Welcome back to China Insights Weekly. Here are some of this week's highlights:
- Temasek boosts Chinese robo-taxis and acquires new stakes in WeRide and Pony.ai
- New EV sales exceed 50 % of all new cars, with Xiaomi's YU7 beating the Model Y
- China's rich lead the world's art spending with the highest budgets and purchases of high-end works
- Shanghai court rules that AI outputs lack originality and denies them copyright protection
Restaurant Brands International to form joint venture for Burger King China to accelerate expansion
Toronto, Canada-based Restaurant Brands International (RBI) has formed a joint venture with Chinese management company CPE to operate Burger King in China. Under the agreement, CPE will own approximately 83 % of Burger King China, while RBI will hold a minority interest of approximately 17 %. CPE plans to invest US$350 million in the venture to fund marketing, menu innovation and significant expansion. The joint venture aims to more than double the chain's market share, from approximately 1,250 current outlets to more than 4,000 by 2035. The move follows RBI's earlier acquisition of a stake from previous partners, Turkish operator TFI and US private equity firm Cartesian Capital, for approximately US$158 million.
Singapore government investment fund Temasek invests in WeRide and Pony.ai to boost its technology stakes in China
In its Q3 2025 13F filings, Singapore-based Temasek Holdings revealed that it bought 1.4 million shares of WeRide and 14,500 shares of Pony.ai worth about US$13.7 million in two Chinese robo-taxi companies that are listed on the US stock exchange and began trading in Hong Kong last week. The 51-year-old sovereign wealth fund's US$29 billion portfolio of US securities now includes approximately US$2 billion in 16 Chinese companies listed on US exchanges, underscoring its continued interest in China-related future mobility technologies.
Xiaomi YU7 wins North American die-casting competition, NEV reaches 50 % new car sales in China for the first time
Xiaomi's YU7 electric SUV has won the „Best Structure“ award, the highest honor in the 2025 International Die Casting Competition judged by the North American Die Casting Association (NADCA). The award recognizes its integrated triangular beam made of 20-in-1 die-cast aluminum. Combined with a cell-to-body (CTB) battery architecture, this component helps the YU7 achieve a torsional stiffness of 47,610 N-m/deg. This award is accompanied by strong market performance; in October 2025, Xiaomi's YU7 wholesale sales volume in China exceeded 33,662 units, surpassing the Tesla Model Y.
In October, new energy vehicles (NEVs) accounted for more than half of new car sales in China for the first time and achieved a historic share of 52 % with sales of 1.72 million units, an increase of 20 % year-on-year. Total vehicle sales increased by 8.8 % to 3.32 million units. NEV production also accounted for 53 % of the total production and increased by 21 % to 1.77 million units. Car exports rose by 23 % to 666,000 units, while NEV exports almost doubled to 256,000 units. Chery led with 126,000 exports, while BYD rose 180 % to 84,000. In the first ten months, total NEV production and sales rose by 33 % to 13.02 million and 12.94 million units, respectively.
China's wealthy mainlanders are the biggest art buyers for the second year in a row
According to Art Basel and the UBS Survey of Global Collecting 2024, collectors from the Chinese mainland were the largest art buyers in the world in 2023 and the first half of 2024, with a median spend of US$97,000 in the first half of 2024, more than double that of any other region. Their collections contain the highest proportion of high-end artists (41 %). While interest in blue-chip art remains strong, collectors are becoming pickier and reducing their activity in the mid-range. Over half of their spend was on new and emerging artists, indicating a shift towards local talent. Paintings dominated, accounting for 49 % of spending by value.
Apple and Tencent agree on 15% fee for mini app purchases on Chinese tech giant's WeChat app
Apple and Tencent ended a year-long stalemate on November 14 by setting a 15% App Store commission for mini-app purchases on WeChat, half of the standard 30% „Apple tax“ for large developers with revenues exceeding $1 million. Tencent reported that social networking revenue from WeChat minigames reached CNY32.3 billion (USD4.6 billion) in the third quarter, with more than 80 % of the 400,000 developers being small teams with fewer than 30 members. Apple's revenue for services, including the App Store, reached a record US$28.8 billion in the fiscal fourth quarter. The move not only provides developers with a better revenue-sharing environment, but also encourages the growth of digital content consumption. This collaboration represents a strategic shift in Apple's approach to the Chinese market.
Chinese company iQiyi awards first prizes for short films created using artificial intelligence, court in China rules that calls for AI are not protected by copyright
Chinese streaming platform iQiyi has awarded the first prizes in a competition for short films created using artificial intelligence, which attracted 2,300 entries from more than 30 countries. Eleven prizes were awarded, including one first prize, three second prizes and five third prizes. The competition required films of one to five minutes in length created using Google's Doubao and Veo 3 tools. The first prize winner completed the film „Under the Fireworks Lies My Home“ in 10 days. At the same time, iQiyi launched a dedicated AI Theater channel for AI-generated dramas longer than 15 minutes, a significant step in its AI content strategy that began in 2018.
The Huangpu District People's Court in Shanghai ruled on 7 November that the six Midjourney submissions created by the visual art firm lacked originality and were „ideas, not expressions“, so they could not be protected by copyright under Chinese law. The lawsuit against the two defendants accused of reusing the Xiaohongshu suggestions was dismissed, setting a precedent that AI suggestions do not enjoy intellectual property protection.
China together with Hong Kong control more than 20 % of the world's naval fleet
In January 2025, the world's naval fleet is dominated by three countries, which together control more than 40 % of the world's deadweight tonnage. Greece leads with 397.6 million DWT, followed by China with 347.2 million DWT and Japan with 240.7 million DWT. China owns the highest number of vessels, 10,440, of which 7,103 fly its national flag, a significantly high proportion compared to the common practice of using foreign flags. When the shares of mainland China and Hong Kong are added together, China moves into first place in the world with 20.2 % of capacity. The combined share of the top ten ship-owning countries, which include Singapore (153.4 million DWT) and Hong Kong, China (139.5 million DWT), amounts to 67.3 % of global fleet capacity.
Chinese scientists achieve breakthrough in treating nervous system diseases
Researchers from Tianjin Medical University led by Shi Fudong have identified formyl peptide receptor 1 (FPR1) as a key factor in chronic inflammation of nerve tissue. After screening millions of compounds using computer-aided design, they developed the small-molecule antagonist T0080. In mouse models of multiple sclerosis, T0080 significantly reduced brain inflammation and slowed neurodegeneration. The team, whose results were published on 14 November, is now preparing the first human clinical trials for this candidate, which could also be effective in treating Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease and stroke.
Tomáš Kučera & Yereth Jansen
China-insights.com / gnews.cz - GH
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