Hi there, it’s Robin.

This has been another exciting week for the tech scene both in China and Southeast Asia.

First up, the move made by the middle kingdom last week at opening up its cards to lure the Chinese tech giants back home has started to gain momentum.

Chinese smartphone maker,Xiaomi has filed with the China Securities Regulatory Commission to issue CDR, while Baidu could also become thefirst overseas-listed Chinese company to relist in China.

Interestingly, only a few days later, on Thursday, Xiaomireleased yet another updated version of its CDR prospectus with new highlights.

Meituan-Dianping, a Chinese O2O platform,has also been rumored to have recently completed its pre-IPO roadshow and is well on its way to file with HKEX.

An aggressive fight between Alibaba & Tencent seems to be growing in intensity this week.

WithDouyin’s stunning successand its tie-up with Taobao, Tencent responded with anintegrated ‘shopping search’ with JD.comthis week.

On the other hand, Tencent’s ally, JD.com is also locked in a fierce battle with Alibaba to fight for thebest back-end operation to offer a more convenient e-commerce shopping experience.

In the Southeast Asian region, Singapore’s O2O platform giant,Grab countered Go-Jek’s added ammunition offer last week with a new collaboration with Japanese car maker, Toyota.

Grab was alsoin talks with Chinese ride-hailing giant, Didi Chuxing over its push for self-driving cars.

It’s also noteworthy to mention ofSEA’s intentions to raise more fundsvia the issue of convertible notes as it reported of tripling losses in Q1 following its battles with Alibaba-backed Lazada.

Despite the already growing fight, this week also witnessed  Southeast Asia’s preparation foran impending Islamic-related startup boom.

Read on to find out more interesting stories from last week, and feel free to tip us if you have news clue or you just want to talk with us, email us atKrASIAofficial@gmail.comand we’re looking forward to hearing from you.

Here are some stories you shouldn’t miss.

 

China

Ant Financial bets on China’s staff-less snack bars; strategically invests in Xingbianli

Telsa’s Chinese rival Byton raises $500m from China’s oldest automaker FAW and largest EV battery maker CATL

Ofo claims to generate RMB 100 million in just two months amidst signs of cash woes

Baidu joining the price war in China’s nascent smart speaker market

Byton, the Chinese Tesla, thinks data security is a long-neglected real concern for EVs

Didi Chuxing launches in Australia in expansion push, upping rivalry with Uber amidst troubles back home

 

Southeast Asia

Naspers, investor behind the savviest bet in Tencent, is rumored to invest in Carousell

 

Interesting Stories

These 9 Chinese companies made it into Mary Meeker’s internet trends report and are making waves in Southeast Asia

WhereIsWhere interview: How a S’pore startup looks to revolutionize physical channels via its location-based marketing platform

EXCLUSIVE: Luckin Coffee raises up to $300M Series A amidst China’s coffee culture boom, joining unicorn echelon

8 Lessons from the Rise of Douyin (Tik Tok)