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- 🤖Robotaxis Conquer Global Markets – China vs. USA
🤖Robotaxis Conquer Global Markets – China vs. USA
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☕️ Good morning comrades,
We write about Trump too much.
But the “best dealmaker of all time” is just too interesting not to. His latest business idea: a golden Android phone “proudly designed and produced in the US.” Experts, however, believe it was most likely manufactured largely in China…
👉🏻 As of yesterday, subscribers from Tencent (WeChat) and Lufthansa Technik have joined asiabits. Welcome aboard!
🚀 Benchmarks
| Index | Current | 24h | YTD | 52W High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇩🇪 DAX | 23,434.65 | –1.12% | +17.03% | 24,479.42 |
| 🇺🇸 NASDAQ | 19,521.09 | –0.91% | +1.25% | 20,204.58 |
| 🇰🇷 KOSPI | 2,933.63 | +0.12% | +23.72% | 2,947.07 |
| 🇯🇵 Nikkei | 38,364.16 | +0.59% | –1.31% | 42,426.77 |
| 🇭🇰 Hang Seng | 23,859.55 | –0.34% | +20.71% | 24,874.39 |
| 🇨🇳 Shanghai | 3,386.14 | –0.04% | +3.83% | 3,674.41 |
🔢 Facts & Figures
409%
The number of job openings in China’s humanoid-robotics industry surged by 409 % from January to May 2025, with algorithm and mechanical-engineering experts most in demand.
1.06 billion litres
That’s how much soju was sold over the counter in 2024, making Korea’s budget-friendly spirit the world’s best-selling.
36 billion USD
Regencell’s current market valuation after its stock jumped over 200 % in one day. The company is developing traditional Chinese herbal therapies to treat ADHD and autism in children.
Top Bit: 🤖🚕 Robotaxi Rivalry: China vs. USA Accelerates
China’s robotaxi pioneers Baidu, Pony.ai, and WeRide are mounting their first large-scale push into the Middle East, shifting growth beyond domestic borders. At the same time, US market leader Waymo has won approval to significantly expand in the San Francisco and Los Angeles metros. Tesla plans to launch paid robotaxi rides in Austin this summer, and Volkswagen is also eyeing the market—having just unveiled a self-driving ID.Buzz variant in Hamburg.
Details
🇨🇳 China: Pony.ai is first testing at Hong Kong airport, then targeting the Middle East and South Korea.
🇺🇸 USA: Waymo now covers wide swathes of the Bay Area & Silicon Valley, logging over 250,000 paid trips per week.
💸 Investor hopes: Goldman Sachs projects China’s robotaxi fleet will expand from 4,100 today to 1.9 million vehicles by 2035, for a market opportunity of nearly $50 billion.
🌍 Middle East push: Dubai and Riyadh are luring firms with relaxed regulations and deep capital pools—acting as springboards for global expansion.
Why it matters
Technological leadership in autonomous driving will determine future market shares in the global auto industry.
Regulatory race: those who achieve scale now will set standards—from software stacks to insurance tariffs.
Investor signal: multi-billion-dollar AI and mobility funds redirect capital flows based on progress in the USA or China.
Background
China–US tech conflict: Since 2019, US chip and software restrictions have impeded China’s access to high-performance processors; Beijing has responded with limits on rare earth exports.
Market dynamics: While California enforces strict safety tests, Gulf states and Hong Kong offer regulatory sandboxes to pilot commercial robotaxi fleets more quickly.
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Head Of The Day
Yusaku Maezawa
🎸 From Punk Rocker to Astronaut: He might as well be called Japan’s Elon Musk. Yusaku Maezawa is an unconventional genius (often tinged with a bit of madness). He loves X (formerly Twitter) and outer space.
In 1998, he sold imported CDs out of his car trunk, then pivoted to mail order and ultimately to digital retail. In 2024, he launched Zozotown—now Japan’s largest fashion marketplace. He’s currently worth around $2 billion and enjoys spending his free time in space.
A big difference from Musk: he’s never been spotted with Japan’s prime minister…
Market Bit: 💵 SoftBank Nets $4.8 B in T-Mobile Stock Sale
Details
🏷️ Block trade: 21.5 M T-Mobile shares placed at $224—a 3 % discount to the closing price ($231).
📊 Stake remains large: SoftBank holds about 64 M shares post-deal, remaining the second-largest shareholder behind Deutsche Telekom.
💰 Deal background: The shares partly stem from the Sprint merger; in 2023 SoftBank received an additional $7.6 B in shares at no extra cost.
🏦 Buyer base: Placement was made with institutional investors—according to the term sheet, the order book was heavily oversubscribed.
Why it matters
Liquidity for tech bets: The sale refills SoftBank’s war chest for AI and semiconductor investments (Arm, Vision Fund 3).
T-Mobile free float increases: More tradable shares could boost index weighting and attract new ETF inflows.
Signal to capital markets: Block trades in US mega-caps suggest robust demand and a favorable financing environment for large shareholders.
Top Reads
🍲 Banu Aims for Hong Kong IPO: The premium hot-pot operator has filed its listing prospectus, aiming to raise up to $100 million. Q1 paints a mixed picture: revenues rose 26% thanks to 34 new outlets and 40% more guests, but the average ticket fell 5%. More on this.
💴 China bolsters the yuan: The head of the People’s Bank of China has announced an “International Operations Centre” for the digital renminbi. Shanghai will also launch new pilot programs for blockchain-based trade finance, innovation bonds, and green loans. This is part of Beijing’s strategy to drive global adoption of the yuan and to arm the financial hub against growing U.S. tensions. More on this.
🇺🇸 TikTok Ban Delayed Again: Trump has granted ByteDance an additional 90 days to find a US buyer—keeping the app online for now. More on this.
Optional Reads
Japan: Honda successfully tests a reusable rocket with a precision landing. More on this.
Singapore: Tightens digital media laws against deepfakes; trust in news has fallen to 45 % according to a Reuters report. More on this.
China: Pharma projects stall due to the US trade dispute—companies pause clinical trials and build up inventories. More on this.
🐕 Beagle Bodyguard: A Japanese monk and his beagle Chico encountered a 1.6 m–tall bear during a forest walk. The 45-year-old monk fell in the encounter and dislocated his shoulder. Chico took charge and barked at the bear until it ran away.
The twist: Chico now lives in the monastery because his previous owners deemed him “too loud and annoying” and gave him up for adoption. Karma, baby!
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Thomas, Michael & the Team of asiabits.
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Editors: Michael Broza, Thomas Derksen, William Hu, Eva Trotno, Cindy Zhang
Content responsibility: Thomas Derksen
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