South China Morning Post
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WeChat and Weibo apps on a smartphone. Photo: Reuters
OpinionComment

Time for the world to take a balanced view of Chinese technology

  • A nation once perceived as being only capable of producing clones is becoming a tech trailblazer that should be seen as improving lives rather than being a threat
SCMP Editorial
SCMP Editorial
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China’s technology developments are startling to those not in the know. Superapps, artificial intelligence and social e-commerce innovations have created a futuristic environment that astonishes outsiders. It is proof that a nation once perceived as being only capable of producing clones is fast becoming a tech trailblazer. Only through better understanding and appreciation can the world see Chinese know-how as improving lives rather than being a threat.

The latest China Internet Report, written by the South China Morning Post and its sister site Abacus, in conjunction with Edith Yeung of the investment fund manager Proof of Capital, makes such moves through providing insight into the latest developments in Chinese technology. Opportunities and challenges facing China’s push to become a global tech leader are examined and a light shone on the creativity that has made tech firms elsewhere take notice. Where once social media apps like Tencent’s WeChat were copying from foreign counterparts, the opposite is now true, with innovations being incorporated or modified by Facebook and others. That is understandable given the convenience that has been pioneered. Without leaving WeChat’s messaging app, users have a wide range of services from making mobile payments to ordering food.
Similar milestones have been set by Chinese tech powerhouses Alibaba, which owns the South China Morning Post, and Baidu, in artificial intelligence and deep learning. Cashless payment systems are ubiquitous, but increasingly widespread is use of facial and speech recognition for applications like entry to buildings and hotel check-in, while custom recommendations by software makes obtaining information easier. The tech giant Huawei has become a global leader in next-generation 5G telecommunications and smartphones, and the Beijing start-up ByteDance has taken the world by storm with its video sharing app TikTok.

It helps that the nation has a vast population and equally impressive amounts of computing power. The more than 800 million internet users produce almost as much data as all other nations combined. That also means authorities and companies need to do their best to protect personal information.

But while foreign competitors are taking notice, their governments, particularly that of the United States, see little more than rivalry. Rather than embrace, they have turned to bans and preventing takeovers by Chinese companies on grounds of national security. Huawei has been a particular target, even though claims its equipment is being used for spying have never been proven.

Chinese tech companies are being genuinely innovative and world-beating. That should be cause for acceptance and inspiration, not fearmongering and alarm. It is time for the world to take a balanced view.

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