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. DeepSeek Warns of Impostor Accounts as AI App’s Popularity Soars
DeepSeek is fighting a surge in fake social media accounts and websites pretending to be linked to the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up, as scammers and impersonators take advantage of the frenzy surrounding the firm’s success.
Hangzhou-based DeepSeek warned that it had only three authentic social media accounts, which could be found on Chinese platforms WeChat and RedNote, as well as US microblogging service X, formerly Twitter. The company added that its namesake chatbot app was free to download and that it had not issued cryptocurrencies. Any social media groups set up in the name of DeepSeek to charge fees must be fraudulent, it said.
2. Trump Says TikTok Ban Deadline Could be Extended
US President Donald Trump has said that his 75-day delay in enforcing a ban on the popular short-video app TikTok could be extended, but said he does not think that will be necessary.
In remarks to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he still hopes to make a deal on TikTok to keep the app alive in the US, crediting it with helping him win the 2024 presidential election. The app’s fate has been up in the air since a law requiring its Chinese owner ByteDance to either sell it on national security grounds or face a ban took effect on January 19. Trump, after taking office on January 20, signed an executive order seeking to delay by 75 days enforcement of the law.
3. Apple, Google Restore TikTok App in US After Assurances From Trump
Apple and Alphabet’s Google have restored ByteDance’s TikTok to their app stores following assurances in a letter from US Attorney General Pam Bondi that a ban would not immediately be enforced.
The two companies had removed TikTok in the US last month to comply with a law passed in 2024. The move follows weeks of uncertainty about TikTok’s future, and there is still no guarantee that it will survive in the US in the long run. The video app briefly went dark last month to comply with a federal ban, only for it to return after Trump vowed to halt enforcement of the law. But Apple and Google did not immediately restore the software to their app stores.
4. Elon Musk Says He Doesn’t Want to Buy TikTok’s US Business After all
Elon Musk has said he's not interested in buying TikTok, the popular social video app the US has tried to ban over national security concerns with its Chinese owner ByteDance.
He made the comments – his first on the topic of him buying TikTok – at a conference in Germany hosted by Mathias Doepfner, the billionaire chief executive of German media conglomerate AxelSpringer, last month. US President Donald Trump has said he would be open to Musk, who donated more than US$250 million to his presidential campaign, or Oracle Corp. Chairman Larry Ellison purchasing the app as a part of a joint venture with the US government.
5. Baidu Ventures CEO Responds to Missing Out on DeepSeek
Baidu Venture Capital, which is located right above DeepSeek’s Beijing office, has sparked a lot of discussion among netizens due to missing the opportunity to invest in DeepSeek.
In response to this issue, Baidu Ventures CEO Gao Xue has stated that when DeepSeek first moved into the Rongke Information Center in May 2024, they promptly visited them and maintained an amicable relationship. However, due to the fact that the large-scale business “Magic Square Quantitative Fund” was not independently structured for a financing plan, similar to other VCs, they were unable to become investors in DeepSeek.
6. Xiaohongshu to Open Hong Kong Office, Focus on Globalization
Xiaohongshu has reportedly negotiated to lease space at Times Square in Causeway Bay, involving an area of about 7,000 square feet with a rent of around HK$40 per square foot.
Sources said that Xiaohongshu is negotiating to lease high-level units at Times Square in Causeway Bay through the foreign agency Cushman & Wakefield. It is expected that the leasing transaction will be completed shortly. Establishing an office in Hong Kong will help expand its business operations there. The report also mentioned that Xiaohongshu has leased space in Times Square, Causeway Bay, and will become neighbors with Alibaba Group Holding Limited. Alibaba currently leases over 100,000 square feet of floor space in the building.
7. Alibaba’s AI deal With Apple Lifts Hong Kong Shares by Most in 3 Years
Alibaba Group Holding jumped by the most in nearly three years in Hong Kong after the Chinese e-commerce giant tied up with Apple to develop artificial intelligence (AI) features for iPhones.
The stock advanced 8.5 percent to HK$113.80, its best one-day performance since March 29, 2023, when it surged 12 percent. Its American depositary receipts added 1.3 percent to US$112.78 in New York overnight. The run-up came after Alibaba struck a deal with Apple to help the US company apply AI technologies to its smartphones in China through the Qwen AI model, citing sources.
8. Jack Ma Visits Second-Hand Marketplace Xianyu as Alibaba’s AI Grabs Attention
Alibaba Group Holding founder Jack Ma visited the Hangzhou offices of Xianyu, China’s largest online marketplace for second-hand goods, as the technology giant advances its artificial intelligence (AI) agenda.
Photos and video clips shared by Xianyu employees showed Ma, 60, sporting a vest emblazoned with the Alibaba logo and smiling broadly. The company’s young staff members were seen jostling for a selfie with the retired entrepreneur, who remains widely regarded as the spiritual leader of the business empire he created in 1999 and the face of China’s private sector. Ma has resigned from all corporate roles at Alibaba, but remains a key shareholder.
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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