Huawei's 2025 annual report is not a telecoms story. It is a platform story — spanning AI, operating systems, and autonomous driving — and European founders are asking the wrong questions about it. The company that Europe still frames as a 5G infrastructure risk is quietly becoming its most formidable full-stack technology competitor.
Kimi K2.5 generated more revenue in 20 days than Moonshot AI made in all of 2025. Zhipu's API business grew 292% last year. China's model race has quietly become a revenue race — and the API layer is the prize. European founders building on top of models need to ask a harder question about who controls the infrastructure beneath them.
A 'Made in EU' local-content mandate and a hard ban on Chinese participation in critical tech programmes have landed in the same quarter of 2026. European operators using Chinese AI, chips, or telecom infrastructure now face a compliance maze with real stakes attached to both public procurement eligibility and EU research funding. The window to act is narrowing fast.
CaoCao Mobility, Geely's ride-hailing and robotaxi platform, has crossed into self-sustaining territory and is now executing a structured, multi-phase plan toward full autonomy. With 195 cities covered in China, a new Abu Dhabi beachhead, and Geely's existing European infrastructure, CaoCao is no longer a domestic experiment — it is a global mobility contender on a credible timeline.