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

Chinese AI firm DeepSeek has released V3.2-Exp, an experimental model designed to lower training costs and improve long-sequence processing with its "…

Events

Latest

About

Consumer

Robotics

Fintech

Collaborate

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

China

Xibei has apologized and pledged greater transparency, but draft national standards and growing capital inflows point to a market too big to stop.

After feud with Luo Yonghao, Xibei yields to consumer pressure over pre-prepared food

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

China’s tech ecosystem serves as a driving force behind the world’s second largest economy, influencing global digital markets.

Explore East Asia’s thriving tech hubs, global electronics producers, and fast-evolving digital platforms shaping cross-border innovation.

East Asia

Nio, a Chinese electric car maker, specializes in high-performance EVs, battery-swapping solutions, and autonomous driving technologies.

What powers tomorrow’s roads? Explore EV adoption, charging infrastructure, and battery advances sparking the shift toward sustainable transport.

Electric Vehicles

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

Mobility

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

Transportation

After another cash infusion, the onus is on the EV maker to prove it can turn a profit.

Why investors keep backing Nio despite RMB 100 billion in losses

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

Indonesia

Japan

Malaysia

Singapore

South Korea

Southeast Asia

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

Deals in brief: Nvsion secures funding from Cambrian, Naver invests in GravityLabs, five China startups raise capital, 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

Chinese <a href="/industry/ai">AI</a> firm <a href="/company/deepseek">DeepSeek</a> has released V3.2-Exp, an experimental model designed to lower training costs and improve long-sequence processing with its "sparse attention" mechanism. Billed as a step toward its next-generation architecture, the launch includes API price cuts of more than 50% to attract developers.

<a href="/company/transsion">Transsion</a> is expected to launch devices with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chips in 2025, following a global patent settlement with Qualcomm. The move would mark a shift from MediaTek platforms but could raise costs in Africa and South Asia, where Transsion faces slowing shipments and its first major profit decline since listing.

<a href="/company/huawei">Huawei</a> plans to double production of its Ascend <a href="/industry/ai">AI</a> chips in 2026, targeting 600,000 units of the 910C model and up to 1.6 million dies across the lineup, according to people familiar with the matter. The ramp-up suggests Huawei and SMIC are easing bottlenecks under US sanctions as Chinese firms seek alternatives to <a href="/company/nvidia">Nvidia</a>.

<a href="/company/openai">OpenAI</a> has launched an "instant checkout" feature in ChatGPT, enabling US users to buy products directly in chat starting with Etsy sellers and soon expanding to Shopify merchants. Powered by the Agentic Commerce Protocol co-developed with Stripe, the system keeps merchants in control of payments and fulfillment.

McDonald’s is marking the Mid-Autumn Festival in China with a collaboration with video game hit <em>Black Myth: Wukong</em>. Spanning 7,100 outlets, the campaign features themed items such as a “black gold mooncake” burger and sesame lava pie, alongside limited merchandise and pop-up events in major cities.

<a href="/company/xiaomi">Xiaomi</a> said its new 17 smartphone series posted record demand within two days of launch, with the Pro Max leading sales. President Lu Weibing expects the lineup to outperform past models, though analyst Ming-Chi Kuo noted weaker demand for the base version. A one-terabyte option will be added on October 5 to lift sales.

<a href="/company/openai">OpenAI</a> has introduced parental controls on ChatGPT, enabling adults to restrict teen access, limit features, and receive alerts if the chatbot detects signs of distress. The rollout follows a lawsuit from the family of a California high school student who died in April, which alleged the chatbot played a role in his death.

BOE Technology, Apple’s primary display supplier, has launched Beijing BOE Robot with RMB 200 million in capital to develop industrial <a href="/industry/robotics">robots</a> and <a href="/industry/ai">AI</a> software. The move comes as China installed a record 295,000 robots in 2024 and its robotics market is projected to more than double to USD 108 billion by 2028.

Suntory has rolled out ten new products in 2025, including sugar-free teas and a new wellness sub-brand, after years of slower launches. The push comes as the company faces falling revenue in Asia and mounting pressure from Chinese rivals like Nongfu Spring and Ripe Fruit.

<a href="/company/oppo">Oppo</a> has begun developing handheld imaging devices, following Vivo’s entry into the segment last year. The two phone makers are targeting action and panoramic cameras, markets led by GoPro, <a href="/company/dji">DJI</a>, and Insta360. Analysts say their extensive imaging teams, shared supply chains, and the sector’s high margins make the market a potential new growth path.

<a href="/company/huawei">Huawei</a> said HarmonyOS 5 devices have surpassed 20 million, doubling in two months as new models including the Mate 80, Nova Flip S, and Mate X7 drove adoption. Executive Richard Yu projected 60 million units by the end of 2025 and up to 100 million by early 2026. The milestone comes as Huawei expands HarmonyOS across smartphones, PCs, wearables, and in-car systems.

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

Enterprise services is an over-arching term to describe an architecture combining engineering discipline and computer science to solve practical business problems. 

Enterprise Services

The startup says its system can map processes within hours, replacing months of manual customization.

Cutting months to a day: AlignBase taps AI to automate enterprise workflows

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

In its tenth edition, the event gathered top teams worldwide to test algorithms against real-world fraud risks, with this year’s focus on visual deepfakes.

A decade in the making: FinVolution’s competition spotlights visual deepfake detection

https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/cd0d29f7b9fd019c7c0d49a09a1ec8b1?s=96&d=blank&r=g

T. K. Lin

Pop Mart, a Chinese company, designs and sells toys, figurines, and collectibles, primarily in a blind box format.

Beijing, long accused of a lax attitude toward counterfeits, has seen its soft power grow.

China battles Labubu fakes in role reversal on IP protection

As part of 36Kr’s ongoing partnership with Nikkei, you can read selected content from Nikkei Asia on KrASIA.

https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/aec5e55596415464d13490d0e0caa9a2?s=96&d=blank&r=g

DeepSeek debuts experimental LLM upgrade

Latest Pulses

Most Recent

Cutting months to a day: AlignBase taps AI to automate enterprise workflows

A decade in the making: FinVolution’s competition spotlights visual deepfake detection

China battles Labubu fakes in role reversal on IP protection