Tobias

In June 2025, reports emerged of fraud within the tech sector, exploiting a new government subsidy program for digital devices. “Scalpers” are reportedly using students to purchase subsidized items and resell them, netting profits of up to 300 yuan per device. This illegal activity involves dedicated chat groups and circumvents in-person verification. Legal experts warn that this scheme, even with small amounts, could constitute fraud, leading to penalties.

JD.com, led by Liu Qiangdong, plans to aggressively enter the hospitality and travel sectors. Leveraging its logistics network and financial strength, JD.com aims to reduce supply chain costs significantly in food, travel and hospitality, potentially lowering consumer costs by two-thirds while providing new channels for partners. They will expand from convenience stores and food delivery, with CEO Xu Ran confirming a focus on high-growth local services.

DeepSeek R1-0528 surpassed Claude Opus 4 in web programming, showcasing strong coding capabilities, especially with detailed prompts. Though performing well in web app development, it faltered with a Tetris game. R1 is also the top-performing open-source text model but has been recently surpassed by Kimi-Dev in open-source code.

Moonshot AI introduced Kimi-Dev-72B, an open-source code LLM designed for software engineering. The 72-billion parameter model tops the SWE-bench Verified benchmark, surpassing larger models like DeepSeek-R1. Kimi-Dev-72B utilizes RLHF to autonomously repair code within Docker. Key features include BugFixer, TestWriter, mid-stage training, and test-time self-play. The model is available on Hugging Face and GitHub.

A recent dispute highlights the ambiguities of China’s ride-sharing “hitch” services. A passenger delayed by a shared ride demanded compensation from the driver for missing a train. Public debate ensued, with users questioning driver accountability for delays inherent to shared services. The incident underscores the need for clearer terms of service in China’s rapidly expanding ride-sharing market to define responsibilities and manage expectations for both riders and drivers.

Customs at Wuhan Tianhe Airport seized 144 Pop Mart Labubu figurines from two individuals attempting to smuggle them. The figures, part of the popular Labubu 3.0 blind box series, were intended for resale, capitalizing on their high secondary market value. This incident highlights the increasing demand for Labubu, a character created by Kasing Lung, as well as the soaring popularity of Pop Mart.

Huabei, Ant Group’s consumer credit arm, launched “Little Red Flower,” allowing users to potentially increase their credit limits by submitting over 1,000 types of certifications, including professional, vocational, and even informal credentials. This AI-powered feature analyzes credentials with high accuracy and rewards users for demonstrating skills, resulting in lower delinquency rates among participants. The initiative aims to expand credit assessments beyond traditional metrics, fostering financial health and promoting responsible financial behavior.

A drone incident at Nanchang’s iconic Pavilion of Prince Teng injured a tourist, highlighting growing safety concerns around increasing drone activity. Despite the area being a no-fly zone, a drone operator caused the accident and faced an administrative penalty. This incident underscores China’s push to regulate unmanned aircraft operations, reflected in the “Interim Provisions on the Administration of the Flight of Unmanned Aircraft,” which came into effect in January 2024 and impose penalties for unauthorized flights.

Actress Yifan Shao, known for “I Will Find You a Better Home,” criticized Xiaohongshu’s (RED) content moderation. She detailed issues with delayed visibility and a perceived reliance on keyword-based AI, leading to user frustration. Shao fears the system’s flaws could lead to self-censorship and a platform dominated by AI-generated content, echoing concerns from other users. Her background includes degrees and work experience in varied fields before her acting career.

TSMC’s 2nm process has achieved a production yield exceeding 60%, solidifying its leadership in semiconductor manufacturing. This puts them far ahead of Samsung, whose 2nm yield is around 40%. TSMC’s 2nm technology, leveraging GAA, promises significant performance and efficiency gains. Key clients like Apple, NVIDIA, and AMD are expected to adopt it, while Samsung is targeting 2nm production for its Exynos 2600 processor later this year.