China Insights Weekly highlighted China's economic and technological advances. Here are some key points from this week:
- JD.com plans to build a network of 10,000 AI kitchens
- Alibaba unveils AI models that outperform GPT and handle 92 languages
- China launches national nuclear fusion company and builds giant hydropower plant
- Electric trucks and eVTOL aircraft are changing transport in China
Main News
JD.Com launches 10,000 AI kitchens for food delivery
E-commerce giant JD.com has opened 7Fresh Kitchen, Beijing's first self-service restaurant focused solely on delivery and pickup of food without the option of eating on-site. It registered 800 orders on its first day. The restaurant combines an open kitchen with automated cooking machines and logistics facilities for couriers.
The company plans to open up to 10 000 such virtual restaurants. It is investing 1 billion yuan (US$139.5 million) to work with partners to create 1,000 new dishes for the menu, available only through the JD Takeaway app. Nearly 7,000 catering brands and chefs have expressed interest in the project. The aim is to compete with Meituan and Alibaba in the food delivery segment and connect offline operations with the e-commerce network.
Alibaba launches AI model that outperforms GPT and a new translator in 92 languages
Alibaba Group introduced Qwen3-Coder, an open-source AI coding model that matches the latest Anthropic Claude 4 models and outperforms OpenAI GPT-4.1 in the SWE-Bench test. The model will be integrated into the Tongyi Lingma assistant. The penetration of AI programming models is expected to grow from 20 % to 50 % within a year.
At the same time, Alibaba launched Qwen-MT, a translation model supporting 92 languages and covering 95 % of the world's population. It uses trillions of multilingual data and offers features for specific terminology, subject prompts and translation memory. It achieves higher accuracy and fluency than competing GPT-4.1-mini or Gemini-2.5-Flash.
Hainan Free Trade Port to lower tariffs and open to the world
From December 2025, Hainan will establish a closed customs regime with eight international and ten secondary ports. The proportion of goods with zero tariffs will rise from 21 % to 74 %, which is expected to attract foreign investors and strengthen the region's position as a global trade hub.
The annual duty-free limit for travellers of 100,000 yuan and entry to the island without additional formalities will be maintained.
Electric trucks speed up, diesel goes down
China's electric truck sales in the second quarter of 2025 grew year-on-year by 175 % to 76,100 units, a quarter of all new trucks. With subsidies of up to 95,000 yuan, a rapidly growing charging infrastructure (2,400 stations) and low electricity prices, the operating costs of EV trucks are lower than diesel trucks.
Diesel consumption in transport is expected to fall by 6.3 % this year and by up to 40 % by 2030. The share of electric heavy vehicles may reach 70-80 % in 2-3 years.
China certifies world's first two-tonne eVTOL aircraft
AutoFlight supplied CarryAll V2000CG, a fully electric vertical aircraft with a payload capacity of 400 kg and a range of 200 km. It is the first eVTOL over 1 tonne to achieve all three key certifications: type, production and flight. The aircraft is designed for cargo transport, emergency supply and humanitarian missions.
The rapid development and orders from Chinese companies confirm that China is becoming a leader in electric vertical aviation.
New National Fusion Society
With the backing of state-owned energy giants, a company was founded in Shanghai China Fusion Energy Co. Ltd. with an initial investment of US$1.6 billion and registered capital of 15 billion yuan. The goal is to build a commercial nuclear fusion power plants in several phases - from experimental reactors to full-scale energy sources.
The project is part of China's long-term strategy to ensure a self-sufficient and clean energy future.
A giant hydroelectric power plant in Tibet
Construction of a hydroelectric power plant with a planned capacity on the Yarlung Tsangpo River has begun 300 billion kWh per year, three times more than the current largest dam, the Three Gorges Dam. The 1.2 trillion yuan project will consist of five connecting water stages and is intended to supply not only Tibet but also other regions and foreign markets.
Belt and Road Initiative investments reach a record $124 billion
In the first half of 2025, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) reached a record level of engagement with a volume of USD 66.2 billion in construction contracts a USD 57.1 billion in direct investment, which totals USD 124 billion in 176 agreements. This is the highest volume recorded in the six months since the BRI was launched in 2013.
Energy projects accounted for $42 billion, with oil and gas contracts rising sharply to $30 billion, boosted mainly by $20 billion contract in Nigeria. Green energy projects reached an all-time high of $9.7 billion, including wind, solar and waste-to-energy plants. Investment in metals and mining was USD 24.9 billion, surpassing the full year 2024.
Regionally, Africa dominated with US$39 billion and Central Asia with US$25 billion. Private companies played a significant role, such as East Hope Group and Xinfa Group. Since 2013, BRI's cumulative exposure has reached USD 1.308 trillion, of which USD 775 billion is attributable to construction contracts and USD 533 billion to investments.
Nine other Chinese cities awarded international wetland city status
More Nine Chinese cities has received accreditation International Wetland City granted by the Ramsar Convention, bringing the total number of Chinese cities so recognised to 22. This puts China at the top of the world rankings in wetland conservation.
The newly awarded cities are Chongming (Shanghai), Dali (Yunnan), Fuzhou (Fujian), Hangzhou and Wenzhou (Zhejiang), Jiujiang (Jiangxi), Lhasa (Tibet), Suzhou (Jiangsu) a Yueyang (Hunan). The Ramsar Convention is an international agreement aimed at the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, to which 172 countries are signatories and which has so far recognised 74 cities worldwide.
China's experience in wetland conservation serves as an example for global initiatives in this area. Important sites include the island of Chongming, the largest estuarine alluvial island in the world, and Lalu Wetland in Lhasa, the highest and largest urban natural wetland in the world.
Tomáš Kučera & Yereth Jansen
China-insights.com/gnews.cz - GH
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