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Wang Nan, a hardware trader in China's eastern city of Yiwu, expected her business to feel some pain when the US-China trade war escalated in April. “Last year, we still had many American clients, but the tariffs changed everything,” she said. Yet, Wang's firm not only survived a rollercoaster year – which at one point saw US tariffs soar to triple-digit levels – it has emerged even stronger. An aggressive push to find new buyers in the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa paid off. In the end,......

Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek has ushered in 2026 with a new technical paper, co-authored by founder Liang Wenfeng, that proposes a rethink of the fundamental architecture used to train foundational AI models. The method – dubbed Manifold-Constrained Hyper-Connections (mHC) – forms part of the Hangzhou firm's push to make its models more cost-effective as it strives to keep pace with better-funded US rivals with deeper access to computing power. It also reflected the......

Judging by investor sentiment in the final quarter of last year, the spectacular rally in mainland Chinese and Hong Kong equities is over. The CSI 300 index of Shanghai- and Shenzhen-listed stocks declined 0.2 per cent while the MSCI China Index fell by over 7 per cent. The Hang Seng Index, meanwhile, lost 4.5 per cent. While most Wall Street banks remain bullish on Chinese stocks, some have turned more cautious. Morgan Stanley believes 2026 will be “a year of stabilization after 2025's high......

China's carmakers are on track to capture about one-third of the global auto market by 2030 and generate most of their profits overseas, according to UBS, underscoring the resilience of the country's electric vehicle (EV) advantage despite mounting trade barriers in the West. The Swiss bank said its forecast had remained unchanged from two years ago, even as Chinese carmakers accelerated factory construction in Europe and some global rivals scaled back electrification plans. “The main drag was......

Chinese rocket maker LandSpace aims to raise 7.5 billion yuan (US$1 billion) from an initial public offering (IPO) in Shanghai, after becoming the first home-grown aerospace firm to have its listing application accepted via a fast-tracked process. The Beijing-headquartered company, regarded as a challenger to Elon Musk-led SpaceX, said its listing aimed to “actively respond to national strategic plans and urgent market demands”, according to its prospectus. The Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE)......

The US government ‍has granted an annual licence to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to import American chip manufacturing equipment to its fabrication facilities in Nanjing, the capital of eastern China's Jiangsu province, according to the company. The approval “ensures uninterrupted fab operations and product deliveries”, TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, said in a statement on Thursday to Reuters. South Korea's Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have also received......

Small restaurants across mainland China have taken a beating as budget-conscious consumers refrain from dining out because of prevailing pessimism about their income amid a shaky economy. Some establishments are already at a make-or-break point after posting losses for several straight months. “My family used to live on the restaurant, which generated strong cash flow for us,” said Zhang Hongbin, owner of a canteen serving noodles and dumplings on Lancun Road in Shanghai's Pudong New Area. “But......

Despite China-EU trade frictions, Paris and other European cities remain the top destinations for Chinese travellers, with growing China-France trade and visa-free entry spurring companies like Air France-KLM to explore new opportunities. The Franco-Dutch airline group reported strong inbound demand from Europe in 2025, driven by China's visa-free policy for travellers from more than 30 European nations, covering both business and leisure segments. In the first three quarters, the company posted......

When hailing a car on Uber, riders usually choose between economy and premium options. But in certain areas in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, the first choice that flashes on the screen is “autonomous”. The availability of driverless cars underscores the urgency of the nation's push to promote clean energy and reduce dependence on oil and gas. At the forefront of this effort are Chinese robotaxi developers, which see the Middle East as one of their starting points for global......

Chinese artificial intelligence unicorn Moonshot AI has raised US$500 million in its recent Series C funding round, according to a report, as start-up rivals MiniMax Group and Zhipu AI gear up for their initial public offerings (IPOs). Moonshot AI, developer of the highly lauded Kimi AI models, saw IDG Capital lay out US$150 million to lead the latest financing round, with existing stakeholders Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings also participating, Chinese technology news outlet LatePost......

More young Chinese consumers are opting for bed-and-breakfast stays at private villas to ring in the New Year, drawn to the larger space, set-up options and enhanced privacy offered by these properties, leading to a fresh round of competition for hoteliers. That has prompted B&B operators to step up efforts in creating distinct ritualistic experiences – such as group countdown events, fireworks displays and complimentary bottles of wine – to attract more guests while standing out in a crowded......

Meta Platforms' multibillion-dollar acquisition of Manus, a Chinese-founded artificial intelligence agent start-up, has set off a mix of excitement and unease in China's tech circles, opening what some see as a new “cash-out” route for AI entrepreneurs beyond the traditional IPO playbook. Industry observers said the acquisition was made possible by two key developments: Manus' progress in building a globally competitive general AI agent and the founders' decision to relocate the business......

The former autonomous driving unit at DJI, the world's largest drone maker, is gearing up to serve the heavy vehicle industry in 2026, in the latest example of Chinese innovation spilling over from Big Tech firms to start-ups. Chinese self-driving tech firm ZYT plans to move into heavy-duty lorries and unmanned logistics vehicles, expanding its footprint from city streets to highways, as the race for commercialisation intensifies in the sector. The Shenzhen-based company, known as Zhuoyu, will......

China will lower value-added tax (VAT) on individual home resales from January 1, but while the measure has drawn interest from consumers, property agents have said most remain cautious and are adopting a wait-and-see approach. The policy would work to a certain extent, but its ability to revive the housing market was likely to be limited, they added. Individuals selling residential properties within two years of purchase would now be subject to a VAT rate of 3 per cent, down from 5 per cent,......

Nvidia is scrambling to meet strong demand for its H200 artificial intelligence chips from Chinese technology companies and has ‌approached contract manufacturer Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to ramp up production, sources said. Chinese tech companies have placed orders for more than 2 million H200 chips for 2026, while ‍Nvidia currently holds just 700,000 units in stock, two of the people said. The exact additional volume Nvidia intends to order from TSMC remains unclear, they......

Beijing has renewed a trade-in subsidy for car purchases, at least a week ahead of schedule, in an apparent effort to prop up the country's automotive sector amid worries of a sales slump in 2026. Buyers who replace their petrol and electric cars with new vehicles would receive a cash subsidy of up to 20,000 yuan (US$2,858) per unit, according to a circular jointly released on Monday by the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance. The authorities were earlier......

CXMT Corporation, parent of Chinese memory chip giant ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), aims to raise 29.5 billion yuan (US$4.2 billion) from an initial public offering in Shanghai to fund technology upgrades, as Beijing presses ahead with its drive for tech self-reliance amid geopolitical tensions. The Shanghai Stock Exchange received CXMT's application for a listing on the Nasdaq-style Star Market, a filing on the bourse's website showed on Tuesday night. This marks a critical step towards......

Chinese generative artificial intelligence start-up MiniMax Group has kicked off its Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO), seeking to raise up to HK$4.19 billion (US$538 million) to support its growth as competition intensifies in China's fast-moving AI sector. The Shanghai-based company would offer 25.39 million shares globally, with about 5 per cent allocated to Hong Kong retail investors and the rest to international investors, according to a stock exchange filing on Wednesday. Shares were......

European aviation giant Airbus won another two major orders from Chinese clients for a total of 90 A320neo aircraft on Tuesday, just a day after receiving orders for 55 passenger jets of the same model from two other Chinese airlines. The orders came weeks after Airbus' CEO accompanied French President Emmanuel Macron on a state visit to China and mark a big win for the European manufacturer over its American competitor Boeing in one of the world's biggest aviation markets. Air China, Beijing's......

Hong Kong and mainland Chinese stocks are set to close out 2025 with annual gains for the second year in a row, as a tariff truce between Beijing and Washington mitigated geopolitical risks and China's growth held up. The Hang Seng Index has risen 28 per cent this year, putting the 89-member benchmark on track for its best yearly performance since 2017, when it gained 36 per cent. The CSI 300 Index of the mainland's yuan-denominated stocks has climbed 18 per cent, heading for the biggest gain......