Amid fast-paced changes that fill the business community with excitement, angst and trepidation, EqualOcean will publish a series of roundup articles to document the major events related to Chinese companies going global every week.
Weekly Overview（04/01-10/01）
1. Wang Chuanfu, Chairman and President of BYD (比亚迪): Accelerating global industrial expansion to build a world-class Chinese brand
2. Xiaomi (小米) International Business reaches a strategic partnership with AliExpress under Alibaba, joining the “Super Brands Going Global Program”
3. Meituan (美团)’s Keeta enters Bahrain, expanding into its fifth Middle Eastern market
4. South Korea’s Shinseg
ae Group signs a memorandum of understanding with Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group
5. BYD surpasses 6,000 vehicle sales in its first year in South Korea, ranking among the top ten imported brands
6. Apollo Go (萝卜快跑) receives approval for fully driverless testing in Dubai; local operations base launched
7. CATL (宁德时代) and NIO (蔚来) sign a five-year comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement
8. GAC International (广汽国际) partners with Grab to jointly develop Southeast Asia’s electric mobility market
9. China’s Ministry of Commerce responds to review of Meta’s acquisition of Manus: outbound investment must comply with Chinese laws and regulations
10. NIO (蔚来) accelerates globalization: entering Australia and New Zealand in H2; Firefly brand to lead the push
11. Geely (吉利) new energy vehicle sales surge 90%, surpassing Tesla in global sales
12. China’s “technology contingent” shines at CES 2026: 1,176 companies attend the innovation showcase
13. AgiBot (智元机器人) unveils Genie Sim 3.0 at CES 2026, the world’s first open-source simulation platform driven by large language models
14. CES 2026 opens: Black Sesame Technologies (黑芝麻智能) returns with breakthroughs across three core domains
15. Shokz (韶音) launches new products at CES 2026: OpenFit Pro introduces a new open-ear noise-filtering solution
16. More than 200 South Korean entrepreneurs form an economic delegation accompanying President Lee Jae-myung on his visit to China
Selected Developments
1. Wang Chuanfu of BYD: Accelerating Global Industrial Deployment to Build a World-Class Chinese Brand
【Event】On January 5, Wang Chuanfu, Chairman and President of BYD (比亚迪), stated in his New Year address that China’s new energy vehicle industry will enter a new phase during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, characterized by technological iteration, intelligent–electric integration, and accelerated globalization. Reflecting on the “14th Five-Year Plan,” BYD has grown into the world’s largest NEV manufacturer, achieving a tenfold increase in annual sales.
Looking ahead, BYD will continue large-scale R&D and capital investment, strengthening its electrification leadership while fully advancing intelligent technologies to drive new growth curves. On industrial collaboration and globalization, Wang emphasized that BYD will operate from a global supply-chain perspective, integrate resources for collaborative innovation, seize opportunities for Chinese brands going global, and accelerate international industrial deployment to build a world-class Chinese brand.
2. Meituan’s Keeta Enters Bahrain, Expanding into Its Fifth Middle Eastern Market
[Event] On January 5, Keeta, the food delivery platform under Meituan (美团), officially launched operations in the Kingdom of Bahrain. This marks another key step following its expansion into Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar, reflecting confidence in Bahrain’s investment environment and digital infrastructure.
Keeta aims to provide fast and reliable delivery services in Bahrain, leveraging advanced systems to analyze traffic, distance, and order details to improve delivery accuracy. The platform has also introduced a transparent compensation mechanism for delayed deliveries and launched promotional offers, including discounts at selected restaurants and free delivery with no minimum order.
Keeta has completed the build-out of its localized operating system in Bahrain, including a dedicated courier network and a 24/7 customer service center. The platform has onboarded a wide range of popular local restaurants and international brands, offering partners integrated support covering onboarding, operations, and data insights.
3. Apollo Go Approved for Fully Driverless Testing in Dubai; Local Operations Base Launched
[Event] Recently, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) granted Apollo Go—an autonomous driving platform under Baidu (百度)—the city’s first permit for fully driverless testing. Apollo Go has thus become the only mobility platform currently authorized for fully unmanned testing in Dubai.
In parallel, Apollo Go inaugurated its first overseas operations base—Apollo Go Park—in Dubai’s core area, integrating dispatch, operations, and service functions, and capable of supporting a fleet of hundreds of vehicles operating around the clock.
Under the approved plan, Apollo Go is expected to launch fully driverless commercial operations on public roads in Dubai as early as Q1 2026. The platform has already conducted over two years of supervised testing in the city, serving more than 100,000 rides with a zero-accident record. Over the next three years, Apollo Go plans to expand its Dubai fleet to more than 1,000 vehicles.
4. GAC International Partners with Grab to Promote 20,000 EVs in Southeast Asia Over Two Years
[Event] On January 7, GAC International and Southeast Asian super app Grab formally established a deep strategic partnership. The collaboration marks GAC’s transition from pure vehicle exports to an integrated “products + services + data” globalization model, representing a milestone in its “ecosystem going global” strategy.
Under the agreement, the two parties plan to jointly deploy 20,000 high-performance electric vehicles across six key markets—Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand—over the next two years. Initial models include three flagship vehicles from Aion (埃安): the Aion Y, Aion S, and Aion V.
A notable technical highlight is the deep integration of Grab’s driver application into GAC’s intelligent cockpit system, enabling drivers to access navigation, high-demand area alerts, and safety warnings directly via the in-car display.
5. Ministry of Commerce Responds to Review of Meta’s Acquisition of Manus
[Event] On January 8, Ministry of Commerce spokesperson He Yadong stated at a regular press briefing that the Ministry, together with relevant departments, will assess and investigate Meta’s acquisition of the AI platform Manus. The review will focus on compliance with laws and regulations related to export controls, technology import/export, and outbound investment.
The transaction, announced by Meta on December 30, exceeded US$2 billion and represents Meta’s third-largest acquisition to date. Manus was founded in Beijing by a Chinese team and is known for its “general-purpose AI agent” capable of autonomous task execution. Regulatory scrutiny has arisen amid concerns that the company relocated its team and technology to Singapore prior to the acquisition.
6. NIO Accelerates Global Expansion: Australia and New Zealand Entry in H2, Firefly as Pioneer
[Event] On January 9, NIO (蔚来) announced plans to accelerate its global expansion, with entry into Australia and New Zealand—both right-hand-drive markets—in the second half of the year. Meanwhile, NIO’s sub-brand Firefly (萤火虫) will enter Thailand in March and plans to expand into the UK by 2026.
Positioned as a premium compact EV brand, Firefly’s first right-hand-drive model entered mass production in November 2025, with initial shipments already sent to Singapore. NIO aims to expand its global footprint to 40 countries and regions by year-end.
7. China’s “Technology Contingent” Shines at CES 2026
[Event] CES 2026 was held in Las Vegas from January 6 to January 9. According to official and related statistics, the exhibition attracted around 4,000 exhibitors globally, including 1,176 Chinese companies—nearly one-quarter of the total. Chinese exhibitors covered fields such as AI, autonomous driving, embodied intelligence, consumer electronics, and smart logistics.
8. Over 200 South Korean Entrepreneurs Join Economic Delegation Visiting China
[Event] On January 4, at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung arrived in Beijing for a four-day state visit—his first visit to China since taking office and the first by a South Korean president in six years.
More than 200 South Korean entrepreneurs formed an accompanying economic delegation. China and South Korea are expected to discuss practical cooperation in areas including supply chain investment, digital economy, environmental and climate issues, people-to-people exchanges, tourism, and combating transnational crime.
About EqualOcean
Since 2018, EqualOcean has been dedicated to tracking and analyzing the global expansion of Chinese enterprises. We welcome contributions from industry professionals to share your expertise and insights. Companies seeking international growth, media exposure, or discussions on overseas strategies are also encouraged to contact us directly.
You can reach us via WeChat at xyrnina or by email at xingyiran@iyiou.com.