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E-commerce
Latest news, analysis and opinion on ecommerce, covering new technology, consumer habits and the growth of digital payment options.
Social networking and e-commerce app RedNote is viewed by Chinese consumers as a search engine and trust-builder. Photo: AFP
The Future of Marketing in Asia

China’s digital platforms redefine global marketing strategies

The mainland’s app ecosystem integrates content, discovery and transaction into a single and seamless experience.

Artificial intelligence

Hard work and endurance: what Alibaba’s team-building says about its AI drive

Meituan

Dishing the dirt: official media alleges smear tactics in delivery battle

China consumption

China’s e-commerce platforms help unlock global markets for South Korean brands

China’s cross-border platforms, which sell to millions of shoppers, are acting as a low-cost route to overseas customers in several regions.

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A dense crowd of shoppers at Musinsa in Seoul, as South Korean online shops team up with Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms to sell their wares. Photo: Shutterstock
China consumption

‘People are more cautious’: has China lost its appetite for shopping festivals?

The shopping bonanza used to see mountains of packages pile up on street corners, but orders have dwindled amid China’s economic slowdown.

Hong Kong environmental issues

Green group urges Hong Kong to cut excessive e-commerce packaging waste

The Green Earth urges Hong Kong to align with mainland Chinese packaging limits after study estimates city generated 2.7 million kg of waste.

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Food delivery apps

China proposes ban on ‘irrational’ food-delivery subsidies to end price wars

Regulators target predatory pricing and merchant coercion, with new rules requiring that tech giants disclose subsidy data and not disrupt the market.

Food-delivery riders for Meituan sit on scooters while waiting for orders at a street intersection in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. Photo: Getty Images
China-France relations

China’s Shein to be ousted from Paris store after other brands flee

New BHV Marais owners say Chinese fast-fashion heavyweight should leave by Christmas after brands pulled out in protest.

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JD.com

Alibaba and JD.com targeted in smear campaign ahead of shopping festival

Police in Sichuan say they dismantled the months-long operation ahead of the finale of the online retail ‘618’ festival.

China economy

Opinion | Why Shein’s French fines are a warning to Chinese firms going global

Chinese firms going global can’t just enter foreign markets – they must also work to earn the trust required to stay there.

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French police walk past the BHV Marais department store in Paris on November 5, 2025, the day of the opening of Chinese online fast-fashion retailer Shein’s first physical store inside BHV. Photo: Reuters
Mainland China

As 618 shopping frenzy grows, Beijing warns e-commerce giants over price tactics

Officials summoned Alibaba, JD.com, Pinduoduo, Douyin and RedNote over marketing practices, underscoring official concern about subsidy wars.

Workers sort express packages at a distribution centre in Lianyungang in China's Jiangsu Province. The express delivery industry is ramping up operations ahead of the '618' online shopping festival. Photo: Getty Image
South Korea

South Korea hits Coupang with record US$409 million fine for data breach

‘Inadequate basic safeguards’ resulted in the personal data of around 37.5 million users being exposed, the privacy commission found.

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Alibaba

Ant International powers new e-wallet in cash-heavy Mexico

The e-wallet may assist small businesses in the Latin American country to build credit history and secure financing, according to Clip.

Tencent

WeChat to take commands from AI assistants in major shift for Tencent

Phone makers including Huawei, Honor, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo set to support feature that reverses past reluctance to open the super app.

Apps like WeChat have long been the main gateways to the internet for Chinese consumers. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Alibaba

Alibaba elevates tech chief Wu Zeming to elite committee amid AI push

Wu joins Jack Ma and Joe Tsai in committee of five overseeing group that steers company’s strategy.

A visitor walks in front of an Alibaba booth during the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing on July 18, 2025. Photo: AP Photo
Meituan

Meituan reports third consecutive quarterly loss amid rivalry in food delivery

CEO Wang Xing says Keeta food delivery business achieved ‘meaningful efficiency gains’ in both Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia in the quarter.

China-EU relations

JD.com’s US$2.6 billion bid for Germany’s Ceconomy faces deeper EU scrutiny

European Commission launches in-depth investigation under Foreign Subsidies Regulation in latest instance of Brussels-Beijing tensions.

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Alibaba

‘Sharif speed’ meets Qwen AI: how Alibaba sealed a sweeping deal with Pakistan

Chairman Joe Tsai uses firm’s mobile AI tool to draft a sweeping tech pact in moments, as ‘frontier technologies’ increasingly enter the global limelight.

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Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (right) meets the chairman of Alibaba Group, Joe Tsai, on Sunday. Photo: handout
Fashion

Chinese fast-fashion juggernaut Shein to buy eco-friendly Everlane

The ‘jarring’ takeover bid arrives at a time when Everlane is struggling with weak sales and higher debt.

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Artificial intelligence

Alibaba signals next phase of AI growth from investment to commercialisation

Chinese e-commerce and cloud computing giant forecasts 30 billion yuan AI revenue in 2026, with agents driving more than half of cloud sales.

Artificial intelligence

Chinese tech giants race to dominate AI-powered digital gateways

The integration of agentic AI with sites like Taobao and JD.com is reshaping shopping, but the bigger promise is an agent within WeChat.

A Taobao and Tmall display is seen at the Alibaba office in Beijing on April 1. Photo: AFP
Alibaba

Alibaba CEO signals capex boost as China tech giant forges full-stack AI path

Alibaba’s quarterly revenue arrived largely in line with estimates as the tech giant disclosed its first AI sales data, and in early US trading, the shares jumped 6%.

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A man walks past an Alibaba display featuring the Olympic rings outside an Alibaba office building in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on Tuesday. Photo: Getty Images
Indonesia

Why Indonesia is expanding under-16 social media ban to e-commerce

The plan aims to protect children from online scams and impulse buying, but experts say it could be a major compliance test for platforms.

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JD.com

JD.com reports 53% decline in first-quarter profit to US$750m

The subdued results came after the firm reported its first quarterly loss in the fourth quarter last year amid an ongoing price war.

Artificial intelligence

Alibaba brings chat-style shopping to Taobao, Qwen amid AI gateway push: source

E-commerce giant is integrating Qwen with Taobao and Tmall, enabling shoppers to use natural-language commands instead of keyword searches.

A Taobao and Tmall installation at the Alibaba offices in Beijing. Photo: AFP
Consumers

Ikea to open first small-format Beijing store to tap changing consumer trends

The Tongzhou district outlet marks the furniture retailer’s pivot to compact formats as China’s property slump hits home-furnishing demand.

Ikea’s smaller stores focus on design services and curated product selections, rather than maintaining extensive on-site inventory, according to analysts. Photo: Handout
Pop Mart

Pop Mart comes with a cool idea for red-hot Labubu: mini-fridges

The Chinese toymaker is launching two limited-edition Labubu-themed mini-refrigerators priced at US$878 each.

China exports

Flood of small parcels from China pushes Belgian airport to limit

Belgium’s top customs official says main problem is that many products do not meet EU standards.

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