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Latest news, analysis and opinion on ecommerce, covering new technology, consumer habits and the growth of digital payment options.
Ikea’s smaller stores focus on design services and curated product selections, rather than maintaining extensive on-site inventory, according to analysts. Photo: Handout
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

China exports

Flood of small parcels from China pushes Belgian airport to limit

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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.

A worker drives a delivery truck of South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang in Seoul last year. Photo: AFP
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.

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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.

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.

People walk past a billboard promoting Tmall’s Singles’ Day sale at a popular shopping district in Beijing on November 10, 2025. Photo: AP
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’.

Zhang Jiaqi (left) won the synchronised 10m platform diving with Chen Yuxi at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. Photo: Xinhua
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.

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.

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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.

Shenzhen-based Tencent, operator of China’s largest social media platform and the world’s biggest video gaming business by revenue, is expected to report results on Wednesday after the market closes. Photo: Reuters
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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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.

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.

The JD.com logo is seen outside its sorting centre building in Beijing, November 11, 2025. Photo: Reuters
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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Larry Liu, founder and chief executive of online grocery platform Weee, says demand for Asian and Latino food in the US now extends well beyond immigrant communities. Photo: Handout
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.

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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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.

Asos co-founder Quentin Griffiths’ body is found at the bottom of this residential building in Pattaya on February 9. Photo: Reuters
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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Illustration: Brian Wang
Meituan

Meituan warns of US$3.5 billion loss amid intense food delivery price war

Food delivery giant expects losses to continue into at least the first quarter of 2026 ‘due to ongoing competition’.

Food delivery apps

China calls on delivery, ride-hailing firms to respect gig-worker rights

Meituan, Alibaba, Didi Chuxing among 16 firms summoned for guidance session on rights of country’s more than 200 million gig workers.

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