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News feed
Bite-sized news updates on China’s tech world
Monday, July 25
- Apple has launched a rare round of discounts on a range of products in China under a “Summer Sales” (our translation) banner that sees price cuts of up to RMB 600 ($88.9) for a limited time. The discounted items include the iPhone 13 series, iPhone SE, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, Apple Watch SE, AirPods, and AirPods Pro. The iPhone 13 series features the heaviest discounts, whereas AirPods have been reduced by just RMB 150. Apple has long offered education and employee discounts in China, but such a wide-ranging sale for all customers is extremely rare. The brand’s smartphone shipments in China fell 10.1% year-on-year in May, according to CINNO, a Chinese insight firm. [Apple, in Chinese]
- The China Communications Standards Association announced the formation of a new committee to set universal fast-charging standards on July 22 in Beijing. An official from the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said the move would help the country “build fast-charging standards based on self-developed technology as soon as possible.” Wen Ku, head of the Association, explained that the new standards would apply to phones and tablets. This could mean the development of a USB PD alternative within China, with such a development being touted as a way to simplify the consumer experience and to reduce the carbon footprint of such devices. In 2021, the European Commission found that 11,000 tonnes of chargers are disposed of globally every year. [CCTV, in Chinese]
- Chinese automakers BYD and Leapmotor are considering bidding for a car plant in the central city of Changsha put up for sale by GAC FCA, a joint venture between Chinese automaker GAC and Stellantis, local media reported on Friday. The news came just days after Stellantis and GAC announced plans on July 18 to end their money-losing joint venture, which used to produce Chrysler’s popular crossovers the Jeep Cherokee and Grand Commander, and now has a production capacity of 164,000 vehicles per year. Sales of passenger electric vehicles by both BYD and Leapmotor more than tripled in 2021, due to growing demand. [CLS, in Chinese]
- Alibaba announced on Friday that it will shut Tmall in Hong Kong on Oct. 30, 2022, after a one-year run. Alibaba launched the service in the city in May 2021, selling fresh produce and consumer products in collaboration with big-name brands such as Adidas. Tmall is Alibaba’s online retail platform selling major Chinese and global brands. The e-commerce giant said in an official announcement that it made the decision based on “business strategy adjustment” and will continue to provide payment and delivery services to local residents in Hong Kong via its Taobao Marketplace. [Caixin, in Chinese]
Tuesday, July 26
- On July 25, Tencent announced the addition of two new units to its Cloud and Smart Industries Business Group (CSIG) – Tencent Map and Digital Twins – and shut down the Smart Space Product unit and Transportation Platform Product unit (our translation), according to a Monday report by Jiemian. The new Tencent Map Product unit, led by Zhang Zhidong, will be consumer-facing, while the existing Map Platform unit develops the fundamental tech behind map products. Employees from the two shuttered units mentioned above will join the Digital Twins unit led by Wan Chao. Zhang and Wan will report to Zhong Xiangping, vice president of Tencent. [Jiemian, in Chinese]
- Alibaba plans to apply for a primary listing in Hong Kong, becoming a dual-primary listed company in the US and Hong Kong, according to an official announcement from the company on Tuesday. The process is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Alibaba is already on the Hong Kong bourse through a secondary listing, which has been in place since 2019. A dual primary listing will also mean Alibaba can apply for the Stock Connect program, allowing mainland Chinese investors to invest in the company more easily. [Reuters]
- Lin Fan, CEO of Linkedin-like platform Maimai, told Chinese media outlet Jiemian on Monday that Chinese talent is migrating from traditional tech firms like Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent to five trending fields: electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotech, and carbon neutrality. According to Maimai’s data, two-thirds of the Chinese companies to receive financing in June of this year were from one of these five major tech fields. Lin added that while these industries are well funded, they lack talent. The coming large-scale talent migration reflects a broader trend of structural adjustments in the tech industry. [Jiemian]
- Major Chinese carrier China Mobile will shut down instant chat app Fetion on September 30. The app was popular before the WeChat era for its unique feature that allowed users to send SMS directly from the app for free. Launched in 2007, the app had nearly 500 million registered users at its peak. In 2016, Fetion’s Chines name, Feixin, was changed to “He Feixin” under the China Mobile brand “He.” The brand attempted to branch further into business markets but failed to compete with stronger rivals like WeChat and DingTalk. [Securities Daily, in Chinese]
Wednesday, July 27
- Electric vehicle maker Li Auto said on Tuesday that no one was seriously injured after an L9 crossover crashed into a guardrail in the eastern Chinese city of Ningbo. A salesperson was giving a customer a test drive on Monday night when the accident took place, after the car tried to pass a vehicle in front from the right-hand side and then encountered merging lanes, according to logs reviewed by the automaker. The incident comes just days after another L9 suffered a broken suspension during a test drive on July 18. The company responded to the July 18 incident by saying that the faulty component was only for trial vehicles; the firm also extended the warranty on air spring parts for the flagship new model. [Li Auto release, in Chinese]
- Two high-profile Chinese celebrity endorsers cut ties with Qudian on Tuesday after the company became embroiled in controversy related to its past as a fast-approval credit service. Jia Nailiang and Fu Shouer announced on Weibo that they had cut ties with the company and apologized for endorsing the brand. Qudian and its CEO Luo Min saw great success in a Douyin livestream on July 17 in which they sold pre-prepared food packages, a new company business venture. Previously the firm’s main business had been providing quick online credit. Before the government cracked down on quick lending services in colleges in mid-2017, Qudian provided high-interest loans to college students and has faced criticism for pushing young people with no stable income into heavy debt. Qudian’s troubled past resurfaced on the Chinese internet after Luo Min joined a livestream on education company New Oriental’s popular channel as a member of the audience and gave rewards to the host to win more exposure. [Sycaijing, in Chinese]
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