Alibaba

ByteDance

Huawei

Meituan

Tencent

Xiaomi

Most Followed

KrASIA Connection

100 AI Creators

China's Auto Sector

Inside China's Startups

Venture Roundup

Our Events

View All

Collections

News

Features

Insights

Ecosystem

Press Releases

Anker

DeepSeek

Li Auto

MiniMax

Pop Mart

Xpeng

On the Radar

Softcare, Africa’s top diaper brand by 2024 sales volume, has refiled for a Hong Kong IPO after its earlier prospectus lapsed in July. Spun off from G…

Events

Latest

About

Consumer

Robotics

Fintech

Collaborate

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

New releases from StepFun, Z.ai, and Alibaba spark fresh competition, but in a field that may not have room for everyone.

China’s “AI tigers” return to the ring as the foundation model race reignites

Decoding China&#039;s tech and business pulse

KrASIA

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

Commercialization and global expansion are now central to the humanoid robotics race.

Taking the pulse of China’s humanoid robot push at WRC 2025

Shi Yi

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

Singapore

Southeast Asia

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

Deals in brief: Naluri and Prefer raise funding, Antler invests in seven AI startups, six 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

Softcare, Africa’s top diaper brand by 2024 sales volume, has refiled for a Hong Kong IPO after its earlier prospectus lapsed in July. Spun off from Guangzhou-based Sunda, the company plans to expand factory capacity across Africa and emerging markets but faces pressure from thin margins and rising material costs.

<a href="/company.jd">JD.com’s</a> Q2 2025 revenue rose 22.4% YoY to RMB 356.7 billion, with JD Retail up 20.6% and operating margin reaching 4.5%, a record for a promotion quarter. Net profit dropped 51% to RMB 6.2 billion as higher investment in new businesses, including food delivery, increased costs.

<a href="/company/bytedance">ByteDance’s</a> Hongguo app reached 212 million monthly active users in June 2025, up 179% YoY and surpassing Youku for the first time. The short drama platform, China’s most downloaded app in May, is adding paid memberships, expanding content formats, and exploring overseas markets.

Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision) reported Q2 2025 revenue of TWD 1.79 trillion, up 16% YoY, while net profit rose 27% to TWD 44.4 billion, both record highs for the period. <a href="/industry/ai">AI</a> server sales climbed over 60% YoY, with Q3 revenue from the segment projected to grow more than 170%. The company maintained its full-year growth outlook on sustained AI demand.

AliExpress has expanded its overseas fulfillment service to Mexico, enabling merchants to store goods locally and gain homepage promotion. Already available in the US, UK, Spain, Germany, and Poland, the program aims to shorten delivery times and enhance merchant visibility.

<a href="/company/deepseek">DeepSeek</a> has reportedly delayed its R2 model launch after unsuccessful training runs on <a href="/company/huawei">Huawei’s</a> Ascend chips, opting to use <a href="/company/nvidia">Nvidia</a> hardware while continuing to use Ascend for inference. The delay highlighted China’s chip performance gap with US rivals, slowed market momentum, and was compounded by extended data labelling.

Weibo’s Q2 2025 revenue rose 2% YoY to USD 444.8 million, driven by growth in advertising and marketing sales to USD 383.4 million. Profit reached USD 125.7 million, with non-GAAP net income of USD 143.2 million. The platform had 588 million MAUs and 261 million DAUs in June.

<a href="/company/netease">NetEase’s</a> Q2 2025 revenue rose 9.4% YoY to RMB 27.9 billion, driven by a 13.7% increase in <a href="/industry/gaming">gaming</a> sales to RMB 22.8 billion. Profit reached RMB 8.6 billion, while non-GAAP net income was RMB 9.5 billion, supported by new global launches, strong franchise performance, and upcoming original titles in development.

<a href="/company/bytedance">ByteDance’s</a> Seed team has open-sourced VeOmni, a PyTorch-based framework that helps train <a href="/industry/ai">AI</a> models using text, images, audio, and video. Unlike conventional systems that mix model logic with parallel code, VeOmni separates the two, making it easier to add new modalities and scale training efficiently.

Agibot has launched Genie Envisioner, a new robot learning system that combines training, control, and simulation into one platform. Trained on 3,000 hours of real-world video data, it learns by watching how robots interact with objects and uses that knowledge to plan actions. The system can reportedly adapt to new robot platforms and complex tasks with minimal extra data.

<a href="/company/xiaomi">Xiaomi</a> led Southeast Asia’s smartphone market in Q2 2025 with 4.7 million units shipped and a 19% share. It was the brand’s first return to the top since Q2 2021, driven by strong Redmi sales, rising Poco shipments, and expanded D2C and carrier channels. Transsion followed closely in second with 4.5 million units and an 18% share.

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

Consumer Economy

By building for overlooked niches in the fitness industry, Aeke now ships hundreds of units each month.

With smart fitness machines, Aeke finds profit where others saw no market

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

Describing VLA models as “relatively dumb,” he outlined an alternative approach to embodied intelligence.

Unitree’s founder disputes VLA consensus, backs video-trained models for robotics

How are driverless systems redefining mobility? Uncover sensor technologies, regulatory frameworks, and AI driving cars without human intervention.

Autonomous Vehicles

How is the way we move evolving? Explore developments in autonomous transportation, electric vehicles, and more efficient urban transit.

Mobility

What powers digital devices? Delve into chip design, manufacturing bottlenecks, and semiconductor breakthroughs fueling global electronics.

Semiconductors

How do goods and people flow worldwide? Examine transport networks, logistics innovations, and policies shaping global connectivity.

Transportation

Deals with IM Motors and Uber are already in place as the company ramps up its international rollout.

Softcare renews Hong Kong IPO bid

Latest Pulses

Most Recent

With smart fitness machines, Aeke finds profit where others saw no market

Unitree’s founder disputes VLA consensus, backs video-trained models for robotics

From China to Europe, Momenta pairs new chip with global assisted driving push