E-commerce

Chinese billionaire Jack Ma has given up controlling rights in the company he founded, Ant Group Co. All eyes are now on what lies ahead for Ant and Alibaba, which owns 33% of the company and was co-founded by Ma.

One major effect of the lockdowns in China has been disruptions to delivery and logistics services, resulting in many e-commerce businesses being unable to dispatch goods and fulfill online orders. Guangdong, an important light industrial area in southern China, with a comprehensive wholesale market system in its capital Guangzhou, has been particularly badly hit. Zaobao journalists Zeng Shi and Hedy Yang speak to e-commerce business owners and other players to find out more.

JD.com founder Richard Liu has been in the news lately following an announcement that the company is set to improve social benefits for rank-and-file employees, while cutting salaries for senior management. While it seems to kill many birds with one stone, is this a long term solution for private firms?

Amid tightening Covid-19 controls, disrupted logistics and e-commerce user base plateauing in 2020, Chinese e-commerce companies are facing tightened scrutiny and slowing growth in revenue. Furthermore, advertising — the most important source of revenue for internet companies — has been weak for more than a year. This leads Chinese tech companies to turn their attention overseas, and those without an overseas development plan will be left behind. Caixin journalists tell us more.

Technology expert Yin Ruizhi delves into the differences between traditional e-commerce platforms such as Alibaba and JD, and “interest-based” platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou, and explores the possibilities for what e-commerce might look like in the future, as both types of platforms operate alongside each other.

Former journalist Jessie Tan muses over the phenomenon of those in need transitioning from begging on the streets to selling goods on Douyin. While the poor or disabled have been given a more dignified and effective source of income, this is just one aspect of the good that comes with social media and technology.

In the sixth of a seven-part Lianhe Zaobao-Business Times series on China and ASEAN, we look at how brands from China are going international, particularly among Gen Z consumers in Southeast Asia.

In the second of a seven-part Lianhe Zaobao-Business Times series on China and ASEAN, Zaobao senior correspondent Chew Boon Leong looks at the strategies adopted and challenges faced by China’s tech companies in Southeast Asia.

As Shanghai battles with its worst Covid-19 outbreak, stringent anti-epidemic measures confining almost everyone at home have ground the city to a halt. It is believed that if Shanghai is not able to resume production by May, industries with supply chains in the area will not be able to function, and the automotive industry will be hit the hardest.