Starbucks Official Announcement: Starting Tomorrow, Seating Reserved for Paying Customers 星巴克官宣：明日起，消费才可入座 $SBUX On October 21, Starbucks China announced that starting October 22, all its stores nationwide will implement a policy reserving seating for paying customers, with relevant signage displayed in stores. During daily operations, Starbucks will provide its partners with standardized service guidelines and necessary support. Partners will adhere to principles of friendly and courteous communication, ensuring that customers' unexpected but reasonable requests and special circumstances are accommodated appropriately. Starbucks also stated that partners will prioritize assisting customers in need, such as pregnant women and individuals with limited mobility. While the rule is clear, its implementation will be handled with warmth and empathy. "Human connection and care remain our enduring commitment. We will continue to invest resources into enhancing the store experience, co-creating and maintaining the wonderful atmosphere of the 'Third Place' together with our customers," the company noted.

AliExpress Strikes Global Strategic Partnership with YouTube 阿里速卖通与YouTube达成全球战略合作 $BABA #YouTube AliExpress, the cross-border e-commerce platform under Alibaba Group, has entered into a global strategic partnership with YouTube by joining the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program. Spanning four major key markets—the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Brazil—the collaboration offers merchants a new channel to scale internationally and engage global consumers. With the partnership now in effect, users watching YouTube videos and live streams can click embedded product links to navigate directly to AliExpress product pages, enabling a seamless "watch-and-buy" shopping experience. (Guangjiao Guancha)

China's Micro-Dramas Emerging as the Fourth Major Global Audio-Visual Format 中国微短剧正成为第四大全球性视听产品新业态 China's National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) has released the China–ASEAN Micro-Drama International Communication and Development Report. According to the report, micro-dramas—a new online audio-visual format originating in China—are reshaping the global media landscape at remarkable speed. The sector is rapidly becoming the fourth major global audio-visual format, following American cinema, Japanese anime, and Korean TV dramas. Meanwhile, China–ASEAN micro-drama collaboration continues to deepen, serving as a key vehicle for digital economy cooperation and cultural exchange. The report underscores sustained, explosive growth in China's domestic market. A total of 33,000 micro-dramas were launched nationwide in 2025. Between January and September 2026, that number skyrocketed to 490,000 titles—13 times the total for all of 2025. The user base has expanded to 850 million, with monthly active users (MAUs) surpassing 600 million, solidifying micro-dramas as a central element of modern online cultural life. Overseas markets are showing equally fierce momentum. The international micro-drama market outside China is projected to surpass $6 billion in 2026, representing a 67% year-over-year surge from 2025. Platforms with Chinese backing dominate the global arena: from January through September 2026, all top 10 micro-drama apps by international downloads were Chinese-backed, as were 9 of the top 10 platforms by in-app purchase revenue.

ByteDance Clarifies AI Compute Allocation: Only 10% Dedicated to Video AI Models 字节跳动回应国内算力在造爽剧：仅10%算力用于视频相关 @BytedanceTalk Recently, the trending topic "Over Half of China's Compute Power is Used to Churn Out Binge-Worthy Short Dramas" has sparked widespread debate. According to an Investor Relations Activity Record disclosed by COL Digital Publishing, 55% of domestic AI token consumption in China goes toward short dramas and video generation, 24% toward e-commerce advertising, and a mere 15% toward core research and development. Token consumption for AI short dramas and video generation has reached more than double that of software development, making it the single largest consumption driver in the token economics ecosystem. In response today, Liu Xing, PR Head for Doubao, stated in a post that these compute numbers are somewhat off the mark. Speaking specifically for ByteDance, only about 10% of the company's total compute capacity is allocated to the training and inference of video generation models.

KFC Responds to Switch to Coca-Cola 肯德基回应改用可口可乐 $COLA.NE KFC US recently announced that it will replace Pepsi with Coca-Cola as its beverage supplier starting January 2027, with the transition expected to be completed across all US locations by spring of that year. This move brings an end to a partnership between the two companies spanning approximately 40 years. KFC stated that the switch is part of its US business turnaround plan, aiming to leverage Coca-Cola’s product portfolio and innovation capabilities to win back customers. Pepsi responded by noting that its supplier agreements for Taco Bell as well as KFC's international operations have recently been renewed. Following the announcement, domestic consumers in China were primarily concerned with whether Chinese KFC locations would follow suit. On the 16th, staff at a KFC branch in Haidian District, Beijing, stated that the store currently serves Pepsi and has not received any notice regarding a brand switch. A branch in Xicheng District similarly reported that no notification about changing beverage brands has been issued.

Jewelry Heist at Chow Sang Sang in Hong Kong: Suspect Remains at Large 香港周生生发生珠宝大劫案，嫌犯仍在逃 #chowsangsang At around 3:00 p.m. local time in China on October 14, a theft involving stolen property occurred at a Chow Sang Sang jewelry store located at 70 Kwong Fuk Road, Tai Po, Hong Kong. In response to the incident, a representative for Chow Sang Sang told Sino-Singapore Jingwei on the evening of October 14 that the matter had been handed over to the police, and no further information was available at this time. According to reports, a man aged approximately 40 entered the store posing as a customer, claiming he wanted to purchase a gold chain. A staff member retrieved a gold chain weighing approximately 1 tael and valued at around HK$50,000 for his inspection. The man snatched the chain and immediately bolted out the door, fleeing toward Kwong Fuk Lane. Store staff promptly alerted the police, who arrived at the scene to investigate. The case has been tentatively classified as theft, and authorities are currently hunting for the suspect, urging anyone with relevant information to contact the police.

AI Smartphones Face Setbacks as 151 Apps Opt Out of Doubao Mobile Assistant, Including DeepSeek, WeChat, and Alipay AI手机遇阻，151款应用拒绝接入豆包手机助手，含DeepSeek、微信、支付宝等 According to official disclosures from Doubao Mobile Assistant, following the conclusion of a 30-day public notice period for its Screen Automation Execution Protocol (SAEP), the platform will gradually roll out Graphical User Interface (GUI) automation capabilities for third-party applications—restricted exclusively to those that have not formally opted out. Developers retain the right to declare their refusal even after the public notice period closes. Doubao Mobile Assistant will refrain from executing actions on any applications that have registered an opt-out. Concurrently, Doubao publicly disclosed an opt-out list detailing 151 applications that prohibit Doubao Mobile Assistant from performing GUI screen automation operations on them. A wide range of mainstream, high-frequency apps are present on the list, including WeChat, DeepSeek, Alipay, Taobao, Kuaishou, and Meituan.

DeepSeek Reportedly Set to Close RMB 100 Billion Funding Round DeepSeek据称将完成1000亿元融资 #deepseek DeepSeek, a prominent large language model startup, is set to complete its latest funding round in the near future, with the target size raised from an initially planned RMB 50 billion to approximately RMB 100 billion, according to multiple people familiar with the deal. This marks DeepSeek's second financing round, with the target amount doubling in less than two weeks. Existing and new investors are expected to contribute roughly half of the funds each. The doubled size of the round has not affected the company's overall valuation, which remains at a pre-money valuation of around RMB 500 billion. The new investors this round are primarily strategic and industrial players, including Stony Creek Capital, China Fortune-Tech Capital, CPE, Legend Capital, and Geely. First-round investors—such as CATL, Tencent, and IDG Capital—also plan to follow on, with CATL intending to inject an additional RMB 10 billion.

Huawei's Xu Songyu Confirms Mass Production of Kirin 9050 Series Chipsets 华为徐松余：麒麟9050系列芯片已经成功量产 #HUAWEI During the 2026 Huawei Terminal Innovative Technology Conference today, Huawei elaborated on its Kirin 9050 series chipsets, which recently debuted alongside the Huawei Mate XT 2 tri-fold phone and the Mate 90 Pro Max flagship. Xu Songyu, Head of Wireless Terminal Chip Product Management at Huawei Semiconductor, revealed that cumulative shipments of devices powered by Kirin chips have exceeded 100 million units since 2023. Backed by the robust foundation of China's electronics industry, the Kirin 9050 series has successfully achieved mass production. The release of the Kirin 9050 series represents a pivotal step in Kirin’s ongoing evolution following its comeback, kicking off a brand-new 10-year journey for Kirin chipsets.

China Proposes Ban on Fully Hidden Door Handles and the Use of Folding and Flexible Displays, Etc 中国拟禁止配备全隐藏式门把手，不得采用折叠显示屏、柔性显示屏等 Today (October 10), the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and three other departments jointly issued the Notice on Further Strengthening the Management of Innovative Design, R&D, Testing, and Validation of Automotive Products (Draft for Comment), which will further enhance product safety performance and promote the high-quality development of the automotive industry. Reporters learned from the MIIT that the draft puts forward multifaceted requirements to address issues such as certain manufacturers blindly following trends to launch new products, and conducting insufficient testing and validation, among other problems Regarding market access management for innovative designs, the notification stipulates that starting January 1, 2027, newly declared products involving innovative designs must additionally submit the technical parameters of these innovative designs and undergo enhanced safety and environmental assessments in accordance with the Technical Guidelines for Innovative Design of Automotive Products. Products failing to conduct testing and validation as required, conducting insufficient testing and validation, or submitting falsified materials will be denied public announcement (regulatory approval). For products that have already obtained approval, manufacturers must submit supplementary technical parameters and validation materials by July 1, 2027. If this deadline is missed and safety hazards exist, production must be halted and a recall implemented. The notification also explicitly mandates that fully hidden door handles are prohibited, and folding displays and flexible displays must not be used; relevant innovative designs must undergo sufficient testing and validation to ensure they are safe and reliable In terms of R&D testing and validation, the notification requires that newly declared products comply with the Technical Specifications for R&D, Testing and Validation of Automotive Products. They must complete comprehensive testing and validation across areas including overall reliability and durability, structural reliability, software functional reliability, environmental adaptability, heating and cooling, as well as protective performance and sealing. Notably, the validation period for environmental adaptability must be no less than 1 year, and the reliability validation test must cover no less than 30,000 kilometers

Mainland Chinese Firm Places Massive Order for 20,000 Nvidia GPUs 有消息称中国大陆一企业豪购2万张英伟达GPU $NVDA On October 9, Tianyang Technology (300872.SZ) released an announcement regarding the procurement of Nvidia GPUs, sparking widespread market attention. The company stated it recently signed a "GPU Procurement Agreement" with Company X to purchase 20,000 Nvidia RTX PRO 5500 Blackwell units. Tianyang Technology's stock closed up 12.38%. Based on Nvidia's description of the product, the RTX PRO 5500 Blackwell is not the type of chip typically considered suitable for large-scale AI training and inference in data centers, but rather a workstation product. Nevertheless, the total value of this GPU procurement could still exceed 1 billion RMB. Industry insiders pointed out that the Nvidia RTX PRO 5500 Blackwell has not yet officially gone on sale and its official pricing remains undetermined, suggesting significant uncertainty surrounding the aforementioned order. Industry professionals frankly remarked that the deal is "nowhere near finalized," raising doubts about the compliance of the company's information disclosure.

Tencent Weighs Up to $5 Billion Offshore Bond Issuance to Potentially Fuel AI Push 腾讯考虑最高发行50亿美元离岸债券，或筹钱加码AI Amid the ongoing arms race for AI computing power, Tencent—despite its robust cash flows—has begun leveraging offshore bonds to stockpile long-term capital. On October 8, sources revealed that Tencent Holdings is considering the issuance of up to $5 billion in offshore bonds. The planned offering is expected to be a dual-currency issuance denominated in both US dollars and offshore yuan, with the launch slated for as early as this month. The final allocation of the proceeds remains undetermined, and the execution of the deal hinges on multiple factors, including global market conditions and investor appetite. However, market speculation widely suggests that the raised capital will primarily be channeled into intensifying the company's AI investments. Jiemian News reached out to Tencent for verification, but the company had not provided an official comment as of press time. Briefly put, offshore bonds are debt instruments issued outside the issuer's home jurisdiction, targeting overseas institutional investors. For a Hong Kong-listed enterprise like Tencent, such bonds are typically listed on overseas markets and can be priced in either US dollars or offshore yuan. The core value of this financing strategy lies not in bridging short-term funding gaps, but in extending the debt maturity profile and diversifying the offshore liquidity pool. Analysts note that for Tencent, a successful offshore bond issuance serves as both a mechanism for optimizing its debt structure and a medium to signal its long-term AI investment roadmap to global investors. This is not Tencent’s first foray into large-scale offshore debt markets this year. In June, leveraging its $30 billion global medium-term note program, Tencent completed the issuance of offshore bonds equivalent to nearly $4.7 billion—its largest offshore debt offering since 2020. According to people familiar with the matter, Tencent launched a $2.45 billion US-dollar bond offering at the time and completed the pricing for a 15-billion-yuan dim sum bond. One insider indicated that subscriptions for Tencent's dollar bond exceeded $9.2 billion, with the proceeds earmarked for general corporate purposes, including refinancing and the development of AI products and services. $TME

Chinese Team Achieves Breakthrough in Lithium Batteries: Ultra-Fast Charging to Nearly 80% in Just 3 Minutes 中国团队实现锂电池新突破：仅需3分钟超快充，电量可达近80% A research team from the Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, under the Institute of Metal Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has recently proposed a novel design strategy for cathode materials. By selectively screening and combining trace elements, the team has simultaneously enhanced the lithium-ion transport kinetics and structural stability of cobalt-free, high-nickel cathode materials. Their findings were recently published in Nature Synthesis For this breakthrough, the research team established two primary metrics—or "yardsticks"—for screening elements: ionic charge density and metal-oxygen bond strength. The synergistic effect of these two factors enables the material to achieve both rapid ion transport and robust structural stability. The researchers selected four elements—magnesium, calcium, titanium, and zirconium—to synthesize a multi-trace-element doped, cobalt-free, high-nickel cathode material Electrochemical tests demonstrate that the material reaches nearly 80% capacity with just a 3-minute ultra-fast charge. Furthermore, it maintains an 82.4% capacity retention rate after 350 cycles under 6-minute fast charge-discharge conditions. A 5.74 Ah battery fabricated with this material can still deliver an energy density of 278.6 Wh/kg at a low temperature of −20°C. This demonstrates exceptional low-temperature energy storage performance, offering a promising new material alternative for new energy vehicles (NEVs) and energy storage systems in cold regions.

Shocking 0-5 Rout for China Men's National Football Team against Palestine! Lack of Fighting Spirit and Lax Attitude 中国男足0:5惨败于巴勒斯坦队，令人震惊！战意不浓、作风松懈 On October 3, Xinhua News Agency published an article titled "0-5: Another Wake-Up Call for Chinese Football." The article notes that the Chinese men's national football team's crushing 0-5 defeat to Palestine is a staggering loss. Remarks made by Shao Jiayi have sounded an alarm for all international players. As athletes, whenever they step onto the pitch for the national team, they must maintain absolute focus and intensity. A lack of competitive drive, a slack attitude, or treating a match as a mere "formality" is not only a betrayal of the fans but also an insult to the prestige of wearing the national jersey. The piece acknowledges, "Admittedly, this match took place under exceptional circumstances: due to a scheduling clash with the Asian Games, a significant portion of the national team's core players were called up for the tournament. Compounded by injuries to players such as Serginho and Lin Liangming, the senior squad was forced to field a severely depleted lineup. Compared to the relatively full-strength squad deployed in the June friendlies, the starting XI for this match featured only two or three returning players." "Nevertheless, the cold and lopsided 0-5 scoreline still leaves Chinese football with profound reflections to ponder." The article sharply concludes, "This 0-5 defeat serves as a mirror, unequivocally warning us that the fundamental reality of Chinese football's chronic underperformance remains completely unchanged."

Leading AI Glasses Brand Recalled Over Fatal Risks: "May Cause Severe Burns, Even Death" AI眼镜头部品牌存致死风险被召回，“可能造成严重烫伤，甚至可能导致死亡” #INMO On September 24, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada issued a recall notice for the smart glasses brand INMO Technology. Consumers are urged to immediately stop using the INMO AIR 3 smart glasses, as the left temple arm can overheat during prolonged use. According to the CPSC report, INMO has received 10 incident reports of the AIR 3 overheating, including instances where consumers experienced a burning sensation on their face and left ear. The recall affects approximately 1,643 units in the United States and 120 units in Canada. On September 29, The Paper found on INMO's global website that a recall notice had been published: a voluntary product safety improvement program for the INMO Smart Glass AIR 3 is underway. Consumers should immediately cease using the INMO AIR 3 smart glasses and contact INMO for a free online system update. Notably, according to INMO’s statement on its global website, the product currently poses a certain level of risk: the left temple arm of the recalled smart glasses may overheat during extended use, creating a risk of severe burns that could even result in death.

AMD to Acquire World Labs for $8.2 Billion; Fei-Fei Li Named Chief Scientist AMD斥资82亿美元收购World Labs，李飞飞将任AMD首席科学家 Advanced Micro Devices Inc. $AMD (AMD.O) has agreed to acquire artificial intelligence startup World Labs for $8.2 billion, bringing on board the AI team founded by renowned researcher and AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li. The all-stock transaction is expected to close by the end of the year, subject to regulatory approvals, the two companies announced in a joint statement on Monday. For AMD, a primary competitor to Nvidia (NVDA.O) in the AI chip market, the acquisition secures a top-tier research team and its underlying models, which will help shape the company's future hardware roadmap. "The more you understand the entire end-to-end process, the better systems you can build," said AMD Chief Executive Officer Lisa Su. She noted that the acquisition of World Labs is aimed at capturing the world-class talent assembled by Li and integrating it with AMD’s existing capabilities across hardware, software, and systems. Under the terms of the agreement, Li will join AMD as Executive Vice President and Chief Scientist, reporting directly to Su.

Tencent QClaw to Cease Operations on December 24 腾讯QClaw将于12月24日停止运营 $TME #Tencent #QClaw #openclaw The Tencent QClaw team recently issued an announcement regarding the service's termination. Due to strategic business adjustments, QClaw will officially cease operations at 00:00 on December 24, 2026. Effective from the date of this announcement, new user registrations, along with the purchase and renewal of subscription services, have been suspended. For users with auto-renewal enabled, payment deductions will be terminated automatically without the need for manual cancellation. Prior to the official shutdown, all currently registered users and active subscribers may continue to use the service normally. Additionally, starting from the announcement date, users can seamlessly migrate their QClaw data to WorkBuddy via the "Migrate to WorkBuddy" portal located at the top of the official QClaw website.

Xi Jinping to Pay State Visit to the United States 习近平将对美国进行国事访问 At the invitation of the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to the United States from September 23 to 25.

Ctrip Sells Space Tickets for Just RMB 5.1 Million 携程太空船票只卖510万 $TCOM #携程 Trip.com The exorbitant space travel package recently launched on the Ctrip platform has sparked heated discussions across the internet. Priced at RMB 5.1 million per person, it has set a new price record for publicly available space tourism products in mainland China. Launched by Virgin Galactic, this sky-high-priced space tour product has generated market enthusiasm far exceeding expectations. Currently, two transactions have been completed on the platform, and nearly 700 customers worldwide have paid a deposit and are waiting in line. To book this space experience, customers must first pay a non-refundable deposit of RMB 1 million. The enrollment threshold for the program is extremely relaxed, with no age or gender restrictions. For prospective customers with underlying medical conditions, the brand will arrange for a professional medical team to conduct an online health assessment to maximize flight safety. The entire space travel package lasts for 6 days and 5 nights, with a highly professional and detailed process; it is by no means a simple, short-duration ascent experience. Upon arriving at the designated airport in Texas, USA, customers can enjoy exclusive pick-up and drop-off services and stay in a dedicated astronaut base resort. The first four days are dedicated entirely to professional pre-flight preparation, including systematic astronaut training, comprehensive physical examinations, practical spacesuit donning, and in-depth communication with veteran astronauts regarding flight details. In addition, trainees must complete core practical rehearsals such as high-gravity centrifuge training and G-force tolerance exercises to fully adapt to the physical requirements of space flight. The package thoughtfully offers guest viewing privileges, allowing customers to bring one friend or family member to stay at the base and witness the breathtaking moment of liftoff from an exclusive VIP area. The RMB 5.1 million package covers all ground and flight services, including accommodation, meals, transfers, professional training, custom-tailored spacesuits, and full-journey video documentation. Customers are only responsible for international airfare, visa processing, and personal insurance.

Australia Announces Stricter Visa Policies to Curb Immigration 澳大利亚宣布收紧签证政策以削减移民 Australian Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke announced on September 17 that the government will tighten dependent visas for international students and adjust policies regarding working holiday visas in an effort to reduce overall immigration levels. Speaking in Canberra that day, Burke stated that the government plans to reduce net overseas migration to 245,000 for the current financial year, with a further reduction to 225,000 projected for the 2027–2028 financial year. Under the new regulations, international students will no longer be automatically eligible to bring dependents to Australia. Exemptions will be granted to international students currently in Australia who already have dependents attached to their visas, as well as to students from Pacific Island and ASEAN nations, and doctoral candidates. According to Australian government data, approximately 337,000 student visas were granted in the 2025–2026 financial year, with roughly 46,000 of those issued to secondary applicants. Burke further noted that the government will crack down on international students attempting to prolong their stay by repeatedly changing courses. Extensions will now require students to enroll in higher-level degree or qualification programs. Additionally, the government will recruit 100 new compliance officers to ensure the departure of individuals overstaying their visas. Moreover, the government will prioritize skilled migration visa applications for sectors experiencing acute shortages, such as construction and agriculture. The renewal process for working holiday visas will transition to a ballot system, capping allocations at 45,000 second-year visas and 5,000 third-year visas for eligible applicants. Under existing rules, holders of a 12-month working holiday visa can automatically secure a second-year visa upon meeting specific criteria, and a third-year visa if further conditions are satisfied.