Hi folks, we are back with our weekly edition of China’s Digital Digest, wherein we bring you weekly updates on China’s digital space. The report takes a quick glance at China’s complex and rapidly evolving social media landscape by providing updates on the latest happenings across the social media industry. Here are the major highlights of the report.
1. Alibaba Looks to Fill 3,000 Internship Roles In AI Talent Hunt
Alibaba Group Holding has kicked off its spring hiring season with 3,000 internship openings for fresh graduates, half of them related to artificial intelligence (AI), as the Chinese e-commerce giant commits to advancing the technology.
The recruitment campaign targets students graduating between November 2025 and October 2026, with internships spanning multiple business units. Nearly half of the roles – including more than 80 per cent of positions in the cloud computing arm – are AI-focused. The scramble for talent by Alibaba comes as Chinese start-up DeepSeek has set off a national frenzy to adopt AI in various industries and sectors, worsening a shortage of workers with knowledge in the technology.
2. Alibaba Commits US$53 Billion for AI Infrastructure in Largest Private Computing Project
Alibaba Group Holding will invest at least 380 billion yuan (US$52.4 billion) in its cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure over the next three years, in China’s largest-ever computing project financed by a single private business, the company announced in a show of commitment to AI.
The planned outlay exceeds Alibaba’s total spending on AI infrastructure over the past decade and matches half of the initial US$100 billion investment in the Stargate AI plan promoted by the US. Alibaba’s investment plan has grabbed national attention amid a national frenzy to apply AI following the popularity of DeepSeek’s models in recent months. The official Xinhua news agency on Monday first reported Alibaba’s investment plan.
3. China’s Food-Delivery Platforms Vow Welfare Coverage for Armies of Riders
https://www.theasset.com/article-esg/53489/china-s-food-delivery-platforms-show-care-for-gig-workers
In quick succession, three major online platforms in China – JD.com, Meituan and Ele.me – have unveiled plans to provide social insurance to their food-delivery couriers after years of being urged by the central government to enhance welfare coverage for the nation’s gig workers.
The moves to improve labour protections in the nation’s rapidly expanding gig economy come amid an economic slowdown and accelerated transition to a digital economy in recent years. And a corresponding rise in unemployment, particularly among the youngest workers, has pushed millions to online platforms. Roughly 200 million gig workers now make a living from temporary jobs that do not offer traditional employment contracts and associated benefits.
4. DeepSeek Denied Reports of Seeking External Funding
DeepSeek has rebutted a US media report that said the Chinese artificial intelligence developer is considering outside funding.
According to a few media reports, DeepSeek is weighing raising outside funding for the first time as it faces pressure to expand its computing infrastructure due to surging demand. Internal discussions have begun on whether to make such a move to pay for more AI chips and servers, the report said, citing sources with knowledge of those conversations.
5. DeepSeek Announces Nighttime API Call Price Reduction, with Discounts Up to 75%
DeepSeek has announced that it will significantly reduce the price of API calls during the night idle period from 00:30 to 08:30 Beijing time, with DeepSeek-V3 dropping to 50% of the original price, and DeepSeek-R1 even lower to 25%, with the highest reduction reaching 75%.
The company said that this move aims to encourage users to fully utilize the night time period and enjoy a more economical and smoother service experience. This is not the first time DeepSeek has adjusted its API prices. In August of last year, DeepSeek once reduced the API input cost to 0.1 yuan per million tokens and the output cost to 2 yuan per million tokens, causing a stir in the industry.
6. Temu Launches Local-to-Local Model in South Korea
Pinduoduo‘s cross-border e-commerce platform Temu has announced the launch of the “L2L (local to local)” model in the South Korean market, initiating recruitment activities targeting local South Korean sellers.
Temu stated that the introduction of the “L2L” model aims to “provide South Korean consumers with a rich variety of local products and open up a new market for South Korean sellers to meet millions of customers.” The platform will invite local South Korean sellers to join and expand their sales channels through this model. To support its operations in South Korea, Temu has established a subsidiary in the country, appointed a head of the subsidiary, and hired local South Korean staff.
7. ByteDance’s Dreamina Is Considering Integrating DeepSeek
ByteDance’s AI video generation product Dreamina is considering using DeepSeek. Previously, Feishu within the ByteDance system had already used DeepSeek.
The popularity of DeepSeek has led to overflow demand and interactive gameplay: for example, first use DeepSeek to generate more detailed video scripts and then create videos in Dreamina. Around Chinese New Year, the number of Dreamina users grew rapidly. According to third-party monitoring platform QuestMobile, Dreamina had around 760 thousand weekly active users at the end of December last year and nearly 2 million by mid-February this year – an increase close to three times in a month and a half.
Wrapping Up
The vast and diverse nature of the Chinese Social Media space makes it incredibly challenging to keep a tab on the rapid developments taking place. However, China’s Digital Digest brings you all the latest updates from there to keep you abreast of all the evolving trends.
To delve deeper into the findings of our latest report, click here.
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