Pandaily’s Digest #20220919
A decade-long push by Beijing to shore up the country’s green energy sector has brought China's share of global polysilicon production to 80%.
The Meteoric Rise of Chinese Solar
In the global race to halt climbing temperatures and adopt greener environmental practices, demand for large-scale conversion of Earth’s abundant sunlight into electricity has come to the fore.
By most measures, one country now leads this burgeoning industry.
According to a July report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), China’s share of the solar panels market across all stages of production now exceeds 80%.
Kuaishou Reorganizes Overseas Business, Sets up Commercialization Teams in Brazil and Indonesia
Kwai, the international business arm of China’s Kuaishou, a short video platform, and has been in operation for over five years, is facing more challenges than ByteDance’s TikTok, which has more than 500 million daily active users (DAUs), Jiemian News reported on September 16. After the departure of Qiu Guangyu, the former head of the international business division, Kuaishou’s overseas business structure was adjusted. A separate international commercialization department was set up within the division to boost revenue.
China Expects to Start Space Travel in 2025
“Chinese commercial aerospace has ushered in the best development opportunity. It has entered the 2.0 era of application traction and market leadership from the 1.0 era of basic manufacturing and product R&D, and it will catch up with the development level of the US within 10 years,” said Yang Yiqiang, the first commander-in-chief of the Long March-11 rocket, according to a report by The Global Times on September 17.
miHoYo to Cooperate With ufotable on Animation Project
Shanghai-based game developer miHoYo has announced on September 16 that it will soon kick off its “Genshin Impact” animation project in partnership with ufotable, a well-known Japanese animation production company. Meanwhile, Beijing Ultron Event Horizon Co., Ltd. will assist in production and will be responsible for the operations of the production committee.
Tencent Cloud and Singapore-Based Strange Universe to Develop Web3 Business Metaverse Platform
Tencent Cloud announced on September 13 its signing of a memorandum of understanding with Strange Universe Technology, a Singapore-based Web3 company, involving the creation of an immersive and integrated platform that helps businesses adapt and thrive in a virtual environment.
Chinese Smartphones Expected to Adopt eSIMs in the Future
This month, Apple released its new iPhone 14 series. In contrast with the Chinese version, the US version of the iPhone 14 no longer has a SIM card slot, but replaces it with an eSIM. Besides, Chinese telecommunications operators do not support eSIM services for the smartphone industry. In response, some Chinese web users have raised questions to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), with one asking, “Recently, the use of eSIM technology has caused more discussion. Is there a promotion plan for eSIM-supported smartphones in China?”
Chinese Short Video and Livestreaming Platform Douyin Looks to Challenge Alibaba
Starting on September 4, the Chinese division of Japanese fast fashion brand Uniqlo commenced e-commerce livestreaming sessions on Douyin, TikTok’s counterpart for mainland China owned by parent company ByteDance. Analysts believe that shoes and clothing are the most important category for Taobao, the traditional leader of Chinese e-commerce livestreaming, owned by domestic tech giant Alibaba. They also contend that Douyin’s continuous introduction of leading fashion brands to its platform means that Taobao and Douyin are entering into more direct competition.
Temu Leverages on Pinduoduo Sourcing Network For Best E-Commerce Deals
Temu, the newest entrant to the US e-commerce industry, is securing the best deals for customers by leveraging the extensive network of merchants, manufacturers, and logistics partners built up by its sister company.
iPhone 14’s Dynamic Island Doesn’t Support Many Popular Chinese Apps
The iPhone 14 smartphone series was officially launched for sales on September 16, sparking an annual buying frenzy in China. While the new “Dynamic Island” screen feature has attracted curiosity from consumers, early feedback suggests the design is not entirely satisfactory.
Li Auto Bombarded With Consumer Complaints Over Li ONE
The Li ONE, the first model produced by Chinese new energy carmaker Li Auto, has now reached about 200,000 units in sales volume since its first delivery in December 2019. In July and August of this year, the model sold for a total of 14,993 units. However, the firm delivered only 4,571 Li Ones in August. At the beginning of this month, it announced it would stop production of the model as it prepares to launch an updated version named the Li L8, accompanied by a price reduction promotion. This series of moves angered many Li ONE consumers who had just bought the car at the original price.
