iRobot Collapses 🤖 TikTok US Deal 🇺🇸 Brain-Computer Implant 🧠

2025-12-22 | subscribe | homepage

Welcome back to China Insights Weekly. Here are some of the key highlights for this week’s edition:

• Chinese clean-energy investment abroad nearly doubles, hitting USD 80B in 2025

• Sam’s Club accelerates China expansion, with Shanghai now its largest market

• Digital renminbi pilot opens to Singapore tourists, enabling offline payments

• World’s largest green hydrogen-chemical project goes live, cutting 1.4M tons of CO₂ annually

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🚀 Headlines

Robotic vacuum pioneer iRobot files for bankruptcy, Chinese firm Picea to acquire 100% ownership (link)

Roomba maker iRobot filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing increased competition from lower-priced rivals and new tariffs. In September 2002, iRobot launched the Roomba, revolutionizing the vacuuming industry by introducing the first commercially successful robot vacuum. The company generated USD 682 million in total revenue in 2024 but faced profit erosion due to competition from Chinese rivals, including Roborock and Ecovacs. New U.S. tariffs, particularly a 46% levy on imports from Vietnam, where iRobot manufactures its vacuum cleaners for the US market, raised costs by USD 23 million in 2025. iRobot’s bankruptcy plan involves being acquired by its primary manufacturer, China-based Picea Robotics, which will take 100% of the company’s equity and cancel USD 264 million in debt. The company was valued at USD 3.56 billion in 2021 but is now worth around USD 140 million.

TikTok signs agreement to create US joint venture, Bytedance to remain largest single shareholder with 20% share (link)

TikTok has signed an agreement to create a new U.S. joint venture called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC. The joint venture involves Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX as managing investors. The new entity will be majority-owned by American investors, with a seven-member board of directors majority American, and will protect US data and national security. The US joint venture will be 50% held by new investors, 30% by existing ByteDance affiliates, and 20% retained by ByteDance. Oracle will also serve as the “trusted security partner,” auditing compliance with national security terms and storing sensitive US data in its US-based cloud centers.

Korean fashion giant Musinsa opens 1st overseas store in Shanghai, Sam’s Club opens 7th Shanghai store ties most globally (link, link)

South Korean fashion giant Musinsa has opened its first overseas flagship store in Shanghai, marking the beginning of its expansion into China. Located on Huaihai Road, the store spans two floors and covers 1,421 square meters. Musinsa plans to open 100 stores in China by 2030, focusing on Shanghai and other major cities. The company will optimize its logistics, distribution, and store operations for the Chinese market and develop product lines based on local fashion trends and consumer preferences. Musinsa’s expansion is supported by its 2019 investment from China’s HongShan Capital and its partnership with Anta, which established the Musinsa China joint venture.

Walmart-owned Sam's Club opened its 7th store in Shanghai on December 16, bringing its total number of stores in China to 62. The new Pudong store is located at 228 Lichuan Road and features 50 fast-charging stations for electric vehicles. Since entering China in 1996, Sam's Club has expanded rapidly, especially in Shanghai, which now has the most Sam's Club stores nationwide. Shanghai has tied Houston with the most Sam’s Club stores globally; however, Beijing has plans for 8 Sam’s Club stores. In fiscal year 2025, Walmart China reported net sales of approximately USD 20.3 billion, with Sam's Club contributing over USD 14.7 billion, making it the primary driver of growth. The average sales per Sam's Club store are around USD 2 billion. Before the end of 2025, Sam's Club plans to open its 10th new store of the year in Liwan, Guangdong, setting a record for the highest number of store openings in a single year.

Chinese clean-energy foreign investment nearly doubles in 2025 (link)

Chinese foreign investment in clean energy surged to USD 80 billion by the end of November 2025. This figure compares to USD 100 billion of investment over the previous two years. The increase is attributed to China’s dominance in energy transition technologies and the US’s pullback from clean energy, which has led many developing countries to deepen ties with China. The Middle East and North Africa have emerged as the fastest-growing regions for Chinese investment in the battery and solar sectors. Countries are offering incentives such as competitive tax rates and fast-tracked project approvals to attract Chinese clean-tech investment.