China Digital Digest Weekly: Exploring the Chinese Digital Landscape

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. Tiktok to Expand E-Commerce to the US And Brazil in Search of New Revenue Despite Political Scrutiny from Washington

https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3196353/tiktok-expand-e-commerce-us-and-brazil-search-new-revenue-despite-political-scrutiny-washington

TikTok is planning to expand its e-commerce business to the US and Brazil as it seeks new sources of revenue and user growth amid persistent political scrutiny over its ties to China.

The viral short video platform, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, has posted more than 300 related jobs on LinkedIn over the past week, including positions for recommendation algorithm engineers, advertising merchant product managers, and heads of its household and make-up goods categories.

2. JD.Com’s Logistics Arm Pushes Ahead with Unmanned Robotic Grocery Deliveries as Amazon Pulls Plug on Similar Trials

https://automobilnews.eu/jd-coms-logistics-arm-pushes-ahead-with-unmanned-robotic-grocery-deliveries-as-amazon-pulls-plug-on-similar-trials-news-by-automobilnews-eu/

Dada Nexus is teaming up with a robot start-up to pilot unmanned grocery deliveries in China’s eastern Jiangsu province, as the logistics affiliate of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com pushes ahead with the technology despite Amazon pulling the plug on similar efforts in the US.

Shanghai-based Dada and Infermove, a Beijing-based robotics company, said in a joint statement that they are working with local merchants in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, to deliver parcels to doorsteps by using sidewalk robots, which can automatically navigate densely-populated areas.

3. Alibaba Prepares Deep Discounts and Extra Help for Merchants Ahead of This Year’s Singles’ Day Shopping Extravaganza

https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3196012/alibaba-prepares-deep-discounts-and-extra-help-merchants-ahead-years-singles

Alibaba Group Holding is preparing to kick off its iconic Singles’ Day shopping festival with steep discounts and broad support for merchants as the Hangzhou-based e-commerce giant seeks to offset downward pressure on consumer spending amid mounting economic headwinds in China.

Alibaba is promoting a membership system for brands to boost sales during the annual shopping extravaganza, which begins on November 11 and providing them with various support measures to reduce costs and increase traffic.

4. Alibaba Cloud Opens a New Hangzhou Campus The Size of Google’s Silicon Valley Headquarters

https://www.benzinga.com/news/22/10/29213079/alibaba-clouds-latest-hangzhou-campus-is-equivalent-to-googles-silicon-valley-headquarters

Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing unit of Alibaba Group Holding, has opened a new campus covering an area of 198,200 square metres (2.1 million sq ft) in its home city of Hangzhou, in the latest sign of the Chinese tech giant’s commitment to its booming cloud business.

The new 10-building campus, with a total floor area of 450,000 square metres, is located in the western part of the city, where its futurist landscape spans an area as large as Hong Kong’s Victoria Park. It is also roughly the size of the campus for Google’s Silicon Valley headquarters, referred to as the Googleplex, which covers about 2 million sq ft in Mountain View, California.

5. Ant Group’s Alipay+ Payment Service Expands In Japan as Tourism Reopens Through Partnership with Universal Studios Park

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/alipay-partners-over-1-million-022000630.html

Chinese financial technology giant Ant Group has signed a partnership that will allow tourists visiting Universal Studios Japan from several countries to use the Alipay+ mobile-payment service to make purchases.

More than 1 million merchants in Japan now accept Alipay+, according to Ant Group, which is affiliated with Alibaba Group Holding, owner of the South China Morning Post.

6. Tiktok Owner Bytedance Starts Stock Option Buy-Back, Offering Employees a Higher Price Amid Dim IPO Prospects

https://www.equitypandit.com/bytedance-increases-price-of-stock-option-buyback/

ByteDance, the owner of TikTok and Douyin, has started a new round of stock option buy-backs from current and former employees, offering a higher price than during an earlier round while the prospect of an initial public offering (IPO) remains low.

The company priced the buy-back at US$155 per unit for current staff, up from US$142 in an April repurchase. For those who have already left the company, the offer is US$116, up from last round’s US$106, according to two people briefed on the plan.

7. China’s Supreme Court Logs 2.6b Pieces of Evidence on Blockchain Platform

https://www.techinasia.com/chinas-supreme-court-logs-26bn-items-judicial-platform

China has registered 2.6 billion pieces of evidence on its judicial blockchain platform, a spokesperson for the Supreme People’s Court – China’s highest court – said in a press conference, Forkast reported. Since May 25, the amount of evidence kept on the blockchain has risen by 18%.

The digital platform is an initiative created by the executive court to connect local courts and create a network, which aims to foster better cooperation between law enforcement bodies countrywide. Recognized by Chinese courts as an official storage method since 2018, blockchain tech was used to ensure that evidence could not be altered or deleted.

8. US FCC Set to Ban Approvals of New Huawei and Zte Equipment, Document Shows

The US Federal Communications Commission is set to formally ban approvals of new Huawei and ZTE telecommunications equipment on national security grounds, according to media reports and industry experts.

The issue is currently being voted on by FCC commissioners and is widely expected to pass, they added. The agency, which regulates cable, radio, television, satellite, and wire communication, acknowledged a proposal was now being circulated without detailing which companies were involved.

9. ByteDance Cuts Project Team of Social Metaverse Product Party Island

https://pandaily.com/bytedance-cuts-project-team-of-social-metaverse-product-party-island/

To reduce costs and increase efficiency, ByteDance has cut the project team for the social metaverse app Party Island, and the relevant staff has returned to their original teams.

Party Island was launched in mid-July this year and is positioned as a social online platform. The slogan of the app is “In Party Island, no one is an isolated island.” It is a real-time online activity community, upon which players can chat and interact through virtual images, and it is regarded by the industry as the first step for ByteDance to enter the metaverse field.

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.