The Hong Kong Stock Exchange will study the 24-hour trading mechanism; The sales volume of AI toys has skyrocketed by 600%; China's foreign trade has

China's foreign trade has maintained a steady and progressive trend. The cumulative growth rate of imports and exports has been rising month by month, with a 3.5% increase in the first seven months. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange is studying a 24-hour trading mechanism to enhance its international competitiveness. China-India relations have eased, and the two sides have agreed to resume direct flights as soon as possible to provide conditions for bilateral economic, trade and cultural exchanges.

The technology and consumer sectors are showing a trend of diversified expansion: Meitu has deepened its e-commerce AI cooperation with Alibaba. Its imaging business revenue has increased by 45%. Functions such as AI virtual fitting and product image generation have helped upgrade cross-border retail. Pop Mart has focused on emerging markets in the Middle East and South Asia. Its business revenue in Southeast Asia already accounts for 41% of its total overseas revenue, and it will have more than 200 overseas stores by the end of the year. Lenovo Group has set up a regional headquarters and built an advanced manufacturing base in Saudi Arabia to accelerate its digital transformation layout in the Middle East. In terms of product exports, the sales volume of AI toys has skyrocketed by 600% year-on-year, and agricultural machinery exports have ushered in a new round of growth due to intelligent upgrades.

Let's read this week's overseas expansion news to learn about the latest trends in going global.

Ministry of Commerce: Confident and Resolute to Promote the Steady Growth and Quality Improvement of Foreign Trade

He Yongqian, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce, said on the 21st that despite the current great uncertainties in global economic and trade development, China is confident and resolute to continue promoting the steady growth and quality improvement of foreign trade, and will jointly face challenges and share development opportunities with more trading partners.

At the regular press conference held by the Ministry of Commerce that day, He Yongqian introduced that the risks and challenges faced by international economic and trade development have increased significantly. Against this complex backdrop, China's foreign trade has maintained a steady and progressive trend. The cumulative growth rate of imports and exports has been rising month by month, with a 3.5% increase in the first seven months. (Xinhua News Agency)

The Number of Newly Opened International Air Cargo Routes in China Increased by More Than 50% Year-on-Year in the First Half of This Year

Reporters learned from the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing that in the first half of this year, the number of newly opened international air cargo routes increased by more than 50% year-on-year, and the proportion of freight volume on international routes has been showing an upward trend.

Since the beginning of this year, the freight volume has continued to grow. Driven by industries such as cross-border e-commerce, the proportion of freight volume on international routes has been rising, becoming an important growth point for air logistics. In the first half of this year, the international freight volume reached 2.037 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 23.4%. As of June 30, a total of 145 new air cargo routes were opened across the country in 2025. Among them, 117 were international air cargo routes, a year-on-year increase of 58.1%. (CCTV News)

US Treasury Secretary: The US and China Had a "Very Good Dialogue" on Economic and Trade Issues, and We Expect to Meet Again Before November

According to Reuters, US Treasury Secretary Bessent said in an interview on the 19th local time that the US and China had a "very good dialogue" on economic and trade issues. Bessent said, "We had a very good dialogue with the Chinese side. I expect we will meet again before November. I think the current work is going very smoothly." (Global Times)

The Thai Influencer Market Has Entered an Era of High-Efficiency Conversion, with Sales Soaring by 46% in the First Half of the Year

In the first half of 2025, the Thai influencer marketing market continued to grow, and brands adopting the "publisher service" model stood out. Data shows that the catering, retail and lifestyle, beauty and health industries accounted for 62.48% of the total revenue from publisher services. Among them, the catering industry ranked first with a 30.47% share, with more than 100 projects completed. It achieved high-efficiency conversion by promoting the "instant purchase" strategy for takeaways and in-store consumption. The retail and lifestyle industry attracted Generation Z and young working groups with a 19.84% share, strengthening consumer stickiness with "real experience" content. The beauty and health industry established trust through "real experience evaluations" with a 12.17% share, becoming a growth engine. (Economic and Commercial Office of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Kingdom of Thailand)

Chen Yiting of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange: The Hong Kong Stock Exchange Will Study a 24-Hour Trading Mechanism

At the 2025 interim results meeting of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Chen Yiting, the Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange Group, said, "The Hong Kong Stock Exchange always adheres to the principle of strategic investment in maintaining global competitiveness. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange will not be stingy with capital expenditures. We continue to increase our investment in optimizing data platforms and upgrading trading and settlement systems."

On-site, Chen Yiting answered the question about extending trading hours that has been hotly debated in the market. "Regarding the issue of extending trading hours, we noticed that NASDAQ plans to implement a 24-hour trading mechanism five days a week in the second half of 2026. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange will adhere to the principle of prudence and gradual progress. Based on fully learning from the experience of international peers, we will conduct research in combination with the actual situation of the local market." (Shanghai Securities News)

China and India Agree to Resume Direct Flights Between the Chinese Mainland and India as Soon as Possible

The China-India foreign ministers' talks achieved 10 outcomes. The two sides agreed to resume direct flights between the Chinese mainland and India as soon as possible and revise the civil aviation transportation agreement between the two countries. The two sides agreed to provide visa facilitation for the two-way travel of people engaged in tourism, business, media and other activities in the two countries. The two sides agreed to take specific measures to facilitate bilateral economic, trade and investment flows.

When meeting with Wang Yi, Modi said that China and India are partners, not opponents. Both countries face the common task of accelerating development. They should strengthen exchanges, enhance understanding and expand cooperation, so that the world can feel the great potential and bright prospects of China-India cooperation. (Global Times)

Meitu and Alibaba Deepen E-commerce AI Cooperation, and a 45% Growth in Imaging Business Drives Record High Performance

On August 20, it was reported that Meitu and Alibaba have carried out in-depth cooperation in the fields of e-commerce, AI technology and cloud services. They plan to optimize image generation and video editing functions and launch an "AI virtual fitting" service to improve user experience and shopping efficiency. The AI capabilities of Meitu Design Studio will be integrated into the backstage of Taotian merchants to help small and medium-sized merchants create visual content. Alibaba Cloud will provide computing power support for Meitu's AI assistant "RoboNeo".

In the first half of 2025, Meitu's total revenue reached 1.8 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 12.3%. The revenue of its imaging and design product business increased by 45.2%, becoming the core driving force. The company's net profit has significantly increased, mainly due to the wide application of AI technology and the growth of paying users. Wu Xinhong, the founder of Meitu, said that in the future, the company will continue to increase investment in AI R & D and promote the transformation to an "intelligent service ecosystem". (Yibang Power)

Wen Deyi of Pop Mart: Will Expand into Emerging Markets in the Middle East, South Asia, Central Europe and South America, and It is Expected to Have More Than 200 Overseas Stores by the End of the Year

At the 2025 interim results press conference held by Pop Mart on August 20, Wen Deyi, the co-Chief Operating Officer, said that the company will focus on countries and regions such as the Middle East, South Asia, South America and Russia. At the same time, it will continue to promote the layout of flagship stores and tourist retail stores in core cities such as Paris, France, Sydney, Australia, Milan, Italy and New York, the United States. It is expected to have more than 200 overseas stores by the end of the year. (36Kr)

Meituan's Overseas Food Delivery Brand Keeta Launches in Qatar and Plans to Enter the Brazilian Market in a Few Months

On August 20, Meituan announced that its international food delivery brand Keeta was officially launched in Doha, the capital of Qatar. In the future, Keeta will continue to deepen its presence in the Middle East market, gradually expand to more countries and regions in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and plans to officially enter Brazil in a few months. (Jiemian News)

Ye Guofu: Will Open MINISO LAND Stores Overseas

At the investor communication meeting on August 21, Ye Guofu, the founder, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Miniso, said that the unexpected success of MINISO LAND has brought us unexpected surprises. At the same time, he believes that MINISO LAND stores can attract a large number of trendy toy artists to cooperate with Miniso. In the future, MINISO LAND will also be opened overseas. He also said, "We are very confident in our own IPs." "Our own IPs are an important means. In the past, we only did global IP licensing. Now we are implementing a dual-track layout, and our own IPs are as important as global IPs. We need to fully and thoroughly develop the IP business." (36Kr)

Wanglaoji's International Cans Are Globally Launched, and Its Overseas Market Scale Has Increased by 6.5 Times in a Decade

"Our products are sold in more than 100 countries and regions around the world. The two largest markets are the United States, which is our largest single market, and Southeast Asia, especially Thailand, as well as Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and other countries, where the sales volume is relatively large. In the past decade, Wanglaoji's overseas market scale has increased by 6.5 times, with an annual compound growth rate of more than 25%."

Ye Jizeng, the deputy general manager of Wanglaoji Health Industry Co., Ltd., said in an interview that the company is working hard to make international market sales an important part of its revenue. Its future sales target is to have a single market with a revenue of one billion yuan. (Wall Street News)

Lu Weibing: Xiaomi Cars Will Not Participate in Any Price War, and the Goal of Going Global in 2027 Remains Unchanged

On August 20, Lu Weibing, the president of Xiaomi Group, released a video saying that the company's automobile business is expected to start making profits in the second half of the year. Xiaomi cars will not participate in any price war and will not engage in excessive competition. The business health of Xiaomi cars has reached the first-class level in the industry. The goal of Xiaomi cars going global in 2027 remains unchanged, and the company has been conducting preliminary research and preparations for automobile exports. (Jiemian News)

Lenovo Group Accelerates Its Strategic Expansion in the Middle East and Sets Up a Regional Headquarters in Saudi Arabia

Lenovo Group announced that it plans to set up a regional headquarters in the iconic Majdoul Building in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, and has appointed a management team for the Saudi Arabian market. (36Kr)

The AI Toy Market Is Booming, and the Sales Volume of AI Toys on One Platform Has Skyrocketed by 600%

Since the beginning of this year, the AI toy market has been booming, and the sales volume has increased significantly. Reporters searched on online platforms and found that the prices of AI toys range from a few hundred yuan to several thousand yuan. Among them, categories such as AI plush toys, AI early education machines, AI learning cameras and AI pets are more popular in the market. Data from one platform shows that in the first half of 2025, the sales volume of AI toy products increased by six times month-on-month, and the year-on-year growth rate of AI toy sales exceeded 200%. Currently, in addition to being used by children, the consumer group of AI toys is expanding to all age groups. (CCTV Finance)

CITIC Securities: The Inflection Point of the Recovery of Overseas User-Side Energy Storage Has Arrived, and the Market Is Gradually Recovering with a Concentrated Pattern

CITIC Securities said that in the user-side energy storage market, the traditional household energy storage market has undergone a thorough reshuffle. The market is gradually recovering with a concentrated pattern, and new high-growth markets are emerging continuously. Global installed capacity is expected to return to normal and steady growth. Benefiting from the increasing policy support from various countries, the decline in system costs, and the increasingly mature and profitable business models, the commercial and industrial energy storage market is expected to enter a high-growth stage from 1 to 10. It is recommended to focus on high-quality segment leaders with the ability to gain a first-mover advantage in the market, a complete product system and high execution efficiency. (36Kr)

The Pace of "Innovation + Internationalization" Is Accelerating, and Many Innovative Pharmaceutical Companies Have Achieved Impressive "Mid - Year Results"

Reporters sorted out and found that as of now, many innovative pharmaceutical companies such as BeiGene and Hansoh Pharmaceutical have disclosed their interim results for the first half of the year. The revenue of innovative drugs, the progress of R & D pipelines, and overseas expansion plans have become the focus of market attention. Industry insiders said that currently, relevant innovative drug companies in China have achieved a transformation from quantitative change to qualitative change and are gradually changing from "followers" to "leaders". The prosperity of the innovative drug sector is expected to continue. The pace of "innovation + internationalization" is gradually accelerating, becoming the core direction of the pharmaceutical sector. (China Securities Journal)

The Technological Content of China's Agricultural Machinery Market Is Continuously Improving, and It Has Ushered in a New Round of Overseas Expansion

Strong technological equipment is an important feature of an agricultural powerhouse. In 2025, China's agricultural machinery market has ushered in a new round of overseas expansion. According to data from the Chinese Customs, in the first half of the year, China exported more than 90,000 tractors of various types, with an export value of 4.363 billion yuan. Behind the export of agricultural machinery is the strong impetus brought by technological progress. (China News Network)

AI "Hardcore" Gathering! The 4th Global Digital Trade Expo Will Be Held in Hangzhou in September

On August 22, reporters learned from the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce that the 4th Global Digital Trade Expo (hereinafter referred to as the Digital Trade Expo) will be held at the Hangzhou International Expo Center in Zhejiang from September 25th to 29th. This grand event with a total scale of 150,000 square meters has become an important window to observe the development of artificial intelligence - AI technology, which is moving from the laboratory to industry and life, will meet the public in a more cutting - edge form, with more diverse application scenarios and a more immersive experience. (CNR)

With the Theme of "Integrating Digital and Real Economies for a Smart Future", the Digital Expo Will Be Held in Zhengzhou from August 28th to 31st

This Digital Expo is divided into six major exhibition areas, including the Digital Technology Innovation and Application Exhibition Area and the Digital Publishing International Cooperation Exhibition Area. It includes more than 150 on - site activities such as negotiation and signing and new product launches. More than 600 enterprises will participate in the exhibition, featuring four highlights: technologicalization, integration, scenarization and internationalization. (China News Network)

This article is from the WeChat official account "Hangzhou Qiantang Enterprise Overseas Expansion Service Base". Author: Zhejiang Enterprises Going Global. Republished with authorization from Qiantang.