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

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Olympic diving champ Zhang Jiaqi defends career switch, says she needs ‘new job’

Alibaba

Alibaba targets US$100b in annual cloud, AI revenue despite results miss

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.

China’s global tech push
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.

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.

JD.com said in a post-earnings call that investment in its food delivery operations would decline this year. Photo: Reuters
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.

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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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.

A screenshot of Shein founder Xu Yangtian taken from a video live stream of his talk in Guangdong on Tuesday. Photo: Handout
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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Illustration: Craig Stephens
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.

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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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’.

A Meituan drone for food delivery takes off from a drone delivery camp near Shenzhen Bay Park. Photo: VCG/VCG via Getty Images
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.

A delivery driver rushes with an order on February 8, 2026, in Beijing. Photo: Getty Images
Fashion

Q&A | Thailand’s Gentlewoman: viral totes and Covid resilience

Discover how 3 Thai accountancy and finance graduates steered the fashion brand’s rapid rise using smart data-driven design and being nimble enough to adapt.

China’s private sector

China’s Year of the Horse shoppers let emotional satisfaction take the reins

Brand prestige fades in importance as consumers favour festival-themed toys, playful designs and pet items.

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Artificial intelligence

Sweet surge: Qwen overtakes Yuanbao after Alibaba’s bubble tea campaign

More than 10 million free orders put Alibaba’s AI app in the spotlight amid a high-stakes battle for Spring Festival attention.

More than 10 million free orders were placed within nine hours of the campaign, overwhelming many stores in mainland China. Photo: Handout
China’s private sector

China’s Kuaishou slapped with US$17 million fine after explicit content probe

The fine comes days after a separate e-commerce penalty, adding pressure on China’s No 2 short-video platform to tighten controls.

Sweden

Multinationals race into China’s US$143.9 billion instant retail market

Ikea, Continental and Aldi Nord enlist local partners to launch faster, more comprehensive delivery services than they offer abroad.

Kuaishou

China slaps US$3.7 million fine on Kuaishou for live-streaming e-commerce breach

The penalty reflects a broader regulatory crackdown on content and operations deemed undesirable or harmful on Chinese online platforms.

Chinese regulators are tightening oversight on live-streaming e-commerce platform operators such as Kuaishou Technology. Photo: Shutterstock
United States

Amazon cuts 16,000 jobs amid AI shift, post-pandemic restructuring

The restructuring and cost-cutting come despite soaring profits and strategic hiring in key areas.

Amazon plans to cut its workforce worldwide to streamline operations and reduce bureaucracy across the company. Photo: Shutterstock
China travel

China’s Trip.com probe targets algorithms, prices after vendor anger: analysts

Regulators accuse one of the world’s biggest travel platforms of abusing market power, with analysts warning of wider industry scrutiny.

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US-China trade war

At America’s biggest retail show, the China question never really goes away

Tariffs may ebb and supply chains may detour, but US shoppers – and giants like Walmart and Amazon – still rely heavily on Chinese goods.

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China economy

China fines e-commerce firm PDD for tax violations amid probe

Operator of leading online retail platform was cited for failure to comply with Shanghai’s tax requirements.

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The logo of Chinese e-commerce platform Pinduoduo. Photo: Shutterstock
Pinduoduo

Chinese-owned Temu catches up with Amazon in global cross-border e-commerce

Shein, another Chinese-founded retail giant, stabilised its market share at 9 per cent in 2025, while AliExpress held 8 per cent.

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Temu saw its share surge from less than 1 per cent to 24 per cent last year, on par with Amazon. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Artificial intelligence

Alibaba’s upgraded Qwen chatbot app receives warm consumer reception

Qwen’s upgrade transforms the chatbot into a virtual ‘life assistant’, making lives easier for hundreds of millions of consumers.

Alibaba

Alibaba’s Qwen AI app hits 100 million users as update widens role in daily life

Chinese e-commerce giant deepens integration of its fast-growing app to enable voice-powered shopping, travel and digital tasks.

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