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… class="wp-caption-text">Sunmi Home’s 100th outlet, located on Eighth Avenue in Manhattan, New York. Photo courtesy of Sunmi.</figcaption></figure>
The focus on North America reflects Sunmi’s effort to balance global strategy with local execution, further expanding its international footprint. As of the end of 2025, the company had established branches in 15 countries across key regions, including the Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa.
The move also reflects a broader view of differentiation. Rather than competing solely on hardware specifications, Sunmi appears to be emphasizing service consistency, shorter repair cycles, and local support. This is reflected in its Sunmi Care warranty service, which the company said covers more than 40 countries through over 100 partner service centers worldwide, providing timely after-sales support across its product lineup.
“To truly take root in a market, products alone are not enough,” Zhou said. “Localization takes time and sustained effort.”
<h3>Competing in the next phase of globalization</h3>
Individually, Sunmi’s CES debut, NRF presence, and New York expansion may appear distinct. Taken together, however, they show how the company is combining product development, market adaptation, and local service infrastructure into a single globalization push.
That foundation in North America is beginning to resonate beyond the region. Sunmi’s presence in the US, for one, has attracted interest from American brands expanding overseas. Popeyes, for example, has deployed Sunmi’s K2 self-checkout kiosks in parts of China, where facial recognition payments are widely used and therefore essential to support.
The company’s technology has also gained traction elsewhere. In South Korea, Sunmi has partnered with SK Networks and Fastorder to deploy its CPad line in tableside ordering systems. These setups support backend order management and centralized charging and are used by multiple restaurant chains, including South Korea’s largest beer pub franchise, Yeokjeon Grandma’s Beer, which operates more than 1,000 locations nationwide.
Global expansion remains appealing to many companies, but success often hinges on understanding local constraints and investing in long-term standards. Through its recent initiatives, Sunmi signals its intent to position itself not only as a hardware supplier but also as a service partner capable of adapting to market-specific requirements while maintaining operational efficiency.
In markets where infrastructure is often invisible until it fails, that combination may yet prove decisive, offering companies the confidence to expand beyond their home base.
This article was published in partnership with <a href="https://www.sunmi.com/en/">Sunmi</a>.

Sunmi takes its CPad tablet series global with US launch blitz

Hardware

Internet of Things

China

… West Lake Venture Capital also participated, while existing backers Roton Capital and CGN Capital Holdings continued their support. Six Sigma Capital served as financial adviser. —<a href="https://36kr.com/p/3660098751538053">36Kr</a></li>
<li><a href="https://folotoy.com/">FoloToy</a>, a Shanghai-based, tech-enabled toy maker, has completed a pre-Series A round and extension, raising an eight-figure RMB sum. Investors included SCGC, Nanshan SEI Investment, and existing shareholder Huohuotu. Index Capital acted as financial adviser. The company plans to use the funds to accelerate technology development, iterate on products, and support mass production and delivery. —<a href="https://36kr.com/p/3654915542130816">36Kr</a></li>
<li>Sunseed, a provider of technology-driven food processing solutions, has raised an eight-figure RMB sum in an angel round led by Ningbo Beilun Commerce and Logistics Investment Group. Rongcheng Rongxin Fund and Peakview Capital also participated. The proceeds will be used for R&amp;D, product iteration, and commercial rollout. —<a href="https://36kr.com/p/3659839708259207">36Kr</a></li>
<li>Enhanced Robotics, a sports hardware company, has raised more than RMB 100 million (USD 14 million) across its Series A, A1, and A2 rounds. The rounds were led respectively by HongShan, Xiang He Capital, and a group including Seine Ventures and Fortune Capital, with participation from Unique Capital. The company plans to use the funds to develop tennis and sports training robots and to expand internationally. —<a href="https://36kr.com/p/3658989646259080">36Kr</a></li>
</ul>
whereRelatedArticle
<h3>Level3AI, Airwallex, Toku, and more made recent headlines:</h3>
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.level3.ai/">Level3AI</a>, a Singapore-based AI startup, raised USD 13 million in seed funding in a round led by Lightspeed. The round also includes participation from Beenext, 500 Global, Sovereign’s Capital, and Goodwater Capital.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Airwallex <a href="https://rwegrgdf5.eu.org/airwallex-deepens-apac-expansion-with-south-korea-entry-via-paynuri-acquisition">acquired</a> Paynuri, a South Korea-based company that holds licenses for payment gateway services, prepaid electronic payment instruments, and foreign exchange operations. Financial terms were not disclosed.</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://toku.co/">Toku</a>, a Singapore-incorporated provider of customer experience solutions, raised SGD 16.25 million (USD 12.8 million) through its IPO on the SGX Catalist board. The public offer was 31.9 times subscribed.</li>
</ul>
If there are any news or updates you'd like us to feature, get in touch with us at: <a href="mailto:hello@rwegrgdf5.eu.org">hello@rwegrgdf5.eu.org</a>.

Deals in brief: HeyMax and Ekko raise funding, MOL Plus invests in Secai Marche, seven China investments, and more

Venture Capital

Private Equity

Investment

Merger &amp; Acquisition

Singapore

Vietnam

Japan

Hong Kong

Southeast Asia

… Securities shows that the Mini series is the company’s sales backbone, largely because its sub-249-gram weight reduces regulatory friction in many markets. That design strategy has been central to DJI’s success in turning drones into mainstream consumer electronics.
Under China’s latest rules, sub-250-gram drones face the lightest regulatory burden, requiring only real-name registration and flight filing through UOM.
Even so, operational complexity is rising. Users routinely ask how to fly legally, but local rules can change quickly. Keeping software, guidance, and customer support aligned with a patchwork of regional policies is becoming increasingly difficult.
China’s drone industry has spent years building a dominant global position. As consumer drone markets expand worldwide, regulators are tightening oversight. The underlying objective is consistent: to balance innovation and industrial growth with public safety and airspace order.
China’s regulatory trajectory over the past decade reflects a process of experimentation and gradual refinement. As oversight normalizes, disruption and consolidation are likely. Industry participants are betting that as UOM matures and local airspace rules stabilize, compliance will shift from a constraint to an enabling foundation, allowing the low-altitude economy to grow on more sustainable terms.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This <a href="https://36kr.com/p/3655808383541376">article</a> was written by Leslie Zhang for 36Kr.

China's tighter drone rules usher in industry adjustment period

Deep Tech

Drones

… and enforcement. He added that the initiative is expected to boost confidence in digital trade and reinforce the Gulf region’s position as a secure, innovation-driven platform for growth and investment.
This <a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/BbS-yqO2_tWtky5GbzpyRA">article</a> was adapted based on a feature originally written and published by Al Shasia. KrASIA is authorized to translate, adapt, and publish its contents.

Middle East weekly: QIA anchors Eastroc IPO, Dubai launches DIFC expansion, Saudi Arabia rolls out national privatization strategy, and more

Saudi Arabia

Qatar

Middle East

When China's TCL Electronics Holdings acquired the Sony name for its television portfolio last month, it had two main objectives in mind: surpass Samsung Electronics as market leader and fend off relentless competition in its home market.
TCL and Sony Group plan to establish a joint venture that will assume Sony's home entertainment business, the companies <a title="" href="https://asia.nikkei.com/business/electronics/sony-to-spin-off-tv-business-form-joint-venture-with-china-s-tcl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced on January 20</a>, with TCL holding a 51% stake and electronics unit Sony Corporation holding 49%. The new company is expected to start operations in April 2027.
"The new company's products are expected to carry the globally recognized 'Sony' name and 'Bravia' name, aiming to create new customer value through these branded products," the companies said in a statement.
TCL's share price on the Hong Kong stock exchange briefly rose 18.6% to HKD 12.92 (USD 1.7) the day after the announcement, its highest level in about 20 years. The surge was driven by the belief that absorbing Sony's business would improve profitability.
TCL posted HKD 99.3 billion (USD 12.7 billion) in sales and HKD 1.7 billion (USD 218 million) in net profit for the year ended December 2024, both increasing for the second straight year. Net profit for 2025 also appears to have increased.
But gross profit margins continue to decline, falling to 16% in 2024, down around five percentage points from 2019.
This decline can be attributed to intense competition in the Chinese market. While TCL's overseas television sales are more than double those in China, gross profit margins are higher domestically. But with domestic demand sluggish due to the real estate downturn, price competition with rivals is weakening profitability.
Amid that backdrop, TCL aims to leverage the Sony brand to strengthen its high-end lineup in China and North America, the world's largest television market.
On the website of major US electronics retailer Best Buy, Sony's 65-inch Bravia TVs are being sold for USD 700–3,500, while TCL TVs of the same size run for USD 380–3,000. Sony has high brand recognition in North America and possesses unique strengths, such as the integration of Bravia TVs with PlayStation gaming consoles.
TCL is expected to focus on expanding sales of Sony-branded products. Group company TCL China Star Optoelectronics Technology boosted liquid crystal display panel production capacity last year by acquiring an LG Display plant in Guangzhou. Consolidating production with the Sony brand will help it improve cost competitiveness.
While TCL and Sony have not disclosed how production and sales for Sony-branded TVs will be handled, Chinese home appliance analyst Liang Zhenpeng said, "TCL's 51% stake in the joint venture means that TCL will lead all the important processes, including production and operation."
TCL held a 14% global market share in television shipments last year, ranking second behind Samsung Electronics at 16%, according to forecasts by Chinese research firm Sigmaintell. Sony was in tenth place with a 2% share. The forecast projects that by 2027, TCL's share, including the joint venture with Sony, will expand to 17%, surpassing Samsung.
TCL is known in China as a long-established major manufacturer of televisions and other home appliances. Its predecessor was TTK Household Appliances, a cassette tape maker established in Huizhou, Guangdong, in 1981.
Li Dongsheng, who joined the company as its 43rd employee and has served as chairman since the late 1990s, pushed the company to expand, making it one of the first Chinese companies to venture overseas, including into Vietnam in 1999.
Li seems to have seen Sony as TCL's senior as a home appliance maker that pioneered overseas markets. When Li spoke with the late Nobuyuki Idei, former president of Sony Group, in 2021, he said that Idei told him that having the large Chinese market is an advantage for Chinese companies, but it could also hinder their expansion into overseas markets.
There have been previous cases of Japanese TV brands coming under the umbrella of Chinese companies. In 2018, Toshiba sold its Regza brand, which had been seeing declining sales, to Chinese home appliance giant Hisense Group.
Hisense was able to leverage Toshiba's development capabilities while increasing price competitiveness, leading to a recovery in Regza sales.
This article first appeared on <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/business/electronics/china-s-tcl-sees-sony-deal-as-way-to-topple-global-tv-leader-samsung">Nikkei Asia</a>. It has been republished here as part of 36Kr’s ongoing partnership with <a href="https://www.rwegrgdf5.eu.org/nikkei-teams-up-with-36kr-in-asia-tech-news-coverage/">Nikkei</a>.

China's TCL sees Sony deal as way to topple global TV leader Samsung

… navigation, obstacle avoidance, manipulation, stair climbing, and other behaviors with whole-body control. Cosa sits at the center, responsible for task comprehension, planning, and orchestration.
This division of labor reduces development friction. Engineers can avoid rebuilding hardware or low-level motion systems from scratch and instead build on LimX’s validated platforms and integrated cognitive-motor stack, using open interfaces and development tools to focus on application layer innovation within specific verticals.
More broadly, this approach represents a shift in LimX’s position within the robotics ecosystem. Rather than competing across every layer, the company is defining clear technical and market boundaries.
As robotic bodies and cognitive systems become increasingly standardized, the company’s challenge moves toward deploying these systems in environments that demand adaptability and close human interaction.
Guided by the principle of serving people rather than production processes, LimX is prioritizing scenarios that require direct interaction and contextual flexibility. Initial deployments are focused on business-facing service environments such as reception and guided tours, with plans to expand gradually into consumer household services.
Internationally, the company plans to pair China’s supply chain advantages in rapid iteration and cost control with localized ecosystems of developers, customers, and distribution partners. The aim is to embed embodied intelligence more deeply into overseas markets.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This <a href="https://36kr.com/p/3664227663651718">article</a> was written by Huang Nan for 36Kr.

LimX Dynamics raises Series B funding to push embodied robots into real-world use

Robotics

Embodied Intelligence

… knit sets sold more than 1,000 units on TikTok Shop. Seeing the platform’s potential, Guo formed a small team to build a direct-to-consumer presence.
By studying content trends, the team learned that Western shoppers favored bright, high-saturation resort colors. Ruimin expanded its dress line from four colors to 16 and added elastic bands at the bust for comfort.
The redesigned dresses, now under the Finjani label, were promoted through TikTok advertising and influencer partnerships. Within five months, a single viral dress sold nearly 120,000 units, and annual store revenue surpassed RMB 23 million (USD 3.2 million).
Today, garments shipped from Ruimin’s Dongguan factory to Europe and North America carry the Finjani tag, visible across live streams and short videos.
“A person needs a name,” Guo said. “So do the clothes we make.”
<h3>When visibility becomes influence</h3>
For Creality, already known among 3D printing enthusiasts, the challenge was reaching a broader audience.
When Shi took over TikTok Shop operations in March 2025, he was working alone and had two weeks to launch a new product. He partnered with a US-based influencer using the handle @is3dp, a creator with fewer than 15,000 followers but deep technical expertise.
Because Creality’s printers often cost hundreds of dollars, buyers needed reassurance. Shi turned the live stream into a virtual showroom, staying awake in Shenzhen until as late as 4 a.m. to answer real-time questions on materials and compatibility. The transparent format helped ease hesitation.
One April night, the live stream generated USD 40,000 in orders.
Over time, Shi expanded collaborations with US creators, refined targeting, and experimented with formats. Creality’s TikTok Shop GMV (gross merchandise value) reached USD 400,000, while monthly consumables sales exceeded 10,000 units.
<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 20px 49px;">
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="border-left: none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; max-width: 605px;" data-video-id="7495045357819235615"><script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script></blockquote>
</div>
For established brands, TikTok Shop offers a stage to shape identity, build relevance, and occasionally spark cultural moments.
The global rise of Pop Mart’s Labubu illustrates that potential. Hail a ride in the US today, and there is a good chance the driver has a Labubu figurine hanging from the dashboard.
The surge can be traced back to November 2024, when Vanity Fair posted a TikTok video of K-pop star Lisa showing off her collection. Interest spiked. When Pop Mart launched the Labubu “Big into Energy” series on TikTok Shop in April 2025, nearly 100,000 viewers tuned in to the live stream, and all 20,000 figurines sold out within seconds.
Labubu-tagged videos now exceed 3.5 million on TikTok, with more than one billion cumulative views. On TikTok Shop’s US page, Pop Mart’s total sales surpass 2.5 million units.
From Guo’s first Finjani tag in a Dongguan factory to Shi’s late-night data monitoring and Labubu’s viral rise, TikTok Shop has played a role at every stage. It gives unbranded products an identity, turns niche items into mainstream hits, and helps established brands reach new cultural relevance.
TikTok Shop’s near USD 100 billion GMV in 2025 underscores how content-driven commerce has reshaped global retail.
For decades, Chinese manufacturers operated behind the scenes of global supply chains, distant from end consumers. TikTok Shop offers a direct line outward, allowing them to sense demand, iterate, and build brands.
When businesses such as OQ Hair and Finjani, once anonymous suppliers, can read global consumer signals in near real time and respond quickly, perhaps, it points to a deeper shift underway.

How TikTok Shop gives China’s factories a direct line to the world

TikTok

East Asia

TikTok Shop

Retail

Consumer Economy

… directly within Kimi, a capability that depends heavily on model performance.
In early December, Moonshot president Zhang Yutong said the company needed to find its own narrative and identify what it truly excels at.
“When competing with much larger companies that have more resources, we deliberately control our business boundaries,” Zhang said. “We focus on the large-model layer, the logic layer, the agent layer, and productivity-oriented, complex task workflows such as in-depth research, presentations, data analysis, and website development.”
Across the sector, model developers are converging on similar agent-driven scenarios, particularly in coding and office productivity. These use cases offer relatively clear paths to commercialization but also depend on continued gains in model capability.
For Moonshot, the stated ambition is to build a “platform agent.” Achieving that will require sustaining top-tier model performance while also developing consumer products with a distinct identity and consistent design sensibility.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This <a href="https://36kr.com/p/3664711869850499">article</a> was written by Deng Yongyi for 36Kr.

Moonshot AI sees overseas revenue surge as Kimi K2.5 gains traction abroad

Artificial Intelligence

Foundation and Large Models

India's exports to China have shot up in recent months, mostly thanks to marine products and electronics, as bilateral ties thaw and New Delhi's diversification strategy to offset the impact of steep US tariffs takes effect.
Nevertheless, experts see China's ballooning trade surplus with India as a matter of concern.
In the first nine months of the current fiscal year, which began last April, India’s merchandise exports to China rose 36.7% from the same period a year earlier to USD 14.25 billion, according to data from India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry. In December alone, these shipments increased 68% to USD 2.05 billion.
"[It] is a welcome growth," commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal told reporters earlier this month, adding that the "overall recalibration of supply chains across the world is helping" the South Asian nation boost its exports to the communist giant.
The jump in exports to China comes with US-Indian ties fraying. President Donald Trump in August imposed steep 50% tariffs on Indian goods, including a 25% penalty for India's purchases of Russian oil. India has a significant merchandise trade surplus with the US, by far its largest export destination.
As for the marine products India is shipping to China, it sent USD 1.056 billion worth in the April-November period, 20.4% more than in the same period a year earlier, according to ministry data.
A separate December 2025 report by the New Delhi-based think tank Global Trade Research Initiative said the surge in India's exports to China is driven by a narrow set of products. GTRI said naphtha is the biggest contributor, with exports in the April-October period up 172% from a year earlier to USD 1.4 billion, reflecting strong Chinese demand for petrochemical feedstocks.
Electronics also showed "unusually sharp spikes" with printed circuit board exports jumping over 2,000% to USD 418 million in the first seven months of the ongoing financial year, the report said. Mobile phone component exports rose 82% to USD 362 million, "an unusual trend given India's large imports of these items from China," it said.
As India seeks to diversify its export markets, it has stepped up efforts to strike trade deals with several countries in a bid to minimize the impact of the US tariffs. Last month, it concluded what it called a "free trade agreement" with New Zealand, close on the heels of signing a comprehensive economic partnership agreement with Oman during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's December visit to the Gulf nation and months after inking a trade deal with the UK.
In addition, India and the European Union are reportedly close to sealing a major trade pact, and New Delhi and Washington continue to negotiate a deal of their own.
S C Ralhan, president of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), said the country's top export destinations demonstrate "a well-diversified and resilient" export footprint.
"This diversification is particularly critical at a time when global trade routes are being reshaped due to geopolitical conflicts, sanctions, shipping disruptions and strategic realignments," he said in a recent statement issued by FIEO.
Regarding the rise of exports to China, Namrata Hasija, a research fellow at the New Delhi-based Centre for China Analysis and Strategy, said they are "not broad-based" and are heavily driven by specific commodities, an indication that the growth is "more reactive to immediate Chinese demand rather than a long-term, structural realignment."
"The issue is also that China is OK with buying these items from India now," she told Nikkei Asia. But "what if the state policy changes and they too tighten the screws" on shipments from India?
N R Bhanumurthy, director of the Madras School of Economics in Chennai, said that right now exports to China "may be a little more competitive" for Indian industry because of the Trump tariffs. Another reason for the surge in exports could be that "maybe China is looking at the Indian market for [procuring] some of the things they want to withdraw from … especially the production of low-value products," he told Nikkei.
However, Bhanumurthy added that India "running an increasingly wider trade deficit with China is definitely a [matter of] concern" and added that it needs to enhance its business relationship with the neighboring country in a way that addresses the trade gap.
In the April-December period, China's exports to India were worth USD 95.95 billion, up from USD 84.57 billion a year earlier. India's key imports from China include electronics, machinery, chemicals, and plastics.
Over the same period, India’s trade deficit with China widened to USD 81.7 billion from USD 74.15 billion a year earlier.
"India's recent export gains to China are narrow, volatile and heavily dependent on shifts in Chinese demand, rather than on durable market access or a diversified export base," Ajay Srivastava, GTRI's founder, said in the report. "Without a sustained strategy to expand competitive manufacturing, reduce import dependence in key sectors, and strengthen trade monitoring, short-term export spikes will do little to alter the fundamentally imbalanced nature of India-China trade."
This article first appeared on <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/economy/trade/china-offers-indian-exporters-helping-hand-amid-trump-tariffs">Nikkei Asia</a>. It has been republished here as part of 36Kr’s ongoing partnership with <a href="https://www.rwegrgdf5.eu.org/nikkei-teams-up-with-36kr-in-asia-tech-news-coverage/">Nikkei</a>.

China offers Indian exporters helping hand amid Trump tariffs

India