https://www.scmp.com/rss/329241/feed Masha Borak is a technology reporter. Before joining the Post, she reported on China tech from Beijing. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com On a glistening white bridge suspended above the deep blue Adriatic Sea off Croatia, engineer Davor Peric proudly shows off the smooth layer of asphalt stretching across its length. This asphalt, specially designed to withstand salt water, is a Croatian product but most of the Pelješac Bridge is not. The 2.4km (1.5-mile) structure was built by China Bridge and Road Corporation (CRBC), the first Chinese company to win a bid for a project co-funded by the European Union. And the firm came equipped... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3183508/croatias-china-built-eu-funded-bridge-open-over-troubled?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3183508/croatias-china-built-eu-funded-bridge-open-over-troubled?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Jun 2022 19:00:17 +0000 China’s technology companies from the smallest start-ups to the biggest multibillion-dollar companies are rushing to comply with a government order to unionise, as the Communist Party asserts its imperative as the champion of the working class, even occasionally employed “gig” workers. China’s largest ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing and the second largest e-commerce platform in the country JD.com became the first Big Tech companies to fall into line this month, amid rising government pressure... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3148590/can-chinas-drive-protect-gig-economy-workers-work-pressing-big-tech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3148590/can-chinas-drive-protect-gig-economy-workers-work-pressing-big-tech?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Sep 2021 22:00:20 +0000 Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co employs more lobbyists in the European Union (EU) than any other global tech company, as it tries to cope with increasing barriers to doing business on the continent. The Shenzhen-based company has the full-time equivalent of 19 lobbyists on its payroll, followed by Facebook with 14 and Microsoft with 7.5, according to a report released by the Corporate Europe Observatory and Lobbycontrol on Tuesday. However, despite bringing more lobbyists... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3147025/huawei-employs-more-lobbyists-eu-google-facebook-microsoft-and-apple?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3147025/huawei-employs-more-lobbyists-eu-google-facebook-microsoft-and-apple?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Aug 2021 09:00:24 +0000 ByteDance, the Beijing-based owner of short video platform TikTok, has made another move towards creating its own metaverse with the acquisition of virtual reality (VR) start-up Pico Interactive. The company said that Pico Interactive’s software and hardware, as well as its talent and expertise, will support ByteDance’s “entry to the VR space and long-term investment in this emerging field”. “We are optimistic about the future of VR and its alignment with our mission,” said a ByteDance... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3146842/bytedance-makes-another-move-metaverse-acquisition-vr-start-pico?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3146842/bytedance-makes-another-move-metaverse-acquisition-vr-start-pico?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Aug 2021 04:06:33 +0000 While China’s newly enacted Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) contains many of the elements of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in terms of protecting private data from prying eyes, it goes a step further by guarding it within borders, legal experts say. Much like the GDPR, which came into effect in 2018 and imposed red lines on how companies handle personal data within Europe, China’s PIPL is also set to have a far-reaching impact on how businesses collect and use... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3146523/chinas-privacy-law-borrows-page-europes-gdpr-it-goes-further-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3146523/chinas-privacy-law-borrows-page-europes-gdpr-it-goes-further-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Aug 2021 13:00:22 +0000 Dragonfly FM, one of China’s biggest podcast platforms with 130 million monthly active users, was one of 67 apps recently removed from app stores at the behest of regulators. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said in a statement on Wednesday that the apps failed to fix issues such as asking users for too many device permissions and harassing them with pop-up notifications, even after being warned to amend such behaviour. The national ministry was responsible for removing... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3146456/dragonfly-fm-once-chinas-podcast-king-pulled-app-stores-66-other-apps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3146456/dragonfly-fm-once-chinas-podcast-king-pulled-app-stores-66-other-apps?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Aug 2021 07:17:40 +0000 Wang Xiaogang’s first encounter with a thinking machine two decades ago set him on a career path that would turn him into one of China’s foremost experts on artificial intelligence (AI). A masters student in electronic engineering in 2001, Wang was visiting a laboratory at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) when his engineering dean Tang Xiao’ou showed how deep neural networks in computing could teach algorithms to mimic artistic techniques, transforming his photograph into a portrait... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3145739/sensetime-parlays-academic-bona-fides-worlds-largest-platform?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3145739/sensetime-parlays-academic-bona-fides-worlds-largest-platform?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Aug 2021 02:00:21 +0000 Didi Chuxing, whose main app was taken off app stores in China in early July at Beijing’s behest, said it has updated a billing function for drivers as previously promised, in a sign that it is working on the app to meet the demands of regulators. The ride-hailing giant said in a statement on its official Weibo account on Monday that it has added a new feature to its driver app, which provides a detailed breakdown of a driver’s income for each ride and the share a driver earns from each... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3145231/didi-announces-first-albeit-delayed-update-its-ride-hailing-app?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3145231/didi-announces-first-albeit-delayed-update-its-ride-hailing-app?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Aug 2021 13:00:28 +0000 China plans to strengthen the management of smart vehicles’ automated driving functions and the control of the vast troves of data generated by these cars, according to proposed new regulations announced on Wednesday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). Connected vehicle makers – including Tesla and a number of domestic carmakers – that offer automated driving assistance and other autopilot capabilities must “clearly inform” about their vehicles’ functions and... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3144811/china-doubles-down-smart-vehicle-data-regulation-after-teslas-ev-recall?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3144811/china-doubles-down-smart-vehicle-data-regulation-after-teslas-ev-recall?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Aug 2021 13:00:12 +0000 A debate is under way in China about whether the government’s harsh regulatory crackdown on the country’s Big Tech firms is not only wiping out market value but also undermining their competitiveness with US rivals. Fang Xindong, one of China’s most influential experts on cyberspace policy and now the director of the Consortium of Internet and Society at the Communication University of Zhejiang, published an article in the Global Times on Tuesday arguing that stronger regulation will help not... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3144563/beijings-big-tech-crackdown-stirs-debate-over-whether-its-hurting-or?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3144563/beijings-big-tech-crackdown-stirs-debate-over-whether-its-hurting-or?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Aug 2021 00:00:27 +0000 China’s crackdown on off-campus tutoring and education has extended to overseas-based language-learning apps such as Duolingo, Memrise and Beelinguapp, which have all disappeared from some of China’s biggest Android app stores. Duolingo, a US-based language-learning app known for its iconic green owl, was unavailable to download on Friday morning from certain Chinese app stores, including those run by Huawei Technologies Co and Xiaomi, but it remained available on Apple’s iOS App Store in the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3144070/beijings-education-crackdown-hits-duolingo-memrise-language-learning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3144070/beijings-education-crackdown-hits-duolingo-memrise-language-learning?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Aug 2021 06:19:39 +0000 A UK-based website has published a report that says US companies including Microsoft, Oracle, IBM and Cisco are selling products to facilitate “China’s surveillance state”, highlighting the current sensitivity and scrutiny of commercial and technological flows between the US and China. The report, entitled China’s Surveillance State: A Global Project, was authored by two doctoral degree candidates Valentin Weber and Vasilis Ververis with a grant from Top10VPN.com, a platform that focuses on... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3143987/uk-published-technology-report-says-products-sold-us-tech-firms-help?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3143987/uk-published-technology-report-says-products-sold-us-tech-firms-help?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Aug 2021 04:00:18 +0000 Stock traders in China are looking for some semblance of calm in trading after being spooked by a series of regulatory actions. Instead, they are being challenged by a slew of local media reports suggesting the storm is far from over. Just days after a commentary by Economic Information Daily jolted online gaming stocks, two articles by the state-run Xinhua News Agency and a post by the Ministry of Science and Technology swayed sentiment and triggered another bout of volatility. The Xinhua... https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3143936/china-stock-traders-befuddled-headline-shocks-state-run-media-adds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3143936/china-stock-traders-befuddled-headline-shocks-state-run-media-adds?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Aug 2021 08:41:14 +0000 China has launched a new campaign to crack down on “fake news” in Beijing’s latest effort to clean up online content, placing additional pressure on the country’s social media platforms to screen out unsanctioned information, likely impacting citizen journalists. The campaign will target “illegal news activities” by news organisations and staff, internet platforms and public accounts, as well as unaccredited social organisations and individuals, according to a summary of a recent teleconference... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3143880/china-launches-campaign-against-fake-news-beijing-seeks-purify-online?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3143880/china-launches-campaign-against-fake-news-beijing-seeks-purify-online?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Aug 2021 04:04:35 +0000 China wants to achieve global leadership in the next-generation IPv6 internet protocol by 2025 as Beijing prepares itself for the internet of things (IoT) era, when a washing machine or a microwave oven may have its own IP address. According to a document released by the Cybersecurity Administration of China, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Industry and Information this month, China plans to boost its active IPv6 users to 800 million by 2025, with 70 per cent... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3143180/china-hatches-plan-lead-adoption-new-internet-protocol-beijing-eyes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3143180/china-hatches-plan-lead-adoption-new-internet-protocol-beijing-eyes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jul 2021 23:00:08 +0000 Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co's latest flagship smartphone does not support 5G connections, as the company continues to lose relevance in the mobile phone market amid Washington’s ban on its access to US technologies. The P50 and P50 Pro, the company’s newest top-tier phones, will not support 5G, said Richard Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei’s consumer business group, during a virtual launch event on Thursday evening. “US sanctions over the past two years have limited our... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3143113/huaweis-latest-flagship-phone-comes-harmonyos-doesnt-support-5g-due?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3143113/huaweis-latest-flagship-phone-comes-harmonyos-doesnt-support-5g-due?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jul 2021 04:05:36 +0000 Apple’s virtual assistant Siri felt the wrath of Chinese social media users this week after the artificial intelligence system was unable to read out China’s tally of gold medal wins at the Tokyo Olympics due to an apparent technical glitch. Users of the country’s social media platform Weibo expressed displeasure on Wednesday morning as they uploaded video screen captures from their iPhones showing the official Olympic gold medal tally of China. While the video image showed that Japan won 11... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3143040/apples-siri-becomes-target-nationalist-netizens-after-glitch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3143040/apples-siri-becomes-target-nationalist-netizens-after-glitch?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jul 2021 14:00:18 +0000 Zhengzhou’s much-hyped smart city systems, which were supposed to help planners with urban management and safety, have come under heavy scrutiny after recent floods wreaked havoc with city infrastructure and caused dozens of deaths. Two high-profile smart city projects in Zhengzhou, a city of 10 million people in central China, have been singled out for criticism after record rainstorms battered Henan province last week, causing at least 66 deaths, including 14 in the local subway system and six... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3142898/china-floods-smart-city-system-capabilities-called-question-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3142898/china-floods-smart-city-system-capabilities-called-question-after?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jul 2021 15:00:13 +0000 China’s gig economy workers employed by online platforms, including deliverymen and ride hailing drivers, should be encouraged to form unions to boost their negotiating power with Big Tech, the country’s government-backed union said. The All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), which answers to the Chinese Communist Party and is the only legal labour union in China, issued “opinions” this week calling for better protection of labour rights in China’s gig economy, which is estimated to... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3141846/gig-workers-all-trades-unite-chinas-state-trade-union-calls-branches?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3141846/gig-workers-all-trades-unite-chinas-state-trade-union-calls-branches?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jul 2021 23:00:30 +0000 Hong Kong has become more competitive among global tech hubs outside Silicon Valley, but Singapore remains at the top, according to new research by global auditing company KPMG. Hong Kong moved up one spot from last year to come in ninth in a ranking of leading innovation hubs over the next four years, according to a survey of more than 800 technology industry leaders released on Monday. Unlike many other industries, tech has thrived during the Covid-19 pandemic, increasing the perception that... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3141773/global-innovation-hubs-hong-kong-ranked-ninth-while-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3141773/global-innovation-hubs-hong-kong-ranked-ninth-while-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jul 2021 05:04:00 +0000 China, with 29 data localisation policies, is the most restrictive country when it comes to cross-border data flows, according to a report by Washington-based think tank Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). While keeping data stored domestically is becoming a trend among governments around the world, the effort is “self-defeating” as restricting data flows would damage economies by inhibiting trade, lowering productivity and raising prices for downstream industries, the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3141679/china-has-most-restrictions-cross-border-data-flows-says-washington?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3141679/china-has-most-restrictions-cross-border-data-flows-says-washington?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jul 2021 10:00:12 +0000 Alibaba Group Holding, Tencent Holdings and ByteDance are among 33 Chinese tech companies that have collectively signed an agreement on antitrust self-discipline amid Beijing’s growing regulatory pressure on Big Tech. The group of tech companies, which also includes Huawei Technologies Co, Baidu, JD.com and artificial intelligence company iFlyTek, gathered at the China Internet Conference in Beijing on Tuesday and signed the convention on fair competition, consumer protection and strengthening... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3141245/alibaba-tencent-bytedance-and-30-other-big-tech-firms-sign-voluntary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3141245/alibaba-tencent-bytedance-and-30-other-big-tech-firms-sign-voluntary?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jul 2021 15:00:27 +0000 China is redoubling efforts to protect the nation’s computer networks from hacking, spying and other cyberthreats by directing organisations to quickly report system vulnerabilities to authorities. Companies providing online products and services must report the discovery of any weaknesses in their systems within two days to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), according to a notice on Tuesday by the country’s cyberspace watchdog. This regulation, which sets out how to... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3141098/beijing-pushes-chinese-firms-report-cybersecurity-vulnerabilities-early?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3141098/beijing-pushes-chinese-firms-report-cybersecurity-vulnerabilities-early?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jul 2021 10:03:33 +0000 China is working on a plan to boost its cybersecurity industry as the country grows more concerned about the safety of its data in response to increasing global tension and rising calls for better individual protections. The country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released the draft of its most detailed strategy yet for the development of China’s cybersecurity industry on Monday for public comment, mandating that key industries such as telecommunications devote 10 per... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3140963/china-drafts-three-year-plan-boost-its-cybersecurity-industry-amid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3140963/china-drafts-three-year-plan-boost-its-cybersecurity-industry-amid?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jul 2021 15:15:15 +0000 China’s most famous sci-fi writer Liu Cixin, author of The Three-Body Problem, is joining one of the country’s largest artificial intelligence (AI) companies, SenseTime Group, as director of its Science Fiction Planet Research Center. SenseTime announced Liu’s new role at the 2021 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on Friday. The author of China’s epic trilogy, which kicked off the current phase of sci-fi fever in the country, teased audiences at the event by saying he was... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3140806/ai-unicorn-sensetime-appoints-three-body-problem-author-liu-cixin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3140806/ai-unicorn-sensetime-appoints-three-body-problem-author-liu-cixin?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jul 2021 22:30:15 +0000 Indebted state-backed semiconductor manufacturer Tsinghua Unigroup, once seen as China’s biggest hope for reducing the country’s reliance on imported chips, said on Friday that one of its creditors has requested a court to begin bankruptcy proceedings against the company. Citing its inability to pay off debts and a lack of assets that could cover those debts, the creditor requested a bankruptcy reorganisation of the conglomerate, which is also the parent company of Unisoc, China’s largest... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3140678/chinese-chip-maker-tsinghua-unigroup-faces-bankruptcy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3140678/chinese-chip-maker-tsinghua-unigroup-faces-bankruptcy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jul 2021 10:00:25 +0000 Until recently, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), which helps censor the country's internet behind the Great Firewall, had rarely been involved with companies’ plans to go public. By the time the CAC was created in 2011, the path for Chinese firms to sell shares in places like Hong Kong and New York was already a well-trodden route for lawyers and investment bankers. Like other administrative bodies in China, the CAC can offer suggestions to businesses, but it is not a legally... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3140573/chinas-big-tech-face-wake-call-countrys-web-data-protection-laws?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3140573/chinas-big-tech-face-wake-call-countrys-web-data-protection-laws?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jul 2021 03:00:06 +0000 China’s government regulators suspect the initial public offering by Didi Chuxing in New York on June 30 was a deliberate act of deceit, a characterisation that underscores the severity of the fundraising exercise and the potential storm to come, according to four sources familiar with the matter. The Beijing-based ride-hailing service raised US$4.4 billion in a stock sale in the United States even as its core business is in China – where it dominates 90 per cent of the market. Some officials... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3140471/chinas-regulators-suspect-didis-us-listing-was-deliberate-act-deceit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3140471/chinas-regulators-suspect-didis-us-listing-was-deliberate-act-deceit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jul 2021 10:00:16 +0000 The cyberspace security review office, an obscure unit of the powerful Chinese Administration of Cyberspace (CAC), on Friday announced a probe into Didi Chuxing on national security grounds, two days after the ride-hailing giant made its initial public offering in New York. This was followed by another statement on Sunday in which CAC said it had ordered app stores to remove Didi from their platforms. On Monday morning, the cyberspace security review office said it was launching a similar... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3139888/why-didis-cybersecurity-review-important-and-what-will-it-mean-ride?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3139888/why-didis-cybersecurity-review-important-and-what-will-it-mean-ride?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jul 2021 13:13:58 +0000 A group of Chinese-speaking hackers is targeting Afghanistan’s top national security agency by impersonating the Office of the President of Afghanistan, according to the cyber threat analysis firm Check Point Research (CPR). The ploy to infiltrate the Afghan National Security Council was uncovered in April after staff received a suspicious email that appeared to come from a government address but contained a malicious attachment, the US-Israeli research firm said in a report on Thursday. The... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3139550/chinese-hackers-impersonated-afghanistans-presidential-office?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3139550/chinese-hackers-impersonated-afghanistans-presidential-office?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jul 2021 11:30:17 +0000 Investors from China’s public and private sector are pouring money into the country’s semiconductor industry in a bid to deliver on Beijing’s goal of self sufficiency, while the US commerce secretary has urged American lawmakers to quickly approve funding for its own semiconductor industry. During the first five months of this year, 164 Chinese firms in the chip sector received 40 billion yuan (US$6.2 billion) of private equity investment, an amount close to the full-year figure for 2020,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3139179/us-china-tech-war-chinas-investment-binge-chip-sector-unabated-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3139179/us-china-tech-war-chinas-investment-binge-chip-sector-unabated-us?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jun 2021 13:00:17 +0000 Masha Borak Masha Borak China’s swift and sweeping crackdown on bitcoin mining has pushed owners of small hydroelectric power plants to offload their assets now that demand for cheap power is drying up. The number of advertisements on Xianyu, a popular second-hand e-commerce platform, for small scale hydro plants with capacity of around 50 megawatts, has increased since the mining crackdown began in May. Some plants are in southwestern Sichuan province, an area in China with abundant water resources that can provide... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3139053/hydropower-plants-go-sale-china-amid-mining-crackdown-and-bitcoin-slump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3139053/hydropower-plants-go-sale-china-amid-mining-crackdown-and-bitcoin-slump?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jun 2021 18:00:26 +0000 When He Yifan used the internet for the first time in 1996, he knew it would change the world. Twenty-two years later, the CEO of start-up Red Date Technology had the same feeling with blockchain. At the time, his company was building some of the technical infrastructure for China’s wide-scale push into smart cities. It was a period when trades in fast-rising bitcoin and other virtual currencies became widespread while blockchain start-ups with very little to show made millions on initial coin... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3138760/blockchain-service-network-how-little-known-start-red-date-helping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3138760/blockchain-service-network-how-little-known-start-red-date-helping?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Jun 2021 00:00:17 +0000 Coco Feng,Masha Borak Coco Feng,Masha Borak China’s crackdown on bitcoin has turned dozens of companies from model energy consumers into pariahs in the span of a year, sowing confusion and frustration in an industry that has an outsize share of the world’s cryptocurrency mines. Nine out of 26 bitcoin mines named in a shutdown order last week in southwestern Sichuan province were once feted as model enterprises, helping the landlocked region at the foothills of the Tibetan Plateau soak up its surplus electricity produced by abundant... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3138559/bitcoin-dreams-dry-china-countrys-last-mining-refuge-falls-line-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3138559/bitcoin-dreams-dry-china-countrys-last-mining-refuge-falls-line-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jun 2021 16:00:31 +0000 In the third instalment of a four-part series on China’s antitrust crackdown on technology companies, Masha Borak looks at the ride-hailing industry and its dominant operator Didi-Chuxing. The first instalment on streaming music is here and the second instalment on games is here. On April 30, the day before China was to begin a five-day stretch of public holidays to mark the annual Labour Day, 10 of the country’s largest technology companies were each slapped with a financial penalty by the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3137912/china-antitrust-didis-ride-hailing-dominance-prompts-scrutiny-it-sets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3137912/china-antitrust-didis-ride-hailing-dominance-prompts-scrutiny-it-sets?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Jun 2021 02:00:00 +0000 Beijing should remain calm in the face of a new EU-US trade and technology pact to overcome competition from China, as the interests between Washington and Brussels are still misaligned, according to experts. “The transatlantic tech council may foster better cooperation on standards, which is important, but in other areas it will probably just be a talk shop,” said Douglas Fuller, an associate professor at the City University of Hong Kong. “Hard to have deep cooperation when interests are not... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3137719/beijing-can-stay-calm-amid-new-eu-us-pact-interests-washington?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3137719/beijing-can-stay-calm-amid-new-eu-us-pact-interests-washington?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Jun 2021 23:00:00 +0000 The Tencent-backed gaming studio responsible for PUBG Mobile will encourage employees go home at 6pm under a new policy designed to counter China’s gruelling 996 work culture, but there is a catch: it only applies one day a week. The move by Lightspeed & Quantum Studios, which also developed the patriotic Chinese title Game for Peace, has been criticised on social media because it hardly makes a dent in China’s tech industry culture of working 9am to 9pm, six days a week. A screenshot of the new... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3137077/996-culture-tencent-owned-company-offers-employees-break-catch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3137077/996-culture-tencent-owned-company-offers-employees-break-catch?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Jun 2021 11:30:00 +0000 Popular news aggregation app Jinri Toutiao developed by TikTok owner ByteDance has been named in a new batch of 129 apps ordered to rectify their user data collection practices by China’s internet watchdog. Jinri Toutiao, meaning Today’s Headlines, alongside Tencent-operated Kuai Bao and Tencent News, Sohu News by Beijing-based Sohu, and Nasdaq-listed Qutoutiao, were among a group of news apps that received an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China on Friday to rectify their data... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3137079/bytedances-news-app-and-nearly-130-apps-ordered-halt-privacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3137079/bytedances-news-app-and-nearly-130-apps-ordered-halt-privacy?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Jun 2021 09:31:00 +0000 China’s top lawmaking body has passed a sweeping data law that further enhances the government’s authority and promises hefty punishments for any transgressions as Beijing continues to rein in Big Tech and impose its sovereignty over data produced in the country. Under China’s new Data Security Law, passed on Thursday, companies that transfer the state’s “core data” overseas without proper approval from Beijing will face a penalty of up to 10 million yuan (US$1.56 million) and could be forced to... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3136996/chinas-new-data-security-law-promises-steep-punishments-unapproved?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3136996/chinas-new-data-security-law-promises-steep-punishments-unapproved?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Jun 2021 14:30:00 +0000 China’s government is doubling down on its embrace of distributed databases with the establishment of an “advanced blockchain industrial system”, as the country looks to incorporate the technology into its economic and development plans. The country plans to establish industrial standards, tax incentives and intellectual property protections to support the blockchain industry, for which it wants to become a world leader by 2025, according to a document released on Monday by the Ministry of... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3136515/china-plans-accelerate-blockchain-development-and-adoption-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3136515/china-plans-accelerate-blockchain-development-and-adoption-push?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jun 2021 16:00:08 +0000 Bitcoin miners are looking for workarounds to Beijing’s new cryptocurrency crackdown in China, which accounts for two-thirds of global bitcoin mining, with some going underground or looking at moving operations overseas, possibly to places with much more expensive electricity. A few big operators have halted China operations and are relocating mining projects to North America or Central Asia. Small miners, sometimes just individuals who keep a few computers humming at home, may choose to keep... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3135515/bitcoin-mining-refugees-chinas-cryptocurrency-crackdown-pushes-miners?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3135515/bitcoin-mining-refugees-chinas-cryptocurrency-crackdown-pushes-miners?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 May 2021 11:21:27 +0000 This is the 12th in a series of stories about China’s once-a-decade census, which was conducted in 2020. The world’s most populous nation released its national demographic data in May and the figures will have far-reaching social policy and economic implications. Orange robot arms weld and assemble with extreme precision. Digital cameras, powered by the latest computer vision technology, monitor parts as they move through the assembly line. Autonomous robots transport materials in, and finished... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3134920/chinas-working-population-falls-factories-turn-machines-pick-slack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3134920/chinas-working-population-falls-factories-turn-machines-pick-slack?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 May 2021 22:00:13 +0000 The US Senate has cleared an effort by legislators to set up US$110 billion in technology funding for basic research, in a move that borrows a page from Beijing’s playbook amid continuing competition between the two countries. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation voted to approve the Endless Frontier Act on Thursday, which would see billions of dollars poured into basic research – the advancement of scientific theories that underpin applied technologies – over five... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3133554/us-china-tech-war-basic-research-ai-semiconductors-and-biotech-gets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3133554/us-china-tech-war-basic-research-ai-semiconductors-and-biotech-gets?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 May 2021 15:45:10 +0000 Xiaomi Corp scored a rare victory on Wednesday as it became one of the first Chinese tech giants to scrape its name off a US government trade blacklist and the smartphone maker’s success could give hope to others caught in the crosshairs of the US-China tech war, analysts say. The Beijing-based company reached an agreement with the US Department of Defense to set aside its blacklisting, which had prohibited US investors from owning shares in the company and which would have led to delisting from... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3133386/xiaomis-rare-victory-against-us-blacklist-could-pave-way-other?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3133386/xiaomis-rare-victory-against-us-blacklist-could-pave-way-other?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 May 2021 20:00:10 +0000 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Co (TSMC), the world’s biggest chip foundry, has joined a new lobbying group dominated by top American chip developers and users, in a move that may make it harder for China to wean itself off a US-led global semiconductor supply chain. The Semiconductors in America Coalition (SIAC), which includes 65 major players along the semiconductor value chain, announced its formation on Tuesday with the immediate purpose of pushing the American government to... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3133235/us-china-tech-war-taiwans-tsmc-joins-american-chip-coalition-another?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3133235/us-china-tech-war-taiwans-tsmc-joins-american-chip-coalition-another?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 May 2021 15:30:12 +0000 This is the first in a series of stories about the impact of India’s Covid-19 crisis on the Indian and Chinese economies and the global initiative to restructure supply chains. Apple’s efforts to diversify its production from China to India are being hit by the Covid-19 crisis there, with infections and factory shutdowns prompting analysts to question whether the country can become a smartphone manufacturing and export superpower. According to a report by Taiwanese news agency CNA on Saturday,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3132944/apples-attempt-diversify-manufacturing-india-being-stymied-new-delhis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3132944/apples-attempt-diversify-manufacturing-india-being-stymied-new-delhis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 May 2021 16:00:16 +0000 Jack Ma, the founder and former chairman of Alibaba Group Holding, has made a rare public appearance on Monday at the company’s Hangzhou campus on AliDay, the annual gathering of the company’s family members. Ma, who retired as Alibaba’s chairman on his 55th birthday in September 2019, did not give a speech during the event. An unattributed photograph on NetEase.com’s news application showed him clad in a blue T-shirt, surrounded by staff. Alibaba’s spokespeople did not immediately respond to... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3132946/jack-ma-makes-rare-appearance-alibabas-family-day-companys-hangzhou?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3132946/jack-ma-makes-rare-appearance-alibabas-family-day-companys-hangzhou?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 May 2021 12:34:09 +0000 India’s recent surge in Covid-19 infections, with daily infections at record highs, has turned into bad news for Chinese smartphone makers Xiaomi, Realme, Oppo and Vivo, all of which have been expanding in the country in recent years. After being hit by lockdowns last year, India’s smartphone market had been recovering until the recent resurgence of the virus. In mid-April, “things took a U-turn” as different parts of the country once again started locking down, according to Kiranjeet Kaur, a... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3132503/xiaomi-oppo-vivo-and-realme-face-dilemma-india-covid-19-resurgence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3132503/xiaomi-oppo-vivo-and-realme-face-dilemma-india-covid-19-resurgence?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 May 2021 16:00:17 +0000 For more than a year, Beijing-based marketing associate Grace Chen has followed the same routine as many people around the world: pop in a pair of earphones and listen to a podcast on the commute to work. “It just helps me relax, and I appreciate the effort it takes to make a good podcast,” she said. “I think everyone likes it for the same reason.” It is a sentiment that tech heavyweights in China and overseas have noticed, prompting them to increase engagement with avid podcast listeners like... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3131789/chinas-podcast-fans-are-tuning-big-tech-firms-are-listening?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3131789/chinas-podcast-fans-are-tuning-big-tech-firms-are-listening?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 May 2021 08:30:12 +0000 China’s government has found more than two dozen mapping and text applications to be in violation of data privacy regulations, in an expansion of the nation’s crackdown on the technology and internet industry. Thirty-three applications operated by two dozen companies from Alibaba Group Holding to Tencent Holdings were listed in a notice by the Cyberspace Administration of China on Saturday, mostly for collecting data that was not relevant to their services. The companies were given 10 days to... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3131878/chinas-regulator-names-33-apps-including-baidu-sogou-iflytek-tencent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3131878/chinas-regulator-names-33-apps-including-baidu-sogou-iflytek-tencent?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 May 2021 06:47:51 +0000