
China robotics firm Unitree eyes IPO filing this year as industry starts to commercialise
Unitree said that over the next three months, its employees would learn what they would need to do as part of a listed company and it would make sure its property, trademarks and patents were properly handled. It also said it would set out clear business objectives.
The company was on track to become the first humanoid robot maker to list on a mainland bourse. Earlier this month, Shanghai's AgiBot said it would buy a controlling stake in publicly traded Swancor Advanced Materials, paving the way for a back-door listing. But AgiBot said that was not its intention.
Hong Kong has some listed robotics stocks, including UBTech Robotics and Dobot Robotics. Both are based in Shenzhen.
The interest in stock markets reflected the growing need of China's
robot makers to raise more funds as they move towards commercialisation, analysts said.
'When a leader in the technology sector starts with an IPO, it often means that the industry has moved from 'laboratory technology breakthroughs' to 'product scale-up and commercialisation'', said Qian Wenying, the secretary general of the Research Centre for AI and Management Innovation at the China Europe International Business School.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


South China Morning Post
29 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong must make the most of its allure for mainland Chinese, overseas students
When it comes to studying abroad, the top choices are usually the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. Increasingly, Hong Kong has also become a popular destination thanks to its top universities , international environment, affordable education fees and good career prospects. Advertisement The city's appeal is not confined to just foreign students. A growing number of mainland Chinese pupils are taking the city's university entrance examinations. The Diploma of Secondary Education exam is not only considered less stressful than its equivalent on the mainland, where about 13.4 million students registered for the National Higher Education Entrance Examination this year, it is also seen as a step towards more diverse opportunities in higher education. Of the 55,489 DSE candidates this year, there were 960 non-local private ones, up from 238 in 2023 and 549 last year, according to the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority. Two students from across the border who achieved good scores in the DSE this year told the Post that they intended to study at local universities. Currently, 145 mainland and around 130 Taiwan higher education institutions admit Hong Kong students on the basis of their DSE results. The number of bodies recognising DSE results in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, Asia-Pacific and Europe has also increased steadily over the years, according to the authority. Meanwhile, the 'Study in Hong Kong' brand continues to shine internationally, with some universities ranked favourably by well-established agencies. The city claimed 17th place in the latest global ranking of best student cities by the UK-based Quacquarelli Symonds. However, while the city was described as Asia's most improved higher education system after rising from 22nd place last year, it still lags behind Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing and Taipei. It also still falls short of the city's peak showing of fifth place in 2015. Advertisement The authorities must step up cooperation with stakeholders to strengthen the city's role as an international education and talent hub. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has renewed efforts on this front. In addition to raising the quota for non-locals and offering more scholarships to overseas students, there also needs to be more affordable off-campus accommodation choices. The move to relax rules for converting hotels and commercial buildings into student hostels should be actively pursued. With the right policy support and promotions, Hong Kong would be an ideal choice for those seeking quality education, diverse opportunities and global connectivity.


South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong stocks sustain 3-year-high level as headway on trade talks spurs optimism
The run-up that sent Hong Kong stocks to the highest level in more than three and a half years continued on Wednesday, as the US clinched a trade deal with Japan and scheduled a fresh round of talks with China next week, reducing concerns about trade conflicts damaging the global economy. The Hang Seng Index rose 0.6 per cent to 25,288.24 as of 10.06am local time, on track for the highest close since November 18, 2021. The Hang Seng Tech Index gained 0.7 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index and the Shanghai Composite Index both added 0.4 per cent. China Life Insurance rallied 5.5 per cent to HK$22.10, and Baidu added 3.9 per cent to HK$91.30. Wuxi Biologics advanced 4.8 per cent to HK$29.35, and affiliate Wuxi AppTec rose 2.5 per cent to HK$96.25. In a breakthrough in tariff negotiations with a key trading partner, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the US and Japan had struck a trade deal that would impose a 15 per cent tariff on imports from the Asian country. The deal also included US$550 billion of Japanese investments in America, he said. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Fox Business that he would meet his Chinese counterparts in Stockholm next week for a third round of trade talks. A 90-day tariff pause between China and the US expires on August 12. Other major Asian markets mostly traded higher. Japan's Nikkei 225 climbed 2.6 per cent and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.6 per cent, while South Korea's Kospi retreated 0.2 per cent.


South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
China is building the world's biggest hydropower dam. Why is India worried?
On the eastern rim of the Tibetan plateau, China envisions a future powered by the roaring waters of the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra). The river will be the site of a mega dam – the world's most ambitious to date – that promises to bring clean energy, jobs, infrastructure and prosperity to the region. Construction on the world's largest hydropower dam began on Saturday, according to Premier Li Qiang , who called it the 'project of the century'. But the project is not just about electricity and economic benefits – the stakes are far higher. Regional security, ecological stability and the future of one of Asia's great rivers all hang in the balance. How big is the mega dam? The dam will be situated in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo, where a section drops 2,000 metres (6,562 feet) over a 50km (31 miles) stretch, creating immense hydropower potential. The dam is reportedly located in Medog, a remote county in Nyingchi city in the Tibet autonomous region When completed, the project will overtake the Three Gorges Dam as the world's largest hydropower dam. It could generate three times more energy with five cascade hydropower stations – an estimated annual capacity of 300 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, more than Britain's total annual power output. It is estimated to cost around 1.2 trillion yuan (US$167 billion), dwarfing many of the biggest infrastructure undertakings in modern history at around five times the cost of the Three Gorges Dam and even more expensive than the International Space Station. China's new dam project in Tibet will overtake the Three Gorges Dam, shown here, as the world's largest hydropower dam. Photo: Xinhua Why is it important? The project was first announced in 2020 under China's five-year plan as part of a broader strategy to exploit the hydropower potential of the Tibetan plateau, with feasibility studies dating back to the 1980s. Beijing authorised the dam's construction in December 2024.