China Digital Digest Weekly: Exploring the Chinese Digital Landscape
- ClickInsights
- Sep 20, 2025
- 4 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 Extends TikTok Deadline Again Ahead of Talk With Xi
US President Donald Trump extended the deadline for TikTok’s US shutdown for the fourth time in his second term ahead of a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the fate of the Chinese-owned short video app.
In an executive order, Trump set the new deadline for December 16. The decision came a day after the US and China concluded talks in Madrid, where the two sides reached a “framework” for resolving issues related to the app, according to senior Chinese trade negotiator Li Chenggang. Trump said that a “deal” had been reached on a “‘certain’ company that young people in our Country very much wanted to save”.
2. Tencent Unveils Hunyuan 3D 3.0 AI Model: Tripling Modeling Accuracy with Free Access
Tencent has officially launched the Hunyuan 3D 3.0 AI model, marking a significant advancement in 3D modeling technology.
The new model boasts a threefold increase in modeling accuracy, achieving a geometric resolution of up to 1536³ and supporting voxel modeling with 3.6 billion units. Hunyuan 3D 3.0 is integrated into the Hunyuan 3D AI Creation Engine and is now freely accessible to users. Additionally, Tencent Cloud has released an API to facilitate integration into various applications.
3. Alibaba’s Tmall Merchants Enter Southeast Asia via Subsidiary Lazada’s Platform
Alibaba Group Holding is looking to ramp up its cross-border e-commerce strategy by getting merchants on its premium Tmall shopping site to sell to consumers in Southeast Asia through subsidiary Lazada.
The cross-border e-commerce expansion for invited Tmall sellers will not require them to set up a new store, hire local teams or manage logistics. Lazada will handle store listings across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines by leveraging its artificial intelligence capabilities, according to the representative.
4. Alibaba’s ‘Amap Street Stars’ is Latest Salvo Against Meituan in Ecommerce Wars
Alibaba Group Holding has launched an artificial intelligence-powered ranking feature on its online mapping service Amap, as the tech giant doubles down on AI applications and deepens its rivalry with food delivery leader Meituan.
Amap Street Stars, a ranking featured on the app’s homepage, used AI algorithms to rank offline destinations including restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions, to “advance Amap’s role as the gateway for lifestyle services”, Alibaba said at the launch event. The service will initially cover over 300 cities and make recommendations for 1.6 million local businesses, with the algorithm synthesising data sources that include navigation patterns and user reviews.
5. Alibaba Eyes US$3.2 Billion Boost for Cloud and Global Ecommerce Push
Alibaba Group Holding plans to raise US$3.2 billion by selling zero-coupon convertible senior notes, part of moves to fund its cloud and international e-commerce operations, according to a stock exchange filing.
The zero-coupon convertible senior notes – which mature on September 15, 2032 – would be sold via a private offering to non-US investors, the filing said. The US dollar-denomi denominated notes will not pay any interest but will allow bondholders to exchange the notes into US-listed shares of Alibaba. Upon exchange, Alibaba can opt for payment in shares, cash, or a combination of both.
6. UK’s Sainsbury’s Ends Talks to Sell Argos to China’s JD.Com
British supermarket group Sainsbury’s has said that it has terminated talks with Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com over selling the Argos general merchandise retailer, a day after confirming discussions were under way.
The company said in a statement that JD.com has communicated that it would now only be prepared to engage on a materially revised set of terms and commitments, which are not in the best interests of Sainsbury’s shareholders, colleagues and broader stakeholders. The company repeated its forecast for retail underlying operating profit of around £1 billion (US$1.36 billion) in the 2025-2026 financial year.
7. Strong Appetite For New iPhone in China as Pre-Orders Break Record
Pre-order sales of Apple’s new iPhone 17 series have got off to a robust start in China, shattering previous records despite delays in the shipment of the iPhone Air.
In the first minute after pre-orders began at 8pm local time on 12th September, sales on JD.com – one of China’s largest online shopping platforms – surpassed the first-day pre-order volume of last year’s iPhone 16 series, according to the e-commerce operator. The standard iPhone 17 with 256GB of storage emerged as the most popular variant, JD.com said.
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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