China Digital Digest Weekly: Exploring the Chinese Digital Landscape
- ClickInsights
- Apr 3
- 6 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. ByteDance’s CapCut Launches Dreamina Seedance 2.0
ByteDance’s CapCut has launched the Dreamina Seedance 2.0 audio-video generation model. Available on the CapCut app, desktop, and web versions, the model is now accessible in regions across Africa, South America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
Dreamina Seedance 2.0 supports video generation up to 15 seconds long and offers six different aspect ratios, allowing users to create content without reference images. The video generation model works without reference images, even if the creator only uses a few words to describe the scene they have in mind, ByteDance said in its announcement.
2. Alibaba to Deploy AI ‘Digital Workforce’ for Millions of Merchants on Taobao, Tmall
Alibaba Group Holding is set to launch a new service that provides AI agents for millions of merchants on its Taobao and Tmall platforms, as the tech giant capitalises on the recent frenzy fuelled by OpenClaw to secure its lead in e-commerce.
The new feature will provide agentic AI services based on its merchant tool Business Advisor, aiming to give them a 24/7 autonomous “digital workforce” that can automate operation processes including offering customer service, distributing vouchers and adjusting product prices in real time. It was teased to merchants at the annual TopTalk merchant summit of Tmall - Alibaba’s premium retail platform targeting established brands - in Shanghai.
3. Alibaba’s Qwen Integrated into Hongqi Smart Cockpit for In-Car AI Services
Alibaba’s Qwen AI assistant has been integrated into the smart cockpit of Hongqi vehicles, debuting in the Hongqi HS6 PHEV, marking a full-scale deployment of a general-purpose AI assistant in automotive scenarios.
The system can process complex voice commands—such as navigation, dining, and scheduling—within a single query, generating complete travel plans based on real-time traffic and merchant availability. Execution is coordinated across cloud-based services. Qwen previously supported services including food delivery, travel booking, and ride-hailing. Its integration into vehicles marks a shift from reactive in-car features to proactive, scenario-based services.
4. Alibaba Cloud Fully Opens JVS Claw, No Invite Needed to Raise Your Own “Cloud Lobster”
Alibaba Cloud has officially rolled out full public access to JVS Claw, removing the need for invitation codes. Users can now simply download the client to receive their own cloud-based “lobster” assistant.
The latest public beta introduces several new features, including voice input, collaborative file sharing, one-click repair, and Skill toggles. It is reported that the new version of JVS Claw brings multiple core function upgrades: mobile voice input, JVS file space, Skill invocation optimization, a dedicated entry for scheduled tasks, and one-click upgrades for Clawbot. The simultaneously released 'JVS Lobster Cultivation Manual' also lists more than 20 advanced usage scenarios, allowing users to replicate them with one click and achieve quick results.
5. Alibaba Tongyi Lab Unveils PrismAudio
Alibaba’s Tongyi Lab has introduced PrismAudio, a new video-to-audio generation framework focused on synthesizing environmental sounds—such as footsteps, wind, rain, and metallic impacts—that align precisely with visual content, rather than generating dialogue or voiceovers.
PrismAudio is the first framework to tightly integrate reinforcement learning with chain-of-thought reasoning for environmental audio generation. In essence, the model is trained to “think before it speaks,” guided by four distinct evaluation mechanisms. Unlike traditional end-to-end models that directly convert video into audio, PrismAudio introduces an intermediate reasoning step.
6. JD.Com Expands in Europe with Joybuy Self-Operated E-Commerce Platform
JD.com has launched its Joybuy e-commerce platform in Europe, covering six markets: the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
The platform adopts JD.com’s self-operated, asset-heavy model, integrating procurement, warehousing, and logistics. It is the company’s third attempt to enter the European market, following earlier initiatives in 2015 and 2022. Leveraging more than 60 logistics hubs and its JoyExpress delivery network, JD.com offers same-day or next-day delivery in over 30 major cities. A subscription service, JoyPlus, is priced at £3.99 (approx. $5.10) per month.
7. Meituan Open-Sources Native Multimodal Model LongCat-Next
Meituan has announced the full open-source release of its native multimodal large model, LongCat-Next, developed by its LongCat team.
Unlike conventional large models that rely on a “language-first” architecture with add-on modules for vision and speech, LongCat-Next introduces a fundamentally different approach. It unifies images, audio, and text by mapping them into a shared set of discrete tokens from the outset. Rather than combining a language model with separate vision encoders and speech modules, LongCat-Next is built as a native multimodal foundation. All modalities—text, images, and audio—are first converted into tokens within a shared discrete space, and then processed by a single decoder-only backbone.
8. Weibo Launches AI-Only Community
Weibo has introduced a new AI-exclusive community, “Silicon Lounge”, where only AI bots and agents are allowed to post and interact—while human users are limited to դիտing, liking, and sharing content.
The “Silicon Lounge” is designed as a dedicated Super Topic community for various AI entities, including conversational bots and automated commenters. This latest experiment follows Weibo’s integration of AI services such as KimiClaw, MaxClaw, and iFlytek’s AstronClaw under its OpenClaw cloud ecosystem, marking another step in its push into AI-driven social experiences.
9. Tencent Shuts Down AI Lab
Tencent has officially disbanded its AI Lab, marking the end of a nearly decade-long effort in foundational AI research.
Founded in 2016, the lab once embodied Tencent’s ambitions in core AI research, spanning computer vision, natural language processing, and machine learning. Following the restructuring, parts of the team have been absorbed into Tencent’s Hunyuan large model division, now reporting to Chief AI Scientist Yao Shunyu. Other units have been reassigned across the company, including to the Technical Engineering Group (TEG), while the industry-academia collaboration center will remain.
10. Pinduoduo Launches “New Pinmu” Strategy, Commits RMB 100 Billion to Supply Chain Overhaul
Pinduoduo has unveiled a major new strategy dubbed “New Pinmu,” committing RMB 100 billion (approximately USD 14 billion) over the next three years to strengthen its supply chain capabilities.
The announcement came alongside the company’s financial results for Q4 and full-year 2025. Revenue reached RMB 123.9 billion (approximately USD 17.3 billion) in Q4, up 12% year-over-year, while full-year revenue rose 10% to RMB 431.8 billion (approximately USD 60.3 billion). However, net profit declined by 12% both quarterly and annually, reflecting increased investment in supply chain development and merchant support.
11. Moonshot AI Weighs Hong Kong IPO as Funding Demand Surges
Moonshot AI, developer of the Kimi model, is exploring a potential Hong Kong IPO, according to a report by Bloomberg.
The company has reportedly held preliminary discussions with China International Capital Corporation (CICC) and Goldman Sachs, although plans remain at an early stage and may not proceed. At the same time, Moonshot AI is preparing a new funding round of up to $1 billion, with a pre-money valuation of around $18 billion. The round has attracted strong interest from institutional investors.
12. Kuaishou Shares Fall as AI Spending Overshadows Solid Earnings
Kuaishou’s latest quarterly results for 2025 showed that its artificial intelligence investment is beginning to generate revenue, but also that scaling those efforts will require a sharp increase in spending.
Investors focused on the cost outlook. Kuaishou shares fell as much as 14% in Hong Kong on March 26 after management said 2026 capital expenditure could reach about RMB 26 billion (USD 3.8 billion), roughly RMB 11 billion (USD 1.6 billion) above 2025 levels. The market reaction came despite solid fourth-quarter 2025 results. Revenue rose 11.8% year-on-year to RMB 39.6 billion (USD 5.7 billion), adjusted net profit increased 16.2% to RMB 5.5 billion (USD 796.5 million), and gross margin widened to 55.1% from 54%.
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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