Unitree Robotics, the Chinese start-up that has rapidly become a global leader in affordable humanoid and quadruped robots, formally launched its initial public offering (IPO) on Shanghai’s STAR Market on Thursday, July 31. The company aims to raise 4.2 billion yuan ($620 million) at an implied valuation of 42 billion yuan.
Shenzhen, the sprawling metropolis in southern China long known as the world’s electronics manufacturing hub, is rapidly transforming into a living laboratory for embodied artificial intelligence.
China’s top leadership has signaled a measured approach to economic stimulus, pledging to introduce incremental measures to support the country’s ongoing recovery. Following a key meeting of the Politburo, the highest decision-making body of the Chinese Communist Party, officials emphasized the need for targeted support rather than massive, broad-based stimulus packages.
Global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity reached unprecedented heights in the first half of 2026, surging to a record total value of $2.84 trillion. According to data compiled by Nikkei Asia, this figure eclipses the previous first-half record set during the pandemic-era boom of 2021.
Lenovo Capital, the venture capital arm of Chinese technology giant Lenovo Group, is aggressively expanding its footprint in the artificial intelligence sector, doubling down on investments across the entire AI value chain.
In a significant signal of how deeply China’s open-source AI wave is reshaping the strategies of the world’s largest technology companies, Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman has told Nikkei Asia that the company is actively considering releasing some of its internally developed MAI models with open weights.
The recent decision by the United States to ban the import of new foreign-made advanced robots is sending shockwaves through China’s world-leading robotics sector.
In a sprawling video production base in Shenzhen, creators are pioneering a new entertainment format that is rapidly gaining traction across China and beyond: the AI-generated comic drama.
Zhongji Innolight, a leading Chinese manufacturer of data-center optical components, experienced a volatile trading debut in Hong Kong on Thursday, July 30.
China’s Ministry of Commerce has officially threatened to retaliate against the United States following the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) sudden ban on the import of new foreign-made advanced robots and power inverters.
