Technology

A person walks past a JD.com advertisement for the "618" shopping festival displayed outside a shopping mall in Beijing, China, 14 June 2022. (Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo/Reuters)

Chinese internet giants gear up for global e-commerce push

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.
Instead of chasing after strong or general AI, perhaps companies would do better to focus on weak or specialised AI. (Pixabay)

AI stars in China and the US lose their shine

Technology expert Yin Ruizhi looks at artificial intelligence (AI) companies and the development of strong and weak AI, and notes that instead of chasing after strong AI for general use, perhaps weak AI for specialised use is the way to go.
Short video platforms Douyin and Kuaishou have focused on a new model of "goods seeking people". (Internet)

Newcomers Douyin and Kuaishou takes on tech giants to refresh the face of e-commerce

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.
Silhouettes of laptop users are seen next to a screen projection of binary code are seen in this picture illustration taken 28 March 2018. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/Reuters)

Web3 with Chinese characteristics: Finding China's solution for regulators, developers and users

Crypto ban notwithstanding, China’s getting firmly in the act of building Web3 infrastructure to its specifications. While China is unlikely to allow global Web3 to play a role in its economy or the lives of its citizens, Chinese developers and entrepreneurs remain fascinated by the promise of global Web3 platforms and cryptocurrencies. This portends the development of two blockchain markets in China: one which caters to those who “jump” the virtual fence to join in the global Web3 movement, and one which uses blockchain in line with Beijing’s vision.
Can China become fully self-reliant in the semiconductor industry? (iStock)

China’s semiconductor Great Leap Forward is doomed to fail

Political commentator Jin Jian Guo believes that the semiconductor Great Leap Forward pushed by the Chinese authorities could have the same devastating effects as the Great Leap Forward of the past. In an industry that is globally interconnected, persisting with the impossible endeavour of becoming fully self-reliant would only result in further instances of failing to learn from history.
A Chinese chip investment fund is at the centre of an expanding anti-graft crackdown on the semiconductor industry. (iStock)

Five things to know about China’s scandal-struck chip industry ‘Big Fund’

An anti-graft crackdown targeting the China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund is rattling the entire semiconductor industry. What is the "Big Fund" and how does it work? What are its most recognised and controversial projects and how did it play a role as a fund of funds? And what’s the role of Sino IC Leasing Co. in all this?
China is clamping down on corruptions and wrongdoings in its chip industry. (iStock)

China’s chip industry 'Big Fund' crackdown: Corruptions or failed investments?

China’s Big Fund has come under scrutiny following a series of high-profile corruption investigations involving key persons in the chip industry. The CHIPS Act was also recently signed into law in the US to counter China, which makes things even more difficult for the sector. Zaobao correspondent Chen Jing speaks to industry experts to find out how the Big Fund can come out of this crisis.
A pedestrian walks past a sign for China Broadnet 5G services in Chaoyang district, Beijing, China, 27 June 2022. (CNS)

China's 5G ambitions undiminished by pandemic and sanctions

While China has accelerated its push to build the infrastructure and to promote 5G among telcos and subscribers, it still faces a shortage of exciting new 5G applications that will draw in a constant stream of consumers or find wider industrial use. Amid a hostile external environment, it also faces some challenges in rolling out 5G and other advanced digital technologies through the Digital Silk Road. Nonetheless, it plans to go full steam ahead.
An advertisement to promote Alibaba's Singles' Day shopping festival is pictured in Shanghai, China, 11 November 2021. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Public awareness, perception and digital divide: Addressing the effectiveness of provisions on algorithm-generated recommendations in China

As governments across the world grapple with ways to regulate platform algorithms, China has pushed ahead with rolling out a set of provisions regulating algorithm-generated recommendations for internet information services. Chinese tech giants have taken prompt adaptive actions in response, but a lack of consumer awareness, prevailing attitudes and a digital divide may undermine the authorities’ efforts.