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Explainers

In-depth guides that explain China’s technology, policy, and business landscape — from chipmaking and AI to space, energy, and geopolitics. Built for readers who want context, not just headlines.

China's Flying Car Industry: What It Is, Why It's Hard, and Where It's Headed

What Exactly Is a Flying Car — and What It Is Not The term "flying car" gets used loosely, but the distinction matters enormously for understanding the industry's real challenges. A flying car, in its most precise definition, is a crewed aerial vehicle that takes off from

China's Commercial Space Industry: A Structural Guide to Rockets, Satellites, and Orbital Computing

Based on two research reports published by UBS Securities Asia Limited on June 17, 2026 — “Profiling 11 Commercial Space Companies in China” and “China Commercial Space 101” — these articles examine the accelerating IPO pipeline of China's commercial space sector, the companies positioning for public markets, and the listed

Understanding China's AI Ecosystem: Five Forces Shaping Competition and Growth

A guide to understanding the competitive dynamics, token economics, and long-term trajectories of China's AI ecosystem Based on Goldman Sachs' "Key AI & Mega-Cap Debates; What to Do From Here?" published June 9, 2026 What Is This About? China's AI industry

ByteDance's Four AI Priorities in 2026: World Models, Coding, Video, and Monetization

What the company's internal roadmap reveals about its broader AI strategy — and where it still has ground to make up What Is This About? ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok and Douyin, has quietly built one of China's most comprehensive AI stacks. By early 2026, its

How Chinese Automakers Are Reshaping the Global Auto Industry：A Strategic Explainer

What Is China's Auto Export Phenomenon? China's automotive industry has undergone a fundamental transformation from domestic manufacturer to global competitor. Between 2021 and 2025, Chinese passenger vehicle exports surged from 1.6 million units to 6.0 million units—a nearly fourfold increase. By April 2026,

Zhipu AI: A Guide to China’s Rising AI Infrastructure Player

Understanding the company reshaping enterprise AI deployment in the world's second-largest economy What Is Zhipu AI? Zhipu AI is China's largest independent general-purpose large language model (LLM) developer, founded in 2019 as a spin-out from Tsinghua University's Knowledge Engineering Group (KEG)

China's AI Cloud Wars: How Tencent, Alibaba, and Baidu Are Adapting Their Strategies

What is happening in China's cloud computing market? China's cloud computing industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation as artificial intelligence becomes the primary competitive battleground. The three major players—Tencent Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, and Baidu Intelligent Cloud—are pursuing distinctly different strategies, each facing unique challenges

What Is the Tau (τ) Scaling Law? Understanding Huawei's Alternative to Moore's Law

On May 25, 2026, Huawei introduced the "Tau (τ) Scaling Law," a proposed framework for advancing semiconductor performance as traditional transistor miniaturization approaches fundamental physical limits. But what exactly does this mean, and why does it matter? What Is the Tau (τ) Scaling Law? The Tau Scaling Law

China's Humanoid Robot Dominance: What It Means for the Global Economy

An inflection point in automation is here — and China controls the supply chain This article is based on research from Barclays Research’s May 19, 2026 report, “AI gets physical: The decade of the robot belongs to China.” What Is Happening with Humanoid Robots? Humanoid robots — AI-powered machines designed

How China Built 22% of the World's Chip Capacity

Between 2014 and 2026, China's share of global semiconductor wafer production capacity grew from less than 10% to a projected 22.3%, enough to rank first globally ahead of South Korea and Taiwan. That rise represents one of the fastest industrial expansions in modern technology history. But the