☕️ Good morning, friends,

Over the past few days, the asiabits community has welcomed some high-profile newcomers.

Both the German Embassy in Beijing and the United Nations in Geneva will now be among the very first to learn what’s happening in Asia. A warm welcome!

By the way, we’re huge fans of Honda’s chief engineer (and his hair). Would you hire someone with a hairstyle like that? 👀

🤝 P.S. If you want to win the e-commerce game in China, reach out to our partner of the week: Genuine Asia.

BENCHMARKS

NUMBERS

6000

So many Chinese sellers have registered on Russia’s largest online marketplace, Wildberries within just a few months. Reason: U.S. tariffs are making it harder to export to the United States.

2 billion USD

That is how much Abu Dhabi’s state AI investment fund intends to invest in building a hyperscale data centre in southern Vietnam.

4.7 trillion USD

That's Thailand's estimated rainbow economy market potential after legalizing same-sex marriage.

TOP BIT

💥 US Eases Export Curbs: Nvidia Ships H20 to China

After months of wrangling, Washington has lifted the export curb on Nvidia’s specially “detuned” H20 chip. Shortly after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited the White House, the U.S. administration signaled that licenses for shipments to Chinese customers would once again be granted.

The Details

💼 Political deal: A meeting between Jensen Huang and President Trump cleared the way; a parallel accord relaxes China’s export limits on rare-earths.

📈 Billion-dollar market: Approval for the H20 safeguards up to US $15 billion in annual China revenue for Nvidia; AMD’s MI308 may also resume shipments.

🤝 Give-and-take: Nvidia will expand U.S. manufacturing for high-end chips and a >90,000 m² super-computing campus in Arizona and Texas.

🔄 Competitive pressure: Huawei and other local vendors lose their sole advantage; Chinese buyers are already placing bulk orders.

📜 License condition: Each order is green-lit so long as it stays below the performance caps in U.S. export regulations.

Why It Matters

• Market access – Restores Nvidia’s path to China’s largest AI-hardware market.
  

• Supply-chain balance – U.S. chipmakers get sales; Washington secures domestic fabs and rare-earth flows.
  

• Strategic leverage – Eases tech tensions for now but tightens U.S. oversight via performance ceilings.

Background

Since 2022 the U.S. has tightened export rules to slow China’s military and tech rise. Nvidia responded with down-specced chips such as the H20, yet April’s sudden license freeze hammered sales and sent customers to Huawei. Simultaneously, Beijing tightened control over critical raw materials.

The newly announced quid pro quo—rare-earth approvals in exchange for H20 shipments—reveals how both sides still rely on mutual dependencies despite the tariff war.

📊 All Data & Details: AP, New York Times, Wall Street Journal

OUR PARTNER
💡 Your Powerhouse for E-Commerce in China

China is complex. China moves fast. China forgives no mistakes. Yet some brands seem to thrive there with ease.

GENUINE is your full-service partner for conquering the Chinese market:

• Local know-how: 100 + specialists across Shanghai, Berlin, Hong Kong and more.

• Proven track record: 50 + international brands successfully positioned in China—including Zwilling, Cosnova and Electrolux.

• Full transparency: real-time reporting and direct communication.

• Complete toolkit: E-commerce, social media, offline retail and TikTok-shop optimization.

In short: GENUINE delivers where others merely promise.

👉 Book your call here and take your China business to the next level.

HEAD OF THE DAY
🇹🇭 Prayudh Mahagitsiri

☕ From bean trader to global powerhouse: In 1984 he founded Quality Coffee Products as a joint venture with Nestlé, empowered Thai coffee farmers, and built a $1.8 billion empire, despite contentious land disputes, his course remains steady.

👉 Lesson learned: Local expertise and strong partnerships are the springboard to worldwide expansion.

MARKET BIT
🚙 Geely Swallows Zeekr for US $2.3 B

Details

📑 Take-over sealed: Geely buys the remaining Zeekr shares and will take the EV unit fully private.

💵 Cash-or-stock exit: Shareholders may choose US $2.69 in cash or 1.23 Geely shares per Zeekr share (≈ US $26.90 per NY-listed ADR), a 19 % premium.

🔄 Delisting ahead: Zeekr will leave the NYSE once the deal closes (Q4 2025) and operate as a wholly-owned division.

⚙️ “One Geely” push: Shared R&D, software, and purchasing to cut costs and accelerate global EV expansion—including a planned Japan entry.

Why It Matters

• Scale – Larger volumes and shared platforms lift margins in the brutal EV price war.
  

• Consolidation – Chinese makers are pooling forces to counter BYD and Tesla.
  

• Market signal – The rapid U-turn off Wall Street reminds investors that China ADRs can vanish quickly.

👉🏻 Full story: Bloomberg, Reuters

TOP READS

🚢 China’s exports boom: Exports rose 5.8% in June, with companies taking advantage of the tariff window before potential US duties from August. Shipments to Southeast Asian cities increased by 16.8%, while exports to the US surged 32.4% month-over-month. Markets remain nervous as the trade conflict could escalate again at any time. Full Story.

🇮🇩 Trump secures mega-deal with Indonesia: Jakarta orders 50 Boeing 777s, energy worth $15 billion, agricultural goods worth $4.5 billion; in return, Washington cuts Indonesia's tariff from 32% to 19%. Trump announces "full US market access" and touts the agreement as a blueprint for further deals before the tariff deadline expires. Full story.

🚖 Uber and Baidu launch robotaxi push: Thousands of Baidu's Apollo Go self-driving taxis hit Uber's platform in Asia and the Middle East this year. The fleet has already completed 11 million rides across 15 cities. Uber steps ahead in the race for international robotaxi market. Full Story.

OPTIONAL READS

Malaysia: KLIA Airport Terminal 1 receives a 9 million USD upgrade boosting safety, efficiency, and family-friendly services. More on this.

Thailand: New cannabis rules halt the boom and threaten rural livelihoods. More on this.

Japan: Tesla doubles its dealerships to make EVs more accessible amid slow global sales. More on this.

FORTUNE COOKIE

🐅 Well roared, Tiger!

Imagine you’re on a leisurely motorcycle tour through northern China—and a genuine Siberian tiger crosses your path…

It could be an illegal “immigrant” from Russia. Years ago, Vladimir Putin released tigers into the wild in Siberia. They quickly made tracks and crossed the border into China.

中国欢迎你！

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FEEDBACK

See you tomorrow in your inbox, 

Thomas, Michael & the Team of asiabits