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The total pet population in China reached 430 million in 2024, with nearly one-third of urban cats classified as obese, according to the China Pet Industry Association. Photo: Shutterstock
Made in China 2025

Meow or never: China’s pudgy pets spark race for weight-loss drugs

Fosun and Huadong biotech labs eye feline obesity drugs as owners weigh cuteness against health risks.

Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s CATL, Nio deepen partnership to develop extended-life EV batteries

Banking & finance

Citic Securities claims top spot in Asia-Pacific investment banking for 2025

Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla’s China sales hit record as EV buyers race to beat tax increase

US carmaker’s share of world’s biggest EV market declines to slightly more then 4 per cent amid stern challenge from local rivals.

Tesla cars are displayed in a showroom in Beijing on April 4, 2025. Photo: Simon Song
Tesla cars are displayed in a showroom in Beijing on April 4, 2025. Photo: Simon Song
IPO

MiniMax’s Hong Kong IPO set to hit US$538 million amid Chinese AI sector frenzy

The Alibaba-backed firm is set to price its 25.4 million shares at HK$165 each, the top end of its marketed range, sources say.

Banking & finance

The ‘biology winter’ thaws: why investors are buying Hong Kong’s biotech IPOs

A wave of China out-licensing deals is feeding a biotech comeback in Hong Kong, where IPOs and follow-on placements are surging.

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Fintech

Digital finance in 2026: what to expect as pilots move into real-world adoption

While digital money experiments promise greater efficiency, they also risk deeper fragmentation and regulatory pitfalls, experts warn.

Blockchain and Web3 technology are “inherently global”, but real-world applications must be “embedded in regulation and local use cases”, expert says. Photo: Shutterstock
Blockchain and Web3 technology are “inherently global”, but real-world applications must be “embedded in regulation and local use cases”, expert says. Photo: Shutterstock
China property

Property industry an enemy within for Beijing’s economic targets

Ripple effect from further downturn would threaten economic growth and put more developers, workers and even banks at risk, analysts warn.

IPO

Turning point: China doubles IPOs in 2025 amid eased curbs to boost tech push

CSRC reforms revive fundraising momentum with 115 firms generating US$18.3 billion across mainland China’s exchanges.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Weak year-end sales cloud China’s EV outlook, keeping price-war fears alive

A weaker-than-expected year-end rush and falling deliveries at major brands are stoking fears of another price war.

BYD electric cars await shipment to Brazil at Taicang Port in Suzhou in China’s eastern Jiangsu province. Photo: AFP
Banking & finance

More issuers turn to Dubai listings as yuan bonds gain traction in Middle East

Dubai’s dim sum bond momentum points to investor confidence in China and diversification from the US dollar, says regulator.

Financial centres like Dubai are the key centrepoints of the quickly growing corridor between China and the Middle East, according to the Dubai Financial Services Authority. Photo: AFP
Financial centres like Dubai are the key centrepoints of the quickly growing corridor between China and the Middle East, according to the Dubai Financial Services Authority. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks jump into 2026 with biggest surge since May

Investors expect Beijing’s ‘policy pivot’ to continue, with a focus on demand-side stimulus and stabilising the housing market, analyst says.

IPO

Shares in Chinese GPU start-up Biren soar in Hong Kong listing

Shares leap 82 per cent in debut after retail investors’ demand exceeds supply by 2,347 times.

Banking & finance

Hong Kong’s affluent investors are multimillionaires by 39: HSBC survey

HSBC, the city’s biggest lender, saw double-digit growth in the number of Hong Kong-dollar multimillionaires in 2025.

A man walks past a large HSBC billboard in Central, Hong Kong, on February 19, 2025. Photo: Elson Li
China’s private sector

Small restaurants in China starve as consumers suppress spending appetite

Per-capita spending per meal has dropped nearly 24 per cent since 2023, data provider says, as property slump sows uncertainty.

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A costumed man promotes restaurant specials in Beijing on December 2, 2025. Photo: AFP
A costumed man promotes restaurant specials in Beijing on December 2, 2025. Photo: AFP
Electric & new energy vehicles

Beijing renews trade-in subsidy scheme amid domestic car market’s gloomy outlook

Buyers who replace their petrol and electric cars with new vehicles will receive a cash subsidy of up to US$2,858 per unit.

ByteDance

Exclusive | ByteDance to pour US$14 billion into Nvidia chips in 2026 as AI demand surges

Chinese unicorn’s computing needs have climbed across its portfolio of popular apps, cloud unit Volcano Engine and large language models.

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IPO

China’s Zhipu AI launches US$560 million share sale amid heated IPO tech race

The company, marketed overseas as Z.ai, eyes US$6.6 billion valuation with Hong Kong’s first large language model listing.

Zhipu AI is moving closer to becoming the first large language model developer listed in Hong Kong. Photo: Shutterstock
Zhipu AI is moving closer to becoming the first large language model developer listed in Hong Kong. Photo: Shutterstock
IPO

China vital to Insilico’s plan to build biotech’s AI ‘Einstein’ for new drugs

US firm, backed by Fosun and Tencent, expands research base in China as it develops an AI-powered drug-discovery tool.

IPO

Insilico Medicine leads 6 Hong Kong IPOs, capping banner fundraising year

Debutants raise total of US$899 million as exchange wraps up one of the most active months for IPOs since 2021.

Banking & finance

OCBC, Bangkok Bank, First Abu Dhabi join US$14 billion offshore yuan scheme

Leading banks from Southeast Asia and the Middle East are taking part in the programme, underscoring the city’s push as an offshore yuan hub.

The expanded yuan liquidity facility underscores Hong Kong’s push as a global offshore yuan hub. Photo: AFP
Accounting and auditing

Hong Kong accounting firms plan hiring spree and embrace AI to attract talent

KPMG, Deloitte and EY boost hiring and invest in AI to lift efficiency and attract talent amid rising demand for tech-savvy professionals.

AI is helping accountants take on new and different job roles, according to KPMG. Photo: Getty Images
AI is helping accountants take on new and different job roles, according to KPMG. Photo: Getty Images
Made in China 2025

China’s rising biotech clout on show in flurry of billion-dollar licensing deals

A burst of overseas licensing pacts is spotlighting China’s biotech sector, as Jacobio, Coherent Biopharma and Harbour BioMed land deals.

Hong Kong stock market

Firmer yuan fuels share gains on bets Beijing will tolerate appreciation

Chinese equities edged higher on Friday, led by BYD, after the offshore yuan climbed through 7 per dollar for the first time since 2024.

Electric & new energy vehicles

CATL poised to bring Yichun lithium output back online after licence lapse

With battery costs again under the spotlight, regulators are set to green light CATL’s restart of the Yichun mine in eastern China.

A restart of the Yichun lithium mine could strengthen CATL’s output capacity at a time when carmakers are pushing suppliers to cut costs. Photo: AFP
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