https://www.scmp.com/rss/322890/feed Josh joined the Post in 2016 to cover politics and business in mainland China and Hong Kong. Since 2018, he has covered China's emerging tech sector. Having graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in English and philosophy, he is now pursuing a master's degree in law at the University of Hong Kong. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Dmonstudio, a fashion shopping app launched three months ago by TikTok parent ByteDance, said over the weekend it has ceased operations, marking an abrupt end to what was once considered a bid to challenge fast-rising Chinese online retailer Shein. “We will continue to provide after-sale services to our users who have purchased on our website,” read the notice on the platform’s site. Dmonstudio registered its online domain in November, according to web hosting platform GoDaddy. In the same... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3166995/tiktok-parent-bytedance-kills-shein-fashion-shopping-app-after-three?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3166995/tiktok-parent-bytedance-kills-shein-fashion-shopping-app-after-three?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Feb 2022 12:00:15 +0000 French video games giant Ubisoft has teamed up with the The Sandbox metaverse platform in the latest sign of the fusion between game development and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Animoca Brands, the Hong Kong-based blockchain company behind The Sandbox, said on Tuesday that it formed a strategic partnership with the Paris-listed company, where Ubisoft would receive its own land in the metaverse and develop game experiences with NFTs in the virtual world. The company said work was already under way... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3166366/ubisoft-experiment-gaming-nfts-sandbox-metaverse-despite-player?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3166366/ubisoft-experiment-gaming-nfts-sandbox-metaverse-despite-player?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Feb 2022 07:00:27 +0000 China’s internet giant Tencent Holdings has restored the original ending of the popular dark satire Fight Club on its video streaming service after censorship of the final scene sparked widespread backlash online. Last month, Tencent Video started streaming David Fincher’s cult-classic 1999 film, which stars Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham Carter. What viewers did not expect, however, was a cut to black in the final scene with text appearing on screen to explain that the police had... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3166014/tencent-restores-fight-club-ending-after-censorship-backlash-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3166014/tencent-restores-fight-club-ending-after-censorship-backlash-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Feb 2022 11:00:11 +0000 A think-tank at China’s prestigious Peking University has pulled a report that concluded China would likely suffer more in a tech decoupling from the US. The 7,600-character report was published on the official WeChat account of the school’s Institute of International and Strategic Studies on Sunday, and was subsequently shared by Chinese media outlets and analysts. A key finding from the analysis was that both the US and China would suffer from a tech decoupling, but China’s losses would likely... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3165846/us-china-tech-war-top-chinese-university-pulls-report-concluded-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3165846/us-china-tech-war-top-chinese-university-pulls-report-concluded-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Feb 2022 11:00:29 +0000 Two small private Chinese banks announced last month that they would no longer provide services involving banknotes or coins, in the latest sign that the country is accelerating its march towards a totally cashless society. Zhongguancun Bank, which serves customers in the capital of Beijing, said it would suspend cash services, including over-the-counter deposits and withdrawals as well as cash services on ATM machines, starting from April. Its decision comes after a similar move by another... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3165809/chinas-fully-cashless-society-step-closer-after-two-private-banks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3165809/chinas-fully-cashless-society-step-closer-after-two-private-banks?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Feb 2022 07:00:26 +0000 The smartphone market in India achieved record revenue and shipments last year despite constraints in component supplies, with Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi Corp leading the pack, according to a new report by research firm Counterpoint. Chinese brands accounted for four of the top five smartphone brands in India last year. Xiaomi had a 24 per cent share of total shipments in the country in 2021, followed by Samsung Electronics at 18 per cent, according to the report published this week.... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3165722/china-smartphone-brands-including-xiaomi-vivo-and-oppo-continue-lead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3165722/china-smartphone-brands-including-xiaomi-vivo-and-oppo-continue-lead?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Feb 2022 12:00:26 +0000 Richard Liu Qiangdong, founder and chief executive of Chinese e-commerce juggernaut JD.com, is giving more than US$2.2 billion in stock to charity, making him the latest Chinese tech billionaire to donate an unprecedented sum amid Beijing’s efforts to rein in the power of Big Tech and boost “common prosperity”. On Wednesday, the third day of China’s week-long Lunar New Year holiday, JD.com said in an filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission that it has been notified by its chairman... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3165677/chinese-tech-tycoon-richard-liu-jdcom-donates-us2-billion-amid-beijings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3165677/chinese-tech-tycoon-richard-liu-jdcom-donates-us2-billion-amid-beijings?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Feb 2022 07:30:19 +0000 China plans to require companies providing deepfake and similar artificial intelligence (AI) services to verify the identities of their users and promote Chinese socialist values, according to a draft regulation released by the country’s top cybersecurity watchdog, as Beijing continues to tighten the screws on potentially disruptive technologies. The “Internet Information Service Deep Synthesis Management Regulations” unveiled on Friday by the Cyberspace Administration of China promised to... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3165244/china-targets-deepfakes-proposed-regulation-governing-deep-learning-ai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3165244/china-targets-deepfakes-proposed-regulation-governing-deep-learning-ai?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Jan 2022 11:00:12 +0000 For over 10 years, Kenny Ng’s Hong Kong design production company Kenal Group hummed along, designing billboards and planning events for a variety of clients. But the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020 threw his business into disarray, forcing Ng, in his 40s, to search for new revenue streams. Much to his surprise, he found his answer in one of technology’s hottest buzzwords: the metaverse. Over a few weeks starting last November, Ng put together a new studio named PanGu, with about 10 designers... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3165098/design-firms-find-new-business-metaverse-covid-19-drives-interest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3165098/design-firms-find-new-business-metaverse-covid-19-drives-interest?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Jan 2022 10:30:09 +0000 Tencent Holdings has quietly embedded video game engine Unreal Engine into its increasingly obsolete messaging platform QQ, according to an updated version of the app, and analysts say the move forms part of the social media and gaming giant’s foray into the metaverse. The Shenzhen-based company updated QQ this month and the new version, which was traditionally a chat app, includes parts of video games engine Unreal Engine, according to analysis by LibChecker, a third-party app analysis... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3164819/tencent-quietly-updates-qq-unreal-game-engine-possible-metaverse-move?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3164819/tencent-quietly-updates-qq-unreal-game-engine-possible-metaverse-move?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Jan 2022 00:30:18 +0000 Hong Kong based virtual reality start-up Sandbox VR plans to expand to 40 locations around the globe, more than tripling the 12 shops it already has, in a rebound after Covid-19 pushed it into bankruptcy, company founder and CEO Steve Zhao said in an interview with the South China Morning Post. The expansion is a dramatic turnaround from 17 months ago, when the start-up was forced to shut down its VR arcades during the pandemic, said Zhao, who created the firm on the 16th floor of a back-alley... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3164356/hong-kongs-sandbox-vr-was-nearly-killed-covid-it-now-has-global?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3164356/hong-kongs-sandbox-vr-was-nearly-killed-covid-it-now-has-global?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Jan 2022 00:30:27 +0000 Josh Ye Josh Ye Hong Kong-based blockchain gaming company Animoca Brands, best known for championing non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in video games, saw its valuation soar to US$5 billion on Tuesday as investors continue to bet on the potential of NFTs and the metaverse. Animoca Brands said on Tuesday it had completed a fundraising for US$358.89 million, giving it a private valuation of US$5 billion. Animoca Brands has garnered increasing interest with its popular, open-world game The Sandbox, and its valuation is... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3163838/sandbox-developer-animoca-brands-sees-private-valuation-surge-us5?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3163838/sandbox-developer-animoca-brands-sees-private-valuation-surge-us5?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Jan 2022 12:30:25 +0000 Josh Ye Josh Ye About an hour before midnight on December 21, Hong Kong finance professional Jackson Leung turned on his personal computer and clicked on a link to obtain a non-fungible token (NFT) from the popular local project Monkey Kingdom. It did not take long, however, for Leung to realise that something was amiss. Instead of getting a newly minted NFT, the link sent money from his cryptocurrency wallet to an unfamiliar account bearing a name that starts with “HuiY”. “I was in an absolute hurry to try to... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3163004/hong-kong-buyers-nfts-are-ripe-targets-hackers-scammers-amid-growing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3163004/hong-kong-buyers-nfts-are-ripe-targets-hackers-scammers-amid-growing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Jan 2022 03:30:22 +0000 When 33-year-old LuckyKaptain started a non-fungible token (NFT) project with four friends in Hong Kong last November, it had been a few months since he quit his job in the city’s high-flying finance industry – but the green entrepreneur felt he had to move fast. LuckyKaptain, who asked to be referred to by his online pseudonym, is just one person who has joined a gold rush in the booming market for NFTs, which have fast become a popular means of collecting and investing in art over the past... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3162491/hong-kong-nft-start-ups-jockey-become-next-bored-apes-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3162491/hong-kong-nft-start-ups-jockey-become-next-bored-apes-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Jan 2022 09:00:23 +0000 At the heart of Hong Kong’s business district, the latest big advertisements are not about asset management, stocks or diamonds – they are for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) of digital avatars in the form of koalas and apes. On the first day of 2022, a little known NFT project called Delirious Mind Travelers decked out half of the 200-metre passageway between the Central and Hong Kong subway stations, two of the city’s busiest, with huge banners in an advertising campaign to tell the financial hub’s... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3162048/nft-project-takes-prime-hong-kong-ad-spot-central-crypto-firms-test?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3162048/nft-project-takes-prime-hong-kong-ad-spot-central-crypto-firms-test?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jan 2022 06:00:02 +0000 China’s freeze on new video game licences is extending into 2022, dashing hopes that the process might resume by year-end, which has led many small gaming-related firms to close their operations and prompted the industry’s biggest publisher to pursue expansion overseas. The National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA), which is in charge of licensing video games in China, has not published a list of approved new titles since the end of July. This marks the country’s longest suspension of... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3161717/china-gaming-crackdown-freeze-new-video-game-licences-extends-2022?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3161717/china-gaming-crackdown-freeze-new-video-game-licences-extends-2022?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Dec 2021 11:00:20 +0000 This year will go down as a tough period for Chinese technology firms, as Beijing moved to exert control over the once-freewheeling sector. In the third of a four-part series, the South China Morning Post looks at how 2021 became a turning point in the development of China’s Big Tech companies. Xiang Zikui, a Shenzhen-based woman who works in the gaming division of one of China’s biggest internet companies, says she was shocked to hear about large-scale lay-offs at iQiyi, often dubbed China’s... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3160866/china-2021-tech-crackdown-once-seen-golden-ticket-big-tech-has-shed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3160866/china-2021-tech-crackdown-once-seen-golden-ticket-big-tech-has-shed?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Dec 2021 02:00:26 +0000 Chinese online search engine Baidu is laying off at least 100 employees from its video games unit, as the company moves to trim losses amid Beijing’s ongoing crackdown on the sector, according to two sources briefed on the matter. The Beijing-based company will significantly downsize its core games development team and terminate services to games developed by outside studios, two separate sources, who requested anonymity as they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly, told the South... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3160804/china-gaming-ban-baidu-lay-over-100-its-gaming-unit-amid-regulatory?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3160804/china-gaming-ban-baidu-lay-over-100-its-gaming-unit-amid-regulatory?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Dec 2021 07:15:43 +0000 Josh Ye Josh Ye Popular non-fungible token (NFT) project Monkey Kingdom, founded by entrepreneurs in Hong Kong and promoted by celebrities such as JJ Lin and Steve Aoki, had its group chat hacked on Tuesday, allowing a cyber thief to steal nearly US$1.3 million worth of cryptocurrencies with a phishing link. A hacker stole an administrator account of the project’s group chat on Discord, a popular online instant messaging service, and posted a phishing link in the group chat on Tuesday, just as the project... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3160707/hot-hong-kong-nft-project-monkey-kingdom-loses-us13-million-hack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3160707/hot-hong-kong-nft-project-monkey-kingdom-loses-us13-million-hack?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Dec 2021 12:30:21 +0000 The sudden death of a young programmer at Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings, regarded as a “genius” and one of the country’s best hopes in making world-class video games, has sent shock waves across the industry. Shenzhen-based Tencent confirmed on Wednesday the passing of 30-year-old Mao Xingyun, a lead engine programmer at Tencent Games, after news of his death spread across the internet. “It is with deepest sorrow that we confirm that Mao Xingyun, a member of TiMi F1 Studio, died... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3160089/death-young-genius-tencent-programmer-shocks-chinas-gaming?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3160089/death-young-genius-tencent-programmer-shocks-chinas-gaming?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Dec 2021 02:00:18 +0000 China’s video games market had its slowest revenue growth in three years in 2021 amid Beijing’s crackdown on the industry while the number of players stagnated, according to an industry report released on Thursday. According to the report released by the Game Publishing Committee (GPC) of the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association, China’s state-backed gaming industry association, the industry’s gross sales revenue grew 6.4 per cent in 2021 from a year ago, a sharp reduction from... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3160144/chinas-video-gaming-crackdown-2021-revenue-growth-slows-sharply-amid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3160144/chinas-video-gaming-crackdown-2021-revenue-growth-slows-sharply-amid?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Dec 2021 12:00:18 +0000 China has ordered Microsoft’s Bing search engine to pause its auto-suggest feature for 30 days, the US company said on Friday, dealing a new complication for the firm after it replaced its LinkedIn platform in the country with a special app that has no social feed. Microsoft, the world’s second largest company by market cap, announced in a post on Chinese social media platform WeChat that “Bing China has been required by the relevant government agency to suspend the search auto-suggestion... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3160126/microsofts-bing-told-china-suspend-auto-suggest-search-feature-30?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3160126/microsofts-bing-told-china-suspend-auto-suggest-search-feature-30?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Dec 2021 10:00:33 +0000 Josh Ye Josh Ye Chinese state television has warned citizens against taking part in blockchain-based, play-to-earn online games such as Farmers World, in the latest sign of Beijing’s aversion to anything cryptocurrency-related. China Central Television (CCTV) fired warning shots in two reports over games that encourage people to play in order to earn cryptocurrencies, depicting them as scams. The environment for cryptocurrencies in China turned sour after Beijing banned cryptocurrency trading and mining in the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3159843/chinese-state-television-warns-against-blockchain-based-play-earn-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3159843/chinese-state-television-warns-against-blockchain-based-play-earn-games?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Dec 2021 23:00:24 +0000 Alibaba Group Holding has registered a new company in Beijing named Yuanjing Shengsheng to test the gaming potential of the metaverse, in the latest sign that China’s Big Tech firms are doubling down on what many see as the future of the internet. The new unit, wholly owned by Alibaba’s investment arm, has listed its major business as software development and services, according to public registry tracking firm Tianyancha. It has 10 million yuan (US$1.6 million) in registered capital. The unit’s... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3159691/alibaba-test-gaming-potential-metaverse-big-tech-firms-stampede?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3159691/alibaba-test-gaming-potential-metaverse-big-tech-firms-stampede?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Dec 2021 14:00:23 +0000 Josh Ye Josh Ye The term “metaverse” is suddenly everywhere, a buzzword constantly on the lips of tech gurus and cryptocurrency enthusiasts. But the latest group taking an interest in what many believe to be the next iteration of the internet is made up of property tycoons and real estate professionals keen to buy up land in the digital world. Virtual land sales have become one of the hottest new trends in a tech world increasingly fascinated with the metaverse, a shared, immersive 3D space where people can... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3159534/hong-kong-property-tycoons-brokers-snap-virtual-land-metaverse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3159534/hong-kong-property-tycoons-brokers-snap-virtual-land-metaverse?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Dec 2021 00:30:25 +0000 Josh Ye Josh Ye Big Tech firms could threaten an open metaverse, as their business models go against a decentralised internet where users own their digital assets, the co-founder of the blockchain-based video gaming platform The Sandbox said. The Sandbox chief operating officer Sebastien Borget said his primary consideration right now is how to defend the metaverse against forays by Big Tech firms like Meta, the owner of Facebook, which recently changed its name to reflect commitment to the new trend. Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3159562/sandbox-founder-says-open-blockchain-based-metaverse-threatened?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3159562/sandbox-founder-says-open-blockchain-based-metaverse-threatened?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Dec 2021 15:00:22 +0000 SenseTime, China’s largest artificial intelligence (AI) firm, rejected US accusations that it aided human rights abuses in Xinjiang after the White House placed the company on an investment blacklist amid its plans to go public in Hong Kong. US President Joe Biden’s administration imposed economic sanctions on the Chinese company along with two senior government officials in far-west Xinjiang over alleged human rights abuses in the region, the Treasury Department announced on Friday. The move... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3159325/sensetime-says-us-has-fundamental-misperception-company?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3159325/sensetime-says-us-has-fundamental-misperception-company?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Dec 2021 06:17:47 +0000 China has ordered 106 smartphone apps – including popular social media platform Douban – to be removed from the country’s app stores in the government’s latest crackdown on data violations. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which has become increasingly aggressive in policing apps, said on Thursday that the directive was the result of an inspection campaign launched on November 3. How Douban went from China’s IMDB to its ‘spiritual corner’ The agency said that the apps,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3159091/china-internet-crackdown-beijing-orders-app-stores-remove-douban-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3159091/china-internet-crackdown-beijing-orders-app-stores-remove-douban-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Dec 2021 11:59:59 +0000 Tencent Holdings, the world’s largest video gaming company by revenue, will open its next game development studio in Singapore, which has emerged as a regional hub for game development after investments from industry giants including Ubisoft and Riot Games, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. TiMi Studio Group, the developer behind Tencent’s biggest hits such as Honour of Kings and Call of Duty: Mobile, is setting up a new studio in Singapore, according to the people, who... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3158784/exclusive-tencents-new-game-development-studio-singapore-boost-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3158784/exclusive-tencents-new-game-development-studio-singapore-boost-city?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Dec 2021 12:30:16 +0000 When 27-year-old Raye Chung from Hong Kong bought herself a non-fungible token (NFT) from the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) project in July, she had little inkling that this portrait of a cartoon ape would become one of the world’s most sought-after digital collectibles. Four months later, Chung saw the price of that image, which she bought for under US$10,000, rise to more than US$200,000. With only 10,000 portraits of similar cartoon apes in circulation, Chung has joined an exclusive group of... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3158391/nft-hong-kong-bored-ape-yacht-club-owners-seek-merchandise-deals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3158391/nft-hong-kong-bored-ape-yacht-club-owners-seek-merchandise-deals?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Dec 2021 02:00:23 +0000 China’s suspension of new video game licences has stretched into the final month of the year, clouding prospects for gaming giants Tencent Holdings and NetEase. NetEase shares fell as much as 9 per cent on Tuesday, but gained more than 4 per on Wednesday, after it suspended the service of its popular emulation software that allowed personal computer users to play its hit new mobile game Harry Potter: Magic Awakened. The company cited the need for technical upgrades, raising concerns about the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3157988/chinas-video-game-freeze-enters-fifth-month-netease-faces-challenges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3157988/chinas-video-game-freeze-enters-fifth-month-netease-faces-challenges?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Dec 2021 09:00:37 +0000 When computer science major Chih-Han Yu met bio-immunology major Winnie Lee at Stanford University in 2003, they had little inkling they would go on to build Taiwan’s best-known artificial intelligence (AI) company. Fast forward nearly two decades and Appier, which develops AI-based solutions for precision marketing, has listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange after becoming Taiwan’s first digital unicorn in 2020. These days, Yu and Lee are often lauded as the No 1 power couple in the self-ruled... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3157914/how-stanford-couple-taiwan-created-islands-first-ai-unicorn-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3157914/how-stanford-couple-taiwan-created-islands-first-ai-unicorn-after?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Nov 2021 23:00:32 +0000 China’s move to suspend internet giant Tencent Holdings from upgrading apps or launching new ones is a warning to all tech firms in the country that Beijing means business when it comes to rectifying data collection practices, according to analysts. They said the new app freeze imposed on Tencent, which operates the country’s super-app WeChat and is the world’s biggest gaming company by revenue, is a message from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) to app developers that... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3157395/china-tech-crackdown-tencents-app-update-suspension-seen-shot-across?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3157395/china-tech-crackdown-tencents-app-update-suspension-seen-shot-across?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Nov 2021 13:00:22 +0000 Chinese media firm 36kr Holdings gave away 1,124 metaverse-themed digital collectibles at a conference in Shenzhen on Wednesday, in the latest sign of growing interest in digital assets in China despite Beijing’s wariness of non-fungible tokens (NFT) and the metaverse. The limited-quantity digital collectibles, issued jointly with Chinese social media and gaming giant Tencent Holdings, were “gifted” to the conference attendees. However, the “extremely valuable collectibles” cannot be sold or... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3157347/metaverse-and-nft-gain-traction-china-despite-beijings-wariness?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3157347/metaverse-and-nft-gain-traction-china-despite-beijings-wariness?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Nov 2021 09:00:29 +0000 China’s tightened regulation of video gaming content is going to be as harsh as its control of films and television shows, according to an executive at a major Chinese game company. Hendrick Sin, executive director and vice-chairman of Hong Kong-listed CMGE Technology, told the South China Morning Post on Wednesday that Beijing’s message to gaming companies was clear: the list of “dos and don’ts” is about to get longer. “That’s because video games are also an expression of ideology, the same as... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3157253/chinas-video-gaming-control-get-strict-censorship-films-and-tv?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3157253/chinas-video-gaming-control-get-strict-censorship-films-and-tv?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Nov 2021 13:00:30 +0000 China has suspended Tencent Holdings from updating its existing apps or launching any new apps as part of a “temporary administrative guidance” against the tech giant, Chinese media outlets including Shanghai-based Chinastarmarket.cn, reported. According to the report, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has told app stores and platforms to implement the order against Tencent apps from Wednesday in a harsh administrative punishment against the tech giant, which runs dozens of... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3157237/china-suspends-tencent-updating-existing-apps-or-launching-new-apps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3157237/china-suspends-tencent-updating-existing-apps-or-launching-new-apps?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Nov 2021 10:39:24 +0000 The recent stumbles of American video game makers Roblox and Epic Games in mainland China suggest that the country is headed towards a future where its metaverse – touted by enthusiasts as the next evolution of the internet – could be closed to foreign companies. Roblox and Epic Games have both made the metaverse – loosely defined as a shared, immersive 3D virtual space where people can interact and trade – a core part of their business strategy. What is the metaverse, how will it work and why... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3157104/us-based-roblox-epic-games-setbacks-china-point-splintered?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3157104/us-based-roblox-epic-games-setbacks-china-point-splintered?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Nov 2021 14:30:15 +0000 The South China Morning Post is joining Dapper Labs, the creator of the popular non-fungible token (NFT) series NBA Top Shot, to release a number of NFT trading cards commemorating the history of Hong Kong, with the first drop expected to cover 1997 during the end of British colonial rule in the city. Founded in Hong Kong in 1903, the Post has been the paper of record for the city with a 118-year-old media archive. The news organisation released its full whitepaper on its NFT project ARTIFACT on... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3157065/scmp-and-nba-top-shot-series-creator-launch-their-1997-series-nft-trading?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3157065/scmp-and-nba-top-shot-series-creator-launch-their-1997-series-nft-trading?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Nov 2021 09:00:22 +0000 US-blacklisted Huawei Technologies Co is now selling refurbished smartphones and licensing its handset designs to partners amid the company’s ongoing struggles to access advanced semiconductors for manufacturing its various devices. Shenzhen-based Huawei last week started offering a number of reconditioned Android smartphone models – each with a brand-new battery, the firm’s self-developed Harmony OS 2.0 platform and one-year warranty – on its online store Vmall. A partner, TD Tech, also... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3156978/huawei-starts-sell-used-smartphones-license-handset-designs-amid-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3156978/huawei-starts-sell-used-smartphones-license-handset-designs-amid-its?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Nov 2021 13:30:15 +0000 Riot Games, the creator of online game League of Legends and a subsidiary of Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings, is expanding into animation and other entertainment forms to become the “Disney for gamers” after the launch of its first animated series on Netflix proved successful, the company’s chief executive Nicolo Laurent said. Arcane, an animated series based on popular multiplayer game League of Legends, has already surpassed global hit Squid Game as the most popular show on Netflix in... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3156701/league-legends-creator-beats-squid-game-netflix-game-based-animated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3156701/league-legends-creator-beats-squid-game-netflix-game-based-animated?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Nov 2021 23:00:17 +0000 Tech giants in China are feeling pressured to assert their presence in global discussions about the metaverse to avoid losing out to Western peers despite caution from authorities, analysts said. On Wednesday, video streaming and gaming platform Bilibili declared its readiness to develop the metaverse, joining Tencent Holdings and NetEase, respective owners of China’s first and second largest gaming business, to voice their enthusiasm for the emerging concept, loosely defined as a shared... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3156562/why-chinese-tech-giants-are-embracing-metaverse-despite-state?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3156562/why-chinese-tech-giants-are-embracing-metaverse-despite-state?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Nov 2021 23:30:25 +0000 NetEase, China’s second largest video gaming company, has become the latest tech firm in the country to voice its commitment to the metaverse concept, joining a host of peers including Tencent Holdings in a rush to embrace what has been touted as the next iteration of the internet, despite scepticism from stock market regulators. William Ding Lei, founder and chief executive of NetEase, said during an earnings call with analysts on Tuesday that the Hangzhou-based company has already prepared the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3156381/ceo-says-netease-will-lead-metaverse-race-chinese-tech-giants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3156381/ceo-says-netease-will-lead-metaverse-race-chinese-tech-giants?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Nov 2021 11:30:19 +0000 China is likely to start issuing online video game licenses again in the coming weeks, following a four-month suspension, a Chinese newspaper reported on Tuesday, sending gaming stocks soaring after Beijing’s crackdown on the industry wiped billions from their valuations since August. The National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) will resume issuing new licences for video games by the end of November, the 21st Century Business Herald reported, citing unnamed sources. Executives at... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3156276/china-gaming-ban-licenses-new-titles-may-resume-soon-media-report-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3156276/china-gaming-ban-licenses-new-titles-may-resume-soon-media-report-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Nov 2021 14:30:14 +0000 Tencent Holdings, which runs the world’s largest video gaming business by revenue, has removed popular fish shooting games from its app stores as part of a “risk inspection” campaign amid Beijing’s tightened regulation of the industry. Fish shooting games, in which players use cannons to shoot a variety of fish in a pool for rewards, have become one of the most profitable smartphone gaming genres in China, the world’s biggest video games market. Regulators, however, have frowned upon the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3156232/tencent-throws-out-popular-fish-shooting-games-app-stores-amid-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3156232/tencent-throws-out-popular-fish-shooting-games-app-stores-amid-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Nov 2021 12:00:19 +0000 China has named female agricultural scientist Gan Lin as the new chief of its antitrust bureau within the market regulation agency, as the expanding government body takes on an increasingly elevated role in Beijing’s push to keep Big Tech in check. The appointment of Gan, 59, was announced on Monday by the State Council, China’s cabinet. The move signifies that the antitrust bureau, renamed the State Anti-monopoly Bureau, now reports directly to the country’s top leadership. China’s antitrust... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3156142/china-appoints-potato-scientist-helm-its-elevated-antitrust-bureau?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3156142/china-appoints-potato-scientist-helm-its-elevated-antitrust-bureau?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Nov 2021 13:00:14 +0000 Josh Ye Josh Ye A top provincial official in China has been removed from his post and the Communist Party after an investigation found that he abused his power in supporting cryptocurrency mining. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission found that Xiao Yi, a former vice-chairman of the Jiangxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, violated the country’s industrial policies, according to a statement posted to the Party’s... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3156024/chinese-official-punished-supporting-cryptocurrency-mining-companies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3156024/chinese-official-punished-supporting-cryptocurrency-mining-companies?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Nov 2021 13:30:17 +0000 China will impose a cybersecurity review on mainland companies seeking initial public offerings in Hong Kong on national security grounds, according to a draft regulation released on Sunday, adding a new layer of oversight for Chinese tech giants from ByteDance to Didi Chuxing if they choose to sell shares in the city. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the country’s top cybersecurity authority, released the draft regulation titled “Network Data Security Management Regulations” for... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3156022/chinese-tech-giants-face-cybersecurity-reviews-ipos-hong-kong-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3156022/chinese-tech-giants-face-cybersecurity-reviews-ipos-hong-kong-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Nov 2021 11:29:55 +0000 On September 24, when Huawei Technologies Co’s finance chief Meng Wanzhou boarded a chartered Air China plane headed back to Shenzhen after a nearly three-year house arrest in Vancouver, thousands of Chinese patriots hopped online to follow the Boeing 777’s 10-hour homecoming journey in real time and share updated screenshots of its flight path. Those Chinese plane-spotters relied on Flightradar24, a website that allows internet users to obtain instant information about travelling jets,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3155895/chinas-crackdown-flight-tracking-devices-leaves-companies-and-hobbyists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3155895/chinas-crackdown-flight-tracking-devices-leaves-companies-and-hobbyists?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Nov 2021 14:00:22 +0000 Tencent Holdings, the world’s biggest gaming company and operator of Chinese super app WeChat, officially broke its silence on the red-hot concept of the metaverse, saying it has an abundance of technologies to develop what has been called the next iteration of the internet. Martin Lau, president of the Shenzhen-based company, said on an earnings call on Wednesday that it can potentially approach the metaverse through a range of businesses, citing video game development and social networking as... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3155664/tencent-says-it-has-technology-build-metaverse-and-beijing-does-not?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3155664/tencent-says-it-has-technology-build-metaverse-and-beijing-does-not?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Nov 2021 08:00:24 +0000 They may be better known for developing mobile games and providing network services to street cafes, but a group of listed Chinese firms are now calling themselves builders of the metaverse. However, these bold proclamations about their role in what many see as the next iteration of the internet are being met with scepticism from Chinese regulators. While most people know ZQGame for its patriotic military games pitting Chinese soldiers against the Japanese army, the Shenzhen-listed company... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3155554/chinese-firms-questioned-market-regulators-after-they-jump-metaverse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3155554/chinese-firms-questioned-market-regulators-after-they-jump-metaverse?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Nov 2021 12:00:18 +0000