The Latest from Rita Liao
Ant is changing how consumers borrow money from its app
In December 2020, Beijing laid out a guideline for Ant Group to “rectify” its business after calling off its IPO, which could have been the largest initial public offering in history. In t
Ex-Microsoft exec Harry Shum leads ‘digital economy’ research center in Shenzhen
The International Digital Economy Academy (IDEA) quietly opened last year, perched among ultramodern office buildings on Shenzhen’s side of the river border with Hong Kong. While geographically
China’s AI giant SenseTime readies Hong Kong IPO
One of China’s biggest AI solution providers is a step closer to its initial public offering. SenseTime has received regulatory approval to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, according to med
Key executives resign after Pony.ai combines trucking and passenger car R&D units
Pony.ai, the self-driving startup that operates in both the U.S. and China, has lost at least two executives from its trucking team following the combination of the company’s passenger car and self-
EV upstart Xpeng is expanding beyond China
Like Nio, Chinese electric car maker Xpeng has kickstarted its international expansion. But unlike its rival, which put on a series of splashy campaigns in Norway, Xpeng launched quietly in the Scandi
Baidu’s robotaxi service aims to be in 100 cities by 2030
Baidu keeps ramping up its autonomous driving ambitions. The Chinese tech company made its name in search engines and still relies greatly on search ads for revenues. But it’s hoping that its he
SOSV, SBK Tech Ventures and Miaki start a new accelerator in Bangladesh
SOSV, the venture capital firm known for its vertical-focused accelerators like HAX, is expanding its footprint to Bangladesh. SOSV’s Asia-focused accelerator called MOX, SBK Tech Ventures (an e
Temasek seeks emerging tech in China as it halts internet investments
China’s sweeping clampdown on its internet industry has chilled investors and startups betting on once red-hot areas like games and e-commerce. But investors aren’t slowing their pace in t
Tencent shares its metaverse vision for the first time
How could Tencent not jump on the metaverse bandwagon when Facebook is hinging its future on the new buzzword? At this stage, Tencent’s approach seems more measured than Facebook’s $10 bi
Chinese EV startup Nio’s journey to the West
Nio, a Chinese electric vehicle startup listed on the NYSE, will be in at least six European markets by 2022. The firm shared its ambitions for Europe on its earnings call this week. Nio is already ta
Apple Music expands Chinese music reservoir via Tencent deal
Apple Music users around the world will soon have access to more Chinese musicians. Tencent Music Entertainment, the online music subsidiary of Tencent, said Tuesday that “record labels and arti
Autonomous driving startup Momenta raises another $500M
In the wake of a $300 million investment from General Motors in September, Momenta, an autonomous driving solution provider from China, announced today an additional $500 million added to its Series C
Tencent’s foray into chips isn’t at all surprising
Tencent unveiled its progress in chips for the first time this week, which immediately gave its stock price a modest boost. Silicon seems distant from the giant’s main arenas of video games and
ByteDance reorganization offers glimpse into TikTok parent’s future
ByteDance has long been celebrated as an “app factory” for its proven model of churning out apps and monetizing them through a robust back end of shared resources, from engineering to mark
China’s HR tech startup Moka closes $100M led by Tiger Global
Moka, a six-year-old Chinese startup that wants to make human resources management easier with software, said today it has closed a $100 million Series C round. The startup aims to automate all stages
Roblox is back online after three days of Halloween outage
Roblox, the gaming platform that is immensely popular amongst young players, said on Twitter Sunday evening that it is back online worldwide. Roblox is back online everywhere! Thank you for your conti
China roundup: Tesla supplier CATL to buy Canada’s Millennial Lithium
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. China’s anti-competit
China roundup: Meng Wanzhou’s release and Huawei’s future
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. On Friday, Huawei’s c
China roundup: Beijing is tearing down the digital ‘walled gardens’
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. This week, China gets seriou
China roundup: Tencent takes on sites trying to circumvent its age limits
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 enforcement of China