Tobias

A LatePost report reveals an intense battle between Meituan and Taobao in China’s on-demand delivery sector, focusing on “lightning warehouses.” These online-only convenience stores offer rapid delivery of essential goods. The platforms are fiercely competing for key merchants, employing tactics such as pressuring them to adjust prices or limit rival platform operations. Merchants express concerns about platform dominance and data control, navigating the pressures of this competitive landscape. The future of this rivalry and merchants’ roles remain uncertain.

Two former SpaceX employees are suing the company, alleging safety concerns were ignored in favor of speed and cost, leading to their wrongful termination. One plaintiff, a former supervisor, claims he was fired after raising warnings about a potentially dangerous rocket recovery process. The lawsuit highlights instances of excessive work hours, unreported injuries, and a culture of prioritizing deadlines over safety. OSHA data reveals SpaceX’s Starbase facility has a higher injury rate than the aerospace manufacturing average. Another plaintiff alleges termination after workplace injuries.

After being missing for three days, Xiaoying, a 15-year-old with intellectual disabilities, was found in Dongguan, China, thanks to police, volunteers, and Douyin (TikTok). Police found her wandering alone and contacted the “Let Love Come Home” volunteer group, who posted a video on Douyin. Xiaoying’s sister in a distant province recognized her and contacted the volunteers. Remarkably, the same group had previously helped reunite Xiaoying with her mother, who’d been missing for three years. Volunteers are now helping the family, highlighting the power of social media in finding missing persons.

A new scam targets older TikTok users by impersonating customer service. Fraudsters use scare tactics, claiming account issues like unauthorized services or security risks, to trick users into downloading software and sharing their screens. They then remotely access devices and steal funds. TikTok warns users that official support will never request software downloads or screen sharing. Users should verify contacts through TikTok’s official channels and be wary of unsolicited service termination requests or fee warnings.

The 2025 China Heat Pump Industry Annual Conference highlighted a shift beyond price competition towards technological innovation. While many companies remain in a price war, Haier’s 30% energy-saving technology and intelligent management platforms are gaining traction. The focus is expanding from basic heating to energy conservation, cost savings, and smart management for homes and buildings. Successful implementations in industrial parks and agricultural settings demonstrate significant cost reductions through multi-energy synergy. The industry emphasizes decarbonization and demands sophisticated system integration, requiring technological prowess from heat pump manufacturers.

The operator of “Sakura Anime,” a Chinese website illegally distributing Japanese anime, has been sentenced to two years and three months imprisonment and fined RMB 15,000 for copyright infringement and forging documents. The Chengdu Intermediate People’s Court upheld the original ruling after an appeal. The website allegedly disseminated over 2,100 anime series without permission, ignoring requests from licensed distributors to remove the content. The case highlights the fight against digital copyright infringement.

A viral moment at the 2024 Beijing Auto Show involving Li Auto’s CEO Li Xiang and Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun sparked online buzz. Li Xiang closed the door on Lei Jun while showcasing the Li Auto L6, leading to humorous speculation about Li “locking” him in. Xiaomi’s Xu Jieyun clarified that Lei Jun was examining the armrest design. Li Xiang explained he closed the door to allow Lei Jun to better experience the car’s interior.

Khaby Lame, the world’s second-most-followed influencer with 259 million followers, has joined Weibo, launching his first video and generating considerable interest. Known for his signature silent comedy and deadpan reactions, Lame’s move follows other foreign influencers finding success in China, such as Kai Cenat. Lame’s team hints at plans for him to fully integrate into Chinese social media and potentially travel to China, signaling a strategic expansion into the lucrative market. Forbes estimates Lame’s annual income at $20 million.

Alibaba’s Tongyi Qianwen introduced Qwen3-30B-A3B-Thinking-2507, a revamped reasoning model with significant upgrades in math and coding. It outperforms competitors like Gemini 2.5-Flash on benchmarks like AIME25 and LiveCodeBench v6. The model also shows improved performance in knowledge assessments, writing, agent functionality, and multi-lingual instruction understanding. Its expanded “thinking length” allows for more complex problem-solving. The model and Qwen Chat platform are available on open-source platforms, providing developers with a robust AI tool.

Logitech is actively diversifying its manufacturing footprint outside of China to mitigate U.S. tariffs, aiming to reduce its U.S. imports made in China to under 10% by year-end. The company is relocating production to countries like Malaysia, Mexico, Thailand, and Vietnam. The CEO stated this diversification has been successful without increasing material costs. Logitech previously implemented a price increase to offset tariffs but currently has no plans for further adjustments.