https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/34554/feed Taobao, known as China’s eBay, is the largest e-commerce platform in China operated by the Alibaba Group.  Founded in 2003, Taobao encourages consumer-to-consumer retail and mainly caters to buyers in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Ann Cao Ann Cao Alibaba Group Holding’s two major domestic online marketplaces, Taobao and Tmall, plan to greatly expand the use of artificial intelligence across merchants’ operations next year, a senior executive said, as the e-commerce giant doubles down on the technology to drive growth amid a challenging consumer landscape. “Starting next year, AI will comprehensively enter the internal enterprise workflows of merchants,” Liu Bo, president of Tmall, said at the company’s Singles’ Day media briefing on... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3371203/alibaba-embed-ai-throughout-taobao-tmall-merchant-operations-2027-executive https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3371203/alibaba-embed-ai-throughout-taobao-tmall-merchant-operations-2027-executive Fri, 16 Oct 2026 13:37:50 +0000 Ann Cao,Themis Qi Ann Cao,Themis Qi Alibaba Group Holding is gearing up for its annual Singles’ Day shopping festival on major online marketplaces Taobao and Tmall, with the company expecting a record one million global brands to take part this year. Pre-sales for the event open on Thursday, followed by the formal sale next Tuesday. The company projects more than 70 million products to feature, also a record for the festival. Created by Alibaba in 2009, Singles’ Day has grown into the world’s largest online shopping festival. Also... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3371048/alibaba-sets-sights-record-breaking-singles-day-1-million-brands-joining-festival https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3371048/alibaba-sets-sights-record-breaking-singles-day-1-million-brands-joining-festival Thu, 15 Oct 2026 13:00:23 +0000 Chong Ming Lee,Minxiao Chang Chong Ming Lee,Minxiao Chang Meta Platforms’ breakout Muse personal AI agent is shining a spotlight on a new battleground in artificial intelligence – one in which China’s biggest internet companies are already jostling for position. Launched on September 8, Muse surpassed 2.5 million downloads in its first two weeks and topped free-app rankings on Apple and Google’s US app stores. Its popularity has drawn fresh attention to the emerging market for what are known as agent harnesses. Unlike chatbots, which merely respond to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3370123/can-china-match-metas-muse-race-harness-ai-agents https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3370123/can-china-match-metas-muse-race-harness-ai-agents Thu, 08 Oct 2026 14:00:08 +0000 Kristen Cheung Kristen Cheung Scams involving fraudsters posing as customer service officers caused losses of over HK$220 million (US$28.2 million) in August in Hong Kong, more than triple the monthly average in the first seven months of the year, police have said. The police force also warned that scammers had shifted their modus operandi from using phishing links to taking real-time control of victims through direct calls and screen sharing, or tricking them into installing a malicious app that turned mobile phones into a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3369628/hongkongers-lose-hk220-million-customer-service-scams-august https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3369628/hongkongers-lose-hk220-million-customer-service-scams-august Sat, 03 Oct 2026 01:00:20 +0000 Minxiao Chang Minxiao Chang China is surging ahead of the US in consumer AI adoption as technology giants like Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group Holding embed artificial intelligence directly into popular everyday apps, even as American models lead in capability, according to Morgan Stanley. A survey conducted by the bank and published in a report on Monday showed that 80 per cent of Chinese respondents used AI for personal purposes at least weekly, compared with 54 per cent in the US. China’s generative AI user base grew... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367601/china-beating-us-consumer-ai-adoption-thanks-super-apps-morgan-stanley https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367601/china-beating-us-consumer-ai-adoption-thanks-super-apps-morgan-stanley Tue, 15 Sep 2026 11:00:12 +0000 Zhu Wenqian Zhu Wenqian Products widely considered “ugly” or “bizarre” have gone viral online in China as millions of young consumers embrace the items’ quirky humour and distinctive character. Cumulative sales of such products on Taobao – an e-commerce platform of Alibaba Group Holding – have surpassed 230 million yuan (US$34.3 million) since 2020, when Taobao launched its so-called Uglies Award to celebrate creatively unusual goods, the platform said recently without specifying exactly what constitutes an “ugly”... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3367218/taobaos-ugly-goods-find-growing-market-among-chinas-young-consumers https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3367218/taobaos-ugly-goods-find-growing-market-among-chinas-young-consumers Sat, 12 Sep 2026 01:00:09 +0000 Chong Ming Lee Chong Ming Lee China’s artificial intelligence developers are competing for paying users on a new consumer front: Alibaba Group Holding’s Tmall, where AI subscription plans are now being sold alongside smartphones, skincare and luxury fashion brands. Moonshot AI, developer of the Kimi K3 model, and MiniMax were in talks to open official flagship stores on the e-commerce platform, people familiar with the matter told the South China Morning Post on Monday. The move comes as AI developers look for new channels... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3366617/chinas-moonshot-and-zai-bring-ai-model-subscription-race-tmalls-retail-shelves https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3366617/chinas-moonshot-and-zai-bring-ai-model-subscription-race-tmalls-retail-shelves Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:00:13 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft An annual e-commerce shopping festival supporting Hong Kong’s small and medium-sized enterprises will expand into the Asean region for the first time via Singapore and Malaysia, with plans to include other countries in future. The Trade Development Council, the organiser, said on Tuesday that the third edition of the annual Hong Kong Shopping Festival, launching next month, had attracted a record number of local brands across its mainland China and Asean editions this year. The annual festival,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3362145/hong-kong-shopping-festival-eyes-asean-expansion-singapore-malaysia-first https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3362145/hong-kong-shopping-festival-eyes-asean-expansion-singapore-malaysia-first Tue, 28 Jul 2026 10:47:29 +0000 Zhu Wenqian Zhu Wenqian Sales of intangible heritage products are on the rise, highlighted by the online frenzy sparked by Elon Musk’s six-year-old son Little X wearing a Chinese-style silk jacket and carrying a tiger-head bag in May, when they accompanied US President Donald Trump on a state visit to Beijing. The surge is part of a wider boom, with industry data showing intangible cultural heritage and traditional handicraft goods had reached an annual transaction value of 100 billion yuan (US$14.8 billion) across... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/article/3361104/musk-sons-viral-tiger-head-bag-shines-light-chinas-us148b-heritage-e-commerce https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/article/3361104/musk-sons-viral-tiger-head-bag-shines-light-chinas-us148b-heritage-e-commerce Sun, 19 Jul 2026 10:00:07 +0000 Peggy Ye Peggy Ye The PapaHome furniture showroom – the product of a partnership between local home repair platform Papabo and Taobao Hong Kong – will close its doors at a Tsim Sha Tsui mall when its lease expires in October, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The move means Taobao Hong Kong and Papabo will give up their first physical shop at a prime spot in Kowloon. PapaHome said in a statement on Thursday that it would “relocate” its Tsim Sha Tsui flagship store to Fashion Walk in Causeway... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/property/article/3360695/taobaos-first-physical-shop-hong-kong-close-after-lease-ends-october-sources https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/property/article/3360695/taobaos-first-physical-shop-hong-kong-close-after-lease-ends-october-sources Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:16 +0000 Stephy Zhang Stephy Zhang Chinese football fans have recently been scouring the internet for an unlikely item: not trainers, autographs, jerseys, or even a football, but the small elastic hairbands used by striker Erling Haaland. Dubbed by social media users on the mainland as the World Cup’s “most meme-able man,” Haaland has captivated a massive Chinese following both inside and outside football this summer through his skills, unwitting comical appeal, distinctive appearance, and character. In the early hours of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/sport/football/article/3358610/erling-haalands-hairbands-latest-must-have-star-struck-chinese-football-fans https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/sport/football/article/3358610/erling-haalands-hairbands-latest-must-have-star-struck-chinese-football-fans Sat, 27 Jun 2026 12:00:10 +0000 Theodora Yu Theodora Yu A leading green group has urged Hong Kong to align with coming national standards on excessive packaging, warning that the city generated at least 2.7 million kg (5.9 million lbs) of waste from e-commerce parcels last year. The call coincided with an online survey by non-profit group The Green Earth, which found that 60 per cent of respondents in Hong Kong considered parcel packaging excessive, while 76 per cent felt frustrated when handling the waste. Steven Chan Wing-kit, assistant... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3357473/green-group-urges-hong-kong-cut-excessive-e-commerce-packaging-waste https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3357473/green-group-urges-hong-kong-cut-excessive-e-commerce-packaging-waste Thu, 18 Jun 2026 02:00:07 +0000 Zhu Wenqian Zhu Wenqian Chinese toymaker Pop Mart recorded its first year-on-year decline in domestic online sales since 2024 in May, raising fresh questions about the sustainability of demand for its intellectual property (IP) portfolio, including its blockbuster Labubu character. Domestic online sales fell 5 per cent from a year earlier and 14 per cent from April, according to Moojing e-commerce data tracking transactions across Tmall, Taobao and Douyin. Sales were also 25 per cent below the average monthly level... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/article/3357414/can-pop-mart-sustain-labubu-juggernaut-china-sales-cool https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/article/3357414/can-pop-mart-sustain-labubu-juggernaut-china-sales-cool Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:12 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Police in mainland China have dismantled a coordinated, months-long smear campaign targeting major e-commerce platforms Alibaba Group Holding and JD.com, as Beijing continues to facilitate fair competition and improve the environment for the private sector. Both companies publicly praised the police in Chengdu, capital of China’s southwestern Sichuan province, for “combating online rumours” and “maintaining a clean and healthy online environment”, according to social media posts last week by... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3357140/chinese-police-smash-smear-campaign-targeting-alibaba-jdcom-ahead-shopping-festival https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3357140/chinese-police-smash-smear-campaign-targeting-alibaba-jdcom-ahead-shopping-festival Mon, 15 Jun 2026 07:06:51 +0000 Ji Siqi,Alice Li Ji Siqi,Alice Li Chinese authorities have summoned representatives of US-based membership-only retailer Sam’s Club for an “accountability interview” in response to “frequent food-safety issues”, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) announced on Monday. According to a notice from the regulator, the Walmart-owned supermarket chain was urged to “prioritise food safety, strictly fulfil social corporate responsibilities, mitigate risks across the entire supply chain and safeguard public health” in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3357098/beijing-summons-sams-club-representatives-over-food-safety-issues https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3357098/beijing-summons-sams-club-representatives-over-food-safety-issues Mon, 15 Jun 2026 03:14:36 +0000 Frank Chen Frank Chen Chinese regulators are stepping up public enforcement against the nation’s corporate giants, marking a departure from the low-key approach adopted after a bruising 2021 tech crackdown. In recent months, agencies have summoned company representatives, launched high-profile investigations, and named and shamed offenders. However, while the uptick in activity has rattled investors, some analysts and observers contend that this does not herald a return to China’s heavy-handed campaign that... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3356909/not-crackdown-china-regulators-signal-more-neutral-enforcement-shift-2021 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3356909/not-crackdown-china-regulators-signal-more-neutral-enforcement-shift-2021 Fri, 12 Jun 2026 09:14:31 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang As China’s annual “618” shopping festival – one of the country’s biggest online retail events – gathers momentum, Beijing’s market regulator on Thursday summoned major e-commerce platforms over a series of marketing malpractices, marking the latest effort by authorities to curb so-called involution-style competition. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Market Supervision and Administration said it had called in representatives from Alibaba Group Holding’s Taobao and Tmall, JD.com, Pinduoduo, Douyin... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3356744/618-shopping-frenzy-grows-beijing-warns-e-commerce-giants-over-price-war-tactics https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3356744/618-shopping-frenzy-grows-beijing-warns-e-commerce-giants-over-price-war-tactics Thu, 11 Jun 2026 08:35:27 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen Alibaba Group Holding on Monday established a new unit called Token Foundry, consolidating key model-development teams as the Chinese technology giant steps up efforts to commercialise artificial intelligence and align its businesses around a unified AI strategy. The new division brings together Alibaba’s Tongyi Lab and Future Life Lab and will be led directly by CEO Eddie Wu Yongming, according to people familiar with the matter. Future Life Lab, previously housed within Taobao and Tmall Group,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3356408/alibaba-forges-token-foundry-it-hammers-ai-ambitions-shape https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3356408/alibaba-forges-token-foundry-it-hammers-ai-ambitions-shape Mon, 08 Jun 2026 13:48:35 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng In its latest bid to dominate China’s next-generation digital gateway, Alibaba Group Holding is opening its Qwen AI assistant to major brands, allowing users to order everything from fried chicken to bubble tea through simple conversation. The company announced on Wednesday that it was opening Qwen’s ecosystem to third-party partners’ agents. Fast-food giant KFC, tech-driven coffee chain Luckin Coffee, beverage chain Mixue Group and China Eastern Airlines are among the first companies to test... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3355850/fried-chicken-flight-plans-alibaba-wants-qwen-become-chinas-digital-fixer https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3355850/fried-chicken-flight-plans-alibaba-wants-qwen-become-chinas-digital-fixer Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:00:06 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai A Chinese-made tiger’s head bag carried by Elon Musk’s young son in Beijing has prompted a wave of interest online. Musk’s six-year-old son X Æ A-Xii, dressed in a Chinese style silk jacket, was pictured carrying the brown shoulder bag with a tiger’s face when he visited the Great Hall of the People with his father in Beijing. The photo quickly went viral on Chinese social media. The Tesla boss was part of a delegation accompanying US President Donald Trump on his visit to Beijing, which ended... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3353755/eye-tiger-how-elon-musks-sons-bag-became-hit-chinese-public https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3353755/eye-tiger-how-elon-musks-sons-bag-became-hit-chinese-public Fri, 15 May 2026 12:34:39 +0000 Ben Jiang,Eunice Xu Ben Jiang,Eunice Xu Alibaba Group Holding is integrating its flagship AI assistant Qwen into its biggest e-commerce platforms, betting that the future of online shopping lies in fluid conversations rather than rigid search terms. Using the Qwen app, shoppers are able to find, compare and purchase products from Taobao and Tmall’s 4-billion-item inventory via text or voice chat, Alibaba said in a statement on Monday. Taobao has also launched a Qwen-powered shopping assistant, which was trained on the platform’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3353132/alibaba-taps-chinas-chat-buy-trend-qwen-ai-and-taobao-integration https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3353132/alibaba-taps-chinas-chat-buy-trend-qwen-ai-and-taobao-integration Mon, 11 May 2026 08:03:17 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding is preparing an overhaul of how local consumers shop online, betting that the next trend will feel more like chatting with an artificial intelligence chatbot rather than typing keywords into a search bar, according to a source. Users of the company’s flagship AI assistant Qwen – one of the most popular in China – would soon be able to use natural language to “talk” with the chatbot app to find and buy items listed on Alibaba’s Taobao and Tmall... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3353044/alibaba-brings-chat-style-shopping-taobao-and-qwen-amid-ai-gateway-push https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3353044/alibaba-brings-chat-style-shopping-taobao-and-qwen-amid-ai-gateway-push Sun, 10 May 2026 10:35:23 +0000 Minxiao Chang Minxiao Chang In China, a grey market of API relay platforms is thriving, allowing local developers to bypass restrictions to access top-tier overseas AI models such as Anthropic’s Claude and Google’s Gemini, which are not officially supported in China, despite an escalating crackdown by the foreign providers. Such relay stations, which route access to overseas AI models through proxy servers hosted outside mainland China, are becoming a go-to place for developers wanting to use US AI models for tasks such as... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3353002/shadow-apis-how-chinese-developers-bypass-restrictions-access-claude-and-gemini https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3353002/shadow-apis-how-chinese-developers-bypass-restrictions-access-claude-and-gemini Sun, 10 May 2026 07:00:05 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang A sweeping rule change for drones in Beijing, which bars sales in the Chinese capital and requires identity registration linked to each device from Friday, has left sellers and consumers scrambling to cope with some of the country’s toughest regulations on the sector. At a flagship retail store operated by DJI, the world’s largest drone maker, in Beijing’s bustling Guomao area, a shop assistant said that the store had been preparing to clear its shelves of all drone products in accordance with... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3352070/no-drone-zone-dji-consumers-grapple-beijing-sales-ban-and-registration-rule https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3352070/no-drone-zone-dji-consumers-grapple-beijing-sales-ban-and-registration-rule Fri, 01 May 2026 13:00:09 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen Alibaba Group Holding has struck its first external partnership for its flagship consumer artificial intelligence app, linking it with China Eastern Airlines in a move that pushes its agentic capabilities beyond the company’s own ecosystem and into real-world services. The company said the fresh collaboration allowed users of the Qwen app to manage the full flight booking process – from search and ticket purchase to seat selection and check-in – within a single natural-language chat interface.... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3351076/alibaba-opens-qwen-app-outside-partners-china-eastern-airlines-tie https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3351076/alibaba-opens-qwen-app-outside-partners-china-eastern-airlines-tie Thu, 23 Apr 2026 03:12:43 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Behind China’s landmark crackdown on the e-commerce and food-delivery sectors lies a darker narrative of resistance, secrecy and violence, after regulators uncovered a vast network of “ghost” bakeries and imposed a record fine on seven major platforms. The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) levied a 3.6 billion yuan (US$528 million) fine on seven platforms run by PDD Holdings, Meituan, JD.com, Alibaba Group Holding and ByteDance, with the probe revealing a hidden office, violent... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/policy/article/3350891/hidden-office-fractured-bone-violent-resistance-behind-chinas-record-food-safety-fine https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/policy/article/3350891/hidden-office-fractured-bone-violent-resistance-behind-chinas-record-food-safety-fine Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:00:09 +0000 Ji Siqi,Coco Feng,Wency Chen Ji Siqi,Coco Feng,Wency Chen China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has levied more than 3.6 billion yuan (US$527.3 million) in fines on seven e-commerce and food delivery platforms and their representatives following an investigation, the regulator announced on Friday. SAMR said the seven platforms, which included retail and food delivery mainstays Pinduoduo (PDD), Meituan and JD.com, failed to properly verify food vendor licences and knowingly allowed unverified “ghost” catering services to operate. The... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/policy/article/3350444/chinas-e-commerce-platforms-hit-36b-yuan-fine-food-safety-violations https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/policy/article/3350444/chinas-e-commerce-platforms-hit-36b-yuan-fine-food-safety-violations Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:11:57 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Alibaba Group Holding is set to launch a new service that provides AI agents for millions of merchants on its Taobao and Tmall platforms, as the tech giant capitalises on the recent frenzy fuelled by OpenClaw to secure its lead in e-commerce. The new feature, slated for release by the end of March, will provide agentic AI services based on its merchant tool Business Advisor, aiming to give them a 24/7 autonomous “digital workforce” that can automate operation processes including offering... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3348237/alibaba-deploy-ai-digital-workforce-millions-merchants-taobao-tmall https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3348237/alibaba-deploy-ai-digital-workforce-millions-merchants-taobao-tmall Sat, 28 Mar 2026 13:00:29 +0000 Iris Deng,Wency Chen Iris Deng,Wency Chen Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group Holding are set to report quarterly earnings this week, against a backdrop of an artificial intelligence boom that is reshaping the global economy and fuelling a frenzy in China around open-source AI agents such as OpenClaw. The South China Morning Post examines market expectations for their results and the key themes investors will be watching. What are the expectations for top line and bottom line performances? Shenzhen-based Tencent, operator of China’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3346920/tencent-and-alibaba-quarterly-earnings-preview-key-things-watch https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3346920/tencent-and-alibaba-quarterly-earnings-preview-key-things-watch Wed, 18 Mar 2026 01:00:15 +0000 Zoey Zhang Zoey Zhang A businesswoman from central China who was raised in a family that prized sons over daughters has built her own e-commerce fashion empire. Huang Xuanni, 44, grew up in a rural family in Binzhou, Hunan province, where she was the overlooked sixth daughter among seven children. Her parents, who lavished attention on their only son, left Huang to eat alone on the doorstep and rarely remembered her name. Mainland reports recount a heartbreaking moment in her childhood when her parents abandoned her... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3344619/china-entrepreneur-abandoned-child-owns-fashion-brand-generates-us36-million-sales https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3344619/china-entrepreneur-abandoned-child-owns-fashion-brand-generates-us36-million-sales Sun, 01 Mar 2026 01:00:09 +0000 Lam Ka-sing Lam Ka-sing Unusually warm weather in Hong Kong has forced flower sellers at Lunar New Year fairs to contend with premature blooms while also navigating a retail landscape where heavy foot traffic masked a tightening of local purse strings. On Sunday, the Observatory recorded a maximum temperature of 26.9 degrees Celsius (80.4 Fahrenheit) at its headquarters in Tsim Sha Tsui, matching the record set in 2010 for the same day in the lunar calendar. “Winter has become like summer, which is not a good... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3343641/early-flower-blooms-warm-weather-add-sellers-woes-festival-fairs https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3343641/early-flower-blooms-warm-weather-add-sellers-woes-festival-fairs Sun, 15 Feb 2026 14:11:51 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao China’s top market regulator has summoned the country’s leading tech companies to demand an end to “involutionary” competition, at the time when the companies are pouring billions of yuan into a Lunar New Year promotional blitz to win over users for services including artificial intelligence apps. The companies summoned on Friday were Alibaba Group Holding, ByteDance’s Douyin, Baidu, Tencent Holdings, JD.com, Meituan and Taobao Instant Commerce, Alibaba’s on-demand delivery unit, the State... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3343614/beijing-warns-tech-giants-curb-involution-amid-ai-giveaway-war https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3343614/beijing-warns-tech-giants-curb-involution-amid-ai-giveaway-war Sun, 15 Feb 2026 06:30:07 +0000 Leopold Chen Leopold Chen Some lovebirds in Hong Kong are expressing their affection this Valentine’s Day by spending hundreds of dollars on bouquets and gifts, while several vendors have recorded growth in sales of about 20 per cent. At the bustling Flower Market in Mong Kok, many men were among the crowds picking bouquets of roses, while others browsed for flowers to celebrate the coming Lunar New Year. The high number of shoppers on Tung Choi Street even prompted police to put in place crowd control measures. Stalls... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3343570/flower-sales-hong-kong-bloom-valentines-day-shoppers-splash-out-gifts https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3343570/flower-sales-hong-kong-bloom-valentines-day-shoppers-splash-out-gifts Sat, 14 Feb 2026 07:10:13 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Chinese consumers placed over 120 million orders on Alibaba Cloud’s flagship artificial intelligence app Qwen within six days, signalling growing acceptance of AI-powered shopping as the company joined other mainland Chinese tech giants in a multibillion-yuan holiday campaign. Nearly half the orders came from residents in counties and hinterland areas, with around 1.56 million people aged 60 and above making their first online purchases through Qwen, according to a statement on Thursday from... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3343289/alibabas-qwen-tops-120-million-orders-6-days-amid-chinas-ai-shopping-battle https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3343289/alibabas-qwen-tops-120-million-orders-6-days-amid-chinas-ai-shopping-battle Thu, 12 Feb 2026 09:02:39 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu German lingerie brand Triumph, which left the mainland Chinese market recently, has ignited a social media discussion about the rising trend of women opting for comfort instead of beauty when it comes to underwear. December 31, 2025, marked the last day of the 139-year-old lingerie brand’s time in mainland China. It announced its withdrawal in November and closed all its bricks-and-mortar and online shops within a month. Many people believe the exit resulted from the brand’s failure to keep up... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/gender-diversity/article/3342484/china-exit-top-german-lingerie-brand-shows-women-prefer-comfort-rejecting-male-gaze https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/gender-diversity/article/3342484/china-exit-top-german-lingerie-brand-shows-women-prefer-comfort-rejecting-male-gaze Wed, 11 Feb 2026 06:00:08 +0000 Zoey Zhang Zoey Zhang An orphan, trained as a cold-hearted assassin, learns what love truly means from a master thief. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, however, she kills her lover, granting him freedom as her final gift. Joyce, from Shenzhen in southern China, played this female killer in a script-killing game, and after a 10-hour plot unfolding, tears streamed down her face upon reaching this ending. She is one of many participating in the recently booming romantic script-killing games in China. In traditional... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/gender-diversity/article/3342530/china-women-pay-companions-role-playing-games-spark-love-commercialisation-debate https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/gender-diversity/article/3342530/china-women-pay-companions-role-playing-games-spark-love-commercialisation-debate Sun, 08 Feb 2026 06:00:11 +0000 Zhu Wenqian Zhu Wenqian As the Year of the Horse approaches, Chinese consumers are hunting online for mascots, dolls and charms themed after the zodiac animal, favouring soft, round and playful designs over formal styles, in what industry observers say places more weight on emotional fulfilment than on material possessions or brand prestige. This craze is boosting retail sales for plush toys and gold accessories, as is evident in toymaker Pop Mart’s sold-out Have a Good Run series of plush pendants, as well as brisk... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3342795/chinas-year-horse-shoppers-let-emotional-satisfaction-take-reins https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3342795/chinas-year-horse-shoppers-let-emotional-satisfaction-take-reins Sun, 08 Feb 2026 02:30:09 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Hours after Alibaba Group Holding began offering freebies including bubble tea through its artificial intelligence app Qwen on Friday, a surge in downloads pushed the chatbot past Tencent Holdings’ Yuanbao to the top of China’s Apple App Store, climbing from 10th place a day earlier. More than 10 million free orders – worth 250 million yuan (US$36 million) – were placed within nine hours using vouchers capped at 25 yuan through Qwen, its team said on its official Weibo account. The surge in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3342702/alibabas-bubble-tea-giveaway-pushes-qwen-past-tencents-yuanbao-top-china-app-store https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3342702/alibabas-bubble-tea-giveaway-pushes-qwen-past-tencents-yuanbao-top-china-app-store Fri, 06 Feb 2026 12:35:13 +0000 Iris Deng,Coco Feng Iris Deng,Coco Feng Tencent Holdings’ aggressive red-packet blitz to promote its artificial intelligence chatbot Yuanbao ran into a roadblock on Wednesday from the company’s own super app WeChat, dealing a blow to a US$144 million effort to acquire users for the emerging AI app. WeChat, known as Weixin on the mainland, announced on Wednesday that it would restrict Yuanbao links from opening directly within WeChat, effective immediately, in response to “user feedback and complaints”, according to a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3342324/tencents-giveaway-campaign-ai-chatbot-yuanbao-blocked-tencents-wechat https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3342324/tencents-giveaway-campaign-ai-chatbot-yuanbao-blocked-tencents-wechat Wed, 04 Feb 2026 05:01:35 +0000 Zoey Zhang Zoey Zhang The only full-time delivery rider in a remote county in the Tibet region of southwestern China delivers up to 200 orders a day while juggling multiple roles. Huang Kaihong, 24, who is known as “China’s loneliest rider”, works in Medog, a county of Nyingchi, once the last place in the country to be linked by a road. Nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas and home to fewer than 15,000 residents, Medog relies on Huang as its lifeline, keeping the community connected. In August 2024, Alibaba’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3341408/loneliest-meet-china-remote-towns-only-delivery-rider-who-completes-200-orders-daily https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3341408/loneliest-meet-china-remote-towns-only-delivery-rider-who-completes-200-orders-daily Tue, 03 Feb 2026 01:00:09 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings aims to replicate the success of WeChat Pay by splashing cash for its artificial intelligence app Yuanbao, but analysts are sceptical about whether subsidies can move the needle in the increasingly crowded market. Yuanbao’s 1 billion yuan (US$144 million) promotional campaign, which gives out cash through digital red packets to drive adoption, kicked off with a high-profile launch on Sunday, as many users woke up to find their WeChat groups flooded with... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3342111/red-packet-rumble-will-tencents-cash-giveaway-work-again-crowded-ai-market https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3342111/red-packet-rumble-will-tencents-cash-giveaway-work-again-crowded-ai-market Mon, 02 Feb 2026 14:00:15 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen Alibaba Group Holding has joined rivals including Tencent Holdings and Baidu in rolling out Spring Festival red-packet giveaways to drive mass-market adoption of its artificial intelligence apps, committing 3 billion yuan (US$432 million) to spur spending across its ecosystem as it seeks to extend its edge in foundational models to consumer-facing products. The Hangzhou-based e-commerce and AI giant said on Monday that its AI app Qwen would anchor a Spring Festival campaign across its flagship... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3342085/alibabas-qwen-ramps-ai-app-race-spring-festival-giveaway-blitz https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3342085/alibabas-qwen-ramps-ai-app-race-spring-festival-giveaway-blitz Mon, 02 Feb 2026 08:45:07 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Alibaba’s ambition to turn its chatbot app into a powerful AI assistant that dramatically changes the way people interact with smart devices appears to be paying off, according to users and analysts. Instead of repeatedly swiping a screen to complete a task, a user can tell the Qwen app to conduct a range of tasks from ordering drinks to paying electricity bills after the Hangzhou-based technology giant links it to the group’s existing apps like shopping platform Taobao and payment interface... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3340150/alibabas-upgraded-qwen-chatbot-app-receives-warm-consumer-reception https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3340150/alibabas-upgraded-qwen-chatbot-app-receives-warm-consumer-reception Fri, 16 Jan 2026 09:45:08 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Ant International, the Singapore-based spin-off of Chinese fintech giant Ant Group, has teamed up with Google on standards for artificial intelligence agents that complete online shopping tasks for users, as AI continues to transform the e-commerce sector. Ant International said in a statement on Monday it would endorse the US search and AI giant’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard that powers agentic commerce. “By leveraging our leading payment capabilities, Ant International... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3339580/ant-international-teams-google-use-universal-commerce-protocol https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3339580/ant-international-teams-google-use-universal-commerce-protocol Mon, 12 Jan 2026 09:00:15 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Alibaba Group’s logistics arm Cainiao and online grocery business Tmall Supermarket are teaming up to expand fulfilment infrastructure and speed up deliveries, as the Chinese e-commerce giant ramps up its efforts in China’s fast-growing instant commerce battle to fend off rivals such as JD.com and Meituan. Cainiao will launch new or expand instant commerce warehouses for Tmall Supermarket across 31 mainland Chinese cities by the end of January 2026, it said in a statement on Thursday. Alibaba... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3337029/need-speed-alibaba-ramps-china-instant-commerce-push-cainiao-and-tmall-tie https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3337029/need-speed-alibaba-ramps-china-instant-commerce-push-cainiao-and-tmall-tie Fri, 19 Dec 2025 10:15:09 +0000 Ningrong Liu Ningrong Liu A quiet transformation is weaving itself into the fabric of Hong Kong. In recent years, the city’s social and business circles have been energised by a wave of newcomers from across the Chinese mainland. They have brought with them a culinary revolution – restaurants serving flavours from fiery Sichuan to delicate Zhejiang now dot neighbourhoods once dominated by Cantonese fare. And these tables are magnets for a new cohort of ambitious entrepreneurs, who speak of supply chains stretching into... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3335639/how-hong-kong-became-trusted-bridgehead-china-firms-going-out https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3335639/how-hong-kong-became-trusted-bridgehead-china-firms-going-out Thu, 11 Dec 2025 01:30:08 +0000 Eunice Xu Eunice Xu ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, has moved to tighten controls on its artificial intelligence-powered smartphone after several of China’s most widely used apps restricted its voice-operated functions. The company said it had scaled back the capabilities of Doubao, the agentic AI that runs on the device. In a statement issued on Friday, ByteDance said it would prevent the Nubia M153 AI phone from claiming incentives that were intended for active human users. It was also disabling the assistant’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3335404/bytedances-agentic-ai-smartphone-dials-digital-backlash-chinas-top-apps https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3335404/bytedances-agentic-ai-smartphone-dials-digital-backlash-chinas-top-apps Sun, 07 Dec 2025 02:00:16 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu Fake photos generated by artificial intelligence (AI) are being misused to claim refunds from Chinese online shops, sparking moral and legal concerns. As China’s Double 11 shopping festival took place around November 11, several e-commerce shop owners revealed that they received AI-generated photos of damaged products from consumers attempting to seek refunds. Some people took photographs of fruit they received, then asked AI to make them look mouldy. An electric toothbrush seller said a buyer... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3334109/china-consumers-use-ai-alter-product-photos-claim-refunds-goods-appear-damaged https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3334109/china-consumers-use-ai-alter-product-photos-claim-refunds-goods-appear-damaged Sat, 29 Nov 2025 06:00:09 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Alibaba Group Holding on Thursday launched its first artificial intelligence glasses in China, as the tech giant seeks to carve out a solid niche in the growing smart wearables market. The Quark AI Glasses, named after the company’s Quark AI assistant, include three versions each of the series’ flagship S1 model and the lightweight G1 model. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post. “AI glasses are the intelligent devices that truly usher in a revolution in human-computer interaction in the AI... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3334399/alibaba-launches-us537-quark-ai-glasses-challenge-wearables-meta-xiaomi-rokid https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3334399/alibaba-launches-us537-quark-ai-glasses-challenge-wearables-meta-xiaomi-rokid Thu, 27 Nov 2025 12:11:35 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow US and Chinese artificial intelligence players are ramping up integration of e-commerce solutions in their flagship consumer products in a race to become the “everything app” of the future. OpenAI on Monday unveiled a “shopping research” tool. The function, which can generate detailed shopping guides for ChatGPT users, comes just before the busy holiday shopping season and resembles popular AI shopping services on Chinese e-commerce platforms such as Tmall and Taobao of Alibaba Group Holding.... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3334112/us-chinese-firms-add-ai-shopping-bells-and-whistles-dominate-all-one-apps https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3334112/us-chinese-firms-add-ai-shopping-bells-and-whistles-dominate-all-one-apps Wed, 26 Nov 2025 01:00:15 +0000