☕️ Good morning, friends,

We’re kicking off this week with a freshly brewed mung-bean coffee!

Shanghai was rocking this weekend!

Both Australia’s prime minister and Kanye West (Ye) were in town—and one security guard had the time of his life.

🤝 Our Partner of the Week: Genuine Asia, your powerhouse for e-commerce in China!

BENCHMARKS

NUMBERS

83 billion USD

The current value of China’s market for anime, comic and video-game IP.

684 million USD

The size of a new fund launched by Japan’s VC firm JAFCO Group to target deep-tech unicorns.

818%

The jump in air-conditioner sales across northern China in June, as schools scrambled to upgrade after several heat waves above 35 °

TOP BIT
✨ China Unveils 600-km/h Maglev: Shanghai–Beijing in 2.5 Hours

At China’s largest rail expo in Beijing, the state rail group presented a near-production magnetic-levitation train that can reach 600 km/h. Using high-temperature superconductors, the train floats contact-free above the track and could cover the 1,200 km between Beijing and Shanghai in just 150 minutes—half the time of today’s fastest high-speed trains.

The Details

🚄 Record speed & test run: A 1.1-ton prototype accelerated to 650 km/h in 7 seconds—an on-ground world record.

🔋 Levitation tech: Superconductors plus a vacuum tube slash friction; AI sensors keep the ride stable.

⏱️ Time savings: Beijing–Shanghai shrinks from 4.5 h to about 2.5–3 h, offering a real alternative to domestic flights.

🏗️ Network vision: A planned corridor would link megacities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen—benefiting more than 500 million people.

💸 Economic boost: Infrastructure projects worth over ¥200 billion (≈ USD 27 billion) will energize domestic industry.

Why It Matters

• Climate impact – Maglev trains consume up to 70 % less energy per passenger-km than domestic flights.
  

• Technology leadership – A successful rollout would cement China’s edge in the high-speed market.
  

• Spatial planning – Shorter travel times create new commuter corridors and ease pressure on airports.

Background

China already operates the world’s longest high-speed rail network and a commercial maglev line (Shanghai–Pudong, 30 km). The new superconducting system is slated to pass all certification tests by the end of 2025; vacuum tubes, switches and emergency-evacuation procedures still need real-world validation.

📊 All Data & Details: Newsweek, SCMP

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
🇯🇵 Yoshio Aihara

💡 Fakebusters founder: At just 28, he set up IVA in Tokyo in 2019 and launched the AI-powered service “Fakebusters.” The app links a database of more than 1.5 million genuine and counterfeit items to 100 inspection criteria and a team of seasoned authenticators, exposing sneaker and luxury fakes with 99.99996 % accuracy.

👉 Lesson learned: Combining artificial and human intelligence delivers real value and lets you break through even in saturated markets.

MARKET BIT
🤖 Huawei Offers AI Chips Abroad

Details

✈️ Ascend chips on tour: Huawei is offering thousand-unit batches of its 910B AI accelerator in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Thailand to lure Nvidia customers.

🌥️ Compute via remote access: Users who need more horsepower can log into Huawei’s high-performance “CloudMatrix 384” cluster online.

🏠 China takes priority: The newer 910C generation stays reserved for domestic firms—for now—because volumes are tight.

⚖️ Politically sensitive: Washington is watching closely; U.S. export licences for Nvidia hardware to Gulf states are stuck—each Huawei deal turns up the pressure.

Why It Matters

• Pricing pressure on Nvidia – Huawei’s entry could make AI accelerators noticeably cheaper across the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
  

• Greater independence – Emerging markets gain a real alternative to U.S. hardware and cut their dependence.
  

• Geopolitical leverage – Every order shifts the balance in the global AI race and pushes Washington to tighten export rules.

👉🏻 Full story: SCMP, The Straits Times

TOP READS

🤖 Nvidia boss reassures Washington: Jensen Huang believes China’s military is too risk-averse to rely on U.S. AI chips, because Washington could cut off supplies at any time. The export bans, however, still cost Nvidia billions. Full story.

🪖 Pyongyang bolsters Moscow: Kim Jong Un told Sergei Lavrov North Korea offers “unrestricted support” and will send 6,000 engineering and construction troops to Russia’s Kursk region. Seoul says Pyongyang has already supplied more than 10,000 soldiers and about 12 million shells. In Wonsan, both foreign ministers agreed on even closer military cooperation. Full story.

🇸🇬 Singapore surprises with a growth sprint: GDP jumped 4.3 % in Q2, driven by a 5.5 % surge in manufacturing. The Trade Ministry still warns of U.S.-tariff risks and keeps its 2025 forecast at 0–2 %. Core inflation eased to 0.6 %, giving the central bank room for another policy loosening. Full story.

OPTIONAL READS

India: A report indicates that the fuel-cutoff switches on the Air India aircraft were flipped shortly after take-off. More on this.

China: Scientists have devised a method to turn methanol into white sugar, effectively converting CO₂ into food. More on this.

Japan: Tokyo has lodged a protest after Chinese fighter jets flew within 30 m of a Japanese reconnaissance plane over the East China Sea. More on this.

FORTUNE COOKIE

🌟 5-Star to Go: Chinese officials once reveled in lavish banquets, but a top-down edict has put an end to such feasts—and high-end hotels have watched their revenue slide.

True to form, Chinese ingenuity has flipped the script: if diners won’t come to the buffet, the buffet goes to the diners. Several luxury hotels now sell their dishes from street stalls right outside their lobbies—and they’re thriving.

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Spotted something funny, interesting, or noteworthy in or about Asia? Send it to [email protected] and we’ll feature it right here!

FEEDBACK

See you tomorrow in your inbox, 

Thomas, Michael & the Team of asiabits