Alibaba & Baidu Push Back Against US DoD “Military-Civil Fusion” List
On June 9, Alibaba officially addressed a recent move by the U.S. Department of Defense through a Hong Kong Stock Exchange filing, confirming the company has been added to the China Military-Civil Fusion Enterprises (CMCFE) roster. Under current regulations, U.S. federal agencies are prohibited from directly or indirectly purchasing goods, services, or technologies from entities on this list. Alibaba made their stance crystal clear: placing them on this roster is a fundamental misstep with absolutely zero factual backing. The company firmly reiterated that they are not a defense contractor and maintain zero involvement in China’s military-civil integration initiatives. As for any deliberate attempts to tarnish their corporate image, Alibaba promised they won’t hesitate to deploy every legal avenue available to fight back.
Baidu refused to stay quiet. That same day, the tech giant issued its own HKEX announcement acknowledging the DoD’s directive. They pointed out that listing them makes absolutely no logical sense—they are neither a Chinese defense manufacturer nor part of any military-civil integration framework. Baidu also cleared up a widespread misunderstanding: the CMCFE designation isn’t actually a sanctions blacklist. The resulting U.S. government procurement restrictions won’t disrupt their daily business operations one bit, and frankly, it doesn’t restrict anyone from trading Baidu securities on the open market.
Hello Inc. Denies “Loss of Control” Allegations: Calls Out False Reporting
Recent industry coverage has painted a messy picture of Hello Inc.’s share-bike operations, citing a string of controversial competitive tactics. Reports claim the company engaged in aggressive market flooding, held onto rival fleet vehicles for extended periods, and allegedly deployed high-pressure, confrontational maneuvers targeting key personnel at competing platforms.
Hello fired back hard on the afternoon of June 9, according to First Financial. The company emphasized that everything is running smoothly across the board—daily operations, tax compliance, employee management, and urban logistics are all fully operational. In fact, they’re actively collaborating with local regulators to help standardize and clean up the shared two-wheeler industry. As for those negative headlines? Hello called them out straight up: spreading unverified, damaging rumors about a business crosses the line. They’ve already submitted formal complaints to the relevant authorities to protect their reputation and commercial interests.
Xiba’s “First-Gen Four Disciples” All Exit Live Streaming
The live-commerce landscape just took a major hit. On June 9, Zhao Mengche—one of Kuaishou’s top creators and Xiba’s very first apprentice—published a lengthy post officially announcing his departure from the XinXuan Group and a full retirement from the live-streaming industry. This comes hot on the heels of the previous day, when another of Xiba’s protégés, Shi Da Piao Piao, confirmed her seven-year contract had wrapped up and she was stepping away.
With these final exits, the so-called “First Generation Four Disciples” under Xiba—Dandan, Zhao Mengche, Mao Meimei, and Shi Da Piao Piao—have all officially bowed out of live streaming, marking the definitive end of an era for one of China’s most dominant creator ecosystems.
Meituan Waimai’s New Store Rating System: Kitchen & Identity Checks Mean Zero Points If Failed
Meituan Waimai is completely overhauling how merchant performance is tracked. Starting June 9, the platform launched pilot tests for a revamped “Store Score” framework across multiple key cities. The biggest addition? Two hard-hitting food safety checkpoints: physical store identity verification and real-time kitchen environment audits. Failing either of these automatically scores you a zero, and combined, they now account for 20% of your total rating weight. The full system goes live in late June and will gradually roll out nationwide. Here’s the breakdown: the maximum score remains 100, calculated through nine weighted metrics covering credentials, daily operations, information accuracy, and customer service. Meanwhile, Meituan is quietly sunsetting outdated penalty tracks for repetitive issues like ignoring negative reviews, missing online chats, or frequently declining incoming orders.
BIWIN Storage Secures $1.86B Enterprise Flash Memory Deal
In a major supply chain win announced on the evening of June 9, BIWIN Storage finalized a massive enterprise-grade NAND flash procurement agreement with an unnamed primary memory manufacturer. The deal locks in both volume and pricing for a staggering $1.8608 billion over a strict two-year commitment window. Importantly, this agreement automatically extends to BIWIN and all its controlled subsidiaries. For a storage player riding the AI and hyperscaler wave, securing mid-to-long-term production capacity and guaranteed delivery timelines is a strategic masterstroke. It effectively hedges against volatile market swings and drastically cuts the risk of sudden component shortages.
Rotating CEO Handover at Foxconn Industrial Internet; Xu Xingren Takes the Helm
FII marked a smooth leadership transition during its 2025 Annual General Meeting on June 9. Longtime rotating CEO Liu Zongchang officially wrapped up his tenure, passing the baton to Xu Xingren, who currently leads the iPEBG division. Xu steps into the rotating CEO chair for a full twelve-month term, ensuring continuity as the company navigates complex manufacturing cycles and next-gen hardware demands.
Intel Lands Major Chip Production Order From Google
Intel just landed a heavyweight client. According to CCTV Finance, Google officially handed Intel a production contract to manufacture its custom-built AI accelerators. To add more momentum, NVIDIA is reportedly evaluating Intel’s proprietary technology to fabricate next-generation graphics processing units. The market reacted instantly: Intel shares jumped over 11% on the 8th. Industry analysts note that the explosive growth of AI workloads is putting extreme strain on global semiconductor foundry capacity. With demand far outpacing supply, major clients are urgently diversifying their manufacturing partners to avoid bottlenecks. Riding this surge, Intel’s stock has already rallied more than 198% year-to-date.
Tencent & Alibaba Lead Funding Round for Brain-Computer Interface Startup Jietie Medical
Keep a close watch on the neurotech sector. Corporate registry filings from Tianyancha reveal that on June 2, Shanghai Jietie Medical Technology Co., Ltd. underwent a significant equity restructuring. Hangzhou Haoyue Enterprise Management Co., Ltd. (an Alibaba affiliate) and Shanghai Qishan Investment Co., Ltd. (backed by Tencent) officially joined the cap table. Alongside these tech giants, the company’s registered capital surged from 1 million RMB to approximately 3.006 million RMB.
Established in August 2021 and overseen by legal representative Zhang Shiqiang, Jietie Medical focuses heavily on Class II and III medical device manufacturing, with a dedicated pipeline in implantable brain-computer interfaces. The expanded shareholder base now includes Zhao Zhengtuo, Li Xue, and the newly onboarded investors. Company materials position them as a pioneering developer pushing the boundaries of direct neural interfaces—a high-stakes frontier where both Alibaba and Tencent are clearly making serious strategic plays.
