8:00 AM Kr 36 | Embassy responds to internet celebrity Lan Zhanfei being coerced into making a transfer: It's indeed true; A place in Hubei offers a 10,000-yuan subsidy for in-vitro fertilization; Applications for the "Trump Gold Card" visa have begun.

Today's Hot Topics Guide

• The "Social Media Ban" for People Under 16 in Australia Takes Effect
• Are Unitree and Zhipu Competing for the Spring Festival Gala Sponsorship at High Prices? Zhipu Robotics Responds: It's Not True
• DJI Customer Service Responds to Drones Flying Illegally up to 8,000 Meters in Many Places
• Shanghai Disney Resort: Starting from January 12, 2026, the Theme Park Tickets Will Implement a Tiered Refund Standard
• The Second - hand Price of Doubao Mobile Phones Has Been Speculated Up to 36,000 Yuan

Top 3 Big News

Chinese Embassy in South Africa Responds to Report of Lan Zhanfei Being Coerced into Transferring Money: It's True

Early in the morning on December 10th, the South Africa-China Economic and Trade Association issued an article titled "Fellow Countryman's Urgent Call for Help in the Early Morning, Security Company's Swift Response Ensures Safety". The article stated that Zhongbao Hua'an (Cape Town) Security Company received a distress call from a person claiming to be Lan Zhanfei, saying that he had been coerced by criminals into transferring a total of 1.088 million yuan. After the security personnel of the company accompanied the victim to the police station to report the case, they also went to the Chinese Consulate-General in Cape Town to report the incident and made a record of the situation. The Chinese Embassy in South Africa and the Chinese Consulate-General in Cape Town attached great importance to this case and have requested the local police to solve this serious home robbery case that seriously infringed on the personal and property safety of Chinese citizens as soon as possible.

In the afternoon of December 10th, a staff member of the Chinese Embassy in South Africa told a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily that it was indeed true. The local police are making every effort to solve the case, and the embassy and consulate will continue to follow up. (Beijing Youth Daily)

One Place in Hubei: A Subsidy of 10,000 Yuan for In Vitro Fertilization

Jingmen City recently issued measures to improve the fertility support policy system and reduce the costs of childbirth, child - rearing, and education. These measures will come into effect on January 1, 2026.

In terms of reducing the cost of childbirth, there are a number of "real - money" policies. For example, newly - wed couples can enjoy free pre - marriage medical examinations, couples planning to have a baby can enjoy free pre - pregnancy eugenic health checks, pregnant women with Jingmen household registration can enjoy free non - invasive prenatal genetic testing, and newborns can enjoy free genetic metabolic disease screening.

For families in need of assisted reproduction, the maximum subsidy for artificial insemination is 3,000 yuan, and the maximum subsidy for in vitro fertilization is 10,000 yuan. In terms of leave, employees who give birth to a second or third child will have their maternity leave extended by 15 days and 30 days respectively, and their spouses' paternity leave will be extended by 5 days and 10 days respectively. Families with a second or third child who purchase newly - built commercial housing in the central urban area can receive a one - time housing purchase subsidy of 20,000 yuan and 40,000 yuan respectively, and these subsidies can be combined with other subsidies. (Cailian Press)

Applications for the "Trump Gold Card" Visa Now Open

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on December 10 (local time) that the U.S. government would officially start accepting applications for the "Trump Gold Card" visa program from that day. The so - called "Gold Card Program" aims to encourage wealthy people around the world to move to the United States and obtain residency permits by charging high fees. In mid - September this year, Trump signed an executive order requiring the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of State, and Secretary of Homeland Security to "take all necessary and appropriate measures to implement the 'Gold Card Program'" within 90 days. (CCTV News)

Big Companies/ Major Events

Australia's Social Media Ban for Under-16s Takes Effect

On December 10, Australia's social media ban targeting people under the age of 16 officially came into effect, making Australia the first country in the world to implement such a ban through legislation. Currently, 10 major social media platforms have all promised to comply with the new regulations. (CCTV News)

Are Unitree and Zhipu competing for the Spring Festival Gala sponsorship at high prices? Zhipu Robotics responds: It's not true

On December 10th, there were reports that a group of embodied intelligence companies were vying for the sponsorship rights of the 2026 Spring Festival Gala of China Media Group. Currently, the competition between Zhipu and Unitree is the most intense. To compete for the rights and interests of the largest sponsor, Zhipu Robotics initially offered 60 million yuan, while Unitree Technology directly raised the bid to 100 million yuan. In response, Zhipu Robotics stated that "it's not true." Unitree has not made any public statements yet. (Jiemian News)

Shanghai Disney Resort: A Tiered Ticket Refund Policy for the Theme Park Will Be Implemented Starting January 12, 2026

36Kr learned that on December 10, Shanghai Disney Resort announced that it will optimize the ticket refund and change policy for the theme park starting January 12, 2026. According to the new policy, a tiered ticket refund standard will be implemented for the theme park tickets. Tickets eligible for this updated refund standard must meet the following requirements: Guests did not use any coupons issued by Shanghai Disney Resort when purchasing the tickets; Guests did not change the ticket dates after purchase.

DJI Customer Service Responds to Unauthorized Drone Flights at 8,000 Meters in Multiple Areas

On December 9th, a blogger named "Map Detective" told reporters that recently, he found that some people were conducting unauthorized drone flights in Yingde and Zhongshan in Guangdong Province, and Zixing in Hunan Province. Moreover, the unauthorized flights reached an astonishing altitude of 8,000 meters, even nearly 10,000 meters, getting very close to civil airliner routes.

"Taking Zhongshan City as an example, if you draw a circle with a diameter of 10 kilometers around the drone take - off point, on the day of the unauthorized flight, nearly 100 flights passed through this area. The altitude of passenger planes ranges from 1,000 to 12,000 meters, and the drones could easily fly up to 8,000 meters, which is extremely dangerous." The blogger said that the people conducting unauthorized flights were afraid of being reported, so they even doctored pictures to forge permission certificates for the drone's flight altitude. "The tracking codes on the DJI permission certificates for different dates are actually the same." The blogger also said that several of his fans had reported the incident to the police.

Reporters tried to contact the people conducting unauthorized flights mentioned by the blogger online but were unsuccessful. A reporter from Jimu News contacted DJI's customer service. The staff said that under normal circumstances, drones can fly normally below 120 meters. If they need to fly higher than this altitude, they must file a report and apply for permission. "It is also possible to lift the altitude restriction for flights up to 8,000 meters, but it requires the approval and official seal of the relevant management department." The customer service staff said that each time an applicant applies for permission to lift the altitude restriction, a separate tracking code will be generated. The tracking codes for applications at different times are different. Regarding the unauthorized flight issues exposed by the blogger and criticized by Li Zixiong, DJI's customer service staff said that they would record and monitor the relevant situation.

The reporter from Jimu News learned that the police in Yingde City and Zhongshan City of Guangdong Province have launched investigations into this unauthorized flight incident. (Jimu News)

Apple Urges iPhone Users to Update to iOS 26

On December 10th, Apple officially published an article on social platforms, elaborating on its 3D lock - screen feature: Simply select your favorite pictures from the photo album, and then leave the rest to the "Spatial Scene" feature. Tilt the screen and experience the amazing effect of the pictures coming to life on the screen.

In addition, Apple also listed three commonly used features of iOS 26:

1. Screen unknown calls: It helps you find out the reason for the call before deciding whether to answer it;

2. AirPods remote shooting function: Let your AirPods act as a camera remote control. You'll never be in a panic when shooting a Vlog alone;

3. Automatic music transition and lyrics translation: With automatic transition and lyrics translation, you won't be able to stop listening to music.

Finally, Apple urges iPhone users to update to iOS 26. Apple says: Update now and be the first to unlock the amazing skills of iOS 26. (Caixin Technology)

The second - hand price of Doubao's mobile phone has been hyped up to 36,000 yuan

Recently, the AI mobile phone Nubia M153 technical preview engineering machine jointly developed by Doubao and Nubia under ZTE has quickly attracted market attention as soon as it was released.

On second - hand platforms such as Xianyu, the official purchase F - codes (priority purchase qualifications) for this mobile phone, which were hyped up to prices ranging from 500 to 1000 yuan, have basically disappeared. According to the feedback from purchasers, since the latest purchase deadline for the F - codes was December 7th, it is now impossible to purchase the phone through the official channel by buying the F - codes. This also means that all purchase demands have fully shifted to the second - hand phone transactions.

Affected by this, the price of this model on Xianyu has continued to rise. On December 10th, Jiemian News checked the Xianyu platform and found that most of the brand - new, unopened versions of this phone were priced between 3,999 and 4,999 yuan, with the highest quote reaching 36,000 yuan. There has also emerged a short - term rental business on the platform, where the phones are rented out at daily rents ranging from 50 to 79 yuan. (Yicai Global, Lanjing News)

CEO of South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang Resigns Over Data Breach

On December 10, South Korean e-commerce company Coupang announced in a statement that its CEO, Park Dae-jun, has stepped down due to a data breach incident. Harold Rogers, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel of Coupang, Inc. (the parent company of Coupang), has been appointed as the interim head. (Jiemian News)

CATL: Plans to Register and Issue Bonds Worth No More Than 10 Billion Yuan

36Kr learned that CATL issued an announcement stating that the company plans to register and issue bonds worth no more than 10 billion yuan for project construction, replenishing working capital, repaying interest-bearing debts, etc. The term of the bonds shall not exceed 5 years. The bonds will be publicly issued and underwritten by the underwriting institution on a firm-commitment basis. The company can issue the bonds once or in installments at an appropriate time within the registered quota and the validity period according to its actual capital needs and market conditions.

Xiaomi Auto Publishes Patent for Fuel Level Display Method

36Kr learned that according to the Aiqicha App, a patent titled "Fuel Level Display Method, Device, Vehicle, Medium, and Program Product" applied for by Xiaomi Auto Technology Co., Ltd. has been published. The abstract shows that the patent includes: determining a first displayed fuel level value in the fuel tank of a vehicle. In response to a first level difference between the first displayed fuel level value and a first collected fuel level value being greater than a preset difference, the displayed fuel level value is adjusted at least twice, so that the difference between the displayed fuel level value and the collected fuel level value gradually becomes less than the preset difference, reducing sudden changes in the fuel level. This enables the driver to smoothly observe changes in the fuel level and prevents sudden fuel level changes from affecting the driver's driving experience.

Zhou Jingren Becomes an Alibaba Partner, Tongyi Lab Continues to Adjust to Face Fierce Competition

Zhou Jingren, the CTO of Alibaba Cloud and the head of Tongyi Lab, recently became a partner of Alibaba. The partner team is the highest collective decision - making body of Alibaba. In June this year, the Alibaba partner team underwent a significant downsizing, and the number dropped to 17, the lowest since its listing. One of the key factors for Zhou Jingren to become an Alibaba partner is that the Tongyi Lab he is in charge of has worked hard to ensure the leading position of the Qwen model in the past year. Alibaba's management highly commended him, saying "it's very difficult". (LatePost)

Market News: NVIDIA Develops Location Verification Software as Part of Its Chip Monitoring Technology

NVIDIA is offering location verification software as part of its chip monitoring technology, which will be available as an optional update for customers to install. The location verification software will be first applied to BLACKWELL chips. (Sina Finance)

The Longest Tunnel of the Chongqing-Kunming High-Speed Railway is Completed

According to the Xikun Company of the Beijing-Kunming High-Speed Railway, on the morning of December 10, the Yiliang Tunnel, the longest tunnel along the entire line of the Chongqing-Kunming High-Speed Railway, was safely completed, laying a solid foundation for the completion and opening of the entire line. It is reported that the Chongqing-Kunming High-Speed Railway is about 700 kilometers long, with the Yunnan section being 388.6 kilometers long. It is the first high-speed railway in Yunnan Province with a design speed of 350 kilometers per hour. After the entire line is completed and opened to traffic, the travel time from Chongqing to Kunming will be reduced to about two and a half hours, which is of great significance for promoting the high-quality economic and social development of the regions along the line. (Xinhua News Agency)

Chaohesuan NB's First National Origin Warehouse Officially Launched

36Kr learned that Chaohesuan NB, the budget community supermarket under Hema, is accelerating the construction of its source supply chain. Recently, the first origin warehouse was officially opened in Shouguang, Shandong, known as the "Vegetable Capital of China", marking that Chaohesuan NB has taken a further step in getting closer to the source in terms of its supply chain.

Hualala Algorithm Made Public: Relax the Suggested Arrival Time and Only Assess the On - time Loading Rate

On December 10th, Hualala officially made public the algorithm rules for the suggested arrival time and the on - time loading rate. The content shows that the suggested arrival time on the Hualala platform consists of three parts: "basic navigation time", "distance extension time", and "vehicle model extension time". The algorithm will automatically add additional extension time based on the distance and vehicle model to the basic time estimated by the navigation. The farther the distance and the larger the vehicle model, the longer the extension time. In addition, the platform only assesses the on - time rate of express and super - express orders when arriving at the loading place. The on - time rate is not affected by the time when the driver arrives at the unloading place, nor will it affect the driver's order - winning rate. (Yicai Global)

SpaceX Valued at $1.5 Trillion, IPO Size May Set a Record

SpaceX is preparing to go public in 2026. The target financing amount far exceeds $30 billion, and its valuation is about $1.5 trillion, which has boosted space peers such as EchoStar and Rocket Lab. Alphabet is one of its well - known investors. (Sina Finance)

The Federal Reserve announced a 25 - basis - point interest rate cut

The Federal Reserve of the United States concluded its two - day monetary policy meeting on the 10th and announced that it would lower the target range of the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to between 3.5% and 3.75%. This decision met market expectations. This is the third consecutive interest rate cut by the Fed since September this year, each time by 25 basis points, and it is also the sixth interest rate cut since the Fed launched this round of interest rate cut cycle in September 2024. (CCTV News)

President of LV Greater China Region Joins Pop Mart's Board of Directors

Recently, Pop Mart announced that Wu Yue has been appointed as a non-executive director of the company, effective December 10, 2025.

From 1993 to February 2000, Wu Yue served as the general manager and managing director of the Parfums Christian Dior brand under the LVMH Group, responsible for its business in China; from February 2000 to October 2005, served as the vice president of the Asian region of Sony International Music Entertainment Group, responsible for its business in China; since November 2005, served as the president of the LVMH Greater China Group, responsible for overseeing the business of LVMH's multi-brand portfolio in the Chinese market. (Phoenix Tech)

Novo Nordisk Completes Acquisition of Biopharmaceutical Company Akero

Novo Nordisk announced on December 9 that it has completed the acquisition of biopharmaceutical company Akero Therapeutics. Novo Nordisk acquired all of Akero's issued common stock and equivalents for $54 per share in cash (total value of $4.7 billion) and a non-transferable contingent value right (CVR). After the completion of the transaction, Akero became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Novo Nordisk. Akero's common stock will no longer be listed and traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. (Jiemian News)

Pop Mart: Appoints Wu Yue, President of LVMH Greater China Group, as Non - Executive Director

36Kr learned that Pop Mart announced on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that He Yu has resigned from his position as a non - executive director of the company due to other work arrangements, effective December 10, 2025. Wu Yue, President of LVMH Greater China Group, has been appointed as a non - executive director of Pop Mart, effective December 10.

Going Public

Shanghai Junsai Biotechnology Co., Ltd.

36Kr learned that according to the disclosure of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Shanghai Junsai Biotechnology Co., Ltd. submitted a listing application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and CITIC Securities is the sole sponsor.

BenQ Hospital Group

36Kr learned from documents on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that BenQ Hospital Group Co., Ltd. updated its post - hearing information package, which means the company has passed the hearing for its IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

The Cutting - Edge of AI

Xiaomi Responds to "Entering AI Education": Talent Recruitment Misinterpreted, Actually to Strengthen Product Services

Recently, the news about "Xiaomi entering the AI education field" has spread on social media platforms. The relevant news cited multiple AI education-related positions on Xiaomi Group's recruitment page, which triggered some netizens' associations that Xiaomi was going to "open classes". When verifying this with Xiaomi Group, relevant insiders revealed that the aforementioned position recruitment is mainly related to two products under the company, namely the Redmi Pad 2 Learning Edition tablet and the Xiaomi Mi Rabbit Kids Watch. "AI education is not involved, but the recruitment is for the services of these two products." (21st Century Business Herald)

Meituan Shifts Its AI Focus, Pan Xin, Former Head of ByteDance's Visual Model AI Platform, Joins

36Kr has exclusively learned from multiple sources that Pan Xin, former partner of AnkerFlash AI and former head of ByteDance's visual large model AI platform, has recently joined Meituan. Pan Xin once served as a researcher at Google DeepMind, promoting the development of the dynamic graph mode of TensorFlow. After returning to China, he worked at Baidu, Tencent, and ByteDance successively. 36Kr has exclusively learned that after joining Meituan, Pan Xin is responsible for multimodal AI innovation work and has led the development of multiple related applications such as the LongCat App.

OpenAI, Anthropic, and Block Jointly Launch the Agent AI Foundation

On December 9th local time, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Block jointly launched the Agent AI Foundation (AAIF) under the Linux Foundation. It has received support from Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Bloomberg, and Cloudflare. The foundation aims to provide neutral management for open and interoperable infrastructure, helping agent AI systems move from the experimental stage to practical applications. (Jiemian News)

Google Launches Google AI Plus Service in India with a Monthly Fee of 399 Rupees

On December 10th, Google announced the official launch of the Google AI Plus service in India. The monthly fee is 399 rupees, and new users can enjoy a discounted price of 199 rupees for the first six months. (Cailian Press)

Qianwen App Freely Releases Four New Functions, Including AI PPT

On December 10th, Qianwen App launched its first - batch release of four new functions for all users, namely AI PPT, AI writing, AI library, and AI problem - solving. In addition to the above - mentioned office and learning functions, Alibaba revealed that it is gradually integrating various daily life scenarios such as maps, food delivery, ticket booking, shopping, and health services into Qianwen. Data shows that since its public beta on November 17th, Qianwen has exceeded 30 million monthly active users (including those on the App, Web, and PC) in just 23 days, becoming the fastest - growing AI application globally at present.

OpenAI Appoints Former Slack CEO as Chief Revenue Officer

On December 9th local time, OpenAI announced the appointment of Denise Dresser as Chief Revenue Officer, responsible for coordinating the global revenue strategy. During her tenure as the CEO of Slack, Denise Dresser led the company through its integration with Salesforce. (Jiemian News)

Alibaba Cloud Officially Launches Function Compute AgentRun

36Kr learned that on December 10th, Alibaba Cloud officially launched Function Compute AgentRun. According to the introduction, this is a one-stop Agentic AI infrastructure platform. It deeply integrates the features of Serverless, such as extreme elasticity, zero maintenance, and pay-as-you-go, with AI native application scenarios, helping enterprises optimize costs and efficiency, and reducing the average TCO by 60%.

Investment and Financing

Identity security company Saviynt completes $700 million in financing, valued at nearly $3 billion

On December 9th, identity security company Saviynt announced the completion of a $700 million Series B growth equity financing, with the company valued at nearly $3 billion. This round of financing was led by funds managed by KKR, followed by Sixth Street Growth and TenEleven, and participated in by existing investor Carrick Capital Partners. (Jiemian News)

"Maisi Topology" Completes a New Round of Financing

36Kr learned that "Maisi Topology" recently announced the completion of nearly 100 million yuan in angel - round financing. This round was led by Zhongke Chuangxing, with Shuri Chenxing and Zhengjing Capital participating as follow - on investors. Index Capital served as the exclusive financial advisor. The financing funds will be mainly used for the construction of the company's medical isotope production base in Mianyang and the installation and commissioning of equipment, aiming to achieve the commercial supply of innovative alpha and beta nuclides such as Ac - 225, Pb - 212, and Cu - 67 by the end of 2026.

Cool Products

Ticwear Officially Launches AI Recording Earbuds TicNote Pods

36Kr learned that on December 9th, Ticwear officially launched the world's first 4G AI recording earbuds, TicNote Pods. These earbuds support dual recording channels on both the earbuds and the charging case, and are equipped with a dual - engine system of "4G eSIM" and "Shadow AI". They can operate independently without a mobile phone and are suitable for various core conversation scenarios such as online meetings, offline seminars, academic lectures, phone calls, and interviews. Currently, they are available on the Kickstarter platform.

Super Micro Computer Launches New Liquid-Cooled NVIDIA HGX B300 System

Super Micro Computer announced on December 9th local time that it is expanding its NVIDIA Blackwell architecture product portfolio by launching a new 4U and 2-OU (OCP) liquid-cooled NVIDIA HGX B300 system, and the product is now available for supply. (Jiemian News)

Compiled | Chenxi