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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.
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
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.

South Korea

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

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Alibaba

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

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.

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.

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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.

A European Union flag flies outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium in February. Photo: Reuters
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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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.

Alibaba stands at a critical inflection point in the development of artificial general intelligence, according to a letter to shareholders. Photo: AFP
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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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.

The JD.com logo is seen on its sorting centre in Beijing, November 11, 2025. Photo: Reuters
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.

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.

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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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Parcels at the Cainiao Liege eHub in the city’s airport zone, which handles products from China sold on Alibaba’s AliExpress platform. Photo: Universal Images Group via Getty Images
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.

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.

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.

ByteDance recorded its first profit decline in years after adopting an “all-in” mentality on AI. Photo: Getty Images
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.

Amazon officially opened the world’s first global warehousing and distribution facility in Shenzhen to more sellers on Wednesday. Photo: dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
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.

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.

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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A live streamer sells products in Longquan Township, southwest China’s Guizhou province, on June 18, 2024, during the “618” shopping festival. Photo: Xinhua
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.

The Alibaba building in Xuhui Binjiang Park, also known as “AI Park”, in Shanghai. Photo: EPA
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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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.

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