China’s Monthly Power Use Surpasses 1 Trillion kWh for the First Time

 

 

China’s electricity demand hit a historic milestone in July, with total monthly consumption topping 1.02 trillion kilowatt-hours—the first time any country has crossed the trillion threshold in a single month.To put that in perspective, China used more power in a single month than Japan did in an entire year (987.7 billion kWh between April 2023 and March 2024). Data released by the National Energy Administration (NEA) on August 21 showed a year-on-year increase of 8.6%, pushing total usage for the first seven months of 2025 to 5.86 trillion kWh (+4.5%).

 

 

Breaking it down by sector:

 

 

• Primary industry: 17 billion kWh (+20.2%)
• Secondary industry: 593.6 billion kWh (+4.7%)
• Tertiary industry: 208.1 billion kWh (+10.7%)

 

 

Analysts note that the services sector’s double-digit growth highlights resilient consumer activity. Industrial usage, though up only 4.7% overall, masked double-digit increases in high-tech manufacturing sub-sectors—signaling structural upgrades in the economy.

 

 

The digital economy has become a major driver: from January to July, power consumption by internet and related services surged 28.2%, wholesale and retail rose 12.0%, while demand from EV charging and battery-swap services skyrocketed 42.6%.

 

 

On the household side, urban and rural residents used 203.9 billion kWh in July, an 18% increase year-on-year. According to Jiang Debin of the China Electricity Council, multiple rounds of extreme heatwaves across the country sharply boosted residential cooling demand.

 

 

Data Source: https://www.nea.gov.cn/20250825/250c403a0b25499e8e2b811de3b9991c/c.html

 

 

Alibaba Restructures, Elevates “Instant Retail” to Meet Fierce Competition

 

 

On August 22, Alibaba revamped its official “Our Businesses” portfolio, consolidating its operations into four major groups:

 

 

• Alibaba China Digital Commerce Group: Taobao, Tmall, Xianyu, Fliggy, Taobao Flash Sale, Ele.me, and 1688.
• Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group: AliExpress, Trendyol, Lazada, Daraz, and Alibaba.com.
• Cloud Intelligence Group: Alibaba Cloud.
• All Others: DingTalk, Quark, Tongyi (AI), Amap, Cainiao, Youku, Damai, Freshippo (Hema), and Alibaba Health.

 

 

 

 

A key highlight of this reshuffle is the merger of Ele.me with Taobao Flash Sale into a new “Instant Retail” division, housed within the China Digital Commerce Group. The move signals Alibaba’s intent to fortify its e-commerce core and boost resource efficiency, as competition intensifies in on-demand delivery and local services.

 

 

The stakes are high: according to iResearch, China’s local lifestyle services market is projected to grow from RMB 19.5 trillion in 2020 to RMB 35.3 trillion in 2025, with online penetration expected to rise from 24.3% to 30.8%.

 

 

Lower Fees, Higher Hopes? Ride-Hailing Platforms Reduce Driver Commissions

 

 

China’s leading ride-hailing platforms — DiDi, T3, and CaoCao — have rolled out new measures to reduce commissions, aiming to boost driver earnings and ease long-standing concerns over platform fees.

 

 

Drivers largely hailed the move as “good news,” though many noted that order volume remains the single biggest factor influencing their take-home pay, followed by fee rules and platform commissions.

 

 

DiDi announced it will lower the maximum commission per order from 29% to 27% by year-end, with any excess refunded to drivers. For those completing at least 50 monthly orders, the platform will cap the average commission rate at 25%, automatically reimbursing any overage the following month.

 

 

T3 said its maximum commission will stay below 27%, while the share of orders charged between 26–27% will drop from 21% to 17% this year. Like DiDi, T3 pledged to cap total monthly commissions at 25% for active drivers.

 

 

CaoCao, meanwhile, set a new ceiling of 22.5%, down from 22.7%, on rides booked through its app and mini-program.

 

 

While these adjustments signal a win for drivers, industry observers caution that overall earnings will still depend on broader supply-demand dynamics, not just platform policies.

 

 

Xiaomi Auto Margins Surpass Tesla in Q2

 

 

On August 19, Xiaomi Group reported that its smart EV and AI businesses, branded Xiaomi Auto, generated CNY 39.84 billion (USD 5.54 billion) in H1 revenue with an operating loss of CNY 800 million (USD 111 million).

 

 

In Q2, the unit’s gross margin hit 26.4%, surpassing Tesla’s, while operating losses narrowed to CNY 300 million (USD 41.7 million) — a sharp improvement for a division still in its early stages.

 

 

 

 

Several Chinese automakers, including Seres, Xiaomi, ZEEKR, Li Auto, and BYD, now post margins above 20%. Seres, long loss-making, is expected to turn profitable in 2024 thanks to Huawei-backed AITO sales.

 

 

Lower-cost brands are also improving. XPeng and Leapmotor remain in the red, but margins are rising. Leapmotor, in particular, has emerged as the top-selling new EV maker, dominating the economy segment with affordable models.

 

 

“Black Myth: Zhong Kui” Unveiled as GameScience Expands Its Mythic Universe

 

 

On August 20, GameScience — the Chinese studio behind the breakout hit Black Myth: Wukong — closed out Gamescom’s pre-show event in Cologne with a dramatic reveal: Black Myth: Zhong Kui. The new title marks the second entry in the “Black Myth” franchise and shifts focus from the Monkey King to another legendary figure — Zhong Kui, the “ghost-catching god who wanders between hell and earth.”

 

 

 

 

Hosted by Geoff Keighley, the on-stage reveal featured the game’s first CG teaser trailer. Within hours of its release on Chinese video platform Bilibili, the teaser had already racked up over 8 million views in just nine hours, underscoring the fervor around the franchise. On Reddit and other Western platforms, discussions quickly followed, with fans speculating on gameplay mechanics, world-building, and how Zhong Kui’s mythos might be adapted for modern RPG storytelling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a Q&A on its official site, GameScience explained why it opted for a fresh myth instead of a direct sequel to Wukong:

 

 

“Upon completing the journey with the Destined One, we now aspire to take a tentative first step — to build more distinct game experiences, to challenge ourselves with bolder features, and to bring fresh ideas to our world and narrative design. ‘Zhong Kui’ came as a natural choice born of that aspiration.”

 

 

The studio acknowledged that the new project offers a chance not only to innovate but also to address “past flaws and regrets.”

 

 

Still in early development, Black Myth: Zhong Kui has no confirmed release date. GameScience has stated it will launch on PC and all major consoles, with details finalized closer to release.