China Digital Digest Weekly: Exploring the Chinese Digital Landscape
- ClickInsights
- 11 hours ago
- 4 min read
Hi folks, we are back with our weekly edition of China’s Digital Digest, wherein we bring you weekly updates on China’s digital space. The report takes a quick glance at China’s complex and rapidly evolving social media landscape by providing updates on the latest happenings across the social media industry. Here are the major highlights of the report.
1. Brazil First Lady Complains to Xi About TikTok’s Effects on Kids
A remark by Brazil’s First Lady, Rosângela Lula da Silva (known as Janja), caused discomfort during a meeting between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Janja reportedly mentioned TikTok’s harmful effects to Xi during the conversation.
Acknowledging that she broke protocol during President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s visit to Beijing last week, Rosangela “Janja” da Silva said she “will not be silenced” when the safety of children is at stake. The remarks she uttered in Beijing prompted an official response from TikTok, owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance.
2. Tencent Posts Solid Results as AI Investments Start to Pay Off
Tencent Holdings, which operates the world’s largest video gaming business by revenue and Chinese super app WeChat, is seeing its investments in artificial intelligence (AI) pay off, as the Shenzhen-based firm posted its best quarter on record since listing in Hong Kong in 2004.
That assessment was highlighted by Tencent co-founder, chairman and chief executive Pony Ma Huateng on Wednesday after the country’s most valuable technology company – with around US$600 billion in market capitalisation – reported better-than-expected financial results in the first quarter from a year earlier, as revenue rose 13 percent and profit grew 14 percent.
3. Alibaba.Com Sees Jump in US buyer activity After US-China Tariff Truce
US buyer activity on Alibaba Group Holding’s wholesale marketplace surged the week after Washington and Beijing agreed to a 90-day pause on new tariffs, according to people familiar with the matter.
From May 12 to May 18, the number of inquiries from US-based buyers to sellers on Alibaba.com, the e-commerce giant’s business-to-business shopping platform, surged by more than 40 percent compared with the previous week, according to people briefed on the matter, who declined to be named as the data is not public.
4. Alipay Launches Voice Call to Highlight Financial Security via Real Identity Checks
Alipay, one of the most pervasive digital wallets in China, has launched a voice call function that helps users double confirm their real identity before making fund transfers.
The feature - embedded in the input field of a chat window along with other features like sending a photo or sharing location - is tagged “new”. When initiated, it asks for permission to enable the microphone and displays a pop-up notice that says “use voice calls for safer money transfers”. The notice adds that Alipay accounts are safer with real identity authentication, and that the call would not be stored by the platform, which is operated by Ant Group, an affiliate with Alibaba Group Holding.
5. Tariff Reprieve Gives Shein, Temu Time to Restock US Warehouses
An agreement between the US and China to temporarily slash tariffs stopped short of reinstating the US “de minimis” duty exemption for e-commerce packages from China, but still gives online retailers like Shein and Temu a window to adapt their businesses.
The Chinese firms, which have taken market share from dollar stores and shopping-centre rivals to surge to among the top 10 downloaded apps in the US, would likely use the 90-day reprieve to bring in bulk shipments and restock their US warehouses, trade experts said. US President Donald Trump’s administration on May 2 ended the de minimis policy allowing packages worth less than US$800 ordered online from mainland China and Hong Kong to enter the US duty-free.
6. Shein And Temu Launch More Intense Marketing Campaigns in Europe
Chinese e-commerce platforms Shein and Temu have launched more intense marketing campaigns in Europe amid lingering trade uncertainties between China and the United States.
Compared to April, Shein and Temu both increased advertising spending on the continent – recording a 40 percent and 30 percent jump respectively over the first twelve days of May, according to data sent to the Post by Sensor Tower, a market intelligence firm. Year on year, Shein’s advertising spending in Europe surged by 70 percent over the same period. The biggest jump was in the United Kingdom, with a 135 percent rise, according to the data.
7. Beijing Tells Food Delivery Giants to Simmer Down as Feud Gets Too Hot to Handle
Chinese regulators have summoned food delivery giants JD.com, Meituan, and Alibaba Group Holding’s Ele.me to address intensifying competition in the sector, urging legal compliance and fair practices.
The meeting of five government agencies, led by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), aimed to “address the salient issues in current competition of the food delivery industry”, according to a Tuesday statement posted online by the SAMR. The other agencies involved in the meeting oversee social work, the internet, human resources and commerce.
8. China’s Meituan to Bring Keeta Food Delivery to Brazil Under US$1 Billion Deal
Chinese on-demand service giant Meituan has signed a US$1 billion deal to expand its Keeta food delivery platform to Brazil, following successful launches in Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia.
The company said it would introduce Keeta to Brazil “in the coming months” and invest US$1 billion in the South American country over the next five years. The agreement was signed at an event on Monday in Beijing, where Meituan is headquartered. Visiting Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attended the ceremony.
Wrapping Up
The vast and diverse nature of the Chinese Social Media space makes it incredibly challenging to keep a tab on the rapid developments taking place. However, China’s Digital Digest brings you all the latest updates from there to keep you abreast of all the evolving trends.
To delve deeper into the findings of our latest report, click here.
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