China Executive Insights
Tsinghua-spunout humanoid robot startup Wujie Power raises over $200M in angel-stage funding from Sequoia China, Linear Capital, Hillhouse, Baidu Ventures, and SF Express.
Every Wednesday and Friday, TechNode’s Briefing newsletter delivers a roundup of the most important news in China tech, straight to your inbox. Your support helps TechNode continue to provide credible, on-the-ground journalism and industry insights about the Chinese tech industry. Kimi developer Moonshot AI is close to completing a new $2 billion funding round that would value the company at more than $20 billion, according to LatePost. The round is reportedly led by Meituan’s Long-Z Fund, with China Mobile and CPE joining as investors. Moonshot AI had already completed three funding rounds in January and February totaling $1.9 billion. With the new round, the company would have raised more than $3.9 billion in less than six months, making it the most-funded startup among China’s large model companies. [LatePost, in Chinese]
Every Wednesday and Friday, TechNode’s Briefing newsletter delivers a roundup of the most important news in China tech, straight to your inbox. Your support helps TechNode continue to provide credible, on-the-ground journalism and industry insights about the Chinese tech industry. China’s state-backed semiconductor investment vehicle, known as the Big Fund, is in talks to lead DeepSeek’s first external fundraising, which could value the AI company at about $45 billion, according to the Financial Times. Tencent is also among the investors still in discussions, though the final lineup has not been decided. The reported valuation is up sharply from about $20 billion only weeks ago, as investors look to back DeepSeek despite its limited commercial focus. A deal would also mark the first known investment by the Big Fund in a Chinese large language model company. [Financial Times]
Every Wednesday and Friday, TechNode’s Briefing newsletter delivers a roundup of the most important news in China tech, straight to your inbox. Your support helps TechNode continue to provide credible, on-the-ground journalism and industry insights about the Chinese tech industry. Samsung Electronics said Wednesday it will stop selling home appliances in mainland China, marking the company’s full exit from the country’s consumer appliance retail market amid shifting market conditions. The South Korean tech giant said the decision takes effect immediately and applies to all appliance categories, including televisions, monitors, refrigerators and washing machines. Its smartphone business in China will continue operating as usual. The company said customers who have already purchased Samsung appliances will continue to receive after-sales support in accordance with China’s consumer protection laws and national warranty regulations. Samsung was once a major player in China’s electronics market, but in recent years has faced mounting competition from domestic brands that have rapidly gained market share in both smartphones and home appliances. [TechNode reporting]
Narendra Modi hosts To Lam as both aim to raise trade to $25bn by 2030 Vietnam's President To Lam and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pose for a photo at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on May 6. © Reuters NEW DELHI -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vietnamese President To Lam held wide-ranging discussions on Wednesday over cooperation in sectors such as defense, energy, critical minerals, rare earths and supply chain resilience, as they seek to expand their partnership and increase bilateral trade to $25 billion by 2030.
Country looks to become digital technology hub for Southeast Asia TikTok Shop is one of the top three players in Thailand's surging e-commerce market. © Reuters BANGKOK -- The Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) has approved a plan by a local TikTok unit to invest 842 billion baht ($26.2 billion) to expand data center operations in the country, the government agency said Wednesday.
Port on Gulf of Oman provides alternative, but Iran strike shows stability still needed The United Arab Emirates supplies roughly 40% of Japan's crude oil. © Reuters TOKYO -- Japan has agreed to buy an additional 20 million barrels of crude oil from the United Arab Emirates, Nikkei learned Wednesday, as Tokyo continues pursuing alternative supply channels amid the effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
'Commitment to success is crucial,' Kicker Ventures managing partner says SoftBank's Pepper robot greets patients at a hospital in Tokyo. © Reuters TOKYO -- Japanese medical startups are well regarded in the U.S. for their technology, but they need to understand the differences between the countries' healthcare systems to succeed, said Masashi Kiyomine, managing partner at U.S. venture capital firm Kicker Ventures.
Japan's top school for patent revenue aims to cash in on Nobel-winning breakthrough Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be grown into tissue for regenerative treatments. (Kyoto University professor Shinya Yamanaka) OSAKA/TOKYO -- Kyoto University will apply to extend a patent on stem cell technology for five years in an effort to maintain research funding 20 years after a Japanese advance in the field raised hopes for new regenerative treatments, Nikkei has learned.
1 in 4 listed companies bleed red ink in 2025 amid weak domestic demand Retailers in China, including supermarkets, have taken a hit amid weakening domestic consumer spending. (Photo by Kentaro Shiozaki) HONG KONG -- Chinese companies are reporting lackluster earnings, with overall net profit declining in 2025 for the third consecutive year as the property slump dragged on and more retailers posted losses, hurting employment and the economy as a whole.
Tosoh aims to bring lower-cost, energy-saving links on the market as soon as 2029 Keio University's plastic optical fiber cables can be mass-produced at a lower cost than their glass counterparts, seen here in this photo. (Photo obtained by Nikkei) TOKYO -- Plastic optical cables that can double data transmission speeds will be mass-produced as early as 2029, under plans by Japanese chemical maker Tosoh, which eyes demand for high-performance components in data centers spurred by the rise of generative artificial intelligence.
AI-linked demand for nuclear energy highlights lack of workers IHI's video training materials, on the screen on the right, allow learners to view footage of both the welder's hand movements and their posture during the welding process. (IHI) TOKYO -- Japanese nuclear power plant makers are rushing to train manufacturing and maintenance workers, turning to virtual reality and other digital technologies, as the country considers a new facility after a long hiatus following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.