Hi folks, ClickInsights has launched its weekly edition of China’s Digital Digest, wherein we would 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. Twitter and Telegram Soar in Popularity in China as Users Share Protest News
Twitter and Telegram, which are blocked in mainland China and only accessible via virtual private networks (VPNs), are among the country’s most downloaded apps in recent days amid widespread protests over pandemic restrictions, according to app market researcher Sensor Tower.
Twitter surged to become the eighth most popular free iOS app in China two days after such protests broke out across the country starting with Shanghai, data from Sensor Tower showed. While the app had fallen to the 26th place by 1st December, it still ranked far higher than its previous spot of below 100th.
Meanwhile, messaging app Telegram, which allows for encrypted chat, had jumped to the sixth spot in the social networking category, where it remained for four days before dropping slightly to seventh place on 1st December.
2. Huobi Partners With Tron to Launch First National Token in Dominica
Cryptocurrency exchange Huobi announced the launch of the world’s first national token, DMC (Dominica Coin) and Dominica DID, under the authorization of the government of the Commonwealth of Dominica. For the project, Huobi tapped Tron Network and DMC Labs.
According to the official press release, both Dominica DID and DMC were originally issued on the Tron Network. Support cross-chain interaction with Ethereum, BSC, and other public chains via the BitTorrent Chain protocol will be rolled out. This comes after Tron entered into an agreement with the Dominican government to roll out a national fan token in a bid to promote the island’s heritage and tourism.
3. Ex-Lazada President Jessica Liu Joins Shein
Jessica Liu, former president of ecommerce major Lazada, has joined Shein. She joins the fast-fashion firm as its vice president for global brand operations and will be “responsible for global brand partnerships,” Shein said in a LinkedIn post.
Liu joined Lazada as president in February 2020, a role she quit in June 2021 “to spend more time with her family”. Before that, she had several roles at parent firm Alibaba and was with Amazon for nearly seven years.
4. South Dakota Governor Bans TikTok from State-Owned Devices, Citing China Links
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has issued an executive order banning state employees and contractors from accessing the video platform TikTok on state-owned devices, citing its ties to China.
TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020. It has been targeted by Republicans who say the Chinese government could access its user data like browsing history and location. US armed forces also have prohibited the app on military devices.
5. Huobi Co-Founder Appointed CEO of New Huo Tech to Diversify Digital Asset Business
New Huo Technology Holdings Limited has announced that Mr. Wu Simon has resigned as the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer due to his intention to pursue his new business commitments.
Meanwhile, Mr. Du Jun has been appointed as the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and will lead New Huo Tech to further diversify its digital asset business in the future. The above changes will be effective from November 30, 2022.
6. Chinese e-Commerce Giant JD.com Plans to Pull Back from Indonesia, Thailand
Beijing-based JD.com intends to pull back from its businesses in Indonesia and Thailand, where sales growth has been a challenge for several years, the sources said.
The company has been looking for an investor to take over its interest in JD.ID, a joint venture that it formed in 2015 with Singapore-headquartered private equity firm Provident Capital Partners, according to three people close to the Indonesian e-commerce platform. It has also been working to exit from Thai joint venture JD Central, which was formed in 2017 with Bangkok-based retail and property development conglomerate Central Group.
7. Tencent and Netease Halt Games to Honour Late Leader Jiang Zemin
On December 5, Chinese gaming giants including Tencent and Netease announced they would temporarily suspend their gaming services from midnight December 6 to midnight December 7.
While none of the companies publicly disclosed the reasons behind the move, the platforms each changed their profile pictures to a black-and-white scheme, a sign of mourning for China’s former leader Jiang Zemin, who passed away on November 30. It is believed that the games were halted for the memorial service to be held on December 6.
8. Alibaba Launches e-Commerce Platform in Spain
A subsidiary of Alibaba incorporated in Singapore has launched Miravia, an ecommerce marketplace, in Spain. According to filings with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority of Singapore, Miravia is run by Arise Operating E-commerce Private Limited, which shares an address with Lazada at Bras Basah Road in the city-state.
Miravia’s launch comes after Lazada received infusions of US$912.5 million and US$378 million in funding from its parent firm Alibaba this year. It was reported then that Lazada was eyeing an expansion into Europe – which would be its first major venture outside Asia.
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 the October report, click here.