China Digital Digest Weekly: Exploring the Chinese Digital Landscape

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. TikTok’s Chinese Sibling Douyin Emerges As Fast-Rising Ecommerce Player

https://www.livarava.com/trends/p/9364047

ByteDance’s Douyin, the domestic sibling of TikTok, has emerged as a rising contender in the Chinese e-commerce market once dominated by Alibaba Group Holding and JD.com, despite slowing growth.

The Beijing-based short-video platform, which has been aggressively expanding into the online shopping business, increased gross merchandise volume (GMV) by 46 percent year on year between August 2023 and July 2024, said Wei Wenwen, the president of Douyin’s e-commerce unit. While that was slower than the 80 percent growth recorded by Douyin from May 2022 to April 2023, as well as the three-fold jump achieved in 2021 after the launch of its online shopping business in 2020, it still surpassed the recent performances of established shopping sites in China.

2. ByteDance Denies Collaboration with TSMC on AI Chips

https://www.hawkinsight.com/article/bytedance-denies-cooperation-with-tsmc-on-ai-chip-manufacture

In response to media reports about ByteDance‘s plan to collaborate with TSMC on AI chips, ByteDance stated today that the reports are inaccurate.

ByteDance stated that the company is indeed exploring the chip field, but it is still in the early stages, mainly focusing on cost optimization for its recommendation and advertising businesses, and all projects fully comply with relevant trade regulations. Earlier this year, there were reports from foreign media that ByteDance was collaborating with Broadcom to develop an AI processor to ensure there are enough high-end chips. Although the design work is progressing smoothly, the ‘tape-out’ that marks the end of the design phase and the beginning of manufacturing has not yet started. According to previous reports, ByteDance later denied the rumors related to ‘collaborating with Broadcom to develop AI chips’.

3. TikTok Adds ‘Delete and Re-Edit’ Option for Uploaded Clips

https://socialbarrel.com/tiktok-adds-new-delete-and-re-edit-options-for-uploaded-clip/145729/

TikTok is reportedly experimenting with a new “Delete and Re-Edit” option on your uploaded clips, which would effectively undo any edits that you’ve made to your videos in the app.

That won’t count for edits you’ve made in third-party apps, so if you’re using CapCut for your clips, you’re out of luck. But if you’ve been editing and creating your clips within TikTok, the option could make it much easier to re-do your clips if, for example, you come up with a better idea, or you just want to try out a different approach in retrospect. 

4. Jack Ma Calls On Alibaba To Remain Steadfast, ‘Believe In The Future’

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/alibaba-founder-jack-ma-urges-093000140.html

Alibaba Group Holding founder Jack Ma called on employees of the business empire he created in Hangzhou 25 years ago to “believe in the future” and “believe in the market”, as the e-commerce giant faces fierce competition on multiple fronts.

According to his letter published on Alibaba’s internal website, Ma said many of the company’s businesses face the prospect of being surpassed amid the “resurgence of … technology and fierce competition in various industries”. He said Alibaba is made of “an idealistic spirit”, which means that “we believe in the future, we believe in the market”.

5. Alipay Will Launch An AI Independent App ‘Zhixiaobao’

https://www.aibase.com/news/11568

Ant Group has launched the Zhixiaobao mobile app, an AI life assistant that better connects users with all kinds of life services on the company’s digital life platform Alipay. The app is available for download from iOS and Android app stores.

As an AI-native application powered by Ant Group’s BaiLing foundation model, Zhixiaobao is designed to make everyday tasks easier through user-friendly interactions. Through typing or voice chat in Zhixiaobao, users can order meals, hail taxis, book tickets, and discover local dining and entertainment options, accessing third-party services in Alipay more easily.

The app also provides a number of built-in AI agents, each with specific domain knowledge that makes them an expert in their own fields. For example, the “English Language Tutor” agent can help users make a learning plan and provide tips for learning the language. The “Fitness Pro” agent can help users design workout routines and come up with personalized training advice.

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.