Alibaba

Baidu

ByteDance

Meituan

Pinduoduo

Tencent

Most Followed

KrASIA Connection

China's Auto Sector

Earnings Reports

Inside China's Startups

Venture Roundup

Our Events

View All

Collections

News

Features

Insights

Ecosystem

DeepSeek

Kuaishou

Li Auto

Xiaohongshu

Xiaomi

Xpeng

On the Radar

Manus, the AI agent platform once infamous for invite codes reselling at up to USD 10,000, is now open for global registration, offering free daily ta…

Events

Latest

About

36Kr (EN)

Consumer

Robotics

Fintech

China

Demand for non-China magnets is surging, but upping capacity is no easy feat.

How China's rare earth curbs complicate the West's diversification push

Decoding China&#039;s tech and business pulse

KrASIA

As part of 36Kr’s ongoing partnership with Nikkei, you can read selected content from Nikkei Asia on KrASIA.

Nikkei Asia

Photo of Venetia Lee, CEO of AlipayHK and general manager of Ant International for the Greater China region.

Alipay, a fintech platform by Ant Group, offers mobile payments, financial services, and e-commerce integrations, supporting transactions globally.

Alipay

Ant Group, a fintech powerhouse, offers digital payments, wealth management tools, and micro loans, enabling borderless, mobile-first financial services.

Ant Group

China’s tech ecosystem serves as a driving force behind the world’s second largest economy, influencing global digital markets.

Explore East Asia’s thriving tech hubs, global electronics producers, and fast-evolving digital platforms shaping cross-border innovation.

East Asia

What sets the bar for convenience? Examine on-demand platforms, subscription models, and personalization transforming consumer expectations.

Consumer Economy

How does finance become frictionless? Examine digital banking, payment innovation, and lending platforms redefining financial access.

How do policies adjust to a data-rich world? Explore usage-based coverage, automated claims, and analytics guiding risk assessment.

Insurance

What streamlines global commerce? Examine digital wallets, cross-border remittances, and instant settlement technologies.

Payments

What drives global exploration? Discover evolving tourism trends, hospitality services, and the shift toward personalized travel experiences.

Travel

Hong Kong

Q&amp;A

Focusing on transport, dining, payments, and cross-border travel, AlipayHK wants to evolve into a platform that quietly handles the rhythms of daily life.

“We aspire to become Hong Kong’s superapp,” says AlipayHK CEO Venetia Lee

T. K. Lin

How do markets shape wealth creation? Study portfolio diversification, asset classes, and strategies balancing growth and risk.

Investment

When do companies invite public investment? Understand listing criteria, underwriter roles, and regulatory steps defining initial offerings.

Why do firms join forces? Investigate synergy goals, valuation methods, and negotiations driving corporate consolidation.

Merger &amp; Acquisition

What happens after acquisitions close? Examine deal structures, operational improvements, and exit strategies molding corporate outcomes.

Private Equity

What fuels startup ecosystems? Review funding rounds, investor strategies, and market insights guiding entrepreneurial growth.

Venture Capital

Singapore

Southeast Asia

Bringing you the latest updates on funding deals and activities in the Asia Pacific.

Deals in brief: Wavemaker Impact leads Arysun’s pre-seed round, Nuevocor raises USD 45 million, latest funding deals in China, and more

An alias used when humans and machines team up in our newsroom. Articles under this byline may be shaped with the help of AI, but are always vetted by a human before publication.

Sudo Lim

KrASIA tracks China’s tech and business stories—alongside key developments across the broader Asia Pacific region.

Header Section | KrASIA

Home

Sections

Header Section

Manus, the AI agent platform once infamous for invite codes reselling at up to USD 10,000, is now open for global registration, offering free daily tasks and expanded paid plans. The platform, built on Qwen models, aims to scale its AI-driven task automation globally. It also plans to expand into major markets, including the US, Japan, and the Middle East.

Tencent Music Entertainment Group reported Q1 2025 revenue of RMB 7.36 billion (USD 1.01 billion), reflecting an 8.7% year-over-year increase. Online music services led growth with a 15.9% rise to RMB 5.8 billion (USD 800 million), driven by strong gains in music subscriptions. Paying users grew 8.3% to 122.9 million, while average revenue per paying user (ARPPU) climbed to RMB 11.4 from RMB 10.6 a year earlier.

JD Logistics reported Q1 adjusted profit of RMB 750 million (USD 104 million), up 13.4% year-on-year, supported by new facilities in Warsaw and Hong Kong and a Shenzhen–Bangkok air cargo route. JD Health saw revenue rise 25.5% to RMB 16.65 billion (USD 2.34 billion), fueled by demand for AI-powered healthcare and new drug listings.

JD.com reported Q1 2025 net income of RMB 301.1 billion (USD 41.5 billion), a 15.8% year-over-year increase fueled by strong segment performance. Electronics sales grew 17.1%, while daily essentials rose 14.9%. The supermarket category marked its fifth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth. Operating profit climbed 36% to RMB 10.5 billion (USD 1.5 billion), and adjusted EBITDA reached RMB 13.7 billion (USD 1.9 billion), surpassing market expectations.

BYD topped Tesla in European sales for April 2025, achieving 11,123 units sold across 14 markets, including Spain, Italy, France, the UK, and Germany. Tesla recorded 6,253 units by comparison. BYD's market share climbed sharply in the UK with a 654% year-over-year rise, and it captured 10% of Italy's market with 5,646 units sold from January to April.

Qianxing AI has introduced Zoe, China’s first AI-driven Agent for foreign trade. Zoe automates the entire sales pipeline—from market analysis and client sourcing to outreach and conversion tracking. According to Qianxing AI, Zoe achieves conversion rates more than ten times higher than traditional methods, signaling a breakthrough in trade development efficiency.

Tencent’s ima.copilot introduced a refreshed homepage featuring a <strong data-start="407" data-end="424">Knowledge Hub</strong> for seamless database access, targeted Q&amp;A, smart recommendations, and quick previews of original text. The update strengthens Tencent's knowledge ecosystem by integrating public knowledge bases with real-time search, enhancing visibility and simplifying information discovery.

<p data-start="267" data-end="636">XPeng Motors entered the Italian market during Milan Design Week, showcasing its P7+ sedan, AeroHT Voyager X2 flying car, and a humanoid robot at the ADI Design Museum. As Italy targets 1.3 million EVs by 2025 with state-backed incentives, XPeng’s presence in Italy cements its Southern Europe coverage, building on its foothold in Spain and over ten other countries.</p>

Moonshot AI is expanding Kimi’s capabilities into medical AI, aiming to improve search reliability in specialized fields. This move marks part of its broader strategy to optimize Kimi's ecosystem and explore Agent solutions. Industry insiders describe the medical application as early-stage, with core efforts on enhancing Kimi's data trustworthiness.

BYD's Brazil plant will be fully functional by December 2026 after delays linked to labour abuse investigations, according to Bahia officials. Assembly from imported kits will begin in 2025. The project, expected to generate 20,000 jobs, is key to BYD’s plan to turn a former Ford site into a 150,000-unit EV hub.

Transsion posted 10.3% revenue growth in 2024, but profits stagnated as rising supply chain costs and tighter competition squeezed margins. Once dominant in Africa, the smartphone maker now faces mounting pressure from <a href="/company/xiaomi">Xiaomi</a>, Realme, and others replicating its strategy in emerging markets.

Targeted dialogues and policy consultations at BIIT paved the way for Chinese firms to expand globally.

BIIT 2025 unlocks market access through strategic negotiations

CHENG Zi is based in China, covering technology and business-related events. She works with her colleagues at 36Kr Global to provide coverage in both English and Chinese.

https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a1c02e0609a846ab19ab44182633a8d5?s=96&d=blank&r=g

Cheng Zi

What fits the world in your pocket? Track device innovation, OS ecosystems, and connectivity shaping smartphone usage.

Smartphones

Africa

Transsion’s localization playbook made it a leader in markets others ignored. Now, competitors are catching on.

Once untouchable in Africa, Transsion now faces a wave of challengers

36Kr is China's most influential business and technology network, delivering high-quality content focused on China’s innovation and new economy trends since 2010. With its extensive traffic and network, 36Kr has built a comprehensive database and strong data analytics capabilities to provide insights into China’s technology landscape.

https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a6b9ace74da9df391d5f7ba1892f4393?s=96&d=blank&r=g

36Kr English

What guides machine-led insights? Uncover AI applications, language models, and decision-making systems transforming sectors worldwide.

Artificial Intelligence

What lies beyond familiar frontiers? Investigate emerging tech—like quantum computing and AI—transforming traditional sectors.

Deep Tech

AI buzzwords fade fast, but with the right timing and utility, MCP could stick.

AI agent platform Manus drops invite-only barrier

Latest Pulses

Most Recent

BIIT 2025 unlocks market access through strategic negotiations

Once untouchable in Africa, Transsion now faces a wave of challengers

As AI agents multiply, is MCP the protocol to watch?