China Insights Weekly, Shanghai (2025)

16/12/2025

$𝟭𝗧 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗹𝘂𝘀 💰 𝗘𝗩 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗗𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 🔋 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 🏝️

China’s export machine hit a historic milestone this year, with its trade surplus topping USD 1 trillion for the first time as shipments of chips, cars, and other manufactured goods surged despite slowing demand from the U.S. and higher global tariffs. Exports to the EU, ASEAN and other markets grew strongly, underscoring Beijing’s ability to pivot sales toward regions that are diversifying supply chains and soaking up Chinese output. The surplus reflects both the strength of China’s value chains and persistent imbalances between domestic demand and export-led growth.

That surplus is increasingly powered by clean mobility. Global EV sales rose 32% YoY in Q3 2025, with battery electric vehicles making up two-thirds of total EV sales and pe*******on reaching 18% of global passenger vehicles, up from 14% a year earlier. China accounted for 60% of global BEV sales, with BYD maintaining its global lead at nearly 600,000 units sold, while Geely ranked third with 51% YoY growth. What began as a domestic EV push has become a key driver of China’s export momentum.

To capitalize on this momentum and lock in advantages on trade and investment, Beijing is now operationalizing its Hainan Free Trade Island as a high-standard opening-up zone. Hainan will launch its full customs closure on December 18, moving to island-wide independent customs operations under the Free Trade Port framework. Zero-tariff access will expand from 21% to 74% of commodities, covering around 6,000 tax items, while qualifying Hainan-made goods will enter the mainland tariff-free if imported components account for at least 30% of added value.

🌍 Export momentum shifts east and south, with the EU and ASEAN replacing the US as key growth drivers
📈 FDI leaders rank China as the top source of global investment expansion for 2026
🚢 CSSC secures a record USD 7.1B shipbuilding order from Cosco, mostly settled in RMB
♻️ Chinese waste-to-energy firms accelerate overseas expansion, exporting full plant systems, not just tech

🔋 Is China’s battery dominance now irreversible, at least for this EV cycle?
🏝️ Will free-trade areas like Hainan become China’s new gateway for capital and commodities?

👉𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 →
https://www.china-insights.com/p/1t-trade-surplus-ev-battery-dominance-free-trade-island-opens

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10/12/2025

📈 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮’𝘀 “𝗡𝗩𝗜𝗗𝗜𝗔” 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁.

Moore Threads surged more than 400% on its trading debut after raising USD 1.1B on the Shanghai STAR Market. The stock closed at 600.50 yuan, over five times its IPO price.

Here are the numbers that matter:
📊 Price-to-sales ratio: 123× (vs peers at 111×)
💹 Revenue forecast: +242% next year
💰 Expected sales: 1.5B yuan in 2025

Founded in 2020 by a former Nvidia executive, Moore Threads has been growing rapidly, helped by U.S. export curbs on advanced GPUs and China’s broader push for hardware self-sufficiency. The company now plans to pour its new capital into advanced R&D, especially next-generation AI training and inference chips.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗣𝗢 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱-𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮’𝘀 𝗚𝗣𝗨 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴.

🌍 The big question now:
What does this mean for the global GPU market? Is this the natural progress for China’s tech sector, or the first sign of pressure on NVIDIA’s long-standing dominance?

👉𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 →
https://www.china-insights.com/p/ai-toys-surge-robots-clean-streets-gpu-stocks-soar

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09/12/2025

𝗔𝗜 𝗧𝗼𝘆𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲 🧸 𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘀 🤖 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮’𝘀 𝗚𝗣𝗨 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗦𝗼𝗮𝗿 📈

AI toys are exploding into the mainstream. Sales of smart companions are surging as Chinese makers fold speech, reasoning, and interactive prompts into affordable hardware. More than 30 funding rounds since 2024 and new launches from Huawei and UBTECH show the category moving fast from novelty to scale. The global AI toy market is projected to exceed 100 billion yuan by 2030, with an annual compound growth rate of over 50%. China's domestic market is also expected to surpass 10 billion yuan.

Meanwhile, robots are taking over street cleaning. In Shenzhen, 36 CowaRobot units now cover 2.7 million square meters, each replacing 4–5 workers and delivering lower labor costs with consistent output. Staff are shifting from repetitive sweeping to oversight roles. A worker paired with a robot can clean 7–8 km of sidewalks a day, up from 1 km alone. As adoption scales, manufacturers like CowaRobot are pushing abroad with plans for trials in Abu Dhabi and expanded operations in Singapore.

As AI moves deeper into toys and city infrastructure, markets are rewarding the companies building the chips that power it. Beijing-based Moore Threads jumped more than 400% on its STAR Market debut after a USD 1.1 billion IPO, closing at 600.50 yuan, over five times its offer price. The company plans to channel proceeds into core R&D initiatives, such as next-gen AI training and inference GPUs. Founded in 2020 by an ex-Nvidia executive, Moore Threads now trades at a 123x price-to-sales ratio, and expects 2025 revenue to surge 242% to 1.5 billion yuan. It’s the year’s second-largest onshore IPO, behind Huadian New Energy.

𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸:
🎓 Beijing and Shanghai extend their lead in global research output across major science fields
♻️ Carbios and Wankai to build Asia’s first enzyme-based PET recycling plant in Zhejiang
💊 Kelun-Biotech signs USD 1.3 billion cancer drug deal to advance new oncology therapies
🏛️ Shanghai creates a state-owned commodities trader to strengthen its pricing power

🧠 Are AI toys about to become the first mass-market LLM product most households actually use?
🤖 How long before street-cleaning robots become standard equipment in China’s largest cities?

👉𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 →
https://www.china-insights.com/p/ai-toys-surge-robots-clean-streets-gpu-stocks-soar

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03/12/2025

𝗩𝗪’𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗘𝗩 𝗟𝗮𝗯 ⚡ 𝗗𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲 🛰️ 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮’𝘀 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗮 𝗣𝘂𝘀𝗵 💊

Volkswagen is tightening its EV ex*****on. Its new EV Lab in Hefei is built to speed up local development of software, interfaces, and model variants, giving Chinese teams more room to iterate without waiting for decisions to flow from Europe. The lab plugs directly into VW’s China turnaround plan: faster cycles, China-first product decisions, and a tighter feedback loop with users in the world’s most competitive EV market.

Space safety is getting new infrastructure too. China plans to launch a space-debris warning satellite designed to track fast-moving objects in orbit with higher accuracy. As LEO gets increasingly crowded, collision alerts are becoming essential for both state missions and the country’s expanding commercial space sector. With the objective of having 12 satelites fully operational by 2028, this system strengthens China’s independent situational awareness and reduces reliance on foreign tracking data.

Pharma is not staying behind and is going global fast. China now runs a third of global clinical trials, with licensing deals quadrupling since 2021 as biotechs spin off US “NewCo” ventures to take new drugs worldwide. The country ranks second in CAR-T trials and cases, offering treatments at a fraction of Western costs, highlighted by a recent 78-year-old New Zealander making the trip and receiving successful therapy in Shanghai.

𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸:
🚗 BYD leads global BEV market with 15.4% share in Q3, followed by Tesla at 13.4%
🍕 Yum China plans to open 30,000 stores, a 70% increase, by 2030
💸 Hong Leong to invest USD 71 million in Shanghai tech sector
🤖 Alibaba’s Qwen AI chatbot app surpassed 10 million downloads within the first week after launch

🧠 Will VW’s Hefei lab cut development cycles enough to close the gap with local EV leaders?
🛰 How quickly will space debris-tracking satellites become mandatory infrastructure for global operators?

🔗 Read the full story here:
https://www.china-insights.com/p/vw-china-ev-lab-debris-warning-satellite-china-pharma-push

28/11/2025

A quiet change in China just hit global fuel markets.
🚚 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗸𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗩𝘀.

Most of the talk around EVs focuses on cars. But the real disruption in China right now is happening somewhere else entirely, in trucking.

A few years ago, almost every new truck in China still ran on diesel.
Fast forward to today, and the numbers tell a very different story:

⚡ Battery-powered trucks now make up 22% of new heavy-truck sales, up from 9.2% last year. They’re expected to hit 46% this year and reach 60% next year

This growth isn't accidental, operators are switching because the math works:
🔋 electric trucks are more energy-efficient
💰 cheaper to run
🔌 supported by a fast-growing network of charging stations

Fuel demand is already feeling the effect from this, with electric trucks outselling LNG trucks and tripling their market share.
𝗔𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿.

🌐 When you take into account that China has the world’s second-largest trucking fleet, the impact becomes impossible to ignore. Every percentage point of electrification affects diesel demand, LNG forecasts, and the fuel systems that global supply chains depend on.

People often see EVs as a consumer trend, but in freight, electrification changes everything from logistics costs to energy planning.

❓ So here’s the question we're curious about:
𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗩𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗱?

👇 Full story in the comments

26/11/2025

🇺🇸🇨🇳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗦 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮’𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁

According to a major AidData study, the United States has been the largest recipient of Chinese overseas loans over the past two decades.
More than USD 200 billion in financing across 2,500+ projects, since 2000.

Here’s how the broader picture looks:
💸 High-income countries now receive most of China’s lending
🇪🇺 Europe collectively received USD 161B
🇬🇧 The UK alone received USD 60B
🏡 Only 12% of loans went to low-income nations last year

China’s overseas financing is largely pictured as focused only on developing countries, but the data clearly shows that it’s moving toward wealthier economies and strategic sectors, especially infrastructure, minerals, and high-tech assets.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴.

The United States warning others about Chinese loans, while simultaneously receiving more than any other country, adds another layer of complexity to its already complex relationship with China.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱.

🤝 How do you see this affecting China - US relations in the future?

👉𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 → https://www.china-insights.com/p/china-odi-surge-electric-trucks-go-mainstream-maersk-shanghai-mega-hub

25/11/2025

𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮’𝘀 𝗠&𝗔 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲 📊 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗚𝗼 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 ⚡ 𝗠𝗮𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗸 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗵𝗮𝗶 𝗠𝗲𝗴𝗮 𝗛𝘂𝗯 🚢

China’s outbound push is accelerating again.The latest data shows outbound direct investment in Belt-and-Road markets jumping 20% YoY, driven by energy, construction, and equipment financing. The mix is shifting too: more equity, less lending, and a bigger role for private firms taking minority stakes to secure offtake, logistics, and political hedges. It’s not 2016-style megadeals, it’s smaller, steadier, and more strategically linked to supply chain resilience.

On the road, electric trucks are moving from pilot to mainstream. Heavy-duty e-truck registrations spiked this year as battery-swap corridors expanded across key freight routes and local governments rolled out per-kilometer subsidies. The economics are finally competitive for regional haul: lower energy costs, predictable swap times, and OEMs bundling trucks, batteries, and charging into single monthly packages. This is China building an EV playbook beyond passenger cars.

Logistics is scaling up to match. Maersk opened its Shanghai Mega Hub, a 270,000 sqm facility designed to knit ocean, air, and cross-border e-commerce into one flow. With automated sortation, bonded warehousing, and direct links to Pudong Airport, it gives exporters and platforms a faster, single-stack route for Southeast Asia, Europe, and the U.S. The message is clear: the world’s shipping giant is doubling down on China as its core consolidation node.

𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸:
💊 Bayer opens Beijing innovation center, backing China-made drugs for global markets
📈 CICC merger will create a 1-trillion-yuan brokerage, reshaping China’s finance sector
🏦 US emerges as largest recipient of China’s overseas lending, exceeding USD 200 Billion
🪁 China’s 5,000 m² power-generating kite passes key tests, pushing high-altitude wind tech

🧠 Does China’s new ODI mix make its overseas footprint more resilient than the old SOE megaproject era?
🚛 Are electric trucks at the point where total-cost-of-ownership beats diesel without subsidies?

📌 Read the full story: https://www.china-insights.com/p/china-odi-surge-electric-trucks-go-mainstream-maersk-shanghai-mega-hub

21/11/2025

🚨 𝗔 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀

Mainland China and Hong Kong now control over 20% of the entire global shipping fleet.

As of January 2025, the global shipping fleet is dominated by three nations, which collectively control over 40% of the world's deadweight tonnage. Greece leads, closely followed by China and Japan.
Combining the shares of Mainland China and Hong Kong, China moves up to the first position globally, commanding 20.2% of the capacity.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱’𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀.

Most people don’t track shipping, but it decides everything behind the scenes:
💰 Pricing
🚛 Supply chains
🌍 Geopolitical leverage

This rise in shipping power comes from years of expanding shipbuilding, growing fleets, and strengthening port networks.

𝗔 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀.

Here’s what this shift signals:
🎮 More control over key trade routes
💪 Stronger resilience during supply disruptions
📈 Greater influence over market flows
🌐 Deeper integration with global logistics chains

This rise in shipping power is a direct result of China’s quiet expansion of its shipping and port infrastructure. A 20% share marks a turning point in how goods move, how markets react, and how global dependencies develop.

🔔 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗱?

👇Read the full story down in the comments

20/11/2025

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮’𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 🌐

🍎 Apple and 🐧 Tencent have officially agreed to a 15% fee on purchases made inside WeChat mini-apps.

This kind of adjustment is extremely rare for Apple, and it’s just as uncommon for Tencent to compromise on its ecosystem rules.
𝗕𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁.

China’s digital landscape operates differently from anywhere else.
Super-apps hold enormous power, and WeChat in particular has become an entire operating system inside the operating system.

Here’s what it means in practice:
🏦 A lower, China-specific fee structure
💰 A new revenue model for mini-apps
♾️ A rare case of a super-app influencing OS policy

Some people see this as Apple adapting to maintain its position in China. Others say Tencent’s scale left Apple with no choice.
🤝 There’s truth on both sides, and that’s exactly why this deal matters.

𝗜𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁.

Not just for China, but potentially for how platform fees evolve elsewhere. One exception can become a template.

💥 𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽-𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹?

👇 Read the full story below

18/11/2025

🚩 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘁 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁

For the first time ever, 52% of all new cars sold in October were NEVs 🚗, that’s 1.72 million vehicles. This is a 20% increase from last year, beating the already growing overall car sales, which had an 8.8% increase.

𝗡𝗘𝗩𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁⚡

🏭 Production and exports tell the same story: 53% of all vehicles made in October were NEVs, totaling 1.77 million units, all while exporting 666,000 vehicles in October alone

And here is the most shocking part:
𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆.

🏎️ Xiaomi’s new YU7 model, not only outsold Tesla’s Model Y, but also won the "Best Structure" award, the top honor at the 2025 International Die Casting Competition judged by the North American Die Casting Association (NADCA).

🏁 𝗔𝘁 𝟱𝟮%, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗩 𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁?

👇 Read the full story below

15/11/2025

China’s auto sector just hit a new speed
🏎️ 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸

Porsche opened a strategic R&D center in Shanghai.
Volkswagen is investing $200M into in-house SoC development.

Two moves
𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲.

Here’s what this signals:
⚡️Deeper local innovation
🧩Faster hardware-software integration
🚀Rising tech independence

Global automakers aren’t just selling into China anymore
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮.

And this changes the competitive map.
The companies that adapt early will benefit most, because this momentum isn’t slowing down.

👉Will this be a new trend for automotive innovation going forward?
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 → https://www.china-insights.com/p/kimi-ai-beats-gpt-5-porsche-opens-china-rnd-starbucks-sells-china-stake

14/11/2025

𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮’𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲: 𝗞𝗶𝗺𝗶 𝗞𝟮 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗚𝗣𝗧‑𝟱

A new AI model is setting the bar for open source innovation. Moonshot AI’s Kimi K2 Thinking, with approximately 1 trillion parameters, outperforms GPT‑5 and Claude Sonnet 4.5 on multiple reasoning and coding benchmarks. Trained for just $4.6M, it shows that cost‑efficient AI has arrived and can compete with the biggest systems in the industry.

👇 Link to full story in the comments.

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