MiniMax Leads Open AI 🧠 AstraZeneca Beijing Hub 🧬 Thorium Reactor Breakthrough ⚛️

AI2025-11-03 | subscribe | homepage

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

• Chinese e-commerce giants dominate Southeast Asia, now holding nearly half of regional market share

• Anhui overtakes Guangdong in auto output, cementing China’s new EV manufacturing powerhouse

• China and France launch green shipping corridor, advancing zero-carbon maritime trade

• Chinese chipmakers surge amid AI boom, domestic suppliers rapidly closing gap with US rivals

Remember to follow us on LinkedIn, X or Facebook.

🚀 Headlines

Chinese e-commerce giants now dominate Southeast Asia’s online shopping scene (link)

Chinese e-commerce giants, including Alibaba, Temu, Shein, and ByteDance's TikTok Shop, which owns Tokopedia, now dominate around half of the online shopping market in Southeast Asia, including in Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines, according to a report by Bain and Company. This expansion comes as Chinese companies accelerate their global reach. Alibaba's international division, which includes ownership in a number of international platforms, including Lazada, reported a 19% year-on-year revenue growth in the three months ended June 30, reaching 34.74 billion yuan. This year, Alibaba’s Taobao is expanding Singles Day shopping promotions to 20 regions around the world. The Chinese e-commerce market, with $2.32 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) sold last year, is more than twice the size of the U.S. market, which saw $1.05 billion in GMV.

AstraZeneca opens new global R&D center in Beijing (link)

AstraZeneca has opened a new global research and development (R&D) center in Beijing, marking its sixth globally and second in China. The center, located in the Beijing International Pharmaceutical Innovation Park (BioPark), is part of the company's USD 2.5 billion investment plan in China. It features cutting-edge artificial intelligence and data science facilities aimed at advancing early-stage research and clinical trials. The center will collaborate with local hospitals, universities, and biotech firms to accelerate the development of innovative drugs. AstraZeneca currently employs around 1,700 people in Beijing, aiming to strengthen its R&D capabilities in China and solidify Beijing's position as a global life sciences hub. The company has been active in China since 1993, introducing over 40 innovative drugs and operating manufacturing hubs in Wuxi, Taizhou, and Qingdao.

China-France green shipping corridor signed to ‘advance’ zero-carbon shipping routes (link)

China and France have signed an agreement to establish a green shipping corridor between China's Ningbo Zhoushan Port and the French HAROPA Ports, aiming to accelerate maritime decarbonization. The initiative, unveiled at an event co-hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Transport and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, includes a seven-point framework to support clean energy vessels, near-zero-carbon ports, and eco-friendly fuel supply and certification. This collaboration involves Bureau Veritas, CMA CGM, Zhejiang Provincial Seaport Investment & Operation Group, HAROPA Ports, MSC Group, MSC Terminal Investment Limited, and the China Waterborne Transport Research Institute. The agreement builds on a memorandum of understanding signed at the Maritime Silk Road Forum. This corridor will serve as a model for international green shipping cooperation, aligning with climate goals and enhancing China-Europe maritime ties. In May of this year, Ningbo Zhoushan Port has already signed an agreement with one Spanish and two German ports to initiate the development of green shipping corridors and spur maritime decarbonization.