The Latest from Rita Liao
China roundup: Keep down internet upstarts, cultivate hard tech
Hello and welcome back to TechCrunch’s China roundup, a digest of recent events shaping the Chinese tech landscape and what they mean to people in the rest of the world. The tech industry in China h
China roundup: Kai-Fu Lee’s first Europe bet, WeRide buys a truck startup
Hello and welcome back to TechCrunch’s China Roundup, a digest of recent events shaping the Chinese tech landscape and what they mean to people in the rest of the world. Despite the geopolitical he
China roundup: What’s going on with China’s data security clampdown?
Hello and welcome back to TechCrunch’s China Roundup, a digest of recent events shaping the Chinese tech landscape and what they mean to people in the rest of the world. A tectonic shift is underwa
Austin-based iFly.vc closes $46M second fund from legendary tech founders
To compete with the myriad venture capital firms in Silicon Valley, iFly.vc has a unique vantage point. Its founder Han Shen has straddled the United States and China for several decades. He was the f
Why former Alibaba scientist wants to back founders outside the Ivory Tower
Min Wanli had a career path much coveted by those pursuing a career in computer science. A prodigy, Min was accepted to a top research university in China at the age of 14. He subsequently obtained Ph
Didi app pulled from app stores in China after suspension order
China has ordered app-store operators to remove the app of Didi from their stores, the latest as tension escalates between the nation’s largest ride-hailing giant and local regulators. The app has d
Apple to drive China revenues with search ad launch
After launching five years ago in the United States, Apple’s search advertising service finally arrived in mainland China this week. The feature, called Apple Search Ads, lets developers bid on
TikTok’s Chinese nemesis Kuaishou hits 1 billion monthly users worldwide
It’s a big day for Kuaishou, TikTok’s largest rival in China. The Chinese short-video company, known overseas for one of its video apps Kwai, announced it has sailed past the one billion m
Chinese robotaxi unicorn WeRide bags over $600M in 5 months
It’s hard to keep up with the fundraising spree in China’s autonomous driving industry these days. Guangzhou- and California-based robotaxi company WeRide, which counts Renault-Nissan-Mits
Why Amazon should pay attention to Shein
While Amazon's marketplace has proved a boon for businesses trying to get off the ground, many successful companies are now looking beyond the fences, spurred by a desire to compete on their own terms
Chinese sellers on Amazon in hot demand by VCs and e-commerce roll-ups
Chinese merchants selling on Amazon are having a moment. The scruffy exporters are used to roaming about suburban factory areas and dealing with constant cash flow strain, but suddenly they find thems
Crypto finance startup Amber Group raises $100M at $1B valuation
More mainstream venture capital firms are jumping on the crypto bandwagon as investors increasingly consider bitcoin an investable asset, despite the recent massive price drops of a few major cryptocu
Kai-Fu Lee’s Sinovation bets on Linux tablet maker Jingling in $10M round
Kai-Fu Lee’s Sinovation Ventures has its eyes on a niche market targeting software developers. In April, the venture capital fund led a $10 million angel round in Jingling, a Chinese startup dev
What’s driving the rise of robotaxis in China with AutoX, Momenta and WeRide
AutoX, Momenta and WeRide took the stage at TC Sessions: Mobility 2021 to discuss the state of robotaxi startups in China and their relationships with local governments in the country.
SoftBank, Uber, Tencent set to reap rewards from Didi IPO
After years of speculation, Didi Chuxing, China’s ridesharing behemoth, finally unveiled its IPO filing in the U.S., giving a glimpse into its money-losing history. Didi didn’t disclose th
Biden revokes and replaces Trump actions targeting TikTok and WeChat
President Joe Biden is reducing some uncertainty faced by Chinese tech companies in the United States, erasing parts of the Trump-era legacy. The president signed an executive order revoking actions t
Chinese lidar maker Hesai lands $300M led by Hillhouse, Xiaomi, Meituan
The rush to back lidar companies continues as more automakers and robotaxi startups include the remote sensing method in their vehicles. Latest to the investment boom is Hesai, a Shanghai-based lidar
Apple’s new encrypted browsing feature won’t be available in China, Saudi Arabia and more
Apple announced a handful of privacy-focused updates at its annual software developer conference on Monday. One called Private Relay particularly piques the interest of Chinese users living under the
Fashion wholesale marketplace JOOR opens China office
JOOR, an online marketplace that connects fashion brands and retailers around the world, has opened its first China office in downtown Shanghai as it eyes growth in the region. The 11-year-old New Yor
Huawei officially launches HarmonyOS for smartphones
Think you’re living in a hyper-connected world? Huawei’s proprietary HarmonyOS wants to eliminate delays and gaps in user experience when you move from one device onto another by adding in