https://www.scmp.com/rss/501701/feed Minghe Hu joined the Post in 2019 covering artificial intelligence and science in China. She graduated from Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com China slapped on-demand local services provider Meituan with a 3.44 billion yuan (US$533 million) fine on Friday for abusing its dominant market position through its “pick one from two” practice, putting an end to the government’s five-month antitrust investigation. The fine was equivalent to about 3 per cent of Meituan’s total domestic revenue of 114.7 billion yuan last year, according to antitrust watchdog the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR). It was also smaller than previous... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3151675/china-fines-meituan-less-expected-us530-million-monopolistic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3151675/china-fines-meituan-less-expected-us530-million-monopolistic?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Oct 2021 09:33:03 +0000 When Huawei Technologies Co chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou was released and returned home this month after a nearly three-year court battle in Canada, the mood among the tech giant’s rank and file workers – and the country – was ebullient. But despite the personal relief for Meng’s family – her father is Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei – it cannot automatically be assumed that the smartphone and network gear maker has also been released. The Shenzhen-based company remains subject to harsh US... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3150771/meng-wanzhou-has-weathered-storm-and-returned-home-have-clouds-lifted?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3150771/meng-wanzhou-has-weathered-storm-and-returned-home-have-clouds-lifted?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Oct 2021 12:00:26 +0000 Some of the biggest names in China’s tech industry made an appearance at the World Internet Conference (WIC) in Wuzhen on Sunday to pledge support for the country’s “common prosperity” and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) nearly a year after the government began an extensive crackdown on the sector. Xiaomi co-founder Lei Jun and Alibaba Group Holding CEO Daniel Zhang Yong were two of the more high-profile names to deliver speeches at the state-run conference. Both men asserted their... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3150191/chinese-tech-moguls-pledge-support-xi-jinpings-common-prosperity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3150191/chinese-tech-moguls-pledge-support-xi-jinpings-common-prosperity?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Sep 2021 13:33:16 +0000 Didi Chuxing’s ride-hailing orders in August fell 21.1 per cent from the previous month, a steeper decline than the industry’s overall 17.2 per cent decrease in the same period, indicating that local rivals may be chipping away at the company’s market lead as it remains under Beijing’s cybersecurity review. The data, released by China’s Ministry of Transport on Friday, echoed earlier information from Shenzhen-based third-party data provider Aurora Mobile, which said Didi’s daily active users... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3149183/didi-chuxings-ride-hailing-orders-fall-august-beijings-data-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3149183/didi-chuxings-ride-hailing-orders-fall-august-beijings-data-security?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Sep 2021 13:00:21 +0000 China’s Ministry of Transport, the country’s key ride-hailing regulator, warned platforms not to sign on drivers or vehicles that are unlicensed, in Beijing’s latest attempt to regulate a sector that has seen smaller players jostling for market share after Didi Chuxing was banned from registering news users and drivers. The regulator, one of seven ministerial bodies involved in a cybersecurity investigation into Didi, published a statement on Wednesday asking local transport departments to... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3148138/china-targets-unlicensed-ride-hailing-drivers-and-vehicles-amid-didi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3148138/china-targets-unlicensed-ride-hailing-drivers-and-vehicles-amid-didi?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Sep 2021 09:00:22 +0000 As the biggest names in China’s technology sector continue to retreat from the front lines of running their companies, speculation remains about their true motives and how much power they are really relinquishing. This week, JD.com founder Richard Liu Qiangdong became the latest tech tycoon to give up day-to-day management responsibilities at his company, following 38-year-old Zhang Yiming, founder of TikTok owner ByteDance, and 41-year-old Pinduoduo founder Colin Huang Zheng, who made similar... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3148027/chinese-tech-tycoons-retreat-fans-speculation-about-true-motives-amid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3148027/chinese-tech-tycoons-retreat-fans-speculation-about-true-motives-amid?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Sep 2021 15:30:16 +0000 Richard Liu Qiangdong, the billionaire founder of China’s e-commerce platform JD.com, has given a frontline management position to one of his subordinates to spend more time on long-term strategies and rural development, the company said in a statement. The Beijing-based online retail giant announced on Monday that Xu Lei, the chief executive of JD Retail, was promoted to president of JD to run “day-to-day operations”. He will continue to report to Liu, who remains chairman and CEO. Liu’s move... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3147733/jdcom-ceo-richard-liu-hands-over-reins-presidency-his-e-commerce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3147733/jdcom-ceo-richard-liu-hands-over-reins-presidency-his-e-commerce?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Sep 2021 11:00:21 +0000 Meituan, China’s largest food delivery and on-demand local services provider, is sticking with its commitment to community group buying despite widening losses and increased regulatory pressure. The company’s new initiatives segment, which includes community group buying business Meituan Select, racked up an operating loss of 9.2 billion yuan (US$1.42 billion) in the second quarter of 2021, up from 8.04 billion in the first quarter and 1.5 billion one year ago. “Meituan will continue to invest... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3147045/why-meituan-remains-wedded-community-group-buying-despite-mounting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3147045/why-meituan-remains-wedded-community-group-buying-despite-mounting?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Aug 2021 23:30:24 +0000 China’s top market regulator has revealed proposed updates to the country’s e-commerce law that promise harsher punishments for selling fake products online, as regulatory pressure on the companies behind the country’s booming digital economy continues to ratchet up. The draft amendment, released for public feedback on Tuesday by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), gives detailed rules and adds extra punishments for those found to be guilty of serious violations, including the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3147066/no-more-fake-chanel-china-tightens-regulations-even-further-counterfeit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3147066/no-more-fake-chanel-china-tightens-regulations-even-further-counterfeit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Aug 2021 13:00:19 +0000 Meituan, operator of China’s largest food delivery and on-demand local services platform, beat second-quarter estimates with a 77 per cent revenue growth, despite the government’s antitrust investigation and the regulatory scrutiny of the country’s technology sector. Beijing-based Meituan posted revenue of 43.8 billion yuan (US$6.8 billion) in the quarter ended June, up from 24.7 billion yuan a year ago, on the back of stellar growth at its food delivery business. That beat the 42 billion yuan... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3146893/meituan-posts-77-cent-quarterly-revenue-growth-despite-concerns-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3146893/meituan-posts-77-cent-quarterly-revenue-growth-despite-concerns-over?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Aug 2021 09:10:46 +0000 Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing, currently subject to a cybersecurity investigation, is quietly pushing ahead with a plan to make its own vehicles by expanding the team, according to people familiar with the matter. The Beijing-based company, which has been under investigation by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) since mid-July, has opened over 100 vacancies for the unit since the end of last month, ranging from design, engineering, to procurement and logistics, according to... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3146373/didi-chuxing-pushes-ahead-hiring-its-own-car-unit-despite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3146373/didi-chuxing-pushes-ahead-hiring-its-own-car-unit-despite?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Aug 2021 15:59:16 +0000 Didi Chuxing continued to expand its dominance of China’s ride-hailing market last month despite a ban on new user registrations as part of an ongoing cybersecurity investigation, according to data released by China’s Ministry of Transport on Thursday. The number of ride-hailing orders through Didi rose 13.1 per cent in July over the previous month, showing stronger growth than the market’s overall 10.7 per cent growth nationwide. Already China’s dominant ride-hailing service provider with 90... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3145633/didis-ride-hailing-dominance-grows-china-despite-cybersecurity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3145633/didis-ride-hailing-dominance-grows-china-despite-cybersecurity?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Aug 2021 11:00:14 +0000 One and a half months after Didi Chuxing was banned from taking on new customers by Beijing, there is little sign that its dominant position in China’s ride-hailing market is being undermined by rivals keen to take its crown, according to analysts and drivers. Tough regulations for the ride-hailing market, including correct licensing for vehicles and drivers as well as watertight protection of passenger data, also apply to Didi’s competitors such as Meituan and Autonavi, a service backed by... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3145483/why-didis-regulatory-pain-does-not-mean-immediate-gains-its-smaller?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3145483/why-didis-regulatory-pain-does-not-mean-immediate-gains-its-smaller?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Aug 2021 13:00:09 +0000 Thirty kilometres south of central Beijing, a hydrogen business development zone the size of about 300 Olympic swimming pools is under construction in the suburban Daxing district. The district government wants to turn the Daxing International Hydrogen Energy Demonstration Zone into an innovation base with the aim of commercialising the nascent low-carbon energy source. Already completed and awaiting government approval for commercial operations at the zone is the world’s largest hydrogen... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3145284/chinas-carbon-neutral-goal-beijing-led-alliance-aiming-commercialise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3145284/chinas-carbon-neutral-goal-beijing-led-alliance-aiming-commercialise?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Aug 2021 12:00:16 +0000 The Chinese government’s unprecedented probes into Didi-Chuxing, also involving public security investigators, have gummed up business operations at the platform that dominated 90 per cent of the country’s ride-hailing industry, according to several employees. Engineers and product managers at the Beijing company, whose smartphone apps were removed from Android and Apple app stores in early July, are now busy writing up patches to close what Chinese regulators called technical loopholes in... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3145249/didis-business-slows-break-neck-pace-site-probes-chinas-cybersecurity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3145249/didis-business-slows-break-neck-pace-site-probes-chinas-cybersecurity?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Aug 2021 04:02:00 +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’s regulators should tighten their grip on video games to avoid the distortion of history, according to top radio broadcaster China National Radio (CNR), adding even more uncertainty to one of the country’s strongest industries. “Industry regulators should have zero tolerance toward distorted online games that make normal life impossible,” the commentary published on CNR’s website on Saturday said, adding that some games could “easily influence the thoughts and judgments of players in... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3145057/china-should-tighten-its-grip-video-games-distort-history-says-countrys?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3145057/china-should-tighten-its-grip-video-games-distort-history-says-countrys?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Aug 2021 11:00:12 +0000 Xiaomi, the world’s No. 2 smartphone company, has removed a highly-touted feature from the latest version of its flagship smartphone just three days after its launch in the latest case to show the growing complexity and difficulty in navigating China’s data and privacy regulatory landscape, even for a local company. The antitheft feature, which allows users to find their phone even if the SIM card is taken out, will be removed from the upcoming Mi Mix 4 as the feature has not received approval... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3145039/xiaomi-removes-antitheft-feature-flagship-phone-just-days-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3145039/xiaomi-removes-antitheft-feature-flagship-phone-just-days-after?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Aug 2021 07:30:16 +0000 Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com, owned by billionaire Richard Liu Qiangdong, is on track to become the country’s first e-commerce player with its own air cargo fleet. The East China bureau of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the authority in charge of civil flights, has given preliminary approval for the establishment of Jiangsu Jingdong, according to an announcement by the authority on Tuesday. The air cargo unit will be a joint venture between the e-commerce giant and Nantong... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3143763/richard-lius-jdcom-become-chinas-first-e-commerce-company-its-own?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3143763/richard-lius-jdcom-become-chinas-first-e-commerce-company-its-own?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Aug 2021 00:15:08 +0000 Beijing’s campaign to rein in the power and influence of Big Tech in the country is reaching new heights, pummeling tech stocks and leading many analysts to question if the tougher scrutiny could end up emasculating the most vibrant sector of China’s economy. China’s full complement of regulators have let loose on Big Tech after receiving Beijing’s blessing last winter to curb the “irrational expansion of capital” and formation of monopolies that may threaten social stability. That escalating... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3143241/chinas-big-tech-crackdown-will-beijings-efforts-kill-countrys-most?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3143241/chinas-big-tech-crackdown-will-beijings-efforts-kill-countrys-most?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Jul 2021 02:00:26 +0000 China’s Ministry of Transport, the key regulator in terms of the country’s ride-hailing industry, has toughened its stance on platforms like Didi Chuxing by calling out specific problems and threatening to impose deadlines on compliance. The ministry, which is one of seven ministerial bodies currently carrying out a cybersecurity investigation into Didi, said it will make every effort to support the cyberspace probe according to the summary of a meeting by an interministerial body coordinating... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3143246/chinas-transport-ministry-puts-more-pressure-didi-strong-words?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3143246/chinas-transport-ministry-puts-more-pressure-didi-strong-words?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jul 2021 15:00:19 +0000 China’s ban on private tutoring for children has put an abrupt end to a once-bustling industry but may actually create a black market with significantly higher prices, according to industry insiders and parents. Local authorities across the country have begun to enforce Beijing’s decision to ban off-campus classes and turn licensed institutions into non-profit organisations, but the pressure to perform on state exams, including high school and college entrance exams, will keep demand strong from... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3143014/chinas-ban-private-tutoring-may-create-black-market-demand-education?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3143014/chinas-ban-private-tutoring-may-create-black-market-demand-education?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jul 2021 11:00:13 +0000 China’s government is cracking down on the country’s booming off-campus tutoring industry, in one of the biggest overhauls of the education sector that sent dozens of publicly listed stocks tumbling in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Local authorities will ban the provision of holiday and weekend tutoring, and will no longer approve the establishment of new tuition centres, according to sources briefed on a newly released policy document promulgated by the State Council. The policy was formally released... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3142301/china-bans-campus-tutoring-education-overhaul-set-market-rout-among?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3142301/china-bans-campus-tutoring-education-overhaul-set-market-rout-among?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jul 2021 11:18:01 +0000 Jack Ma, founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding, was the most generous Chinese entrepreneur last year, according to the latest Forbes China list published on Tuesday. Ma, who retired as Alibaba’s chairman in 2019, has largely faded from public view since a controversial speech in Shanghai last October that was later linked to the Chinese government scuttling the initial public offering of Ant Group, the fintech offshoot of Alibaba also founded by Ma. Since then, he has largely focused... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3141943/forbes-china-names-alibaba-founder-jack-ma-countrys-most-generous?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3141943/forbes-china-names-alibaba-founder-jack-ma-countrys-most-generous?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jul 2021 07:52:01 +0000 Four days before 22-year-old Emma Liu was expected to start her first full-time job as a private tutor for online classes at a Chinese start-up, the company called to notify her that work would be delayed for at least three months. The call was made by Zebra AI Class, a unit under Tencent Holdings-backed Yuanfudao’s online education platform, which is part of the country’s vast off-campus tutoring market now under increased government scrutiny. Besides disrupting her plans for the summer, Liu... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3141381/beijings-crackdown-spells-tough-times-tencent-backed-yuanfudao-other?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3141381/beijings-crackdown-spells-tough-times-tencent-backed-yuanfudao-other?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jul 2021 02:00:16 +0000 Huang Qifan, the outspoken former mayor of China’s largest municipality, has offered a stern warning to China’s technology firms in a speech that serves as a commentary on business practices in the industry. In a speech at the China Internet Conference in Beijing on Tuesday, Huang said that existing business models of internet firms will no longer work in the coming decade. “Taking advantage of weaknesses in human nature to entice purchases is actually unscrupulous or even against the law,” said... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3141433/chongqings-outspoken-ex-mayor-speaks-his-mind-about-chinas-big-tech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3141433/chongqings-outspoken-ex-mayor-speaks-his-mind-about-chinas-big-tech?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jul 2021 13:00:14 +0000 A task force of seven Chinese ministries, including the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the public security ministry and the national security ministry, entered Didi Chuxing’s offices on Friday to conduct the country’s first-ever cybersecurity review. The CAC said in a statement that it has teamed up with the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of National Security to start an on-site cybersecurity inspection of Didi, two weeks after the country’s internet regulator announced... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3141362/beijing-has-started-site-cybersecurity-review-didi-chuxing-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3141362/beijing-has-started-site-cybersecurity-review-didi-chuxing-after?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jul 2021 06:16:20 +0000 Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com said it will increase employee salaries by an average of 14 per cent over the next two years in a show of financial strength at a time when many of its rivals are grappling with regulatory scrutiny. In a brief notice published on its public social media account on WeChat on Tuesday, the company said it will increase average employee annual salaries to the equivalent of 16-months pay by July 2023 from the current 14-months, representing a 14 per cent increase on... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3140933/chinese-e-commerce-giant-jdcom-increase-employee-pay-14-cent-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3140933/chinese-e-commerce-giant-jdcom-increase-employee-pay-14-cent-over?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jul 2021 09:00:25 +0000 Meituan, China’s on-demand delivery giant, has relaunched its ride-hailing app as Didi Chuxing, the country’s dominant player, faces a cybersecurity investigation that could erode its 90 per cent market share. First launched in 2017, but removed by the company from China’s app stores in 2019, the app is now available again on Apple’s iOS App Store and Xiaomi’s Android app store. The app’s update history on the iOS App Store shows that it was added on July 9, one week after Didi was barred from... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3140770/meituan-quietly-revives-its-stand-alone-ride-hailing-app-didi-chuxing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3140770/meituan-quietly-revives-its-stand-alone-ride-hailing-app-didi-chuxing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jul 2021 09:30:04 +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 An obscure bureaucratic office in Beijing has emerged as one of the most feared government institutions for China’s Big Tech as Beijing clamps down on what it sees as cybersecurity risks in the internet sector. The Cyber Security Review Office was created last year as a joint task force by 12 Chinese ministries, including the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of National Security, to look into cybersecurity risks. “The state has a cybersecurity review requirement, and this office was... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3140432/chinas-big-tech-crackdown-how-obscure-office-beijings-cybersecurity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3140432/chinas-big-tech-crackdown-how-obscure-office-beijings-cybersecurity?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jul 2021 05:00:18 +0000 Didi Chuxing pushed ahead with its listing in New York before the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) had fully cleared the ride-hailing giant’s data security concerns, forcing Beijing to put it under a national security review and kick it off the country’s app stores, according to two people familiar with the situation. One regulatory source in Beijing, who is not directly involved in the case but was briefed on discussions, said Didi had “forced its way” to go public in New York without... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3140044/didi-chuxing-forced-its-way-new-york-listing-triggering-data-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3140044/didi-chuxing-forced-its-way-new-york-listing-triggering-data-security?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jul 2021 13:30:21 +0000 For 36-year-old driver Ping, who depends on Didi Chuxing’s app to find clients, the ride-hailing giant is a company too big to fail. “There are more than 20,000 Didi drivers in Beijing alone. If it collapses, traffic will come to a standstill. Anyway, who doesn’t use the app these days?” said Ping, who only gave his surname and said he became a Didi driver in the Chinese capital city a month ago after a business failure in Zhangjiakou, a town in northern Hebei province. China’s cyberspace... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3139895/ride-hailing-giant-didi-remains-sticky-habit-beijing-drivers-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3139895/ride-hailing-giant-didi-remains-sticky-habit-beijing-drivers-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jul 2021 22:00:24 +0000 Wang Xing, founder, chairman and chief executive of China’s biggest food delivery service Meituan, took part in the Communist Party of China’s 100th-anniversary celebration on Thursday, a sign that he and his company are back in Beijing’s good graces amid an ongoing antitrust investigation. Wang was seen in the audience during a live broadcast of the ceremony at Tiananmen Square, listening intently to the keynote address by party secretary Xi Jinping, the most powerful figure in China in recent... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3139411/meituan-founder-makes-appearance-communist-party-chinas-big-centenary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3139411/meituan-founder-makes-appearance-communist-party-chinas-big-centenary?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jul 2021 05:04:17 +0000 Born and raised in a remote village in eastern Anhui province in the 1970s, Liang Changlin always wanted to avoid becoming just another factory worker. And 49-year-old Liang has certainly done that, as the company he founded in 2017, Dingdong Maicai, is about to go public in the US. Backed by investors including Softbank Group Corp and Tiger Global Management, the online grocery platform has priced its offering at US$23.5 per ADS, giving a total size of US$95.7 million. Liang became an... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3139219/how-pla-veteran-turned-online-food-entrepreneur-has-made-his-way?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3139219/how-pla-veteran-turned-online-food-entrepreneur-has-made-his-way?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jun 2021 15:00:18 +0000 The global chip shortage continues to disrupt supply in China’s car market, with no signs of relief, as output falls and dealers in some parts of the country struggle to fill showrooms. The lack of semiconductors, which have become vital for increasingly smart cars, is affecting car plants around the world, forcing carmakers to halt production. The effect can be seen at car dealerships in China, where the push to adopt electric and hybrid cars, which China calls new energy vehicles (NEVs), has... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3138438/chip-shortage-restricts-chinas-car-production-leaving-showrooms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3138438/chip-shortage-restricts-chinas-car-production-leaving-showrooms?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Jun 2021 10:00:24 +0000 China needs to make technological breakthroughs on “green” hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles to catch up with developed countries like Japan and get an edge on the renewable energy’s development and adoption, according to industry experts. Green hydrogen produced from renewable energy is seen as a low-carbon replacement for diesel and petrol if costs can be brought down to commercially viable levels, an essential target in advancing President Xi Jinping’s carbon-neutrality goals by 2060 to help... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3138166/china-needs-breakthroughs-green-hydrogen-catch-global-leader-japan-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3138166/china-needs-breakthroughs-green-hydrogen-catch-global-leader-japan-say?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Jun 2021 02:00:00 +0000 China’s Ministry of Education has created a new department to oversee the country’s booming off-campus tutoring market and bring regulatory oversight to private teachers and curricula, spelling trouble for an industry that has proven attractive to venture capital. The Off-Campus Education and Training Department will supervise institutions that provide training and tutoring to Chinese students from kindergarten through high school, according to the ministry. It will work with other regulatory... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3137525/chinas-new-private-tutoring-regulatory-watchdog-another-blow-industry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3137525/chinas-new-private-tutoring-regulatory-watchdog-another-blow-industry?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Jun 2021 11:00:00 +0000 Xiong Jingfang opened her convenience store four years ago on a narrow street in downtown Nanchang, the capital of eastern China’s Jiangxi province. Last year, her shop became one of the thousands of pickup points in the city, joining in China’s latest Big Tech trend: community group buying. When residents of her surrounding neighbourhood place orders with their group for vegetables, fruit, meat, and snacks, deliveries will arrive at Xiong’s store for pickup and she’ll make a commission as the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3137254/chinas-big-tech-puts-breaks-community-group-buying-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3137254/chinas-big-tech-puts-breaks-community-group-buying-government?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jun 2021 00:30:00 +0000 Meituan, operator of China’s largest on-demand delivery and local services platform, plans to hire 60,000 new employees in 2021, according to a report on Wednesday by Chinese online media LatePost, almost doubling its headcount amid an investigation by antitrust regulators. The Beijing-based internet giant has started a recruitment drive, more than a week after reporting a wider net loss in the quarter ended March, to grow its headcount to about 100,000 by the end of this year, factoring in... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3136771/meituan-said-hire-60000-new-employees-2021-nearly-doubling-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3136771/meituan-said-hire-60000-new-employees-2021-nearly-doubling-its?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Jun 2021 07:40:40 +0000 After a long day on the back of his electric bike, Cui Xuedong can be found singing nostalgic 90s love songs from a karaoke stall he built himself, complete with microphone and amplifier. “I get worn out during the day and this is my way of relaxing,” said the 52-year-old, still wearing his yellow helmet and vest emblazoned with logo of delivery services giant Meituan. Cui came to Beijing six years ago from the landlocked province of Hunan, in the South Central China region, seeking better job... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3136295/chinas-left-behind-gig-workers-big-tech-pushes-profit-labour-conditions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3136295/chinas-left-behind-gig-workers-big-tech-pushes-profit-labour-conditions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Jun 2021 21:30:18 +0000 Starting this week, Chinese netizens have been bombarded with online promotions promising them a share of billions of yuan in shopping subsidies, and offers of refunds if they find a better price on another e-commerce platform. It is all part of “618” – an event that began as a simple June 18 anniversary promotion for online retailer JD.com in 2004, but has since grown into a huge midyear shopping extravaganza embraced by all the major e-commerce platforms vying for a piece of the consumer... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3136081/chinas-618-shopping-festival-has-become-latest-battlefield-countrys?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3136081/chinas-618-shopping-festival-has-become-latest-battlefield-countrys?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Jun 2021 00:30:17 +0000 Meituan, operator of China’s largest food delivery and local services platform, reported a 120.9 per cent revenue increase in the first quarter, as the company vowed to deepen its dialogue with antitrust regulators amid an investigation into the company’s operations. “We believe that the government supervision on anti-monopoly practices will benefit the healthy development of the whole internet industry, and promote fair competition and prevent misconduct,” said Wang Xing, Meituan’s founder and... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3135225/food-delivery-giant-meituan-posts-first-quarter-revenue-growth-strong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3135225/food-delivery-giant-meituan-posts-first-quarter-revenue-growth-strong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 May 2021 09:04:53 +0000 Alibaba Group Holding-backed community group buying platform Nice Tuan was fined 1.5 million yuan (US$235,000) by China’s market regulator for failing to take action over product dumping practices and pricing fraud. The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) ordered the platform to suspend business operations in Jiangsu province for three days starting Friday for “failing to correct” monopolistic behaviour, although the company claimed it has taken steps to rectify such behaviour. “In... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3135146/alibaba-backed-group-buying-platform-nice-tuan-fined-15-million-yuan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3135146/alibaba-backed-group-buying-platform-nice-tuan-fined-15-million-yuan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 May 2021 02:49:30 +0000 Xiaomi Corp’s first-quarter net profit grew 260.6 per cent to beat estimates on the back of increased sales worldwide, as the US lifted a Trump-era securities ban on the Chinese smartphone giant. Beyond its strong earnings results last quarter, the company reiterated its concerns about the ongoing global chip shortage. “The increase in semiconductor prices is a challenge for all manufacturers,” Xiaomi president Wang Xiang said in a conference call on Wednesday after the market closed. The... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3134935/xiaomi-beats-first-quarter-earnings-estimates-after-us-lifts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3134935/xiaomi-beats-first-quarter-earnings-estimates-after-us-lifts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 May 2021 10:26:10 +0000 China’s capital city is paving the way for more robots on the road as the country’s pool of cheap labour shrinks and working conditions in delivery companies come under scrutiny. E-commerce platform JD.com, on-demand service platform Meituan, and Li Auto-backed autonomous driving start-up Neolix received licences on Tuesday to test their autonomous delivery vehicles in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, a government-developed zone in the southern part of the city known as... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3134898/meituan-jdcom-li-auto-backed-neolix-win-licences-test-unmanned?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3134898/meituan-jdcom-li-auto-backed-neolix-win-licences-test-unmanned?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 May 2021 08:25:31 +0000 As chief executive of JD Logistics, 38-year-old Yu Rui is poised to emerge as one of the most influential figures in China’s vast logistics services industry, as the company moves forward with the second multibillion-dollar initial public offering (IPO) on the Hong Kong bourse this year. JD Logistics, which was formed in April 2017 as a separate business unit under Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com, started marketing its public float on Monday, which could see the firm raise as much as HK$26.4... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3133946/jd-logistics-ceo-takes-unlikely-path-chinas-big-tech-sector?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3133946/jd-logistics-ceo-takes-unlikely-path-chinas-big-tech-sector?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 May 2021 21:30:07 +0000 On a recent chilly afternoon, a dozen couriers in red JD Logistics uniforms were sorting through a mountain of parcels spilling from a giant truck parked in a distribution station outside a residential complex in Beijing. Quickly and quietly, the delivery drivers – all in their 20s and 30s – loaded the goods onto their electric tricycles and vans, ready to complete the last leg of the packages’ long journey from vendors to customers. The crew forms part of JD Logistics’ 190,000-strong army of... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3133453/jd-logistics-ipo-how-companys-delivery-army-spurred-rise-richard-lius?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3133453/jd-logistics-ipo-how-companys-delivery-army-spurred-rise-richard-lius?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 May 2021 03:00:18 +0000 China is determined to push forward innovative technologies to advance its domestic chip-making capability, as Moore’s Law – the decades-old notion that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit (IC) would double roughly every two years while the cost would halve – inches towards its physical and economic limits. Vice-Premier Liu He, who heads Beijing’s central leading group on technological reform and innovative development, chaired a meeting on Friday, where officials from the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3133613/china-wants-boost-disruptive-semiconductor-technologies-moores-law-moves?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3133613/china-wants-boost-disruptive-semiconductor-technologies-moores-law-moves?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 May 2021 15:00:12 +0000 Chinese authorities have summoned 10 online ride-hailing providers, including Didi Chuxing and Meituan, urging them to charge commissions fairly and transparently, in Beijing’s latest efforts to crack down on malpractices by the country’s internet platforms. A group of eight regulators – including the Ministry of Transport, the Cyberspace Administration of China, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology – lectured representatives from the companies on Friday and ordered them to... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3133614/beijing-orders-meituan-didi-chuxing-and-other-ride-hailing-providers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3133614/beijing-orders-meituan-didi-chuxing-and-other-ride-hailing-providers?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 May 2021 11:00:17 +0000