China Digital Digest Weekly: Exploring the Chinese Digital Landscape
- ClickInsights
- Jul 3
- 3 min read
Hi folks, we are back with our weekly edition of China’s Digital Digest, wherein we bring you weekly updates on China’s digital space. The report takes a quick glance at China’s complex and rapidly evolving social media landscape by providing updates on the latest happenings across the social media industry. Here are the major highlights of the report.
1. Trump Says He Has a US Buyer for TikTok
President Donald Trump has said he has a buyer for TikTok, the video-sharing app that was banned in the US amid claims it posed a national security risk.
In a Fox News interview, Trump said he had a group of "very wealthy people" willing to acquire the platform. A sale would need approval from the Chinese government, but Trump told Fox he thought President Xi Jinping "will probably do it". The latest extension requires parent company ByteDance to reach a deal to sell the platform by 17 September.
2. DeepSeek Faces Ban from Apple, Google App Stores in Germany
Germany’s data protection commissioner has asked Apple and Google to remove Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek from their app stores in the country due to concerns about data protection, following a similar crackdown elsewhere.
Commissioner Meike Kamp said in a statement that she had made the request because DeepSeek illegally transfers users’ personal data to China. The two US tech giants must now review the request promptly and decide whether to block the app in Germany, she added, though her office has not set a precise time frame. DeepSeek did not respond to a request for comment. Apple and Google were not immediately available for comment.
3. Yum China Launches AI Assistant for Store Managers
Yum China has launched Q-Smart Agent, its first hands-free AI assistant built for restaurant managers.
Unveiled during the company’s inaugural AI Day, the tool is now in trial at select KFC locations and expected to roll out more broadly after feedback is collected. Q‑Smart handles over 20 tasks, from scheduling and inventory to automated reordering, security checks, and production management. It also offers real-time data analysis and decision support, taking over time-consuming work like sales forecasting and sending timely prompts to managers.
4. Alibaba Trims Partnership as Company Bets on Younger Leaders
Alibaba Group Holding has trimmed its partnership – a key corporate governance body for the e-commerce and artificial intelligence (AI) giant – as it embraces younger business leaders and strives to return to a start-up mindset.
Nine executives and company veterans – including former CEO Daniel Zhang Yong, 53, and fellow co-founders Trudy Dai Shan, 48, and Lucy Peng Lei, 51, who started the company with Jack Ma in 1999 – have exited the partnership, according to Alibaba’s annual report. The reduction brings the number of partners down from 26 to 17. Many of the departing partners are no longer in leading roles in the company’s major business segments.
5. JD.Com Hires Full-Time Food Delivery Riders to Challenge Meituan, Alibaba
JD Logistics has kicked off recruitment of full-time meal delivery riders, as its parent – e-commerce giant JD.com – intensifies efforts to compete with Meituan and Alibaba Group Holding in the lucrative Chinese food delivery market.
Hong Kong-listed JD Logistics said it had started hiring full-time riders for JD.com’s food delivery business, in a move aimed at broadening the subsidiary’s service offerings, according to a filing with the stock exchange. Beijing-based JD.com launched its food delivery service in February following a trial last year, sparking a turf war in a sector long dominated by Meituan and Alibaba’s Ele.me.
6. Apple Joins China’s Subsidy Scheme to Lift Sales Amid Heated Local Competition
Apple has joined China’s national subsidy programme, providing a boost to the US tech giant amid heightened competition from major domestic rivals and growing headwinds in the world’s second-largest economy.
Consumers in Beijing and Shanghai are now entitled to discounts of up to 2,000 yuan (US$278) on select models of Apple devices – including the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and MacBook – when they buy directly from the US company, according to a statement on Apple’s mainland Chinese website. To avail themselves of the government subsidy in Shanghai, consumers must make their purchase at one of the eight bricks-and-mortar Apple Stores in the city.
Wrapping Up
The vast and diverse nature of the Chinese Social Media space makes it incredibly challenging to keep a tab on the rapid developments taking place. However, China’s Digital Digest brings you all the latest updates from there to keep you abreast of all the evolving trends.
To delve deeper into the findings of our latest report, click here.
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Wow, lots going on in China's digital world! The TikTok drama continues, AI in restaurants sounds cool, and Apple is giving discounts! This whole situation feels like a gamebol of competition, who will win?
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