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Latest news, analysis and opinion on ecommerce, covering new technology, consumer habits and the growth of digital payment options.
JD.com said in a post-earnings call that investment in its food delivery operations would decline this year. Photo: Reuters
Mainland China

JD.com posts quarterly loss amid costly instant delivery battle

Profit for 2025 cut in half amid expensive fight with Alibaba and Meituan, as well as dampened consumer spending.

Li Chenggang

JD.com renews on-demand delivery fight with US$2.9 billion in grocery subsidies

US-China relations

Immigration slows, but America’s appetite for ethnic groceries keeps growing

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Shein

Rarely seen Shein founder praises Guangdong ‘roots’ as offshore listing stalls

Shein initially eyed a New York listing before switching to London after scrutiny by Washington over its supply chain and ties to China.

A screenshot of Shein founder Xu Yangtian taken from a video live stream of his talk in Guangdong on Tuesday. Photo: Handout
China economy

Opinion | How the next China shock is shaping hearts and minds

No longer confined to trade and technology, competition between China and the West is now playing out in the realm of cultural imagination.

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Britain

Co-founder of British retailer Asos dies after falling from balcony in Thailand

Quentin Griffiths’ friend told police the Briton had been worried about lawsuits from his former wife, a Thai national.

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Pop Mart

Pop Mart balances boom and bust: can Labubu’s leap match Molly’s momentum?

As Labubu’s meteoric rise cools, Molly’s longevity highlights the challenge Pop Mart faces in turning hype into stable intellectual property.

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Illustration: Brian Wang
Meituan

Meituan warns of US$3.5 billion loss amid intense food delivery price war

Food delivery giant expects losses to continue into at least the first quarter of 2026 ‘due to ongoing competition’.

Food delivery apps

China calls on delivery, ride-hailing firms to respect gig-worker rights

Meituan, Alibaba, Didi Chuxing among 16 firms summoned for guidance session on rights of country’s more than 200 million gig workers.

Fashion

Q&A | Thailand’s Gentlewoman: viral totes and Covid resilience

Discover how 3 Thai accountancy and finance graduates steered the fashion brand’s rapid rise using smart data-driven design and being nimble enough to adapt.

Gentlewoman’s viral tote bag. Photo: Handout
China’s private sector

China’s Year of the Horse shoppers let emotional satisfaction take the reins

Brand prestige fades in importance as consumers favour festival-themed toys, playful designs and pet items.

Pop Mart sold out of its Have a Good Run series. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

Sweet surge: Qwen overtakes Yuanbao after Alibaba’s bubble tea campaign

More than 10 million free orders put Alibaba’s AI app in the spotlight amid a high-stakes battle for Spring Festival attention.

China’s private sector

China’s Kuaishou slapped with US$17 million fine after explicit content probe

The fine comes days after a separate e-commerce penalty, adding pressure on China’s No 2 short-video platform to tighten controls.

Sweden

Multinationals race into China’s US$143.9 billion instant retail market

Ikea, Continental and Aldi Nord enlist local partners to launch faster, more comprehensive delivery services than they offer abroad.

Meituan delivery riders gather during a break in a commercial district in Chongqing, China, on November 21, 2025. Photo: Getty Images
Kuaishou

China slaps US$3.7 million fine on Kuaishou for live-streaming e-commerce breach

The penalty reflects a broader regulatory crackdown on content and operations deemed undesirable or harmful on Chinese online platforms.

Chinese regulators are tightening oversight on live-streaming e-commerce platform operators such as Kuaishou Technology. Photo: Shutterstock
United States

Amazon cuts 16,000 jobs amid AI shift, post-pandemic restructuring

The restructuring and cost-cutting come despite soaring profits and strategic hiring in key areas.

China travel

China’s Trip.com probe targets algorithms, prices after vendor anger: analysts

Regulators accuse one of the world’s biggest travel platforms of abusing market power, with analysts warning of wider industry scrutiny.

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US-China trade war

At America’s biggest retail show, the China question never really goes away

Tariffs may ebb and supply chains may detour, but US shoppers – and giants like Walmart and Amazon – still rely heavily on Chinese goods.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-Kuen
China economy

China fines e-commerce firm PDD for tax violations amid probe

Operator of leading online retail platform was cited for failure to comply with Shanghai’s tax requirements.

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Pinduoduo

Chinese-owned Temu catches up with Amazon in global cross-border e-commerce

Shein, another Chinese-founded retail giant, stabilised its market share at 9 per cent in 2025, while AliExpress held 8 per cent.

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Artificial intelligence

Alibaba’s upgraded Qwen chatbot app receives warm consumer reception

Qwen’s upgrade transforms the chatbot into a virtual ‘life assistant’, making lives easier for hundreds of millions of consumers.

Qwen’s AI app aims to help people get things done in everyday scenarios, according to Alibaba. Photo: Shutterstock
Alibaba

Alibaba’s Qwen AI app hits 100 million users as update widens role in daily life

Chinese e-commerce giant deepens integration of its fast-growing app to enable voice-powered shopping, travel and digital tasks.

Qwen’s AI app aims to help people get things done in everyday scenarios, according to Alibaba. Photo: Shutterstock
India

Gig workers’ strike in India spurs debate on human cost of delivery race

More than 200,000 gig workers recently staged protests across major Indian cities, prompting concerns about the necessity of quick commerce.

Artificial intelligence

Ant International teams up with Google on use of Universal Commerce Protocol

The endorsement of Google’s open standard comes as companies globally accelerate the integration of AI agents and e-commerce.

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China’s private sector

China to probe food delivery platforms under anti-monopoly law

State Council announcement cites ‘excessive subsidies’ and ‘price wars’ in document unveiling market assessment for online delivery services.

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China has announced an antitrust investigation into its food delivery platforms. Photo: Shutterstock
Retailing

Furniture retailer Ikea to close 7 stores in China amid property market slump

The firm plans to open more than 10 small-format outlets in key cities over a two-year period.

Ikea’s new strategy underscored the retailer’s sharpened focus on the furniture-replacement segment of the market, as new-home furnishing demand had declined. Photo: Shutterstock
China trade

How the ‘world’s supermarket’ rode out Trump’s tariffs – and grew even stronger

Yiwu, one of China’s biggest export hubs, was expected to take a hit from US tariffs. Instead, it has seen trade surge.

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South Korea

Coupang’s massive data leak probe ignites US-Seoul diplomatic firestorm

Some Republicans said Seoul’s investigation into the e-commerce firm was an attempt to favour China.

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