https://www.scmp.com/rss/270912/feed Released by Chinese web giant Tencent in 2011, WeChat is one of the largest messaging apps in the world, with more than 1 billion monthly active users, primarily in China. Originally confined to text messaging, WeChat has grown into an app platform, with gaming, payment, and social networking functions. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Iris Deng Iris Deng Tencent Holdings has launched a new OpenClaw tool for enterprises that promises easy deployment of the artificial intelligence agent as part of the Chinese internet giant’s efforts to capitalise on the “lobster” frenzy in the country. ClawPro, launched in public beta by Tencent’s cloud unit on Thursday, works as an AI agent management platform for enterprises, allowing them to deploy OpenClaw templates, select models and agents, track token consumption and manage security settings. Tencent said... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3348942/tencent-expands-openclaw-suite-enterprise-tool-amid-chinas-lobster-craze?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3348942/tencent-expands-openclaw-suite-enterprise-tool-amid-chinas-lobster-craze?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 12:00:09 +0000 Oscar Liu Oscar Liu More than 40,000 Hong Kong taxi drivers have adopted major electronic payment platforms AlipayHK and WeChat Pay HK, easing a protracted pain point for mainland Chinese visitors who are expected to arrive in droves during the coming Ching Ming Festival break. AlipayHK, a subsidiary of Ant International, an affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding, which owns the South China Morning Post, said on Thursday that its e-payment system was available to 47,000 taxi drivers. WeChat Pay HK said more than 40,000... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3348828/40000-taxi-drivers-sign-e-payment-systems-new-rules-come-force?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3348828/40000-taxi-drivers-sign-e-payment-systems-new-rules-come-force?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:12:07 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Tencent Holdings is rolling out a “ClawBot” plug-in for China’s most popular app WeChat as it seeks to capitalise on the OpenClaw craze, even as authorities continue to warn about risks. The move announced on Sunday will allow WeChat’s more than 1 billion monthly active users to command their OpenClaw artificial intelligence agents directly through the app, which is deeply embedded in daily life in China. In recent weeks, almost every Chinese tech giant has announced new offerings based on... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3347590/tencent-adds-clawbot-plug-wechat-amid-openclaw-boom-and-privacy-warnings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3347590/tencent-adds-clawbot-plug-wechat-amid-openclaw-boom-and-privacy-warnings?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:30:07 +0000 Jane Cai Jane Cai As the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran continues, Chinese social media is buzzing with condemnations of Washington, expressions of sympathy for Tehran and an outpouring of unsolicited strategic advice. The conflict, which began with the February 28 air strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has dominated the list of trending topics on the country’s main platforms, such as WeChat, Weibo and Douyin. Social media is tightly controlled and most of the comments... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347475/chinese-social-media-awash-criticisms-us-it-possible-go-too-far?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347475/chinese-social-media-awash-criticisms-us-it-possible-go-too-far?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 12:00:09 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat Apple announced a reduction in the App Store commissions it charges developers in China ahead of the annual World Consumer Rights Day, drawing approval from the country’s biggest gaming companies Tencent Holdings and NetEase. The US tech company said it would reduce the commission for standard in-app purchases and paid app transactions on iPhone and iPad to 25 per cent, from the current 30 per cent, according to a statement on its website on Thursday. Meanwhile, the commission rate for... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3346470/apple-reduces-app-store-commissions-china-move-applauded-tencent-netease?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3346470/apple-reduces-app-store-commissions-china-move-applauded-tencent-netease?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 07:02:07 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng China’s market regulator has penalised several companies for posing as DeepSeek and OpenAI’s ChatGPT to defraud users, in its latest crackdown on unfair competition in the fast-growing artificial intelligence sector. The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), China’s market watchdog, fined Shanghai Shangyun Internet Technology 62,692.70 yuan (US$9,034) for operating a fraudulent ChatGPT service on Tencent Holdings’ super app WeChat. The service posed as the official Chinese version... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3342718/china-fines-firms-fake-chatgpt-and-deepseek-services-ip-theft-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3342718/china-fines-firms-fake-chatgpt-and-deepseek-services-ip-theft-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 13:42:47 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Leading US and Chinese artificial intelligence models are frustrating to use in real-world settings because they struggle to learn from context, Tencent Holdings said in a new technical paper – the first co-authored by Vinces Yao Shunyu since he took up the role of chief AI scientist at the firm. AI developers need to place “context learning” at the centre of future model design if their products are to become genuinely useful outside controlled environments, according to researchers from... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3342386/when-context-everything-ai-models-still-struggle-real-world-tencent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3342386/when-context-everything-ai-models-still-struggle-real-world-tencent?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 11:01:44 +0000 Iris Deng,Coco Feng Iris Deng,Coco Feng Tencent Holdings’ aggressive red-packet blitz to promote its artificial intelligence chatbot Yuanbao ran into a roadblock on Wednesday from the company’s own super app WeChat, dealing a blow to a US$144 million effort to acquire users for the emerging AI app. WeChat, known as Weixin on the mainland, announced on Wednesday that it would restrict Yuanbao links from opening directly within WeChat, effective immediately, in response to “user feedback and complaints”, according to a... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3342324/tencents-giveaway-campaign-ai-chatbot-yuanbao-blocked-tencents-wechat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3342324/tencents-giveaway-campaign-ai-chatbot-yuanbao-blocked-tencents-wechat?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 05:01:35 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings aims to replicate the success of WeChat Pay by splashing cash for its artificial intelligence app Yuanbao, but analysts are sceptical about whether subsidies can move the needle in the increasingly crowded market. Yuanbao’s 1 billion yuan (US$144 million) promotional campaign, which gives out cash through digital red packets to drive adoption, kicked off with a high-profile launch on Sunday, as many users woke up to find their WeChat groups flooded with... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3342111/red-packet-rumble-will-tencents-cash-giveaway-work-again-crowded-ai-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3342111/red-packet-rumble-will-tencents-cash-giveaway-work-again-crowded-ai-market?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 14:00:15 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng China’s Spring Festival has emerged as a high-stakes arena for artificial intelligence and robotics companies, with tech giants Tencent Holdings and Baidu committing a combined 1.5 billion yuan (US$215 million) to their digital red packet campaigns. Chinese social media and gaming giant Tencent announced on Sunday that its AI chatbot app Yuanbao would give away 1 billion yuan in hong bao – the traditional red envelopes containing cash gifts. Users could win up to 10,000 yuan through lucky draws... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3341262/chinese-tech-giants-tencent-and-baidu-join-fight-spring-festival-spotlight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3341262/chinese-tech-giants-tencent-and-baidu-join-fight-spring-festival-spotlight?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 10:00:29 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings cited data privacy risks after its request to remove open-source WeChat export tools from GitHub sparked an online backlash. Some of the projects claiming access to WeChat chat records have used reverse engineering, among other techniques, to crack local database keys, bypassing the app’s encryption mechanisms, according to Tencent. “These actions compromise user privacy and data security and could be exploited by malicious actors,” Tencent said in a statement... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3341003/tencent-crackdown-third-party-wechat-backup-tools-sparks-privacy-debate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3341003/tencent-crackdown-third-party-wechat-backup-tools-sparks-privacy-debate?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 10:00:43 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Uber Technologies’ strategic partnership with Tencent Holdings’ super app WeChat is yielding significant dividends for the ride-hailing operator as it meets a critical demand for Chinese travellers overseas. Since Uber launched a mini-program on WeChat in July, travellers from the mainland have been actively using Uber’s services via the new channel in 20 markets, said Anthony Wong, who leads Uber’s partnership with Tencent, on Thursday. While the ride-hailing service provider operates in 70... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3340037/ubers-wechat-tie-pays-demand-chinese-tourists-rises-overseas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3340037/ubers-wechat-tie-pays-demand-chinese-tourists-rises-overseas?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 12:00:12 +0000 Harvey Kong Harvey Kong Map applications used by seven of eight power bank rental platforms display inaccurate navigation or location data, which may cause delays and extra charges for users, Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has found. The Consumer Council on Thursday also found a significant variance in rental fees across different stations within the same platforms, with charges for a 30-minute rental differing by nearly 1.3 times and the daily cap on charges differing by more than 2.3 times. “When in urgent need of a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3339979/mapping-issues-7-8-power-bank-rental-platforms-tested-hong-kong-watchdog?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3339979/mapping-issues-7-8-power-bank-rental-platforms-tested-hong-kong-watchdog?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 06:14:41 +0000 Eunice Xu Eunice Xu Chinese household appliances maker Dreame Technology will present gifts of gold and a trip to Antarctica to employees, on top of their year-end bonuses, as the company boosted its position as one of the world’s leading vendors of robot vacuum cleaners. The additional largesse was revealed over the weekend by Dreame founder and CEO Yu Hao in two WeChat Moments posts. Yu said every employee will receive a one-gram gold bonus in addition to their standard year-end payout. The company also planned... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3338029/chinese-robot-vacuum-maker-dreame-gives-gifts-gold-and-trip-antarctica-employees?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3338029/chinese-robot-vacuum-maker-dreame-gives-gifts-gold-and-trip-antarctica-employees?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 11:00:10 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang ByteDance-owned Doubao remained mainland China’s top consumer artificial intelligence app in December, according to a report, as the country’s Big Tech companies continued to outpace emerging start-ups in this market. Doubao, a ChatGPT-like app, had 155 million weekly active users in the second week of December, according to data released on Tuesday by business intelligence service provider QuestMobile. It said that number was nearly double the 81.56 million total recorded by DeepSeek’s... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3337650/bytedance-other-major-chinese-tech-firms-dominate-local-consumer-ai-market-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3337650/bytedance-other-major-chinese-tech-firms-dominate-local-consumer-ai-market-report?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Dec 2025 12:00:08 +0000 Themis Qi Themis Qi Mainland China’s highly competitive retail landscape has taken its toll on one of Hong Kong’s largest health and beauty chains, which has decided to exit the market. Analysts said retailers across the board have found the going tough on the mainland, with a slowdown in consumer spending compounding matters. Health and beauty chain Mannings said it would cease all online and offline retail operations on the mainland as it adjusts its strategy in the highly competitive market. “It doesn’t matter... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3336698/health-and-beauty-chain-mannings-withdraw-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3336698/health-and-beauty-chain-mannings-withdraw-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 02:29:39 +0000 Eunice Xu Eunice Xu Alipay and artificial intelligence glasses maker Rokid have jointly unveiled a smart glasses payment solution on the Rokid Lingzhu AI development platform, giving developers an easy path to build payment functions into their applications. Based on the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open-source standard that connects AI applications to external systems, the service allowed developers to easily integrate pre-built capabilities, such as receiving payments, by adding plug-ins, according to a... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3336237/alipay-and-rokid-open-look-and-pay-smart-glasses-function-developers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3336237/alipay-and-rokid-open-look-and-pay-smart-glasses-function-developers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 11:00:10 +0000 Bibek Bhandari Bibek Bhandari Late one night in southern Nepal last month, whispers spread of an unusual wedding taking place. Inside a modest home, an 18-year-old girl was about to be wed to a Chinese national nearly twice her age. The match was illegal. Nepal’s minimum age for marriage is 20, and the bride’s youth alarmed onlookers. Police were called and the ceremony in Bara district was swiftly brought to a halt. But the episode shone a spotlight on the trafficking of young Nepali women into marriage with Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3335584/chinese-marriage-brokers-find-new-hunting-ground-nepal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3335584/chinese-marriage-brokers-find-new-hunting-ground-nepal?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 09:00:10 +0000 Eunice Xu Eunice Xu ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, has moved to tighten controls on its artificial intelligence-powered smartphone after several of China’s most widely used apps restricted its voice-operated functions. The company said it had scaled back the capabilities of Doubao, the agentic AI that runs on the device. In a statement issued on Friday, ByteDance said it would prevent the Nubia M153 AI phone from claiming incentives that were intended for active human users. It was also disabling the assistant’s... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3335404/bytedances-agentic-ai-smartphone-dials-digital-backlash-chinas-top-apps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3335404/bytedances-agentic-ai-smartphone-dials-digital-backlash-chinas-top-apps?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 02:00:16 +0000 Eunice Xu Eunice Xu Elon Musk says he aspires to transform his social media platform X into “WeChat++”, akin to Tencent Holdings’ flagship super app, by integrating various social and finance features. On a recent People by WTF podcast hosted by entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath, Musk cited the extensive utility of WeChat as a model for X – previously known as Twitter, which he bought for US$44 billion in October 2022. “You can exchange information, you can publish information, you can exchange money,” Musk said,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3335048/elon-musk-reiterates-aim-transform-x-wechat-super-app?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3335048/elon-musk-reiterates-aim-transform-x-wechat-super-app?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 10:00:18 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Internet users in Hong Kong poured out condolences for victims and their families affected by the city’s worst fire in decades, expressing shock and disbelief on the second day of the tragedy on Thursday. Many sent messages of grief and condolences on social media, with several posts offering material support and blood donations. As of 2.50pm on Thursday, 55 people have died, including a firefighter, as an inferno ripped through all but one of the eight blocks of Wang Fuk Estate in Tai Po that... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334348/feeling-powerless-hong-kong-internet-users-grieve-over-tai-po-blaze?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334348/feeling-powerless-hong-kong-internet-users-grieve-over-tai-po-blaze?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Nov 2025 08:26:52 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Alibaba Group Holding’s new multipurpose artificial intelligence consumer app, Qwen, has the potential to become China’s “super-app” in the AI era in the same way Tencent Holdings’ WeChat defined the mobile internet age, analysts say. Powered by Alibaba Cloud’s own model series of the same name, Qwen quickly jumped to fourth overall on Apple’s app store for free apps in Hong Kong and fifth in mainland China on its second day of beta testing. The app, billed as “the best personal AI assistant”,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3333276/alibaba-bets-everything-app-qwen-define-ai-era-global-consumers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3333276/alibaba-bets-everything-app-qwen-define-ai-era-global-consumers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 13:00:09 +0000 Xinmei Shen,Yulu Ao Xinmei Shen,Yulu Ao China’s internet giants are poised to drive the continued adoption of artificial intelligence in the country, with AI chip shortages unlikely to pose significant obstacles for the sector in the short term, according to JPMorgan analysts. Sustained user adoption of AI features would be a key theme in the coming year despite the absence of “clear evidence” of AI monetisation in China, said Alex Yao, co-head of Asia-Pacific technology, media and telecoms equity research, in a briefing on... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3332808/chinas-tech-giants-set-lead-ai-growth-2026-despite-chip-shortage-jpmorgan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3332808/chinas-tech-giants-set-lead-ai-growth-2026-despite-chip-shortage-jpmorgan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 10:00:26 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Chinese tech firm Tencent Holdings, the country’s most valuable technology giant, beat analysts’ forecasts with a 15 per cent rise in third-quarter revenue, as its artificial intelligence efforts continued to drive growth. Revenue for the Shenzhen-based firm, which runs China’s most popular super app WeChat, reached 192.9 billion yuan (US$27.1 billion), up from 167.2 billion yuan in the same period last year. Net profit increased 19 per cent to 63.1 billion yuan in the September quarter, which... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3332631/tencent-posts-19-jump-third-quarter-profit-ai-related-gains-beating-estimates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3332631/tencent-posts-19-jump-third-quarter-profit-ai-related-gains-beating-estimates?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 08:56:05 +0000 Julie Zhang Julie Zhang Brazilian fintech unicorn Ebanx sees Hong Kong emerging as a stablecoin payment hub for mainland Chinese companies engaged in international trade, as its CEO visited the city’s largest-ever Fintech Week to explore expansion opportunities. Hong Kong could serve as “a kind of initial validation, initial test” for Chinese companies exploring stablecoin use in cross-border commerce, said Joao Del Valle, CEO and co-founder of global digital payment services provider Ebanx, in a recent interview with... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3331368/hong-kong-positioned-stablecoin-bridge-mainland-chinese-firms-fintech-unicorn?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3331368/hong-kong-positioned-stablecoin-bridge-mainland-chinese-firms-fintech-unicorn?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Nov 2025 00:30:09 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Gift cards, one of the most basic financial products in the US retail market, have become the backbone of a billion-dollar criminal economy that investigators say is moving American money into China. Homeland Security Investigations agents say Chinese organised-crime groups have built a laundering network that uses US retailers, mobile wallets and cryptocurrency to steal and export wealth. Operatives inside the US drain compromised gift cards, buy high-value goods such as iPhones and laptops,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329541/gangs-china-exploiting-us-gift-cards-move-stolen-cash-dhs-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329541/gangs-china-exploiting-us-gift-cards-move-stolen-cash-dhs-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Oct 2025 20:46:29 +0000 Gloria Tso Gloria Tso Since 2018, fragrance brand To Summer has gradually transcended its mainland Chinese origins to become one of the hottest up-and-coming names on the market globally. Rather than purporting to bridge East and West, its signature scents and gorgeous retail stores are proudly Asian, bearing an innate and distinctive cultural authenticity that has proven to be a strong formula for success. From WeChat to TikTok, the brand took off on social media and is now continuing that rapid expansion with its... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/beauty/beauty-news/article/3326378/summer-co-founder-shen-li-chinese-fragrance-brands-hong-kong-expansion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/beauty/beauty-news/article/3326378/summer-co-founder-shen-li-chinese-fragrance-brands-hong-kong-expansion?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2025 10:00:33 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen The United States and China found a rare common ground in their trade talks in Madrid this week, agreeing to work together to crack down on money laundering from illegal fentanyl sales. After the talks ended on Monday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said both nations suffered the consequences of the money laundering from the trade. “The money laundering is the result of fentanyl sales, and both the People’s Republic of China’s government and the US government and citizens are hurt by the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325882/china-and-us-agree-target-money-launderers-linked-fentanyl-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325882/china-and-us-agree-target-money-launderers-linked-fentanyl-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2025 12:00:17 +0000 Kun Tian Kun Tian The way people eat, make nutritional decisions and monitor health is undergoing a quiet but profound transformation in Asia. Artificial intelligence (AI), wearables and online applications are reshaping the food landscape, embedding personalised nutrition services into daily life. From WeChat’s nutrition-tracking mini-programmes to Grab’s food delivery algorithms helping users discover healthier options, digital platforms are becoming sophisticated intelligent systems that help advance... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3325488/ai-enhanced-nutrition-must-enhance-our-agency-not-undermine-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3325488/ai-enhanced-nutrition-must-enhance-our-agency-not-undermine-it?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2025 08:30:08 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Major Chinese social media platforms, including Tencent Holdings’ WeChat and ByteDance-owned Douyin, have launched new features to abide by Monday’s roll-out of a new law that mandates labelling of all artificial intelligence-generated content online. The law, which was issued in March, requires explicit and implicit labels for AI-generated text, images, audio, video and other virtual content. Explicit markings must be clearly visible to users, while implicit identifiers – such as digital... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3323959/chinas-social-media-platforms-rush-abide-ai-generated-content-labelling-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3323959/chinas-social-media-platforms-rush-abide-ai-generated-content-labelling-law?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 14:00:14 +0000 Zhou Xin,Xinmei Shen Zhou Xin,Xinmei Shen Tencent Holdings is aiming for “aggressive” growth in the international cloud computing market, on the back of the growing appetite overseas for Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) models, according to a senior executive. That sharpened focus by Tencent stems from how its overseas cloud operations have been expanding “the fastest among all [its business] segments”, with “high double-digit growth over the past few years”, said senior executive vice-president Dowson Tong Tao-sang, who serves as... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3323544/tencent-counts-demand-chinese-ai-tools-lift-overseas-cloud-computing-business?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3323544/tencent-counts-demand-chinese-ai-tools-lift-overseas-cloud-computing-business?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 04:00:17 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang Chinese authorities have announced new rules targeting the rapid expansion of medical science accounts on social media and other unofficial channels, to stop the spread of false and misleading medical information online. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the National Health Commission (NHC), the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NATCM) jointly issued a notice about the new regulatory framework on August... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3322803/china-cracks-down-fake-medical-advice-new-rules-health-influencers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3322803/china-cracks-down-fake-medical-advice-new-rules-health-influencers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 08:46:06 +0000 Hannah Wang,Ann Cao Hannah Wang,Ann Cao Tencent Holdings’ second-quarter earnings beat analysts’ forecasts, as revenue from artificial intelligence (AI) boosted the bottom line of the world’s largest video games publisher and operator of the Chinese super app WeChat. Net profit rose 16 per cent to 56 billion yuan (US$7.81 billion) in the three months that ended in June, according to global accounting standards. Sales increased for the 11th quarter, jumping 15 per cent to 184.5 billion yuan and beating the consensus estimate of 19... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3321738/tencents-2nd-quarter-sales-profit-top-forecasts-ai-gives-chinas-tech-giant-leg?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3321738/tencents-2nd-quarter-sales-profit-top-forecasts-ai-gives-chinas-tech-giant-leg?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Aug 2025 09:49:11 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen Top artificial intelligence talent at Alibaba Group Holding’s Tongyi Lab, developer of the widely used open-source Qwen models, has become highly sought after, with a number of leading experts leaving to join rival tech giants amid a heated recruitment race. Recent departures include Yan Zhijie and Bo Liefeng, two senior figures at Tongyi. Yan, who joined Alibaba in 2015, was an early member of the company’s cutting-edge Damo Academy and later led Tongyi’s speech lab. He left Alibaba in February... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3321270/alibabas-world-leading-ai-lab-becomes-target-talent-poaching-chinese-rivals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3321270/alibabas-world-leading-ai-lab-becomes-target-talent-poaching-chinese-rivals?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Aug 2025 02:00:08 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Chinese social media giant Tencent Holdings has joined US-based ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies to provide a seamless way for Chinese globetrotters to hail rides overseas. In a statement on Monday, Shenzhen-based Tencent said it integrated Uber into its messaging-to-payment super app WeChat, so that users can book trips in nine more countries and regions, including the US, UK, France and Australia. Mainland Chinese users of WeChat can already hail Uber rides in Hong Kong and Japan by tapping... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3319033/wechat-and-uber-team-offer-seamless-overseas-ride-hailing-chinese-travellers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3319033/wechat-and-uber-team-offer-seamless-overseas-ride-hailing-chinese-travellers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Jul 2025 10:45:29 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma Hong Kong’s major social media, messaging platform providers and telecoms firms have pledged to strengthen checks on advertisers’ identities and remove fraudulent advertisements embedded with phishing links. Seven social media or messaging platforms and six telecommunications companies have joined the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s (HKMA) Anti-scam Consumer Protection Charter 3.0. The initiative commits them to proactively detecting fraud on their platforms and networks, as well as cooperating... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3317592/hong-kong-tech-and-telecoms-giants-unite-combat-online-fraud?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3317592/hong-kong-tech-and-telecoms-giants-unite-combat-online-fraud?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Jul 2025 14:00:35 +0000 Gerui Wang Gerui Wang The global frenzy around China’s Labubu, the candy-coloured monster character with the mischievous smile adorning bags, desks, streets and social feeds worldwide, is often hailed as a triumph of Chinese soft power. But Labubu’s success reveals something deeper: the unmatched sophistication of China’s integrated platform economy. Pop Mart, Labubu’s retailer, started with a small shop in Beijing in 2010 but has leveraged China’s unique digital ecosystem in recent years to build a global... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3316496/labubus-rise-reflects-hitmaker-ability-chinas-digital-ecosystem?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3316496/labubus-rise-reflects-hitmaker-ability-chinas-digital-ecosystem?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Jul 2025 08:30:07 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma Beijing’s new liaison office chief has said Hong Kong is in a “critical stage of opening a new chapter” and should further embrace reforms to broaden its economy in a speech delivered on the eve of the city’s 28th handover anniversary. Zhou Ji also said on Monday evening Hong Kong should “achieve breakthroughs and tackle core issues” to improve development while maintaining a robust “bottom line” of safety to pave the way for further growth. “Hong Kong is in a critical stage of opening a new... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3316429/hong-kong-critical-stage-opening-new-chapter-beijing-liaison-chief-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3316429/hong-kong-critical-stage-opening-new-chapter-beijing-liaison-chief-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Jun 2025 14:09:39 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Finnish video game studio Supercell, developer of Clash Royale and Brawl Stars, is set to launch its popular titles on Tencent Holdings’ WeChat as installation-free mini games, leveraging the super app’s vast user base. Jakub Barczyk, business and operations lead for Supercell’s Clash of Clans, said on Wednesday that Brawl Stars was already available on WeChat, known as Weixin in mainland China, while Clash Royale was “currently being developed” for a September release on the WeChat mini-game... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3315811/gaming-studio-supercell-expand-tencents-wechat-installation-free-mini-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3315811/gaming-studio-supercell-expand-tencents-wechat-installation-free-mini-games?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:14 +0000 Wynna Wong Wynna Wong WeChat Pay Hong Kong has recorded a fourfold increase in mainland Chinese tourist payments for taxi services in the city from last year and growing usage among locals and visitors alike, according to parent company Tencent. Vice-president of Tencent Financial Technology Daniel Hong Danyi said on Thursday that the number of transactions from mainland tourists paying for taxi fares through WeChat Pay had seen a fourfold increase, year on year. “We saw that previously, many mainland tourists coming... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3314193/wechat-pay-records-fourfold-rise-mainland-tourist-taxi-payments-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3314193/wechat-pay-records-fourfold-rise-mainland-tourist-taxi-payments-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jun 2025 12:39:03 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Outraged Malaysians have demanded that police hunt down the people behind a Facebook page that has shared hundreds of images of schoolgirls. The online community launched a social media crusade earlier this week against the group called “Group Budak2 Sekolah Rendah” (Primary School Kids Group) after an influencer discovered an old picture of herself from her high school days posted on the page. The group had around 12,000 members who routinely made sexually suggestive comments on pictures of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3314130/malaysians-demand-action-after-facebook-page-exploiting-schoolgirls-images-exposed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3314130/malaysians-demand-action-after-facebook-page-exploiting-schoolgirls-images-exposed?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jun 2025 07:42:08 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan The Malaysian government has ordered the country’s telecommunications firms to hand over detailed records of phone calls and internet usage, according to industry sources, raising concerns about the state’s use of data as it broadens its controls over online activity. In April, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) sent a letter to telecoms companies instructing them to send detailed call and internet logs for the first three months of this year, apparently for the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3313339/malaysia-orders-telecoms-firms-hand-over-user-data-raising-privacy-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3313339/malaysia-orders-telecoms-firms-hand-over-user-data-raising-privacy-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jun 2025 07:30:27 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Chinese short video platform Douyin now counts about 40 per cent of Hong Kong’s 7.5 million residents as users, about five years after social media giant ByteDance suspended the operation of hit global app TikTok in the city. The number of monthly active users (MAUs) of Douyin in Hong Kong has already surpassed 3 million, according to a report on Tuesday by Guangzhou-based newspaper Southern Metropolitan Daily. That marked a nearly 150 per cent MAU growth from the end of 2022. Beijing-based... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3313078/bytedance-owned-douyins-users-hong-kong-swell-40-citys-population-report-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3313078/bytedance-owned-douyins-users-hong-kong-swell-40-citys-population-report-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Jun 2025 23:00:15 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson has accused the Chinese social media app WeChat of facilitating cross-border money laundering that helps finance the fentanyl abuse crisis in the US. In a video posted online on Tuesday, Jackson alleged that Mexican drug cartels have been using WeChat to coordinate cash pickups in US cities, arrange currency swaps with Chinese brokers and quietly move drug profits across borders. “You are now a core part of the business model that is killing thousands... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3312040/wechat-denounced-north-carolina-official-complicity-us-fentanyl-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3312040/wechat-denounced-north-carolina-official-complicity-us-fentanyl-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 May 2025 21:09:39 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li China’s top cybersecurity watchdog, in coordination with financial regulators, has shut down over a dozen social media accounts for spreading false financial information, illegally touting stocks, and promoting speculative cryptocurrency trading. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said on Saturday that the accounts had operated on China’s most popular social media platforms, including Weibo, Douyin, RedNote and WeChat. The CAC said some accounts had spread false or misleading... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3311664/chinas-internet-watchdog-cracks-down-false-financial-claims-stock-touting-online?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3311664/chinas-internet-watchdog-cracks-down-false-financial-claims-stock-touting-online?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 May 2025 09:13:22 +0000 Audrey Jiajia Li Audrey Jiajia Li “I need to find a new job!” my best friend Rebeca shouted. She has been working at the Singapore branch of a Chinese tech giant for a few years. The salary is competitive, 30 per cent higher than when she was with a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation, but the trade-off is she has no personal time, between frequent business trips and late-night online meetings. “They have no sense of boundaries whatsoever,” she said of her higher-ups. “I never imagined I’d experience the infamous 996... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3310461/im-not-lying-flat-just-choosing-saner-lifestyle-chinas-996?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3310461/im-not-lying-flat-just-choosing-saner-lifestyle-chinas-996?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 May 2025 01:30:08 +0000 The Star The Star The appointment of popular actress Fan Bingbing as a state tourism ambassador has boosted Melaka’s digital image among tourists from China, according to the region’s Chief Minister Ab Rauf Yusoh. Ab Rauf said that the Chinese actress had helped catapult the historic Malaysian city into the global tourism spotlight. “It’s a groundbreaking achievement when Melaka recorded 1.5 billion digital impressions on China’s popular WeChat platform,” he said. “This milestone follows the appointment of Fan... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3310560/malaysias-melaka-hails-fan-bingbing-chinese-tourists-flock-state?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3310560/malaysias-melaka-hails-fan-bingbing-chinese-tourists-flock-state?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 May 2025 02:38:58 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Tencent Holdings, which operates the world’s largest video gaming business by revenue and Chinese super app WeChat, is seeing its investments in artificial intelligence (AI) pay off, as the Shenzhen-based firm posted its best quarter on record since listing in Hong Kong in 2004. That assessment was highlighted by Tencent co-founder, chairman and chief executive Pony Ma Huateng on Wednesday after the country’s most valuable technology company – with around US$600 billion in market capitalisation... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3310488/how-ai-investments-are-paying-chinese-tech-conglomerate-tencent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3310488/how-ai-investments-are-paying-chinese-tech-conglomerate-tencent?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 May 2025 10:00:19 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Early figures from China’s two dominant mobile payment services, Alipay and WeChat Pay, showed strong inbound travel spending during the country’s five-day Labour Day holiday. Alipay, a unit under Ant Group, said in a statement on Monday that both the number of transactions and total spending by inbound travellers across 13 e-wallets in its network – including those from Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Pakistan and South Korea – doubled in the May 1 to 5 period from a year ago. It attributed the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3309133/alipay-and-wechat-pay-see-booming-inbound-spending-china-during-labour-day-holiday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3309133/alipay-and-wechat-pay-see-booming-inbound-spending-china-during-labour-day-holiday?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 May 2025 12:00:14 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Chinese robotaxi firm Pony.ai is gaining momentum through a new partnership with tech giant Tencent Holdings, as it accelerates the commercialisation of autonomous driving amid intense domestic competition in the sector. Shares of Nasdaq-listed Pony.ai, which holds permits to test robotaxi services in Beijing and Guangzhou, surged 47 per cent on Monday after the announcement of its strategic partnership with Tencent’s cloud computing unit. The collaboration is expected to provide Pony.ai with a... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3308357/chinese-robotaxi-firm-ponyai-gets-boost-tencent-tie-offering-services-wechat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3308357/chinese-robotaxi-firm-ponyai-gets-boost-tencent-tie-offering-services-wechat?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Apr 2025 12:00:14 +0000