China tech

Ant Group said it had proposed to all of its shareholders to repurchase up to 7.6% of its equity interest at a price that represents a group valuation of approximately $78.5 billion.
Companies

Ant's share buyback values firm at steep 70% discount to IPO

Repurchased shares to boost employee incentive plans, provide liquidity for investors

8 July 2023
Humanoid robots by Shanghai's startup Dataa Robotics replicate the Buddhist-style dance of the Thousand-hand Goddess of Mercy at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on Thursday. (Photo by CK Tan) 
Technology

China touts next-stage AI development at Shanghai exhibition

Tensions with U.S. loom while commercialization of tech remains far off

8 July 2023
A Huawei display at the 2023 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai as it opened on July 6.
China tech

Huawei unveils latest AI model as ChatGPT boom rolls on

China tech titan says its cloud computing is based on own hardware, chips

7 July 2023
Tencent Holdings had exempted universities from transaction fees on WeChat Pay since 2015.
China tech

Tencent faces backlash over WeChat Pay fees at colleges

Anger over end of long-standing exemption prompts apology from internet giant

5 July 2023
The latest season of the "Ride the Wind" talent program on Mango TV drew more than 3 billion views in a single month. (Photo by Takashi Kawakami)
China tech

China's Mango TV taps into reality shows, doubling viewers in 4 years

'Ride the Wind,' other homegrown programs draw 280m users to streaming app

4 July 2023
ROBO-01, a concept car from Jidu Auto, a smart vehicle joint venture between Baidu and Geely that is making use of AI technology.
Opinion

China Inc. shows how generative AI can be serious business

Western companies must learn from its approach or risk getting left behind

4 July 2023
Joe Tsai's advantage of understanding both the U.S. and China means far less than it did in the early days of Alibaba.
Opinion

Joe Tsai can't take Alibaba back to its golden days

Investors, consumers and regulators are all more demanding now

26 June 2023
Oppo's chief technology officer blamed "the grim situation surrounding the global economy and smartphone industry" for the shutdown of its chipmaking arm Zeku.
Caixin

Oppo's chipmaking hopes dashed by slow progress, internal strife

No room for error as domestic market saw sales contract sharply in 2022

26 June 2023
Lazada’s estimated gross merchandise value fell from $21 billion in 2021 to to $20.1 billion last year, according to a report by the consultancy Momentum Works.
Retail

TikTok rises, Alibaba's Lazada falters in ASEAN e-commerce

ByteDance-owned platform grows in Southeast Asia but still lags behind rivals

15 June 2023
More than 30 million people per day play NetEase's Eggy Party. (Photo by Takashi Kawakami)
Media & Entertainment

NetEase, Tencent regain momentum in gaming business

Chinese game market ready to bounce back as approvals pick up

14 June 2023
Neil Shen's extraordinary success can be partly explained by Sequoia Capital's hands-off approach to its China operations.
Opinion

Sequoia will still stand tall in China after VC firm's breakup

With split, Neil Shen faces less regulatory risk on both sides of the Pacific

13 June 2023
Arun Plus and CATL said the long-term goal of their partnership is establishing a battery cell plant in Thailand.
Automobiles

CATL to develop EV batteries with Thailand's Arun Plus

$104 million factory to start production in 2024

9 June 2023
New Chinese regulations stipulate that online advertisements have to be clearly labeled as ads. (Photo by Takashi Kawakami)
China tech

China cracks down on online stealth marketing

Tencent, other platforms adapt to Beijing's latest tech regulation

6 June 2023
The robot-assisted laparoscopic surgical system developed by Weigao Group is operated using 3D glasses rather than a monitor. (Photo by Noriyuki Doi)
Pharmaceuticals

Chinese robotic assisted surgery system challenges U.S.'s da Vinci

'Made in China' push could help national champions claw away at industry giant

5 June 2023
Interdependence between Taiwan, China and the U.S., particularly in the tech industry, has deepened even as the prospect of cross-strait conflict rises.
The Big Story

How Taiwan became the indispensable economy

Tech companies fear war but struggle to leave the island

31 May 2023
Alibaba founder Jack Ma, pictured here in 2018, returned to mainland China in March: He is not the only new economy figure to be welcomed home recently.
Opinion

No sign that it is safe yet to reinvest in Chinese tech companies

Long-term issue is that Xi Jinping still does not trust private enterprise

30 May 2023
Huawei Technologies is among the Chinese tech giants exhibiting at a big data expo in Guiyang that opened May 26. (Photo by Shusuke Tabeta)
China tech

China big data expo draws Huawei, CEC as sector set to reach $425bn

Domestic companies position themselves in vast but tightly regulated industry

27 May 2023
BYD, the world leader in EVs, could take a sales hit if any problems with its environmental standards are found.
Electric cars in China

China car wars: BYD, Great Wall spar over emissions standards

Accusations push down stock prices of nation's 2 biggest EV manufacturers

26 May 2023
Alibaba's reorganization shows the limitations of a business ecosystem centered on a heavy core.
Opinion

Alibaba's restructuring is a chance for a fresh start

Autonomy will be a plus, with some units looking ready to stand on their own

25 May 2023
EHang's model EH216 is put on display at the Beyond Expo in Macao. (Photo by Takashi Kawakami)
China tech

China's flying car developers ready for takeoff in 2025

Startups take global lead in test flights ahead of commercialization

25 May 2023
A lot in China's Guangdong province is filled with vehicles for gig drivers. (Photo by Yusuke Hinata)
China tech

As China's unemployed flock to gig driving, cities impose limits

Post-COVID manufacturing job boom fails to materialize, creating a glut of drivers

25 May 2023
The slowdown in both the Chinese and global economy has cut into overall demand in the tech industry. (Photo courtesy of Lenovo)
China tech

Lenovo reduced workforce by 5% amid PC slump: CEO

CFO cites different figures on personnel cuts for Q4

24 May 2023
Alibaba, like other Chinese tech companies, has been cutting costs and reducing headcount for more than a year. 
Technology

Alibaba's cloud unit to lay off around 1,000 before planned IPO

Move follows tech giant announcing spinoff of group within 12 months

24 May 2023
Workshop participants view possibly looted works at the Asian Art Museum in Berlin in March. Researchers estimate that hundreds of porcelains, bronzes and picture scrolls held by German museums may be implicated. (Photo by Jens Kastner)
Arts

German museums dig into legacy of Boxer Rebellion looting

Joint review of holdings with Chinese scholars to lead to return of artifacts

22 May 2023
Alibaba Group Holding's revenue grew 2% on the year in the first quarter of 2023, falling short of analysts estimates. 
Technology

Alibaba eyes full Cloud spinoff and IPOs for Cainiao, Freshippo

China tech giant's January-March revenue misses analyst bets with 2% growth

18 May 2023