☕️ Good morning friends, 

An app called “Are you dead?” is currently number 1 in the Chinese app charts.

The principle is incredibly simple: anyone who does not “check in” daily via a click triggers an automatic emergency email to relatives after 48 hours.

It sounds macabre, but when you consider that there are over 90 million people living alone in China, we don’t think the idea is bad at all…

P.S. More on this story and the latest AI trends from Asia tomorrow in our AI edition.

KOSPI did it again: another record. For the seventh trading day in a row, Korea is printing fresh all-time highs.

• While Samsung edged lower and SK Hynix rose only modestly, defense and energy stocks carried the market. Doosan Enerbility jumped 4.63% and Hanwha Ocean surged 8.41%, driven by a rising geopolitical risk premium.

On the macro side, markets stayed remarkably calm. Higher oil prices tied to Iran and Venezuela and renewed Trump tariff threats failed to derail Asia.

TOP BIT

🛰️ China’s "Great Wall" in space: 200,000 satellites against Elon Musk

China has officially filed paperwork for the launch of nearly 200,000 internet satellites.

It marks the starting signal for the largest space infrastructure project in human history.

Details

🛡️ Allegations of collision risk: This move comes just weeks after Beijing labeled Elon Musk’s Starlink a "collision risk" and a "security threat."

• Most recently, the Chinese space station Tiangong had to perform several evasive maneuvers to avoid Starlink debris.
  

⚖️ In space, it’s first come, first served: Through these applications, China is reserving valuable "space real estate" for decades, effectively blocking the expansion of Western competitors.

🏗️ The "national team" takes over: Behind this mammoth project is the newly founded Radio Innovation Institute. It bundles the power of state-owned giants to catch up with the US lead in space infrastructure.

🚀 Space by the numbers: The applications filed with the UN agency ITU include two networks with 96,714 satellites each.

• For comparison: Starlink currently has around 6,000 satellites in orbit and plans for a total of "only" 42,000. This means China intends to outnumber Musk nearly fivefold.

  
  

Excursion: Kessler Syndrome

Scientists are warning of "Kessler Syndrome": A single collision among such a massive number of satellites could trigger a chain reaction of debris, potentially rendering Earth's orbit unusable for generations.

📊 All details & data: Daily Galaxy, Interesting Engineering, Space News, SCMP

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NUMBER OF THE DAY

That’s how old chimpanzee “Ai,” Japan’s famous primate “genius,” became.

🧠 Pioneer of cognition: Ai recognized more than 100 Chinese characters, the entire English alphabet, the numbers 0–9, and 11 colors. On a touchscreen, she even assembled virtual apples from shapes — faster than some students.

🔬 A legend since 1977: A Kyoto University star and mother of memory prodigy Ayumu. Her career reshaped research on perception, learning, memory, and how knowledge is passed from mothers to their young.

Ai’s life’s work shows how close primate cognition is to our own — and why long-term research with high animal welfare standards matters. ❤️

MARKET BIT

🌴 Southeast Asia’s tech startups: lots of starts, little ups

🏆 Early-stage bust: Southeast Asia’s tech sector raised about $5.2bn in 2025, up 7% year on year. But seed funding collapsed by nearly 60%, and early-stage funding fell 64%. Late-stage funding, by contrast, surged to $3.9bn, nearly tripling.

🚀 Launching yes, scaling no: The region is excellent at launching startups, but struggles to scale them. Most ventures get stuck at pre-Series or seed stage. Only nine mega-deals above $100m, down from 16 in 2023.

🛒 Proven models dominate: E-commerce and fintech remain the largest verticals. Diversification is increasing, but much of it adapts Western business models rather than creating new categories.

🇸🇬 Singapore takes it all: Singapore-based firms captured 91% of all tech funding in the region. Jakarta follows far behind with just 4%. The “One SEA” concept doesn’t fully work for early-stage startups.

📉 A maturing phase: IPO and M&A activity is picking up, but remains below previous peaks. Investors are prioritizing profitability, cash flows, and clear market leadership.

Background

Under the “One Southeast Asia” narrative, the region markets itself as a single consumer market of 680 million people. In reality, it is highly fragmented: ten countries, ten regulatory regimes, languages, payment systems, and infrastructures.

Successful tech companies must balance local market logic with regional ambitions — a trade-off that makes scaling expensive. At the same time, a growing share of capital is flowing through family offices and corporate VCs outside traditional VC trackers, reducing transparency and tilting access to growth capital toward established networks.

The result: Southeast Asia produces many startups — but only a handful of true regional champions.

👉🏻 Full Story: Vietnam Investment Review, Singapore Business Review, Thailand Business News

ONLY FOR YOU

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HEAD OF THE DAY

 🇨🇳 Jean Liu (柳青)

🚖 China’s ride-hailing queen

Jean Liu (Liu Qing) is the co‑founder and longtime leader of Didi, China’s largest mobile transportation platform.

• Jean climbed the ranks at Goldman Sachs Asia before masterminding the merger of China’s top ride-hailing rivals, helping Didi beat Uber

• She also champions women in tech, launching Didi’s first career program for female talent in a male-dominated sector.

Jean’s focus now: After nearly a decade as president, she became permanent partner and chief people officer, shaping Didi’s culture, talent, and long-term growth.

HIGHLIGHTS 

⛏️ Japan tests deep-sea rare earth mining: Japan has launched a month-long mission to extract rare earth-rich seabed mud from 6,000 metres below the ocean near Minamitori Island, in a world-first trial. The project is part of Tokyo’s push to cut reliance on China for critical minerals, as Beijing tightens export controls. While still experimental and costly, the effort could strengthen Japan’s supply security for key industries if successful.

💧 South Korean scientists tackle microplastics: Researchers at Pusan National University have developed a water-treatment method that removes over 95% of micro- and nanoplastics in minutes using magnetic nanoparticles. The technique draws ultra-fine plastic particles together with a magnetic field, overcoming limits of traditional filtration. Designed to be reusable and cost-efficient, the breakthrough could be applied to drinking water, wastewater systems, and environmental clean-up.

🚀 Guangzhou unveils “Sky City” plan for drones and space tech: Guangzhou has launched a 10-year strategy to build a low-altitude economy and commercial aerospace hub by 2035. The plan includes large-scale deployment of drones for logistics, emergency response and environmental monitoring, alongside expansion in satellite communications and Beidou navigation technology. Experts warn of stiff competition and airspace constraints.

COUNTRY READS

🇨🇳 Rolex opens its first certified resale store in China to boost demand and standardise the pre-owned market. More on this.

🇸🇬 Singapore researchers link early Alzheimer signs to clogged “brain cleaning” channels, offering new clues for detection. More on this.

🇯🇵 Japan’s Coming of Age Day highlights the country’s shrinking youth population, with just 1.09 million turning 20 this year. More on this.

✅ Make Sushi pizza — because regular pizza is boring.
✅ Try these viral Hotpot hacks on your next Haidilao visit.
✅ Learn Lunar new year greetings that actually impress.
✅ Switch-off in one of China’s next-level 24-hour spas.
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