
ByteDance's large language model (LLM) Doubao (Cici) has quickly emerged as an unexpected front-runner in China's generative AI race. Launched in 2023, the app harnesses ByteDance's vast traffic ecosystem and its deep integration with Douyin to overtake DeepSeek, making it the country's most-used generative AI platform by monthly active users
China's sweeping export controls on lithium battery technologies — enacted in July and October 2025 — have effectively erected a "technological iron curtain" around the global electric vehicle and energy storage industries. The new restrictions cover everything from advanced cathode materials and electrolytes to key manufacturing equipment, placing strict limits on what can leave the country