China Weekly News

1. Li Jiaqi in hot water again? A lotion set Li was selling was found to be more expensive than the one on the brand’s Taobao store. The brand chalked it up to a ‘system malfunction’ and issued refunds to all buyers. However, consumers who bought it on the brand’s official store still receiv...

1. China to become world's biggest football nation? The country plans to build between 16 and 18 football cities between 2021 and 2025. China also unveiled last month a comprehensive reform and development plan to revive its women's football, outlining project timelines until 2035. (Shine) 2. Ten...

1. Alibaba highlighting smaller KOLs? Alibaba is showcasing up-and-coming live streamers, as its reliance on a few super influencers has left it vulnerable to reputational risks. Li Jiaqi remains Alibaba's biggest star, but the company hasn't released Singles' Day data about him. (South China Mornin...

1. China's 5G user base has surpassed 1 billion. China is installing 5G base stations faster in 2022 vs previous years. 5G applications in industrial, educational and other sectors are also supported to boost the digital economy. (Shine) 2. China’s youth have worsening perceptions of the West?...

1. Another food scandal? Chinese soy sauce brand under fire for ingredients concern. Consumers claim that the Haitian soy sauce sold in Japan includes only natural ingredients. The same product in China, however, contains additives like flavour enhancers and preservatives. (The China Project)...

1. Morgan Stanley predicts sharp slowdown in China next year. An extended zero-Covid policy and a likely recession in developed markets might drag China's 2023 growth by more than 300bps. (Livemint) 2. City's financial industry grows at a faster pace. The Shanghai Financial Prosperity Index grew...

1. Chinese National Day has upped consumption. The Golden Week holiday spending boosted travel services, hospitality, catering, and movies, as consumption continues to recover. (Global Times) 2. China's manufacturing is recovering. In September, China's manufacturing PMI rose from 49.4 to 50.1. E...

1. Austin Li is back! China’s top live streamer returned on September 20 after a 3-month absence. Li's stream gained 60 million views in 2 hours and 120 million likes. (Dao insights) 2. Self-driving holidays in China. There has been a surge in vehicle rental bookings during major holidays befor...

1. China’s factories accelerate robotics push as workforce shrinks. China deployed nearly as many robots as the world last year to preserve its manufacturing dominance as its working-age population declines. (The Wall Street Journal) 2. Frugal is the new cool for young Chinese as the economy fa...

1. China saw over 73 million domestic tourist visits during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. With domestic tourism generating revenue of 28.68 billion yuan ($4.14 billion). 2021’s Mid-Autumn Festival period reached 88.2 million travellers with 37.1 billion yuan ($5.7 billion) in revenue. This show...

1. Tencent targets about $14.5 Billion in divestments. Tencent has set a soft target of divesting about 100 billion yuan ($14.5 billion) of its $88 billion listed equity portfolio this year as it shifts strategy. (Bloomberg) 2. Metaverse development in the Yangtze River Delta region has been fast...

1. China's high-tech zones account for 13% of GDP. China's 169 high tech parks generated nearly US$198 billion of GDP in 2020 – a YoY increase of about 11.5%. (Shine) 2. Offline stores are back in the game in China. The retail sales of 67 of 96 brick-and-mortar retail companies achieved positiv...