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Latest news, analysis and opinion on ecommerce, covering new technology, consumer habits and the growth of digital payment options.
The JD.com logo is seen on its sorting centre in Beijing, November 11, 2025. Photo: Reuters
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

Consumers

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

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.

Labubu plush toys and keychains became popular globally in 2024. Photo: Dickson Lee
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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South Korea

‘Make money in Korea, ignore Korean sentiment’: Seoul, US spar over meddling

National Assembly Speaker Woo slams US Republicans’ ‘interference in domestic affairs’ amid data leak probe into the e-commerce firm.

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Pinduoduo

Hidden office, fractured bone: violent clashes in China’s food safety crackdown

Details of secrecy, obstruction and violence emerge from a probe into 67,000 ‘ghost’ bakeries across China’s biggest e-commerce platforms.

Regulators have imposed the heaviest fine of 1.51 billion yuan on PDD and suspended it from adding new bakery merchants for nine months. Photo: Reuters
ByteDance

ByteDance profit plunges on AI push as TikTok Shop fuels overseas surge: reports

‘All-in’ AI drive cuts profits by 70 per cent, while booming TikTok Shop sales help overseas markets outpace China, reports say.

Amazon

How Amazon uses closer China supply ties to counter tariffs, Shein and Temu

Amazon’s warehousing hub in Shenzhen streamlines shipping for Chinese sellers, cutting costs and delays amid rising competition and tariffs.

Mainland China

Chinese platforms fined 3.6b yuan over ‘ghost’ takeaways amid cutthroat rivalry

The fines follow a period of intense competition that drove down prices and stalled profit-making at China’s food delivery platforms.

Delivery riders sit on electric scooters while waiting for orders at a street intersection in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. Photo: Getty Images
Amazon

Amazon bets on Shenzhen smart warehouse to cut merchant storage costs by 45%

Amazon expands China push with smart warehouse model, aiming to retain sellers amid rising competition from Temu and Shein.

Amazon’s expansion comes as regulators in the US and Europe tighten rules on low-value imports. Photo: Shutterstock
Internet

China curbs live stream tipping with new rules to protect minors

The new live-streaming rules ban under-8s from tipping and introduce tiered consent for minors to curb manipulative inducements.

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Artificial intelligence

Alibaba cloud growth forecast to climb with AI push, higher charges: analysts

The company’s cloud and AI businesses are gaining speed, with token usage and pricing changes fuelling growth, analysts say.

Robotics

Unitree to debut cheapest humanoid robot globally via Alibaba: sources

The international launch of the company’s cheapest humanoid robot next week is expected to cover North America, Europe, Japan and Singapore.

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Unitree Robotics’ R1 is one of the world’s most affordable humanoids. Photo: Handout
Alibaba

Alibaba sets up top tech committee led by CEO to sharpen AI push

Restructuring brings core AI teams under tighter leadership as competition in China’s model and agent space intensifies.

Alibaba CEO Eddie Wu Yongming says the changes are aimed at accelerating Alibaba’s AI push. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

Alibaba to deploy AI ‘digital workforce’ for millions of merchants on Taobao, Tmal

OpenClaw frenzy accelerates shift to autonomous AI, as Alibaba equips merchants with always-on digital workers.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Olympic diving champ Zhang Jiaqi defends career switch, says she needs ‘new job’

Retired diver’s live stream e-commerce venture is met with criticism, but she says gaining ‘economic freedom’ would be ‘the greatest freedom’.

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Alibaba

Alibaba targets US$100b in annual cloud, AI revenue despite results miss

T-Head, mentioned for the first time in the company’s earnings, has shipped more than 470,000 AI chips as of February.

Alibaba has positioned AI and cloud computing as its primary growth engines. Photo: AP
US-China tech war

China’s global tech push

Chinese tech companies have become world leaders in areas such as AI, online entertainment, drones and autonomous driving, as they spearhead chuhai, the nation’s “going global” push.

Artificial intelligence

Tencent and Alibaba quarterly earnings preview: key things to watch

Analysts expect steady growth, but investors will focus on AI strategy, capex and signs of monetisation at China’s tech giants.

Mainland China

Guess says it will shut all mainland China stores amid retail rethink

US fashion brand tells customers it will close all mainland China stores by end of March as analysts cite weak localisation, strategy gaps.

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A Guess outlet in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China. After two decades, the fashion outlet says it is calling it quits in mainland China. Photo: Getty Images
Mainland China

JD.com posts quarterly loss amid costly instant delivery battle

Profit for 2025 cut in half amid expensive fight with Alibaba and Meituan, as well as dampened consumer spending.

JD.com said in a post-earnings call that investment in its food delivery operations would decline this year. Photo: Reuters
Li Chenggang

JD.com renews on-demand delivery fight with US$2.9 billion in grocery subsidies

JD.com says the subsidies will make the ‘Billion-Yuan Supermarket’ its largest subsidised product category, surpassing electronics.

US-China relations

Immigration slows, but America’s appetite for ethnic groceries keeps growing

Weee, now topping $1 billion in annualized revenue, says demand for Asian and Latino foods is spreading well beyond immigrant communities.

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Shein

Rarely seen Shein founder praises Guangdong ‘roots’ as offshore listing stalls

Shein initially eyed a New York listing before switching to London after scrutiny by Washington over its supply chain and ties to China.

A screenshot of Shein founder Xu Yangtian taken from a video live stream of his talk in Guangdong on Tuesday. Photo: Handout
China economy

Opinion | How the next China shock is shaping hearts and minds

No longer confined to trade and technology, competition between China and the West is now playing out in the realm of cultural imagination.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Britain

Co-founder of British retailer Asos dies after falling from balcony in Thailand

Quentin Griffiths’ friend told police the Briton had been worried about lawsuits from his former wife, a Thai national.

Pop Mart

Pop Mart balances boom and bust: can Labubu’s leap match Molly’s momentum?

As Labubu’s meteoric rise cools, Molly’s longevity highlights the challenge Pop Mart faces in turning hype into stable intellectual property.

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