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Pop Mart launches share buyback as Labubu craze fades

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Canada court overturns TikTok shutdown

just now
Reuters
Canada’s federal court has overturned a government order to dissolve TikTok’s operations, allowing the platform to continue while a new national security review is conducted. The 2024 order cited security concerns over its Chinese ownership. TikTok, which has about 14 million users in Canada, said it welcomed the ruling and will cooperate with the review.

China widens power gap with the US

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Nikkei Asia
China added 470 GW of new power capacity in 2025, roughly seven times the US increase, as it moves to secure cheap, abundant energy for AI development. Renewable sources accounted for 80% of the new capacity, while 27 nuclear reactors are under construction. The expansion underscores Beijing’s growing advantage in its technology rivalry with Washington.

Alibaba forms power venture for AI needs

just now
Bloomberg
Alibaba Group has launched a RMB 250 million joint venture with China National Nuclear Power and others to develop electricity generation projects, according to Tianyancha. The move could help secure reliable, clean power for Alibaba’s expanding AI data centers as tech firms race to meet rising energy demands.

iQiyi doubles global viewership in 2025

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iQiyi
iQiyi's international platform recorded a 114.5% YoY increase in global views in 2025, driven by strong demand for Chinese and Thai dramas. The company also launched new content charts across six categories, including drama, film, and animation, to track global viewing trends. Dramas and original content remain its key growth drivers.

Qwen tops global open-source models

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IT Zhijia
Alibaba’s Qwen has become the world’s leading open-source large model, with more than 200,000 derivative models and over one billion downloads, according to Hugging Face. Developers worldwide are creating about 200 new Qwen-based models daily across fields such as robotics, translation, and content generation, highlighting its influence.

Z.ai limits coding tool signups

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Z.ai
Z.ai, also known as Zhipu AI, will restrict new subscriptions to its GLM Coding Plan to 20% of current daily levels starting January 23, citing resource strain from a surge in demand following its GLM-4.7 model launch. Existing users remain unaffected.

Kuaishou’s Kling AI tops 12 million MAUs

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WSJ
Kling AI, a video generation platform developed by Kuaishou, has surpassed 12 million monthly active users. The tool generated more than USD 20 million in revenue in December 2025, prompting the company to raise its full-year forecast to USD 140 million.

Douyin refutes discount app rumors

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36Kr
Douyin E-commerce has denied online claims that it launched a discount shopping app, clarifying that no such product exists. People familiar with the matter said the effort stems from small-scale tests in Douyin’s local group buying business, aimed at convenience rather than cost-saving, and that the final name may differ.

China Telecom trains AI models on Huawei chips

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SCMP
China Telecom has developed mixture-of-experts AI models trained entirely on Huawei’s Ascend 910B chips, marking a milestone in China’s domestic large model development. The TeleChat3 models, which scale up to trillions of parameters, were built using Huawei’s MindSpore framework but still lag behind leading US models on key benchmarks.

Xiaomi, Transsion cut 2026 phone targets

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SCMP
Chinese smartphone makers are slashing 2026 shipment targets as a global memory shortage squeezes supply chains. Xiaomi reduced its forecast by up to 70 million units and Transsion by 30–45 million, sources said. The cutbacks follow rising chip prices as Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron divert capacity to AI demand, weighing heavily on the handset sector.

Pop Mart joins Honor for Molly handset

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Jiemian News
Pop Mart has partnered with Honor to launch a Molly-themed smartphone. The collaboration, part of Honor’s 500 series, marks Pop Mart’s move to expand into higher-end consumer electronics and deepen its IP licensing business.

NetEase, UMG deepen music partnership

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NetEase
NetEase Cloud Music and Universal Music Group (UMG) have renewed a multi-year partnership to expand collaboration in music content, artist promotion, and digital innovation. The deal secures access to UMG’s extensive global and Chinese catalogs while fostering cooperation in AI, cultural exchange, and fan engagement across China’s music market.

Ant’s LingGuang lands on HarmonyOS

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Sina
Ant Group has launched a HarmonyOS version of its LingGuang AI assistant on Huawei’s AppGallery, offering chat, AI-generated content, and other features to users. Available across 12 app stores, the platform emphasizes personalization and security, with upcoming tools including voice input and AI-driven discovery.

DingTalk rolls out AI-driven travel tool

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Sina
DingTalk’s latest update adds an AI-driven travel service built with Amap and Alipay, offering small businesses an all-in-one solution for booking and managing business trips. Users can book flights, hotels, trains, and cars within the app, with AI-powered price comparison, automatic expense linking, and corporate payment options that remove the need for employee reimbursement.

Temu ties Amazon in global market share

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SCMP
Temu, owned by PDD Holdings, has matched Amazon’s 24% share of the global cross-border e-commerce market, up from under 1% in 2022, according to the International Post Corporation. The platform’s meteoric rise comes amid a record Chinese trade surplus and evolving import rules. Rivals Shein and AliExpress trailed with 9% and 8% shares, respectively.

DJI launches Romo vacuum in South Korea

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DJI
DJI has launched the Romo robot vacuum series in Korea, its first smart home cleaning product line. Built with LiDAR and vision sensors derived from its drones, Romo combines precise obstacle sensing, adaptive navigation, and strong suction power. The Romo P model adds transparent panels and a self-cleaning system designed for 200 days of maintenance-free use.

Elegoo unveils multicolor 3D printer

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Elegoo
Elegoo will launch the Centauri Carbon 2 Combo, a multicolor 3D printer, on January 26. Built for home use, it integrates the Canvas system for automatic color switching and RFID filament detection, supporting effortless, quiet, and precise printing. The device aims to make professional-grade 3D printing accessible to everyday users.

Chery showcases AiMOGA Robotics

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AiMOGA Robotics
Chery spotlighted AiMOGA Robotics at a January 17 event as the centerpiece of its embodied intelligence strategy. Featuring police and medical service robots, the company said it aims to extend AI applications beyond automotives. AiMOGA has reportedly deployed more than 300 robots to date.

Cainiao overseas orders up 32% YoY

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Wallstreet CN
Cainiao’s global overseas warehouse orders grew 32% YoY in 2025, with France, the US, Spain, and Australia outperforming the average. The surge reflects the growing overseas presence of Chinese brands using local warehouses for faster delivery. Cainiao operates over 40 sites in 18 markets and plans further expansion and automation in 2026.

Alibaba unveils AI assistant for doctors

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The Paper
Alibaba Health has launched an AI assistant for clinical and research doctors built on its proprietary medical large model. Designed to minimize hallucinations and enhance evidence-based accuracy, the tool offers verifiable sources and streamlined citation access. It is now publicly available after completing internal testing.
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