Weekly Overview（01/02-07/02）
1. BYD (比亚迪) has officially entered the Egyptian market, unveiling three models: the BYD Dolphin Surf, BYD Sealion 6 EV, and BYD Sealion 6 DM-i.
2. Linkerbot (灵心巧手) has completed a Series B financing round of nearly 1.5 billion yuan, continuing its lead as a global pioneer in dexterous hands, with Chao Capital (浪潮资本) serving as the long-term financial advisor.
3. A white paper released by TikTok indicates that the scale of global social e-commerce has reached $1.2 trillion.
4. Pop Mart (泡泡玛特) reported that the sales volume of its LABUBU character exceeded 100 million units in 2025.
5. Lei Jun denied reports that Xiaomi Auto (小米汽车) intends to enter the US market, stating there are no short-term plans as the company focuses on the domestic market.
6. Baidu (百度) has launched BaiduWiki, the international version of its encyclopedia, which initially supports five languages.
7. Changan Automobile (长安汽车) and CATL (宁德时代) jointly released a sodium battery strategy and debuted the world’s first passenger vehicle powered by a sodium-ion battery.
8. Baidu’s autonomous driving unit Apollo Go (萝卜快跑) has partnered with Uber to enter the Dubai market, accelerating its global expansion through a "Technology + Localization" model.
9. JD.com (京东) signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the China-Britain Business Council to facilitate the entry of UK brands into China and advance local retail operations.
10. Doubao (豆包) officially launched its Seedance 2.0 video generation model, which supports the creation of 5-10 second videos and digital avatars.
11. Tencent Mobility Services (腾讯出行服务) has integrated Uber, supporting overseas ride-hailing services in 20 countries and regions.
12. Galaxea AI (星海图) completed a 1 billion yuan Series B financing round, becoming the fourth embodied AI startup to reach a valuation of 10 billion yuan.
12. Mifeng Technology (觅蜂科技) secured hundreds of millions of yuan in financing led by Hongshan China (红杉中国) to build data infrastructure for embodied AI.
Selected Developments
1. BYD (比亚迪) Enters Egyptian Market with Launch of Three Key Models
February 9 News – BYD (比亚迪) officially announced its entry into the Egyptian market through a strategic partnership with the Mansour Group. The automaker introduced three models to the local market: the BYD Dolphin Surf (海鸥), the BYD Sealion 6 EV (宋 PLUS EV), and the BYD Sealion 6 DM-i (宋 PLUS DM-i). This move marks a significant step in BYD's global expansion strategy, aimed at further consolidating its leadership in the new energy vehicle (NEV) sector.
Li Yunfei, General Manager of BYD’s Branding and Public Relations Department, previously revealed that the company plans to sell 1.3 million vehicles in markets outside of China in 2026. This target represents a nearly 25% increase over the 1.04 million units delivered internationally in 2025. Currently, BYD’s overseas presence spans more than 110 countries, with manufacturing facilities established in Thailand and Uzbekistan, and a Hungarian plant nearing production. The entry into Egypt is expected to provide new momentum toward achieving these global sales goals.
To address the diverse needs of the Egyptian market, the introduced models cover multiple powertrain options. The Dolphin Surf (海鸥) serves as an affordable and agile compact EV; the Sealion 6 EV (宋 PLUS EV) focuses on long-range travel and spaciousness as a pure electric SUV; while the Sealion 6 DM-i (宋 PLUS DM-i) utilizes a plug-in hybrid system to balance fuel economy with an electric driving experience.
BYD’s expertise in battery technology (such as the Blade Battery), electric drive systems, and intelligent driving assistance will be key to its competitiveness in Egypt. Despite pressure from international automotive brands, BYD is well-positioned to establish a strong foothold in the region by leveraging its technological advantages as Egypt's demand for NEVs continues to grow.
2. Pop Mart (泡泡玛特): LABUBU Sales Exceed 100 Million Units in 2025
Recently, Pop Mart (泡泡玛特) disclosed its core operating data for 2025 during its 2026 annual meeting and officially released an announcement on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on the evening of February 9. Data shows that Pop Mart’s global sales across all IPs and product categories exceeded 400 million units in 2025. Among them, the popular IP LABUBU (THE MONSTERS) performed exceptionally well, with annual global sales exceeding 100 million units for this single IP, becoming the core engine of the company's performance growth.
Benefiting from strong operating data and globalization expectations, Pop Mart showed a positive performance in the capital markets. On February 9 and 10, the company's stock price rose significantly for two consecutive days. During intraday trading on February 10, the increase briefly neared 5%, closing at HK$269.8 per share with a total market capitalization climbing to HK$360.1 billion. Since the beginning of 2026, the company's stock price has accumulated an increase of nearly 38%, reflecting investor confidence in the company's transition from "collectible figurines" to "high-frequency accessory products" and its potential for overseas expansion.
Regarding business scale and global layout, Pop Mart’s global registered members officially surpassed 100 million in 2025, and its global workforce exceeded 10,000 employees. Currently, its business covers more than 100 countries and regions worldwide, with over 700 offline stores and six major supply chain bases established. As a key step in its globalization strategy, Pop Mart announced that it will establish London as its European headquarters. It plans to add seven offline stores in the UK, including a flagship store on Oxford Street, while expanding 20 additional stores across other parts of Europe. This investment plan is expected to create more than 150 jobs in the UK.
3. Apollo Go (萝卜快跑) Partners with Uber to Enter Dubai, Accelerating Global Expansion via "Technology + Localization" Model
February 10 News – Apollo Go (萝卜快跑), the autonomous driving platform under Baidu (百度), and global mobility giant Uber jointly announced a deepened strategic partnership with plans to officially launch fully driverless ride-hailing services in Dubai, UAE, in the first quarter of 2026. This marks the first commercial deployment of fully autonomous vehicles in Dubai and represents a major breakthrough for Chinese autonomous driving technology in high-end overseas markets.
Under the partnership, Dubai users will be able to book Apollo Go’s fully autonomous vehicles directly through the Uber app. The service will initially pilot in core areas such as Jumeirah, with a gradual city-wide rollout pending operational performance and regulatory approvals. Fleet management will be handled by a third-party partner, New Horizon. This expansion is a key step in Baidu’s (百度) globalization strategy, following the recent inauguration of its first overseas operations center, "Apollo Go Park," in Dubai, which provides local technical support and fleet maintenance.
4. Doubao (豆包) Seedance 2.0 Video Generation Model Officially Launches, Supporting 5-10 Second Video Generation and Avatar Creation
February 12 News – Doubao (豆包) announced that its video generation model, Seedance 2.0, has officially been integrated into the Doubao App, desktop, and web versions. Users can now access the new "Seedance 2.0" entry via the App's dialogue box and generate 5-second or 10-second video content by entering prompts. Additionally, users can select the "Avatar Video" (分身视频) feature to create personal video avatars after completing real-person verification.
The Seedance 2.0 model has achieved significant technical improvements, supporting synchronized original audio and visuals, multi-shot long narratives, and multi-modal controllable generation. By simply entering a prompt and providing a reference image, the model can generate multi-shot videos with complete original audio tracks. The model possesses the ability to automatically parse narrative logic, ensuring that generated shot sequences maintain high consistency in characters, lighting, style, and atmosphere. Currently, the model does not support uploading real-person images as the primary subject reference.
5. Tencent Mobility Services (腾讯出行服务) Integrates Uber, Supporting International Ride-Hailing Across 20 Countries and Regions
February 12 News – The Tencent Mobility Services (腾讯出行服务) mini-program has officially integrated with Uber, a global leader in mobile mobility platforms. Through this partnership, users can enjoy a one-click ride-hailing experience abroad using a familiar Chinese interface within the Tencent Mobility Services (腾讯出行服务) mini-program, without the need to download additional apps. Currently, the service supports 20 countries and regions worldwide, including Hong Kong (China), Japan, and the United Kingdom, covering more than 1,000 cities. Upon completing a trip, users can pay directly via WeChat Pay, significantly enhancing the convenience of cross-border travel.