support future growth.

Thailand has approved a THB 842 billion data center expansion for <a href="/company/tiktok">TikTok</a>. The project includes installing servers and upgrading data storage infrastructure in Bangkok, Samut Prakan, and Chachoengsao to support regional digital services. TikTok also committed to digital literacy and e-commerce training programs for local entrepreneurs.

Zhongbai Group reported a net loss of RMB 957 million for 2025, widening 81.07% YoY, as revenue fell 20.21% to RMB 8.28 billion. The retailer closed 414 stores, citing increased competition from online channels and new retail formats. Despite efforts to adopt the management model of Pangdonglai, it continues to face challenges in supply chain management and internal governance.

Yanghe Distillery reported 2025 revenue of RMB 19.21 billion and net profit of RMB 2.21 billion. Amid a broader industry downturn, the company reduced its liquor inventory by 31.74% to 31,122.56 tons, prioritizing channel destocking and price stability over volume growth.

<a href="/company/huawei">Huawei</a> updated its HarmonyOS 6.1 assistant with new identity verification and content synchronization features. The update requires identity verification to access sensitive information and enables automatic syncing of saved content for centralized management, including <a href="/industry/ai">AI</a>-powered summaries and Q&amp;A.

<a href="/company/xpeng">Xpeng</a> announced that its GX SUV successfully navigated 49 consecutive hairpin turns on a five-kilometer mountain road in Yunnan. The vehicle features a 5.4-meter turning radius and a minimum 0.6-turn steering ratio at low speeds. The full-size SUV, which debuted on April 15, starts at RMB 399,800.

Photo shows the MagicBot Z1 humanoid robot, developed by MagicLab.

Embodied Intelligence

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

Robotics

Real-world data remains essential, but it may not be enough to support deployment at scale.

Robotics companies like MagicLab turn to synthetic data in the embodied intelligence race

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Where do digital assets find value? Consider market volatility, decentralized exchanges, and blockchain protocols shaping crypto economies.

Cryptocurrencies

How does finance become frictionless? Examine digital banking, payment innovation, and lending platforms redefining financial access.

Fintech

Indonesia

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The credit agency aims to assess the risk of different currency-pegged crypto offerings.

Moody's readies stablecoin ratings as Asian market takes shape

Moody&#8217;s readies stablecoin ratings as Asian market takes shape

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

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Nikkei Asia

Chinese investment in the US is unlikely to rebound significantly despite a potential bilateral push.

Duan Yongping doubles down on Pop Mart

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Robotics companies like MagicLab turn to synthetic data in the embodied intelligence race

Moody’s readies stablecoin ratings as Asian market takes shape

Chinese firms suspend US expansion as business climate worsens