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Too big to ban? TikTok keeps expanding as Trump grants third ban reprieve

4 mins read

Pulses

DingTalk exec’s exit memo stirs debate

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Ebrun
Alibaba's internal forums lit up after Yuan An, DingTalk’s former product lead and a 15-year veteran, resigned and shared an exit memo lamenting lost values, missed tech shifts, and bureaucratic inertia. His reflections reportedly struck a nerve across China’s tech sector, where concerns over stagnation and “big company disease” continue to grow.

Switch 2 enters China via Hong Kong resale

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Nikkei Asia
Nintendo has yet to release the Switch 2 in mainland China, but Hong Kong units are being resold on JD.com and Taobao for over RMB 4,000, underscoring strong demand despite no official launch plans. Analysts warn that prolonged delays could fuel piracy and gray market expansion.

Kuaishou’s 618 event posts GMV gains

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Ebrun
Kuaishou’s 618 campaign saw strong GMV growth across shelf and content scenes, with search GMV up 143% and short video GMV rising 29% YoY. GMV from big-ticket items jumped 219%, while the number of sellers surpassing RMB 100 million grew 61%.

JD.com’s 618 orders top 2.2 billion

just now
Ebrun
JD.com ended its 618 festival with over 2.2 billion orders and more than 100% YoY growth in user numbers. Appliance and home category sales surged, with 15 new products surpassing RMB 100 million. Live stream sales rose 285%, while hot weather drove demand for AI-powered air conditioners and summer goods. JD Mall’s offline stores also posted triple-digit gains.

Gross, Friedman join Meta’s AI ranks

just now
CNBC
Meta is hiring Daniel Gross and Nat Friedman, key figures behind AI startup Safe Superintelligence and VC firm NFDG. The duo will work with Scale AI’s Alexandr Wang, brought on through a USD 14.3 billion deal. Meta will also take a stake in NFDG.

Google is using YouTube videos to train AI

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CNBC
Google is using YouTube videos to train AI models like Veo 3 and Gemini, but many creators say they were not informed. While YouTube’s terms permit content use, experts warn the practice could undercut creators by producing competing content without credit or consent, raising concerns over AI, copyright, and digital identity.

Alibaba.com export orders jump 42%

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Caijing
Export orders on Alibaba.com rose 42% YoY during this year’s 618 event, with GMV up nearly 30% amid early Christmas demand from the US and Europe, where order volumes jumped 55% and 84% respectively. Some suppliers saw sales double, prompting Alibaba to extend US promotions through August and ramp up ad placements across Europe.

Unitree robots enter retail with Panasonic

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Dao Insights
Panasonic has partnered with Unitree Robotics to launch humanoid robot sales assistants in retail stores, marking the robots’ first major commercial deployment beyond performances. Debuting at Panasonic’s Hangzhou park, the robots can reportedly explain products, assess customer needs, and calculate offers in real time.

China pushes multipolar currency system

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Financial Times
China’s central bank governor said the yuan will play a larger role in a multipolar currency system, warning against overreliance on the US dollar. His remarks came amid rising geopolitical tensions and aligned with efforts to expand the digital yuan, CIPS network, and outbound investment channels.

Crackdown hits fake Labubu shipments

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CNA
Chinese customs authorities have seized over 46,000 counterfeit Labubu toys across Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Shanghai as demand for the viral Pop Mart collectible fuels a surge in knockoffs. State media warned of a growing black market chain mixing fakes with genuine dolls and called for stricter IP enforcement and platform oversight.

SpaceX suffers Starship ground failure

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Bloomberg
A SpaceX Starship rocket exploded during a June 18 static fire test in Texas, likely due to a nitrogen tank failure, marking the first ground test loss in years. No injuries were reported, but the blast adds to ongoing setbacks for a vehicle central to NASA’s moon plans and Elon Musk’s Mars ambitions.

China’s 618 festival hits record GMV

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Reuters
China’s 618 shopping festival reached a record RMB 855.6 billion in GMV, up 15.2% YoY, according to Syntun, though daily spending fell as the event extended over several weeks. Alibaba's Tmall and JD.com led sales, while subsidies and early promotions lifted May retail figures amid consumer caution and discount fatigue.

China’s mini drama boom reaches Shenyang

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Nikkei Asia
Shenyang, long known as an industrial hub, will open a minidrama production center at a repurposed factory site to tap China’s growing market for bite-sized content. The 20,000-square-meter facility will support XR filming, AI tools, and distribution via major streaming platforms.

TikTok enters Japan e-commerce race

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Nikkei Asia
TikTok is preparing to launch TikTok Shop in Japan, adding in-app shopping features that enable live stream and video-based purchases. With support from sellers and ad firms like Hakuhodo and Dentsu, the rollout could jumpstart live commerce in a market long led by Amazon and Rakuten.

Haomo.AI hit by senior exits, delays

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KrASIA
Haomo.AI is facing internal turbulence as top executives exit and key projects stall. Its chairman and two vice presidents have resigned, while development delays and weak commercialization have cast doubt on the startup’s future. With key backer Great Wall Motor investing in alternatives like Pony.ai and expanding its own smart driving stack, Haomo’s role appears increasingly uncertain.

Roborock leads Q1 global vacuum sales

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IDC
Global robot vacuum shipments reached 5.1 million units in Q1 2025, up 11.9% YoY, according to IDC. China’s Roborock led with a 19.3% market share and strong growth in Western Europe and China, followed by Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi, and iRobot. The top five vendors now control 63.4% of the global market.  

Alipay+ debuts smart glasses payment

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IT Zhijia
Ant International’s Alipay+ has launched its first embedded global payment solution for smart glasses, completing the first eyewear-based transaction in Hong Kong using Meizu’s StarV Snap glasses. The system combines voice interaction, display, and scanning technologies, and will expand to more partners in 2025.

Alibaba Cloud grows South Korea base

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Alibaba Cloud
Alibaba Cloud will launch a second data center in South Korea this month to meet growing demand for AI and cloud services. The new facility will expand its cloud-native and big data offerings while enhancing resilience, availability, and disaster recovery for local businesses.

MiniMax eyes IPO in Hong Kong

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Bloomberg
Chinese AI startup MiniMax is weighing a Hong Kong IPO, sources said, marking a potential first for the country’s AI sector. Backed by Alibaba and Tencent, the firm raised USD 600 million in 2023 and recently launched new reasoning and agentic tools as it races to compete with global peers.

JD Logistics debuts JoyExpress in Saudi Arabia

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JD Logistics
JD Logistics launched JoyExpress, a self-operated courier service in Saudi Arabia, on June 18. The service offers same-day delivery, cash-on-delivery, and local customer support. Backed by JD’s full supply chain network, the launch expands its last-mile capabilities in the Middle East and complements existing logistics services.
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