China Enterprise Globalization Weekly | Ant International completes approximately USD 1.2 billion Series A financing / Zhixiang Future completes RMB 1.5 billion Series C financing

Top Headlines

Registration Open for Three Matching Sessions at the Dubai Business Forum, Helping Chinese Enterprises Secure Dubai Expansion Resources

The 5th "Dubai Business Forum" will be held in Shenzhen on October 14, 2026, with the high-level delegation list now announced — Dubai government agencies, core consortiums and investment institutions will all be present. In addition to the main forum, the event features a dedicated "Empower Growth Series" special matching agenda, including one-on-one all-day business matchmaking, market access practical consultation rooms, and two themed high-level closed-door roundtables, to comprehensively help Chinese enterprises secure Dubai expansion resources, connect with high-quality partners, and deepen their presence in the Middle East market. To date, more than 500 leading enterprises from popular sectors such as digital technology, intelligent manufacturing, cross-border logistics, new energy, and retail consumption have successfully registered to attend. Seats are limited. Enterprises with matching needs please scan the QR code below or click "here" to register early and unlock your exclusive matching channel.

Company Updates

Cainiao Upgrades Europe G2G Service: Eastern Europe Deliveries in 4 Days, Germany Pickup Starting from 50 Parcels

On July 20, Cainiao announced the completion of its Europe G2G (government-to-government) cross-border logistics service upgrade: the full Eastern Europe distribution network is now operational, cutting delivery lead time by 1 natural day, and bulk warehouse pickup services are simultaneously launched for Germany. Leveraging its local European distribution network, Cainiao now achieves 4-6 natural day deliveries from all over Europe to Eastern European countries, covering key markets including Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania, and Bulgaria. For Germany, a new bulk warehouse pickup model has been added: for orders shipped from across Europe to Germany, pickup can be arranged once the order volume reaches 50 parcels, eliminating the requirement for full-container or large-batch shipments. (Official Cainiao Release)

Best Cross-Border Officially Launches South America Market Expansion

On July 19, Best Cross-Border announced the launch of its South America market layout. This initiative starts with the "China-Brazil Cross-Border Corridor" opened in May this year, and will later expand to countries including Mexico, Argentina, and Chile. Currently, in China, Best Cross-Border has established 21,000 service outlets nationwide, 58 cross-border collection windows, and two major consolidation warehouses in Guangzhou and Yiwu relying on Best Express. Overseas, it has completed its overseas warehouse distribution network by leveraging the group's Southeast Asian overseas warehouses, local courier and freight networks. (Ennews)

BYD Becomes Official Partner of Paris Saint-Germain, Launching 3-Year Global Strategic Cooperation

On July 17, it was announced that BYD and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have reached a global strategic cooperation, valid until June 2029. The agreement covers international promotional campaigns, immersive experiences, event collaborations, exclusive content creation for both men's and women's teams, and multi-market marketing activities. BYD vehicles will also be integrated into the club's daily operational fleet. Currently, BYD's business covers more than 120 countries and regions worldwide, and it continues to improve its industrial and commercial footprint in Europe. (Official BYD Auto Release)

Ford and Geely Establish Joint Venture in Spain to Supply the European Market

On July 23, Ford and Geely Automobile announced cooperation in Europe, where they will produce a new generation of multi-energy vehicles at a Spanish plant, covering fuel, hybrid, and pure electric powertrain options. Geely Automobile will launch two new energy vehicles at the Valencia plant, with the first model rolling off the production line in 2028. In the first half of 2026, Geely Automobile's overseas sales reached 474,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 158%. (Official Ford Motor Release)

Horizon Robotics Reaches Cooperation with Volkswagen Group

On July 22, Horizon Robotics and Volkswagen Group officially announced that through CARIZON, the joint venture between CARIAD and Horizon Robotics, Volkswagen Group will further deepen technical cooperation with Horizon Robotics in the field of AI foundation large models. Horizon Robotics' AI foundation large model will work in synergy with the system-on-chip C7H under development at CARIZON and the GAIA world model data platform, to promote the implementation of Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous driving for Volkswagen Group. According to the plan, Volkswagen Group's Level 3 autonomous driving capability will be available for delivery as early as the second half of 2027. (36Kr)

Preh Technologies Secures International Brand Design Win, "Fuxing" Solution Lands Overseas Order

On July 22, the "Fuxing" front-view integrated camera solution from Preh Technologies was designated for mass production projects of a globally renowned automotive brand. This solution supports flexible configurations from 2V5R to 1VnR, meets L2 assisted driving mandatory standards and AEB regulations, adapts to commercial scenarios such as light trucks and heavy trucks, and will enter mass production in 2027. Currently, Preh Technologies' ADAS solutions have entered multiple markets including Europe and Southeast Asia. (Official Preh Technologies Release)

CATL and Solarpro Sign Agreement to Build the First Large-Scale Sodium-Ion Energy Storage Project in Central and Eastern Europe

On July 21, it was reported that CATL and Eastern European renewable energy enterprise Solarpro signed a 2GWh EnerOne sodium-ion energy storage cooperation agreement. The two parties plan to deploy the first large-scale sodium-ion energy storage project in Central and Eastern Europe within 2026. The cooperation adopts CATL's EnerOne sodium-ion energy storage system, which achieves 15,000 cycles, maintains 92% capacity at -20°C, and is suitable for extremely cold environments. This system is size-compatible with lithium-ion batteries, supporting seamless switching. Previously, the two parties have already implemented a 150MWh liquid-cooled energy storage project and a 602MWh zero-degradation lithium battery project in Bulgaria, helping increase local energy storage capacity by 10%. (Yicai Global)

Lightwheel Robotics Officially Reaches Cooperation with Siemens

On July 20, it was announced that Lightwheel Robotics and Siemens officially established a partnership during WAIC. Leveraging Lightwheel Robotics' SimFoundry, a trinity full-stack self-developed simulation platform, the two parties will transform the long-accumulated physical models, engineering parameters, and process knowledge in industrial software into simulation capabilities that robots can continuously call, further integrating training, evaluation, and real deployment to provide full-stack physical AI infrastructure support for robots entering complex industrial scenarios. (36Kr)

TenPay Global Reaches Cooperation with Kazakhstan's Freedom Bank

On July 21, it was reported that Tencent's cross-border payment platform TenPay Global and Kazakhstan's Freedom Bank have established a partnership. The two parties will promote the interconnection of cross-border QR code payments, and expand cooperation in areas including cross-border remittance and cross-border commerce. Currently, WeChat Pay's "offshore use for domestic services" function supports more than 40 overseas wallets across 13 countries and regions. (Securities Daily Online)

BeiGene Adds $300 Million Investment to Expand U.S. Production Footprint

On July 23, BeiGene announced it will add a $300 million investment to expand its flagship manufacturing base and clinical R&D center located in the Princeton West Innovation Park in Hopewell, New Jersey, USA, adding small-molecule drug production capacity and improving the company's global production and supply system. (JIEMIAN News)

Financing & Investment

Ant International Completes Approximately $1.2 Billion Series A Financing to Drive Global Business Expansion

On July 21, Ant International announced the completion of its Series A financing. Ant Group, as well as a number of existing shareholders including Alibaba and multiple globally renowned investment institutions, participated in this round of financing. The approximately $1.2 billion raised will be used to expand global business, accelerate investment in cutting-edge technologies such as AI, and expand inclusive fintech services including cross-border payments and global accounts. Currently, Ant International's business covers major markets in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America, connecting more than 150 million global merchants and over 2 billion consumer accounts. (The Paper)

HiDream.ai Completes 1.5 Billion Yuan Series C Financing, Its AI Products Already Serving Over 100 Countries and Regions

On July 23, large model technology innovation company HiDream.ai announced the completion of 1.5 billion yuan in Series C financing. This round of financing was jointly led by the Sichuan Revitalization Science and Technology Innovation Fund under the National Social Security Fund, ICBC Capital, Hongyi Asset Management, and Dunhong Capital, with follow-on investments from institutions including Xiamen ITG Capital and Shangying New Vision Fund. Existing shareholders including Hefei Industrial Investment, Oriental Fortune Capital, and Jinpu Investment continued to increase their stakes. Currently, its AI products have cumulatively served more than 40,000 enterprise clients across over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Another OPC content creation tool for professional creators, Vivago, has reached 50 million global registered users with 6-8 million monthly active users, over 80% of whom are based overseas. (36Kr)

Stone Robotics Completes Hundreds of Millions of Yuan Series C Financing, Bringing Intelligent Special Robots to Global Industrial Sites

On July 21, Stone Robotics announced the completion of hundreds of millions of yuan in Series C financing, led by Qiangang Capital under Zhejiang state-owned assets, with joint investment from Zhongji Holdings, Guangtou Capital, Guohai Securities, Juntong Capital and other institutions, and existing shareholder Fosun RZ Capital continued to increase its investment. Stone Robotics focuses on the R&D of high-altitude intelligent special robots, with product lines including ship rust removal, chemical anti-corrosion, spherical tank grinding, and thermal power inspection robots. Currently, the company has served domestic and overseas clients including COSCO Heavy Industry, CSSC, Vopak from the Netherlands, and Saudi Aramco, cumulatively securing hundreds of millions of yuan in overseas orders. (36Kr)

Policy & Market

Global Chip Equipment Sales Expected to Rise 23.2% in 2026, Reaching $229.5 Billion by 2028

On July 21, it was reported that driven by increased investment in AI infrastructure, the global semiconductor manufacturing equipment market is projected to reach its all-time high by 2028. According to a report released by Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), global semiconductor equipment sales are expected to grow by 23.2% in 2026 to reach $165.9 billion, and will hit a new all-time high of $229.5 billion by 2028. (Sina Finance)

Chinese Brands Capture 34% of Europe's PHEV Market Share in June, Hitting a New Historical High

On July 24, market research firm Dataforce released data showing that Chinese brands' market share in Europe's new plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) market exceeded one-third in June, setting a new historical record. Chinese automakers including BYD and Chery accounted for 34% of PHEV deliveries in Europe that month. Concurrent data shows that Chinese brands hold an 11% share in Europe's overall new car market, and a 15% share in Europe's pure electric passenger vehicle market. (Bloomberg)

Indian Enterprises Accelerate Adoption of Chinese Large Models, Costing Only One-Tenth of U.S. Equivalents

On July 21, it was reported that driven by cost pressures, Indian startups and technology enterprises are accelerating the adoption of large language models (LLMs) developed by Chinese companies such as DeepSeek, Alibaba, and Moonshot AI. The input cost is as low as $0.19 per million tokens, while the input cost of similar products from U.S. firm OpenAI is as high as $5-12, and the output cost reaches $30-54. The cost of Chinese models is only one-tenth or even lower than that of U.S. models. Currently, service providers including Microsoft have already provided access to these open-source weight models in India. (Ennews)

English Services

Service | KrASIA Launches New English Media Services for Chinese Global Expansion Enterprises

In the current complex global economic landscape, English reporting is not only a critical means of communicating value propositions to overseas clients and consumers, but also a way for enterprises to build global brand recognition. English-language media KrASIA (kr-asia.com) is dedicated to introducing Chinese business and culture to the world. Approximately 60% of readers on its English website are business professionals in core Southeast Asian countries. Through excellent search engine optimization, professional English content, a reliable social media matrix, and inclusion on leading global information platforms such as the Bloomberg Terminal and Dow Jones Factiva, KrASIA helps Chinese companies enhance their global brand presence. If your company has needs for English communication, or wishes to partner with KrASIA to provide global expansion services, please scan the QR code below or click "here" to fill out the form, to get the KrASIA media service rate card and contact information of our staff.

Japanese Services

Service | 36Kr Japan Combines "Chinese Efficiency" with "Japanese Expression"

Japan is a business society that is relatively cautious toward foreign brands. As a strategic partner of the authoritative media group Nikkei — 36Kr Japan (https://36kr.jp) provides an alternative path for Chinese enterprises to enter the Japanese market: relying on a vertical media platform that has been recognized by the local Japanese market and consistently adheres