☕️ Good morning friends, 

If you want a recap of the Christmas story, whatever you do, don't ask ChatGPT.

Chinese AI models like Alibaba Cloud's Qwen and DeepSeek have actually claimed top spots in a "Christian Values" ranking – created by Bible experts and theologians.

Bible-savvy Donald Trump probably won't be too pleased about that... ✝️

South Korea steals the show: The KOSPI capped a record year, broke above the 4,000 mark for the first time and is up more than 70% in 2025. Strong memory-chip momentum, heavy foreign inflows and market reforms turned Seoul into the region’s top performer.

• Leading the charge: Samsung Electronics $SSNLF ( ▲ 56.02% ) hit a new all-time high.

China bets on hard tech, not hype: The STAR Market is up more than 48% year-to-date, with capital flowing into chips, industrial and medical technology. But, record highs in gold and silver show that demand for hedges remains strong.

TOP BIT

🖨️ 3D Printing: How China is overtaking the West

Chinese startup PollyPolymer has developed a 3D printing technology that works up to 100 times faster than conventional methods. 

Founded as a shoe manufacturer, the company now supplies bionic muscles for humanoid robots.

Details

🦾 Robot muscles: PollyPolymer supplies bionic muscles for humanoid robots. The materials must meet extreme requirements: 300% stretchability while maintaining high heat resistance and skin-like texture.

👟 Shoes as cash cow: 60% of revenue comes from footwear. PollyPolymer printed 2 million pairs of shoes in 2025; 4 million are planned for 2026. Clients: Cole Haan, Skechers, Peak Sport.

⚡ The secret weapon: Through so-called "Hindered Asynchronous Light Synthesis" (HALS), Chinese printers achieve speeds up to 100 times faster than conventional standards.

🌍 International expansion underway: 25% of revenue comes from outside China. In 2026, PollyPolymer plans to open physical stores in the US, France, and Japan.

⏱️ Development speed: PollyPolymer already has 10,000 proprietary formulations and responds to new design requirements (e.g., for Disney) within weeks.

And the US?

• The Pentagon has classified 3D printers as "strategically sensitive infrastructure" and will ban future purchases from China.

• US printers are more expensive, slower, and less innovative. Companies sue over patent infringements, but consumers buy Chinese anyway.

📊 All details & data: PC Mag, SCMP, 3D Print

NUMBER OF THE DAY

That’s how much China has invested in higher education over the past four years.

🌏 World’s largest lecture-hall nation: The tertiary enrollment rate has risen to 60.8%, and more than 240 million people now hold a college degree. Around 73% of the funding came from local governments.

🎓 More elite tracks, more PhDs: Funding is going into elite undergraduate programs, expanded master’s and PhD intake, and upgraded campuses and research infrastructure—partly financed via special government bonds.

Watch: Roughly 3.6% of China's total public budget (USD 15.2 trillion) flowed into higher education. But youth unemployment remains critically high—so severe that authorities stopped publishing standard statistics in 2023. The graduate jobs crisis suggests a growing mismatch between educational output and economic opportunity.

MARKET BIT

🇨🇳 Beijing’s new VC blueprint: Three new CNY 50bn funds for hard tech

🔑 Billions with leverage: China launches a national venture guidance fund with CNY 100B as anchor capital, plus three regional funds of over CNY 50B each (≈ USD 7.14 billion). Goal: state money to leverage private capital for hard-tech.

🌱 Earlier, smaller, longer: Investments focus almost exclusively on seed and early-stage startups. Target valuations below CNY 500 million, ticket sizes under CNY 50 million. At least 70% goes into young companies.

⚙️ Hard tech only: Focus on chips, AI, quantum tech, biotech, aerospace, brain–computer interfaces and 6G. Consumer internet and “soft tech” are largely excluded.

⏳ 20 years of patience: The fund runs twice as long as typical VC vehicles. Ten years investing, ten years harvesting. No exit pressure, no quarterly thinking.

🧭 Market logic, not bureaucracy: The state sets the direction, professionals make the investments. Success isn’t judged by single wins or losses. The aim is to survive deep tech’s “valley of death” with broader exit options than just IPOs.

Background

China is restructuring its venture system: away from late-stage rounds and national champions, toward seed and early stage. The state acts as an anchor for long-term risk capital as private and dollar funds grow more cautious and hard tech becomes costlier, slower and politically sensitive.

The new system is meant to provide early funding, spread risk and accept long development cycles.

• For founders: more capital, earlier, for longer.

• For VCs: clearer policy guidance, but fewer quick-exit fantasies.

• For markets: not just fast unicorns, but technological endurance.
  

👉🏻 Full Story: DealStreet Asia, Asia Tech Daily, Shanghai Security News

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WORD OF THE DAY

Tuk Tuk ตุ๊กตุ๊ก

Ever zipped through Bangkok’s chaotic streets in a tiny three-wheeled taxi? That’s a tuk tuk!

• Named after the “tuk-tuk” sound of its engine, these colourful little rides have become a cultural symbol of Thailand.

Around 20,000 tuk tuks are officially registered as taxis across Thailand, with roughly 9,000 in Bangkok alone. Thousands of drivers and mechanics rely on them for their daily income, making tuk tuks a true powerhouse of Thailand’s informal economy.

OUR PARTNER

HIGHLIGHTS

🚘 Mercedes-Benz drives into China’s AI future: The German carmaker has bought a 3% stake in Chongqing Qianli Technology for about US$191 million, backing a former motorcycle maker now focused on self-driving systems. Now Qianli’s fifth-largest shareholder, the move strengthens Mercedes-Benz’s footprint in China’s fast-moving AI and mobility scene and signals a long-term commitment to the world’s biggest car market.

🍵 Chinese tea chains go global: Facing stiff competition at home, brands like Mixue, Chagee, and Auntea Jenny are moving beyond crowded Southeast Asian markets to North America, opening stores in Los Angeles and New York. While building international supply chains and winning over local consumers remains challenging, industry insiders see milk tea as a rising symbol of China abroad and a sweet opportunity for global expansion.

🏨 Hyatt shifts its Asia strategy: With its China portfolio delivering the lowest revenue per available room in its global network, Hyatt is changing how it grows in the region. The New York-listed hotel group is teaming up with Chinese state-owned partners to launch joint ventures, speeding up expansion beyond greater China. Hyatt aims to double its Asia-Pacific footprint and prioritises long-term growth over sheer scale.

COUNTRY READS

🇰🇷 South Korea’s Mammoth Coffee shakes up Tokyo with oversized, affordable drinks, eyeing 15 shops in Japan by 2026. More on this.

🇻🇳 Vingroup withdraws from Vietnam’s $67B high-speed rail project to concentrate on other ventures. More on this.

🇨🇳 China’s iQIYI expands C-dramas in Korea beyond costume romances with suspense, urban, and historical titles. More on this. 

BITS TO DO

✅ Impress your guests with a New Year’s Eve charcuterie board.
✅ Transform your body with Tai Chi walking.
✅ Get ready for Wrestle Kingdom 20 in Tokyo.
✅ Learn how to pack properly for your next trip to Southeast Asia.
✅ Save unnecessary fees when shopping internationally and pay directly in multiple currencies.*

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FORTUNE COOKIE

Hope your holidays were explosive in all the right ways! 🎉

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