Alibaba

Baidu

ByteDance

Meituan

Pinduoduo

Tencent

Most Followed

KrASIA Connection

China's Auto Sector

Earnings Reports

Inside China's Startups

Venture Roundup

Our Events

View All

Collections

News

Features

Insights

Ecosystem

Press Releases

Anker

DeepSeek

Li Auto

MiniMax

Xiaomi

Xpeng

On the Radar

Agibot has secured an undisclosed amount of funding from LG Electronics and Mirae Asset Financial Group, marking LG’s first global investment in embod…

Events

Latest

About

Consumer

Robotics

Fintech

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

China

What began as a crowdsourced knowledge base now spans 37 cities, driven by a culture of curiosity, co-building, and radical openness.

From a shared doc to nine million members: How WaytoAGI grew into a global AI tribe

Decoding China&#039;s tech and business pulse

KrASIA

AI Now! is a global AI community of Chinese developers, professionals, and founders.

AI Now!

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

Consumer Economy

How do stores adapt to digital shifts? Explore e-commerce integration, inventory analytics, and omnichannel strategies for modern shoppers.

Retail

After building a cult following with niche scents and artistic flair, Documents is scaling into mass retail.

Not Chanel, not Dior: This Chinese perfume brand is charging top dollar and selling out

36Kr is China's most influential business and technology network, delivering high-quality content focused on China’s innovation and new economy trends since 2010. With its extensive traffic and network, 36Kr has built a comprehensive database and strong data analytics capabilities to provide insights into China’s technology landscape.

36Kr English

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

Hong Kong

Malaysia

Singapore

Southeast Asia

Bringing you the latest updates on funding deals and activities in the Asia Pacific.

Deals in brief: Chocolate Finance raises Series A+ funding, Gobi Partners backs NanoSkunkWorkX, latest China deals, 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.

Header Section | KrASIA

Home

Sections

Header Section

Agibot has secured an undisclosed amount of funding from LG Electronics and Mirae Asset Financial Group, marking LG’s first global investment in embodied AI. The deal follows a July investment from CP Robotics to support Agibot’s expansion into life sciences, retail, and elder care applications.

<a href="/company/xiaomi">Xiaomi</a> has released MiDashengLM-7B, an open-source voice model built on <a href="/company/alibaba">Alibaba’s</a> Qwen2.5-Omni-7B, to power <a href="/industry/ai">AI</a> in its <a href="/industry/ev">EVs</a> and smart home devices. The launch supports Xiaomi’s diversification beyond smartphones and reflects China’s broader push for open-source AI development.

Heytea has opened its 35th US store near Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, marking a milestone in its overseas expansion to 115 locations across eight countries. As one of China’s fastest-growing tea brands abroad, Heytea pairs local teams with bold design and premium pricing to win over high-end markets.

<a href="/company/tiktok-shop">TikTok Shop</a> generated USD 3.36 million in GMV in Japan in its first full month after launching on June 30, with daily sales in July averaging over USD 100,000 and peaking at USD 290,000. Digital accessories topped category rankings, while seller performance varied based on localization and product differentiation.

Revenue Scaler has acquired Kabana, a regional <a href="/industry/e-commerce">e-commerce</a> analytics firm integrated with over 400 stores across platforms including <a href="/company/shopee">Shopee</a> and <a href="/company/tiktok-shop">TikTok Shop</a>. The deal enhances Revenue Scaler’s internal intelligence capabilities as it develops a unified, <a href="/industry/ai">AI</a>-driven e-commerce intelligence layer for Southeast Asia.

China has approved 183 Brazilian coffee companies to export to its market starting July 30, the Chinese embassy in Brazil said. The move offers an outlet as the US imposes 50% tariffs on Brazilian products from August 6, threatening a USD 4.4 billion trade and forcing exporters to seek alternatives.

<a href="/company/leapmotor">Leapmotor</a> and <a href="/company/xpeng">Xpeng</a> set new records in July, delivering 50,129 and 36,717 <a href="/industry/ev">EVs</a> respectively, as China’s price war showed signs of easing and demand shifted toward budget-friendly smart models. <a href="/company/xpeng">Xiaomi</a> also exceeded 30,000 units, with its <a href="https://kr-asia.com/xiaomis-new-yu7-can-it-stand-up-to-teslas-model-y">new YU7 SUV</a> drawing 240,000 preorders in two days.

Toyota is sourcing more Chinese-made parts in Thailand to reduce costs for a new electrified car model set to launch in 2028. The company facilitated a joint venture between Thailand’s Summit Group and China’s Yuefei New Materials to produce components locally, marking the first known case of a major Japanese automaker bringing a Chinese supplier into Southeast Asia.

Agibot expects to ship several thousand <a href="/industry/robotics">robots</a> in 2025 as it enters a phase of focused commercial delivery. The company said it recently secured a RMB 78 million order from China Mobile and has begun expanding overseas. At WAIC 2025, Agibot partnered with Damon to showcase a data-driven logistics robot ostensibly capable of six-second item sorting.

China ended 2024 with over 600 million registered <a href="/industry/ai">generative AI</a> users and 302 approved services, according to the country’s national internet regulator. ModelScope, now reportedly China’s largest AI model hub, hosts 70,000 models and supports 16 million developers. The country’s core AI industry neared RMB 600 billion in value.

<a href="/company/alibaba">Alibaba's</a> Amap has launched what it says is the world’s first <a href="/industry/ai">AI</a>-native map app, powered by spatial intelligence. The update introduces “Teacher Gao,” an AI agent that provides end-to-end travel support through spatial reasoning and autonomous decision-making.

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

More countries, more buyers, and more cross-border deals marked this year’s conference, with Chinese companies making tech exports a top priority.

China’s AI firms look outward as WAIC 2025 takes on global flavor

Vicky is a senior reporter based in Hangzhou, covering news about Chinese companies expanding their footprints abroad.

https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/dfe5e445d494bfd7f380c7d91c1df6d9?s=96&d=blank&r=g

Vicky Chang

Chinese AI firms rolled out a slate of new releases at this year’s WAIC, signaling no slowdown in development.

China Recap | AI ambitions scale new heights

What shapes modern healthcare and agriculture? Examine biotech startups, gene editing, and drug discovery unlocking biological potential.

Biotechnology

As patent cliffs approach and new mechanisms gain ground, COPD drugs like HRS-9821 are fast becoming coveted assets.

After Hengrui’s USD 500 million deal with GSK, which biotech firms are next in line?

https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a6b9ace74da9df391d5f7ba1892f4393?s=96&d=blank&r=g

LG and Mirae Asset invest in Agibot

Latest Pulses

Most Recent

China’s AI firms look outward as WAIC 2025 takes on global flavor

China Recap | AI ambitions scale new heights

After Hengrui’s USD 500 million deal with GSK, which biotech firms are next in line?