1. (China Daily) The latest Digital 2025: July Global Statshot report revealed that Southeast Asia accounts for nearly one-quarter of TikTok's global advertising audience, making it the platform's largest ad-viewer base.  

    Ad-viewer base refers to the number of users who view advertisements. It describes the audience that sees and potentially interacts with ads, often measured as a rate or percentage of active users of the platform.  

    Thailand has the world's second-highest proportion of monthly active TikTok users, with over 80 percent internet users engaging with the platform each month — well above the global average of just 30 percent.  

    Naiyen Wang, Southeast Asia managing director at We Are Social, said social media and influencer marketing play a pivotal role in the region, where consumers are highly active across multiple platforms for research and brand engagement.

    What truly captures their attention is content that is humorous, entertaining, and has the potential to go viral. For marketers, this means shifting strategies away from hard-selling toward creating content people genuinely enjoy and want to interact with, Wang said.  

    The data show that internet users in Southeast Asia watch more online video content each week than the global average of 11 hours and 39 minutes. In the Philippines, users watch over 20 hours of video weekly, more than half of which consists of short-form clips.  

    YouTube remains the largest social media platform globally in terms of advertising audience size, with 2.54 billion monthly active users. Southeast Asians are among its most avid users, with countries from the region occupying half of the global top ten spots for monthly usage share. The Philippines and Vietnam lead the rankings.

    More than one in five internet users in the region follow social media influencers and regularly watch influencer videos or vlogs weekly. In the Philippines, 43.5 percent follow influencers, and roughly half watch their content every week.  

    Humorous, meme-based or viral videos are the second most popular form of online video globally — after music videos — among users aged 16 to 64. TikTok dominates in this category, with almost 80 percent of users engaging with the platform for such content.  

    Strong influence  

    Social media plays a crucial role in the consumer journey. Over 80 percent of Vietnamese and Indonesian users research brands on social platforms, while more than 60 percent of Malaysians and Filipinos do the same, highlighting the platforms' strong influence on purchasing decisions.

    Instagram, TikTok and Facebook are the top global platforms for brand research, respectively. Facebook remains the leading source of social media-driven web traffic, accounting for over 70 percent of all referrals.  

    Messaging app use differs by country. Southeast Asia also has the world's highest Messenger ad audience share at 22.7 percent.  

    Telegram enjoys greater popularity in the region than globally. While only one-third of global internet users access it monthly, the figure approaches two-thirds in Malaysia and Indonesia, showing the diverse communication channels brands must consider when entering the Southeast Asian market.

    Source: China Daily  Updated: 2025-08-21 11:08

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  2. (China Daily) Chinese automotive brands captured over 70 percent of the domestic passenger car market in July, fueled by surging new energy vehicle sales. It signals a fundamental shift in the industry's competitive dynamics.  

    According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, vehicle sales reached 2.59 million units in July, down 10.7 percent month-on-month but up 14.7 percent year-on-year.  

    It brought this year's cumulative vehicle sales to 18.27 million units, a year-on-year growth of 12 percent.  

    Chen Shihua, deputy secretary-general of the CAAM, said that the auto market entered its traditional off-season in July, with some manufacturers undertaking annual maintenance. This led to a slowdown in production and sales, resulting in the month-on-month decline.

    Nonetheless, trade-in policies continued to show positive effects, and automakers have been introducing new models, helping the market maintain stable operations and achieve year-on-year growth, Chen added.  

    Notably, sales of Chinese brands' passenger cars reached 1.6 million units in July, a year-on-year increase of 21.3 percent. The market share of domestic brands in the passenger car market exceeded 70 percent, an increase of 3.8 percentage points compared to the same period of 2024.  

    In 2014, this figure stood at just 38.44 percent, highlighting the growth trajectory of Chinese brands over the past decade.  

    The CAAM stated that improved technological capabilities and consumers recognition are helping domestic brands solidify advantages amid market transformation.

    In contrast, joint venture brands, which are still wavering in their transition to electrification, continue to lose market share.  

    Compared to the same period of 2024, all international brands except German ones, which hold a 12.8 percent market share, have experienced sales declines. South Korean brands, in particular, now account for only 1.6 percent of the market in China.  

    In July alone, NEV sales reached 1.26 million units, up 27.4 percent year-on-year. The sector accounted for 48.7 percent of total new car sales.  

    In addition to driving growth in the domestic market, Chinese automotive brands are accelerating their expansion into overseas markets. Data show that in July, car exports reached 575,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 22.6 percent.  

    Among top exporters, Chery led with 119,000 units exported in July, a year-on-year increase of 31.9 percent, accounting for 20.7 percent of the total exports.  

    BYD exported 81,000 units, jumping 160 percent year-on-year, which made it the most significant export growth.

    Chen said that the rise in market share for Chinese auto brands is linked to NEVs, with sales in the first seven months of 2025 reaching 6.91 million units, a year-on-year increase of 32.3 percent.

    According to Chen, NEVs have become the main engine in automobile exports. However, due to the underdeveloped infrastructure in overseas markets, such consumers have been slow to embrace electric vehicles. Instead, plug-in hybrid vehicles have experienced accelerated growth.  

    The export of PHEVs soared 220 percent year-on-year to 85,000 units in July. Meanwhile, 141,000 pure EVs were exported, up 83.6 percent compared with same period of 2024.  

    Chinese brands, including Great Wall, Chery, Changan, and BYD, are establishing overseas research and production bases to strengthen their global presence and better cater to local market demands.  The 

    China Passenger Car Association revised 2025 forecasts upward earlier this month based on "better-than-expected" performance.

    The CPCA now projects a 6 percent growth in China's car sales this year, with car export growth likely to reach 14 percent. This compares with the CPCA's June estimates of a 5 percent increase in car sales and a 10 percent rise in exports.  

    The association noted that in the first half, China's car market showed positive results due to policy incentives and a shift toward rational industry development. Expanded subsidies for trading in old cars and timely local subsidies boosted consumption, while efforts to reduce price competition cooled chaotic price-cutting.  

    According to CPCA data, the number of discounted vehicle models during January-July fell to 106 in 2025, down from 147 in 2024 and 113 in 2023. This follows a 2020-22 average of just 50 discounted models annually.

    Price reductions eased in July, with only 17 discounted models versus 23 in July 2024. Average discounts reached 21,000 yuan ($2,920) during the first seven months of 2025, while July alone saw average cuts of 16,000 yuan, signaling reduced price competition.  

    Consumer priorities shifted from price to vehicle reliability and brand reputation, with only 15 percent prioritizing price, down 28 percentage points from 2022. This change led automakers to focus more on quality and R&D, easing industry pressure and raising profit margins to 6.9 percent in June.  

    Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the CPCA, noted that automakers are focusing more on quality control and R&D instead of price competition. This shift has eased the price war and industry pressures.

    Source: By Cao Yingying | China Daily | Updated: 2025-08-18 10:00

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  3. (China Daily) A driverless minibus route will start operations by the end of the month in Shenzhen’s Luohu district, linking six popular retail and entertainment venues in the area.  

    Starting and ending at Luohu Port (罗湖口岸), the route passes through notable locations such as Guomao Building (国贸) – one of Shenzhen’s earliest skyscrapers, Di Wang Tower (地王), the MixC mall (万象食家) in the Sungang area, the Grand Theater (大剧院), and the MixC mall (万象城) on Bao’an South Road.  

    Passengers can book free rides through Shenba Chuxing (深巴出行), the WeChat mini-program of Shenzhen Bus Group.

    As the first autonomous driving project operating in complex road conditions in a core urban area of a first-tier city, this minibus route is being hailed as a benchmark for self-driving technology.  

    The minibuses will navigate densely trafficked areas such as Jiabin Road and Renmin South Road, sharing the roads with motorized vehicles, scooters, bicycles, and pedestrians.

    This article is translated by China Daily from the original report in Chinese as published on the official WeChat public account of Shenzhen Bus Group.

    Source: China Daily by Wang Zhan  Published: 00:55, August 12, 2025

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  4. (China Daily) Shanghai is advancing efforts to build itself into an international e-sports hub by introducing top-tier world-class tournaments and more supportive policies.  

    Global video game developer Riot Games will hold the 2026 global championships for its signature game Valorant in Shanghai, Whalen Rozelle, the company's head of international publishing and e-sports, announced on Aug 1.  

    The news was made public during the 2025 Global E-sports Summit, which was part of the China Digital Entertainment Expo & Conference, better known as ChinaJoy, held in Shanghai from Aug 1 to 4.

    The character-based 5v5 tactical game Valorant was first released in October 2019. Its global monthly active users have now exceeded 25 million, with a daily concurrent number of users reaching 4.2 million during peak times.  

    In February 2023, Chinese tech giant Tencent, Riot Games' parent company, announced the introduction of Valorant and officially launched it five months later. Official data from a Tencent news conference in July showed that the number of concurrent users for Valorant on Chinese servers doubled from over 1 million in 2024 to 2 million in April this year. Preregistrations for the mobile version of Valorant exceeded 20 million before its official release in June. Over 50 million downloads were made in the first week.  

    Riot Games set up a subsidiary in Shanghai in 2015 and built a research center in the city in 2021, the first overseas facility of its kind beyond its headquarters in Los Angeles. Despite the global pandemic, Shanghai managed to hold the global championship for Riot Games' blockbuster game League of Legends in 2020.

    All these are closely related to market energy, complete infrastructure and a mature e-sports community built up in Shanghai, said Rozelle.  

    According to the interim report for the Chinese e-sports industry released during the Aug 1 summit, Shanghai held the majority 22.9 percent of all e-sports games held across China during the first six months of the year. The city is home to 34 e-sports clubs, outnumbering all other Chinese cities.  

    Data from the municipal government show that Shanghai held nearly 2,300 e-sports games last year, generating nearly 1.12 billion yuan ($156 million) in income.  

    The "Lingjing Fusion" action was officially announced by the Jing'an district government during the summit on Aug 1, with the intention to build an e-sports industry ecosystem in the district.

    Efforts will be made to attract e-sports and gaming companies from home and abroad to set up operations in Jing'an in the next three years. Newly established enterprises may be eligible for a maximum 10 million yuan startup subsidy, or a maximum 5 million yuan housing subsidy, and 30 million yuan of operating incentives.  

    A one-time reward of up to 5 million yuan may be granted to well-known industry accomplishments. A maximum of 10 million yuan of one-time financial support will be provided to the construction of e-sports industrial parks based on the renovation of old venues. Projects advancing industrial upgrading by applying frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence or virtual reality to e-sports may be entitled to a one-time fiscal support input of up to 10 million yuan.  

    A number of supportive policies have been rolled out in Shanghai over the past few years. In 2019, the municipal government released a set of 20 measures to complete infrastructure and enhance the overall business environment for e-sports companies. The municipal government launched last July its three-year action plan for 2024-26, saying that the city's direct income from e-sports games should exceed 8 billion yuan by the end of 2026.

    International cooperation is crucial. Therefore, the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Jing'an District signed a strategic memorandum of understanding with the E-sports Committee of China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association and the Japan e-Sports Union on Aug 1 to deepen cooperation in industrial internationalization, standard promulgation, technology innovation and exchanges, as well as nurturing talent.  

    Zhang Yijun, first vice-chairman of China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association, said that local governments' financial and fiscal policies, combined with the optimization of industrial funds, have boosted the high-quality development of China's e-sports industry. Integrating technology, culture, entertainment and sales, the e-sports industry has helped to inject more vitality into the consumer market and generated a large number of job opportunities.  

    According to the recently released half-year report for China's e-sports industry, sector revenue approached 12.8 billion yuan in the first six months, up 6.1 percent from a year earlier. Livestreaming of games contributed the majority — 80.38 percent of revenue.  

    "China's e-sports industry has built a complete industrial chain, connecting livestreaming platforms for well-known games, clubs and cross-industry cooperation. The sector has become more regulated, mainstream and international," said Zhang.

    Source: By Shi Jing in Shanghai | China Daily | Updated: 2025-08-20 10:01

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  5. (China Daily) A study of lunar samples retrieved by the Chang'e 6 mission has dated the formation of the Apollo basin to 4.16 billion years ago, meaning the onset of the late heavy bombardment occurred at least 100 million years earlier than thought. The finding offers new insights into the early dynamic evolution of the moon and the solar system.  

    The late heavy bombardment refers to a period of lunar basin-forming epoch due to intense bombardments from small celestial bodies.  

    The Apollo basin, where the Chang'e 6 mission sampled lunar soils, has a diameter of about 540 kilometers. As the largest crater within the moon's largest and oldest impact basin — the South Pole-Aitken basin — its formation might well indicate the onset of the late heavy bombardment.

    Through the analysis of samples from the far side of the moon, the study reveals that the late heavy bombardment initiated at least 4.16 billion years ago, which is 100 million years earlier than the previously suspected cataclysm between 3.8 to 4 billion years ago. This finding suggests that the lunar early impact flux is consistent with a gradual decline rather than an abrupt surge. 

    According to the study published in the journal Nature Astronomy on Wednesday, the research team, led by Xu Yigang, an academician from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, examined three impact-melt fragments with sizes ranging from 150 to 300 micrometers. These fragments are a special type of lunar rock that formed through the cooling and crystallization of impact melts generated during impacts and are regarded as the most ideal "geological clock" for the impact records of the moon.  

    Integrating remote sensing, geological, geochemical and petrological data, the study confirms that the Apollo basin formed around 4.16 billion years ago.

    Source: By Li Menghan | China Daily | Updated: 2025-08-21 09:35

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  6. (Xinhua) The boundary between reality and science fiction is fading fast.  

    At a robotics company in Beijing, my morning began with a coffee made by a dual-arm robot. It expertly brewed the espresso, frothed the milk, and handed me a latte carefully topped with a decorative image of my choice. Coffee in hand, I stepped into an adjoining massage room, where another robot assessed my physical condition before gently placing its mechanical arm on my back to deliver a soothing massage.

    Behind this and other futuristic scenes are the collaborative robots, or "cobots," manufactured by AUBO (Beijing) Robotics Technology Co., Ltd. Unlike typical industrial robots, which generally operate within physically isolated units, cobots work directly alongside their human colleagues. In the commercial cobot sector, Denmark's Universal Robots is widely recognized as a pioneering leader.  

    Founded in 2015, AUBO Robotics is at the forefront of China's cobot industry, ranking first domestically and second globally in cobot sales for years. "Last year, our collaborative robot sales surpassed 1 billion yuan (about 139 million U.S. dollars), capturing over 36 percent of the domestic market," said Han Yongguang, chairman of the intelligent robot manufacturer.

    The company also takes pride in its full ownership of intellectual property (IP) rights, breaking decades-long monopolies held by foreign companies in the robotics sector. These IP rights are also recognized by its some 500 partners across more than 50 countries.  

    Compared to typical industrial robots, cobots offer far greater versatility, making them suitable not just for factories but also retail, health care and education settings.  

    "Cobots substantially boost efficiency," said Tian Hua, senior marketing manager at AUBO Robotics, speaking from the company's headquarters near Zhongguancun in Beijing, which is often dubbed "China's Silicon Valley."

    She cited massage businesses as an example: "Some of our business clients complained that skilled massage therapists are difficult to hire, train and retain. Cobots solve this problem with just a few button taps, performing physically demanding massage tasks tirelessly."  

    The consistency of robots is another advantage. "By late afternoon, human therapists can experience fatigue, affecting their performance. Robots, on the other hand, never tire," Tian explained.  

    Though hardly a Luddite, I nonetheless found myself reflecting, latte in hand, as the robot massaged my back: Are these cobots enhancing our lives, or quietly replacing us?

    "In fact, it is precisely market demand that has driven the creation of these versatile robots," noted Dr. Song Zhongkang, director of the AUBO Research Institute.  

    "These collaborative robots were never intended to replace people -- as their very name indicates. Humans still supervise robotic operations. More importantly, customers often just want someone to chat with," Song said, highlighting the irreplaceable value of human connection regardless of technological advancements.  

    Song considers cobots a revolutionary development in robotics: "Cobots are also seen as the first generation of intelligent robots."

    "Compared to traditional robots, cobots leverage and combine the strengths of both humans and machines, taking on physically demanding, repetitive and hazardous tasks," Song said. "This allows humans to focus on lighter, more creative tasks, ultimately improving work quality."  

    This calls to mind the philosopher Immanuel Kant's distinction between means and ends: instead of reducing people to mere means for completing tasks, technological progress -- such as the rise of cobots -- enables humans to become the true ends, placing their well-being and creativity at the center of innovation. At AUBO Robotics, I glimpsed the answer to questions of how technology could indeed serve humanity's greater good.

    Perhaps this trend is also a microcosm of China's -- and the world's -- shift toward intelligent transformation. Machines exist not to replace humans, but to enrich human life. This principle holds true not only here in China, but also around the world.  

    As cobots quietly enter factories, hospitals and cafes, China's journey toward intelligent automation has evolved beyond just enhancing efficiency. And amid this rising tide of technology, I am heartened to see human values not overshadowed, but illuminated -- guiding us toward a future where technology uplifts rather than replaces, and where humanity remains the true measure of progress. 

    Source: Xinhua  2025-08-09 16:05:16

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  7. (China Daily) The dazzling acrobatics of humanoid robots racing, kicking footballs and sparring dominated the recent World Robot Conference. Over 50 companies showcased their bipedal marvels, transforming the event into a veritable "World Humanoid Robot Carnival".  

    Yet, amid this sensory overload, a crucial reality check emerged: the relentless focus on humanlike form risks overshadowing a fundamental question — do these robots deliver genuine, cost-effective solutions for business?  

    Jeff Burnstein, president of the Association for Advancing Automation in the United States, said during a forum at the conference: "Commercial users only care about solutions. They don't care if it's a humanoid, a mobile robot, a collaborative robot, an industrial robot, or even if it's a robot at all. They need a tool that gets the job done quickly, efficiently, accurately and affordably."

    This cuts to the core of the industry's current dilemma. While the spectacle of humanoids captures headlines and public imagination, their path to widespread commercial adoption remains fraught with uncertainty.  

    Burnstein's caution extends beyond production numbers to the very concept's practicality: "Is a general-purpose humanoid the best solution? The industry hasn't reached a consensus." He argued that dedicated, task-specific robots — perhaps with multiple arms or fixed-base mobility — often prove more efficient and economical than a complex bipedal machine mimicking human locomotion, especially in structured environments like warehouses.  

    The shadow of unfulfilled promises looms large.

    Burnstein drew a sobering parallel to autonomous vehicles, where initial predictions of rapid adoption vastly underestimated the technical hurdles, leading to significant delays. He forecasts a similar timeline for viable, widespread humanoid solutions.  

    "It might happen, but it's unlikely in North America within the next three to five years."  

    While acknowledging China's investment and innovation push in the sector, he reiterated his core message: "Shape is irrelevant".  

    The relentless focus on bipedal form risks diverting resources from solving the actual, often less glamorous problems businesses face.

    Amid this caution, however, a significant development emerged, suggesting a potential shift from spectacle to substance.  

    Chinese company AgiBot announced a landmark deal with Mianyang Fulin Precision Machining Co Ltd on Aug 11, involving the deployment of nearly 100 of its wheel-based "Expedition A2-W "robots.  

    Dubbed by the company the world's first large-scale commercial implementation of embodied robots in smart manufacturing, this isn't about running marathons. These robots are tackling the gritty, essential work of materials handling — moving thousands of boxes daily, performing palletizing, de-palletizing, and feeding production lines across multiple factory zones. They are demonstrably boosting efficiency and shouldering significant logistical burdens within a real-world automotive parts manufacturing environment.

    The deal offers a crucial blueprint. It moves decisively beyond pilot projects and technical demonstrations to production-critical deployment.  

    The Expedition A2-W, while possessing an upper torso akin to a humanoid for manipulation, utilizes wheels for mobility — a pragmatic design choice prioritizing function over the pure bipedal aesthetic for its target industrial tasks. This is the essence we should champion: solving the problem efficiently, not conforming to a specific shape.  

    The World Robot Conference's humanoid circus is undeniably entertaining and serves as a powerful showcase for technological ambition. However, the true measure of success for this burgeoning field lies not in winning a robot soccer match or captivating social media, but in replicating the tangible, bottom-line impact seen in commercial deployment.

    For humanoid robots — or any robot — to transcend the hype, the industry must relentlessly focus on the imperative: Deliver the solution the business needs, in the most effective form possible, at a compelling cost.  

    The applause of the crowd is fleeting; the sustained hum of robots reliably solving real industrial problems is the sound of true commercial arrival. The race for relevance is won by utility, not just upright mobility.

    Source: By Ma Si | China Daily | Updated: 2025-08-18 09:14

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  8. (AP) Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said Friday that the company is discussing a potential new computer chip designed for China with the Trump administration.  

    Huang was asked about a possible “B30A” semiconductor for artificial intelligence data centers for China while on a visit to Taiwan, where he was meeting Nvidia’s key manufacturing partner, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp., the world’s largest chip maker.  

    “I’m offering a new product to China for ... AI data centers, the follow-on to H20,” Huang said. But he added that “That’s not our decision to make. It’s up to, of course, the United States government. And we’re in dialogue with them, but it’s too soon to know.”  

    Such chips are graphics processing units, or GPUs, a type of device used to build and update a range of AI systems. But they are less powerful than Nvidia’s top semiconductors today, which cannot be sold to China due to U.S. national security restrictions.

    The B30A, based on California-based Nvidia’s specialized Blackwell technology, is reported to operate at about half the speed of Nvidia’s main B300 chips.  

    Huang praised the the Trump administration for recently approving sales of Nvidia’s H20 chips to China after such business was suspended in April, with the proviso that the company must pay a 15% tax to the U.S. government on those sales. Chip maker Advanced Micro Devices, or AMD, was told to pay the same tax on its sales of its MI380 chips to China.

    As part of broader trade talks, Beijing and Washington recently agreed to pull back some non-tariff restrictions. China approved more permits for rare earth magnets to be exported to the U.S., while Washington lifted curbs on chip design software and jet engines. After lobbying by Huang, it also allowed sales of the H20 chips to go through.

    Huang did not comment directly on the tax when asked but said Nvidia appreciated being able to sell H20s to China.  

    He said such sales pose no security risk for the United States. Nvidia is also speaking with Beijing to reassure Chinese authorities that those chips do not pose a “backdoor” security risk, Huang said.

    “We have made very clear and put to rest that H20 has no security backdoors. There are no such things. There never has. And so hopefully the response that we’ve given to the Chinese government will be sufficient,” he said.  

    The Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s internet watchdog, recently posted a notice on its website referring to alleged “serious security issues” with Nvidia’s computer chips.  

    It said U.S. experts on AI had said such chips have “mature tracking and location and remote shutdown technologies” and Nvidia had been asked to explain any such risks and provide documentation about the issue.

    Huang said Nvidia was surprised by the accusation and was discussing the issue with Beijing.  

    “As you know, they requested and urged us to secure licenses for the H20s for some time. And I’ve worked quite hard to help them secure the licenses. And so hopefully this will be resolved,” Huang said.

    Unconfirmed reports said Chinese authorities were also unhappy over comments by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggesting the U.S. was only selling outdated chips to China.  

    Speaking on CNBC, Lutnick said the U.S. strategy was to keep China reliant on American chip technology.  

    “We don’t sell them our best stuff,” he said. “Not our second best stuff. Not even our third best, but I think fourth best is where we’ve come out that we’re cool,” he said.  

    China’s ruling Communist Party has made self-reliance in advanced technology a strategic priority, though it still relies on foreign semiconductor knowhow for much of what it produces.

    Source: Associated Press by Elaine Kurtenbach  Updated 12:08 AM PDT, August 22, 2025

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  9. (China Daily) Chinese electronic games are continuously thriving in global markets, and are increasingly becoming carriers of culture to promote cross-cultural understanding and exchanges as a new universal language, said industry experts during the recent 22nd China Digital Entertainment Expo & Conference, better known as ChinaJoy, in Shanghai.  

    By the end of June, China had a record 679 million gamers. In the first half, actual sales revenue of the domestic game market totaled 168 billion yuan ($23.3 billion), up 14.08 percent year-on-year, according to a report released on July 31 by Zhang Yijun, first vice-chairman of the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association.  

    Overseas sales of Chinese games exceeded $9.5 billion in the first half, growing 11.07 percent year-on-year. The United States, Japan and South Korea continued to be the main overseas markets for Chinese games, accounting for 55.63 percent of total sales. European nations such as Germany, the United Kingdom and France are becoming emerging destinations for more Chinese games, said the report.

    From a global perspective, China continued to hold the position as the world's largest game exporter in the first half, ranking first with a share of 32.6 percent of global total, according to a report released by mobile analytics firm AppsFlyer.  

    Over the past five years, Chinese games have entered the markets of more than 100 countries and regions around the world. In particular, games such as Honor of Kings and Genshin Impact have accumulated hundreds of millions of users globally, said Ao Ran, executive vice-chairman of the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association.  

    "China's gaming industry has shown a positive trend toward high-quality and sustainable development in recent years, since a large number of Chinese enterprises are collaboratively creating world-class innovative video games within the global supply chain. Notably, the fine traditional Chinese culture is becoming the unique source of innovation and a differentiating advantage for Chinese games," said Richard Yu, vice-president and editor-in-chief at Tencent Interactive Entertainment Group.

    The hit title Black Myth: Wukong, an action role-playing video game rooted in Chinese mythology, is a prime example of the worldwide appeal of Chinese video games with a strong cultural identity. Industry experts agree that games are rapidly developing beyond products for entertainment, and becoming a new cultural form integrating with advanced technologies and an important carrier of Chinese cultural aspects that keep expanding globally.  

    Yu pointed out that more Chinese game producers are ramping up efforts to make high-quality original games that draw both domestic and international players. Instead of simply putting cultural elements together, they explore deep into Chinese cultural connotations and strive to interpret them in innovative, globalized and modern ways.  

    "As a composite cultural carrier that integrates various art forms such as literature, music, film and fine arts, games naturally possess the potential to promote cross-cultural understanding and boast the advantage of crossing cultural boundaries. Their interactivity turns the players into 'interpreters' of different cultures," Yu added.

    Not only Chinese producers, but also foreign companies are eyeing opportunities in the global collaboration and cultural integration with games as a bond. Representatives of over 200 companies from nations such as Japan, South Korea, the UK, France and Finland gathered for potential partnerships at the China International Game Developers Conference, which was held on July 31 as part of this year's ChinaJoy.  

    "There were barely no really successful Chinese console and PC games 10 years ago, but recently we have seen game studios and producers instilling Chinese culture to create something different. China has a wonderful historical culture and that's part of the creativity. In France, we are very much into culture in general, and Chinese culture is no exception — it is something that resonates a lot with us," said Yves Blehaut, senior vice-president of strategic partnerships at Microids, a French video game publisher and developer.  

    Sony Interactive Entertainment (Shanghai) Ltd and its PlayStation gaming platform are also actively looking to contribute to China's console game ecosystems. Following the success of Black Myth: Wukong on its platform, the company is expecting to cultivate more local game developers in China and better connect the nation's gaming industry and culture with the world. In 2016, the company established the "China Hero Project" to support Chinese console game developers, connect with global counterparts, and help them grow globally with games featuring Chinese culture.

    "China has the world's most game users and is one of the most critical and potential markets for PlayStation. We have noticed very early the potential and passion of Chinese game developers. Collaborating with over 400 Chinese game developers and publishers, we aim to introduce good Chinese games to the world," said Tatsuo Eguchi, chairman and president of Sony Interactive Entertainment, at the conference.  

    To better navigate Chinese game developers in overseas markets, the Research and Service Center for Game Globalization was inaugurated in Shanghai at the conference. It aims to provide one-stop services such as overseas market analysis, compliance guidance, financial services, legal protection and copyright protection.  

    Moreover, a first batch of guidelines targeting the Japanese, South Korean, British and French markets were also released at the event to support Chinese games' global expansion, comprehensively covering sectors including policies, regulations, market environment, culture, customs and user preferences. More guidelines on other countries in regions such as North America, Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East will also be released this and next year.

    "The globalization of games ultimately involves a two-way cultural exchange. Games themselves are self-contained digital worlds where different cultures meet and spark inspiration. So while publishing Chinese games overseas, we also help introduce global cultures into China," said Yu of Tencent Interactive Entertainment.  

    "We obviously see more foreign friends and international participation at ChinaJoy this year. With games building a globalized platform, we expect to enhance exchanges, reduce barriers and accelerate integration, which will carry us all farther," he added.  

    Running from Aug 1 to 4, this year's ChinaJoy attracted over 790 business exhibitors from 37 countries and regions including the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Japan and South Korea.

    Source: By Wang Xin in Shanghai | China Daily | Updated: 2025-08-20 09:54

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  10. (China Daily) China is accelerating investment in the new and fast-growing space information — or "space computing" — sector which it sees as a future trillion-yuan driver of economic growth, with leading firms joining forces to develop the futuristic technology, which aims to process massive volumes of satellite and aerial data while in orbit.  

    Geovis Technology Co Ltd, a Chinese geospatial services provider, recently signed a framework agreement with supercomputer manufacturer Sugon to jointly build what they call an "open and inclusive space computing network". The planned network will connect users' devices to satellites, space-based infrastructure and ground platforms, forming a space-ground integrated intelligent computing architecture.  

    Shao Zongyou, president of Geovis, said in a recent interview with China Daily that computing in space could soon move from concept to reality. "Once the space computing network is completed, it will enhance global internet access capacity and stability, supporting applications such as remote work, telemedicine, online education, emergency communications and rural digital development," Shao said.

    The ambition is driven in part by the rapid expansion of satellite constellations and the rising sophistication of payloads.  

    "With tens of thousands of satellites planned in the coming years and ever-higher payload and resolution demands, massive data — and thus computing needs — will surge," Shao said.  

    "Transmission methods like microwaves are slower than many home networks, while laser communication is too weather-dependent. The ideal is to compute in space, then send only the processed results back to earth," he added.

    The space information sector, which spans navigation, weather forecasting, urban planning and resource exploration, has been developing rapidly under policy support, alongside China's push into the low-altitude economy and commercial spaceflight.  

    Over the past year, China has introduced a group of policies to stimulate low-altitude industries. These include regulations on unmanned aircraft flight management that took effect in January and a roadmap released in March for upgrading general aviation equipment through 2030.  

    Wu Yirong, academic dean and researcher at the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: "China's aerospace information industry is integrating into all aspects of social production and everyday life at an unprecedented speed and depth. It is creating enormous economic value and social benefits."

    For Geovis, the deal with Sugon marks a strategic shift from its established strengths in digital earth, AI, big data and cloud integration into the more technically demanding realm of space-based computation.  

    The two companies plan to develop high-performance, low-power high-reliability core components, build a space computing network, and integrate with China's national computing platforms. They will also explore industry standards and work to coordinate an ecosystem of partners.  

    Shao said the aim is to upgrade the current one-way satellite "data collection service" into a two-way "computing-as-a-service" model. This would allow for in-orbit intelligent processing linked to deep ground-based applications, potentially opening new commercial opportunities in areas such as real-time Earth observation, emergency disaster response and global broadband coverage.

    Yet the road ahead is challenging. Shao said that deploying the same computing power in space could cost up to 1,000 times more than on the ground. Moreover, "space weather", including high-energy particles, radiation and temperature extremes, can damage electronic components and degrade performance over time.  

    Despite these difficulties, Geovis sees space computing as a strategic imperative with long-term returns. "Three to five years may yield no returns," Shao said. "But for national capability and the future of space industries, this must be done."  

    Deng Maicun, former secretary-general of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said China's role in the field has transformed. "In recent years, China's aerospace information sector has made a remarkable leap from a follower to a front-runner, and in some areas even a leader, becoming a new engine for the development of the digital economy."

    Source: By Cheng Yu | China Daily | Updated: 2025-08-15 09:16

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