China tech

Students carry a giant Indian national flag during a "Tiranga Yatra" rally as part of celebrations commemorating 75 years of Indian Independence, in Ahmedabad, India, on Aug. 8. 
Your Week in Asia

World War II anniversary, Najib's final appeal, Tencent results

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

14 August 2022
When the founders of Weijian Technology were courted by local governments in China, they began to dream of bringing their VR innovations to that country but were soon confronted by legal nightmares.
Caixin

How a hotly pursued VR startup came to China and imploded

Silicon Valley entrepreneurs were wooed home, only to end up in prison

13 August 2022
Hygon makes high-end processors based on Intel technology, but is grappling with U.S. sanctions. (Photo courtesy of Hygon)
Markets

China chipmaker Hygon makes strong debut on Shanghai startup market

Fabless company's market cap reaches $20bn with stock doubling from offering price

13 August 2022
China's Huawei Technologies is battling an ongoing U.S. crackdown as well as a difficult economic environment.  
Huawei crackdown

Huawei says 2022 'most challenging' time for device business

China tech champion to spend $1.5bn on auto R&D amid ongoing U.S. crackdown

12 August 2022
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) says it has seen a "sudden freeze" as customers have stopped placing chip orders due to high inventory levels. 
Semiconductors

SMIC sees chip industry 'correction' lasting till 2023 as it reshuffles board

Top China chipmaker loses foreign directors amid U.S.-China tensions

12 August 2022
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. is China's top contract chipmaker.
Semiconductors

China chip champion SMIC's profit falls 25% on lockdowns

Contract chipmaker logs revenue growth, keeps capex plans unchanged

12 August 2022
A robot serves meals at an "AI canteen" in Shanghai. (Photo by Noriyuki Doi)
China tech

China's new iron chefs: Robots and AI dish out $4 menus in Shanghai

Shanghai startup aims to answer restaurant labor shortage without losing flavor

10 August 2022
Alibaba’s Hong Kong and U.S.-listed shares have lost about half their value over the past year.
China tech

Alibaba revenue growth slows to zero on weak Chinese economy

Ant Group's net profit falls 17.3% in March quarter under regulatory pressure

5 August 2022
Chinese tech company Alibaba Group Holding received a record fine from antitrust regulators well before the country enacted the new rules.
China tech

China's tech giants enter tighter regulatory era under antitrust law

New rules codify enforcement already felt by Alibaba, Meituan

2 August 2022
China's tech sector has been laying off tens of thousands of workers as companies look to cut costs and scale down their noncore businesses amid a sweeping regulatory crackdown. (Source photos by Reuters) 
China tech

China's top tech groups on track for worst-ever quarterly results

Alibaba, Tencent expected to post negative revenue growth in virus-hit economy

1 August 2022
Alibaba is one of 270-plus Chinese companies at risk of losing their U.S. stock listings.
US-China tensions

U.S. adds Alibaba to list of Chinese companies facing delisting risk

SEC demands full access to audit working papers of New York-listed enterprises

30 July 2022
The StarMaker karaoke app has captured more than 240 million registered users worldwide. (Photo by Takashi Kawakami)
China tech

Chinese apps vie to become the next TikTok without making splash at home

StarMaker, Bigo Live and Yalla make inroads into Southeast Asia, Middle East

28 July 2022
Alibaba and fintech affiliate Ant Group have been gradually cutting ties after Beijing ordered Ant to undergo a sweeping restructuring. (Source photos by Getty Images)
China tech

China's Alibaba and Ant Group end staff transfers as duo split ties

Halting intercompany transfers part of wider Beijing-ordered restructuring

27 July 2022
Chipmaker Tsinghua Unigroup recently was taken over by a duo of investment funds after going through bankruptcy proceedings.
Semiconductors

Creation of China chip supply chain key for Tsinghua Unigroup revival

Embattled Chinese chipmaker to build synergies with newly related companies

27 July 2022
Chipmaking requires hundreds of machines, materials and chemicals. In this TSMC plant in Taiwan, an engineer in protective clothing holds a Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP) for transferring the wafers used in chips safely between machines.
The Big Story

The resilience myth: Fatal flaws in the push to secure chip supply chains

From China to the U.S. to Europe, semiconductor makers are being showered with subsidies, but to what effect?

27 July 2022
"Digital collectibles" have taken off in China since they first appeared around 2021. (Photo by Yusuke Hinata)
Cryptocurrencies

NFT black market sprouts under China's crypto crackdown

'Digital collectibles' from tech firms reappear on underground swap platforms

27 July 2022
Alibaba says it expects its primary Hong Kong listing to be completed by the end of year.
Markets

Alibaba upgrades Hong Kong listing to woo mainland Chinese

U.S.-listed e-commerce group plans primary listing in financial hub

26 July 2022
"Made in China 2025" is aimed at transforming the country into a higher-tech manufacturing powerhouse by 2049, the centennial anniversary of the people's republic. (Source photos by AP, Reuters and Getty Images) 
Business Spotlight

'Made in China 2025' thrives with subsidies for tech, EV makers

Handouts go on but local government cash crunch adds new factor

22 July 2022
Taiwanese electronics assembler Foxconn has indirectly taken a 10% stake in Chinese tech company Tsinghua Unigroup, raising eyebrows among regulators. (Source photo by AP and Reuters)
Companies

Foxconn defends Tsinghua Unigroup deal to Taiwanese authorities

Key iPhone assembler's stake in embattled Chinese chipmaker draws scrutiny at home

21 July 2022
A JAKA Robotics demonstration unit picks up a box at the World Robot Conference in Beijing in 2019. The Shanghai-based startup has funding to step up production of collaborative robots that are safe around people.
Startups

China's JAKA Robotics raised $148m from SoftBank, Temasek

Collaborative robots safe enough to work alongside humans in high demand

20 July 2022
China's robot vision startup AIAocheng Intelligence markets devices that inspect the exterior of drugs and their packaging. (Photo courtesy of the company)
36Kr/KrASIA

Chinese drug inspection equipment startup raises $2.2m

AIAocheng helps automate pharmaceutical production and improves quality control

18 July 2022
The hacker claims that the Shanghai police data covering 1 billion Chinese citizens came from an Alibaba private cloud server.
China tech

Alibaba execs called in by Shanghai authorities over police data heist

Hacker claims info on 1bn people taken from company server

15 July 2022
Contract iPhone manufacturer Foxconn has been delving deeper into semiconductors and electric vehicles.
Semiconductors

Foxconn to invest $1.5bn in chipmaker Tsinghua Unigroup

iPhone assembler eyes restructuring Chinese company to expand semiconductor foray

14 July 2022
China is working to bolster its chip supply chains through companies like Tsinghua Unigroup amid growing tensions with the U.S.
Semiconductors

Embattled Tsinghua Unigroup seeks fresh start under new chairman

Debt restructuring brings Chinese chipmaker under fund ownership

13 July 2022
Baidu's self-driving cab can make up to 29 journeys a day, while conventional taxis deliver about 30 rides and ride-sharing services between 10 and 20. (Photo by Shunsuke Tabeta)
China tech

Baidu's self-driving taxis now a common sight in Beijing

Chinese company to compete with rival Didi in rolling out new transport option

10 July 2022