Written access to independent China tech analysis for institutional readers.
Hello China Tech Institutional Access is a written research plan for investment firms, strategy teams, founders, and institutional readers who need a sharper read on China’s technology market.
You get two things. Continuous coverage: every paid article, framework, and deep dive Hello China Tech publishes across the year. And directed judgment: written answers to your team’s specific questions, drawing on the same research base.
Pilot pricing is $5,000 per year, available to a small number of institutional clients.
Who writes this
Hello China Tech is written by Poe Zhao, an independent China tech analyst based in Beijing with 12 years of experience covering the industry, and former editor-in-chief of Synced (机器之心), one of China’s leading AI media outlets. His analysis is regularly cited by Bloomberg, Reuters, The Economist, AFP, CNN, WIRED, the South China Morning Post, The Wire China, and The Straits Times. When Reuters explained the business logic behind Alibaba’s pivot to AI agents in March 2026, it built the case on his estimate of how much more compute an active agent consumes than an ordinary chat session.
Two things shape how the analysis is written. Every piece draws on Chinese-language primary sources, from regulatory filings and IPO prospectuses to government procurement data, that most English-language coverage cannot reach. And every analysis ends with named, time-bound signals to watch, including what would prove the thesis wrong. When the evidence later changes, the revision is made in public, not quietly dropped.
This is a written-only plan. There are no calls or video meetings. All research time goes into reading, analysis, and writing. That is where the output density comes from, and it is why every answer your team receives is a document you can file, forward, and return to, not a conversation that evaporates.
What is included
Team access to all Hello China Tech paid content, for up to 5 named members of your team
One written question a month. Your team sends one question each month, and I answer it in writing, normally within five business days
Every research report, delivered as a PDF on release. One in-depth report is published each month
A monthly archive of all articles published that month, in Markdown, for your team’s own research tools
Answers and reports can be shared freely inside your team.
What good questions look like
Questions should be specific, focused, and within Hello China Tech’s core coverage areas. For example:
What signals should I track to tell whether China’s domestic AI chip companies are building sustainable businesses, or whether their valuations are pricing a policy window that could close?
Alibaba says its model-as-a-service business will reach RMB 30bn ARR by year-end. What would have to be true for that to hold, and what are the earliest signs it won’t?
Is DeepSeek’s approach of designing model architectures around hardware constraints a durable strategy, or does it only work while the chip gap persists?
How should I read Tencent’s AI spending: a future revenue engine, or a defensive cost with no clear payback?
The sample answers the first question above. It shows how a question is approached, which signals matter and why, rather than offering current figures.
How the question process works
Send the question by email. I reply within two business days. If the question is too broad to answer well, I propose a sharper version before I start. Shaping the question is part of the service; it is how every answer stays at research quality.
The written answer arrives normally within five business days of agreeing the question. A short clarification after delivery is included.
One question a month is the cadence, not a quota. A month without a question does not carry forward, and there is nothing to track.
Coverage areas
Institutional Access is focused on China’s technology market. Coverage is deepest in six areas:
AI models and applications
AI agents and consumer AI
Cloud and AI infrastructure
Robotics and embodied AI
Semiconductors and domestic compute
Platform companies (Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, Baidu, Meituan, Xiaomi)
Regular coverage also includes electric vehicles and intelligent driving, industrial policy and commercialization, and Chinese tech companies in global markets.
Scope and independence
This is an industry analysis product. It does not include calls or video meetings, investment advice, securities recommendations, due diligence, deal sourcing, or non-public information. It is best suited for teams that want independent written analysis, not real-time market calls or transaction support.
Hello China Tech retains full editorial independence. Institutional Access does not affect public coverage, company evaluations, or editorial judgment.
Full terms are set out in a short service agreement. Additional seats beyond five are $120 per seat per year.
Teams
If your team wants the research without the monthly question, a team subscription gives up to 5 people full access to all paid content for $600 a year, about 20 per cent off five individual subscriptions. It is set up directly through Substack, with no agreement or invoice. Team members pay the annual-subscriber price of $49 for each research report.
Team subscriptions can move up to Institutional Access at any time by paying the difference for the remaining term.
Request access
Institutional Access is available by request.
Please complete the short request form below. After confirming fit and scope by email, I will send a short service agreement and a Stripe invoice. The plan begins once payment is received.
Existing Hello China Tech paid readers will be prioritized during the pilot phase.