October, November & December
4th Quarter
China’s tech, startup and VC funding news from across October, November and December of 2019, focusing on early stage startups.
For technology-specific news for the most recent month, visit the Other News section, covering blockchain, artificial intelligence, fintech and cryptocurrency news across the 17 jurisdictions that we cover.
October 2019
- China: Ant Financial partners Bayer Crop Science for blockchain solutions in the food and crops industry via existing blockchain-as-a-service offering
- The billion-dollar race to create China’s equivalent of Amazon’s Twitch live-streaming video and gaming platform
- China: Bitcoin mining mega farm burns down, destroying an estimated $10M worth of cryptocurrency machines
- China: Huawei Mate30 loses Google’s SafetyNet certification; and Google Apps install workaround LZPlay disappears
- China: Gov’t increases social control further with new mobile number applications now requiring a facial-recognition test
- China: SimCam raises $8M for AI-powered offline home security camera
- China: State-owned bank CMB International partners Nervos Network to develop decentralized finance applications for financial services
- China: US adds 28 high-technology surveillance firms to blacklist around human rights violations against Uighurs, Kazakhs, and other minority groups
- China: WeRide sets sights on using 5G teleoperations to compete with autonomous driving giants, allowing one person to oversee a fleet of vehicles
- China: Wanxiang Blockchain and PlatON launch PlatONE open-source consortium blockchain infrastructure aiming at enterprize-level services
- ICYMI: China’s Sensetime partners China Tower network infrastructure provider for 1.9M-site biometric video surveillance network
- China: Langogo sets sights on deploying AI-powered translation devices at airports and hotels, where travelers can rent one using their smartphone
- China’s Huawei achieves 5G download speed milestone without millimeter-wave tech: 3.67 gigabits per second on a live 5G network in Zurich, Switzerland
- China: 500-megapixel camera created, capable of spotting a single person in tens of thousands, featuring real-time tracking and facial recognition tech
- China: Another downturn in Huawei’s loss of Google services integration – the security nightmare surrounding a second workaround
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology reviewing relationship with China’s SenseTime, surveillance-focused AI firm, following US Government blacklisting
- China’s Binance cryptocurrency exchange giant launches P2P trading for Bitcoin, Ether and Tether against the Chinese Yuan
- China: Homeland Dream game, propaganda combined with brainwashing – make a virtual city richer by joining in-game version of China’s Belt and Road Initiative
- China: An overview of Easy Transfer, online financial service platform for international students from China
- China’s Alipay digital payments giant partners Russian internet firm in e-wallet JV to develop digital payments in Russia
- China Construction Bank releases second version of its blockchain trading platform, claiming $50BN in cumulative transaction volume
- China: Lakala Payment financial services platform and partners to launch new fintech-focused fund targeting $141M corpus
- China: ‘Study the Great Nation’ app found to weaken encryption, grant government super-user access, deliberately-obfuscated code and more
- China: Kuandeng mapping solutions provider gains $14.2M funding with focus on high-definition maps used in autonomous vehicles
- China: Nio EV maker deemed too high an investment risk by local government, cancelling factory plans
- Video: US ad-tech Mirriad partners China’s Tencent for dynamic video advertising insertion during viewing
- China: Infimind clothing-focused AI startup raises $14M on the back of major e-commerce platform integrations
- China: Cybersecurity Multi-level Protection Scheme to launch, targeting companies and individuals, a comprehensive data gathering, surveillance and control program
- China: Yangzhou Lingtan completes trial of autonomous street sweepers, with sights set on fire engines, military applications, security vehicles and snowplows
- China: Didi Chuxing ride-hailing giant preparing to launch in Costa Rica, its first expansion into Central America
- China: Mingyi Zhonghe gains $14M with digital health platform targeting rural areas, offering cloud-based clinics, pharmacies, and education
- China: Security on Hive Box facial-recognition locks on ‘smart lockers’ beaten by primary school children using just a printed photo of the intended recipient’s face
- Vertex Ventures China closes high-dollar tech-focused fund for startups in mass consumption, semiconductors, AI, enterprise services, health and online education
- China: Just one company “collects bulk data from over 200 countries in…65 languages, including chat, messaging, IoT sensors…as well as video, audio and images”
- China: WeChat launches new payment feature for iOS allowing users to send and receive money using a mobile phone number
- China: Merck pharmaceutical giant announces $14.5M local startups fund, with aims to open a second in-country innovation lab
- China: Cyberspace regulator, censor and control agency publishes second list of 309 approved and registered blockchain service providers
- China: EHang autonomous aerial vehicle firm partners Vodafone for connectivity to all EHang AAVs operating in Europe exclusively using Vodafone SIM cards
- China: Hetao 101 kids coding platform secures $50M, claiming 650K students in 30 countries
- China: Ping An Insurance to spend $22BN on tech, from AI to blockchain, in bid to develop revenue from new startups and improved services
- L’Oreal invests in Cathay Innovation VC fund, aiming to develop beauty-tech startups in China (pdf)
- China: A look at the growth of ‘errand runner’ services in China’s already-crowded delivery market
- China: Bosch partners GAC automaker to adapt automated valet parking system for in-China use, with sights set on 2020 implementation
- China: Government cracks down on malicious online lending and web crawlers illegally collecting user data which is used to issue malicious usurious loans
- China: Alibaba’s Double 11 online shopping event to feature 200,000 brands this year, with new focus on smaller businesses from China’s less-developed markets
- China: Recent viral post exposes the fake-data problem in KOL and influencer advertising
- China: Huawei announces ambitious plans to critical supplier of products and services to the smart car solutions industry
- China: Emotibot AI startup closes $45M fundraise with tech focused on visual and voice emotion recognition in human-machine interaction
- China: Yunxi Technology secures $50M with enterprize-focused big data and cloud tech to provide corporations with networks, data management services and beyond
- Huawei Risk Tracker: “…Huawei has raised…risk concerns for its partners and customers…cyber espionage to IP theft to allegations of corruption…”
- China: “$46M Hikvision project…the bidding document itself…has 1 year of construction and 9 years of operation before being formally handed over to police…”
- China: Cryptography law to take effect January 1 2020, aimed at “facilitating the development of cryptography business and ensuring security of cyberspace and information”
- Global Startup Awards Grand Finale set for December 11-14 in Gangsha, China
- 7 ways China is boosting blockchain, and what this means for Bitcoin
- People’s Bank of China remains committed to being the first in the world to roll out a national digital currency – pegged to the yuan
- US FCC to vote next month to ban companies from using federal telecom subsidies for communications equipment from Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE
- China: 506 blockchain projects published so far by Cyberspace Administration, requiring every entity to register projects ‘for further supervision’
- China: Meituan food delivery and lifestyle service giant introduces mini programs, allowing users to access 3rd party services without leaving the core app
- Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service head warns against 5G role for China’s Huawei
- China’s Communist Party releases decentralized app for members to pledge Party allegiance on a blockchain
- China creates $29BN state-backed fund to invest in semiconductor industry, advancing its goal of reducing dependency on US tech
- How LoL Worlds 2019 gaming championships are shaping up as a new front in the Hong Kong protests battle
- ICYMI: US lawmakers, both Republican and Democrat, pass Human Rights and Democracy Act in support of Hong Kong
- India: “Chinese…volume of investments has increased 5-fold at $5.6BN in 2018 compared to $668M in 2016 and around $3BN in 2017”
- India: A brief overview of how China’s newer and smaller tech-focused merchant banks are targeting the country’s early-stage startups
- China’s Club Factory online retailer raises $100M to build on 40M-strong user base for online sales in India
- Samsung in China: A few years back, 1 in 5 smartphones sold in-country made by Samsung; today, it’s shutting down its last factory
- Malaysia: China’s Huawei secures role in country’s 5G rollout with local partner Maxis telecoms major
- Taiwan flag emoji disappears from Apple iPhone keyboard, further evidence of big tech’s failure to support democracy in the face of CCP influence operations
November 2019
- The story of WeChat is the story of the emergence of China’s internet in the mobile and social era
- Blockchain: “If you hold crypto in a Chinese exchange, for example, your data will probably be examined by Chinese state authorities”
- China: State-owned wireless carriers China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom launch public 5G services
- China: “…some 1,000 convenience stores have already installed a facial payment system, and more than 100 million Chinese have registered to use the technology”
- China’s Xunlei Limited, operator of ThunderChain platform, to establish $100M fund to invest in blockchain tech
- China: The Fabric Full of Lies – a report on forced and prison labor in Xinjiang, and the nexus to global supply chains
- China: EHang to launch piloted low-altitude air transport service by 2021 in Guangzhou, for people and deliveries
- China: An overview of what you need to know about HarmonyOS, Huawei’s bid to replace Google’s Android operating system
- China: Smartisan smartphone maker founder barred from flights and high-speed trains over court rulings from a contractual dispute
- China: Tencent gains tax regulator approval for blockchain-based invoicing tech and standards
- China: Central bank introduces new system to certify 11 different types of fintech hardware and software relating to digital payments
- China: Huawei partnered by Digital Currency Research Institute of People’s Bank of China to focused on financial technology research
- China: Alipay launches new prepaid card service for international visitors, supported by Bank of Shanghai
- China’s Tencent quietly launches Maohu social video chat app, currently focused on dating, in late attempt to catch the social video wave
- China: Regulator scraps plan to eliminate bitcoin and crypto mining industry
- China: Tiangu Information Technology secures $92.4M with Tsign electronic signature service, signaling industry growth as contracts go digital
- US announces Blue Dot Network as counter to China’s Belt and Road program, aiming to fund financially sustainable infrastructure without debt trap implications
- China: A brief intro to Clobotics, startup automating turbine inspections using drones and AI-driven computer vision platform
- China: Bytedance launches Manfen consumer lending app for Android users, along with Bank-backed co-branded credit cards
- France’s Accor Group partners China’s Alibaba around digital applications and loyalty programs to expand Chinese-focused overseas traveller experience
- China: Foreigners without a Chinese bank account can now pay with Tencent and Alibaba apps in China using international credit cards
- China: government makes it illegal for minors to play video games after 10pm, with a 90-minute limit on weekday game-playing – enforced via national registration database
- China’s electric car startup Nio Inc to partner Mobileye, Intel Corp’s self-driving car tech firm, to develop autonomous vehicles for China’s consumer market
- UK’s Reality Gaming Group inks MOU with Chengdu New Economy Development Commission for China entry, aiming for AR and blockchain gaming development
- China’s Nervos Network blockchain startup to launch Lina mainnet, following $72M fundraise via token sale
- If we have blockchain with these Chinese characteristics, we eschew the central ethos of cryptocurrency and blockchain and the technology that underlines it
- Echoing…Xinjiang, the Chinese government has tightened its grip around Tibet by securing an already nearly impassable border with drones, facial recognition and radar
- China: Alibaba claims Singles’ Day sales hit $13BN in the first hour, up 32% from the same period last year
- China: Across Q1-Q3 2019, the total number of mobile users with China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom reached 1.6BN
- China: Skyroam Wi-Fi service startup raises $20M with SIM-free mobile coverage across more than 200 countries
- Beyond Meat meat-free food startup aiming to launch vegan products in China by end of 2020, with sights set on the world’s largest pork consumption market
- China: Alibaba logs over $38.3BN in purchases during Singles’ Day, exceeding last year’s record
- China: Lolli, affiliate retail startup giving online shoppers bitcoin instead of cash-back perks, partnered by Alibaba e-commerce giant, for US-only purchasing
- China: A look at the growth Tencent might enjoy if it spun off high-performing divisions as standalone companies
- China: An intro to Akkadu, aiming to bring live event interpreting into the smartphone era
- Hong Kong stock exchange listing committee approves application by China’s Alibaba to sell up to US$15BN in new shares
- China: Xinhua state-run media agency delivers first-time item bitcoin, the “first successful application of blockchain”, likely to promote national cryptocurrency
- China: Huawei’s HarmonyOS able to run on multiple IoT devices, so developers need to build only one version of an app to deploy via different platforms
- China: In the first 68 seconds of Alibaba’s Singles’ Day online shopping spree, Chinese consumers reportedly spent $1BN; in the first hour, $14.3BN
- China/HK: Mapxus, an Apple Indoor Mapping Data Format platform service provider, gains $3M backing led by Hong Kong-based Beyond Ventures VC fund
- China: A look at how video livestreaming has become a major part of Alibaba’s Singles’ Day
- China: In Q3 2019, Tencent’s WeChat monthly active users hit 1.15BN; QQ mobile MAU hit 653.4M; and WeChat Mini Programs daily active users exceeded 300M
- China’s TikTok starts trialling social commerce with limited launch of e-commerce features
- China: Ximalaya aims for fundraise of $350M to expand online podcast and radio services, claiming a user base of 600M
- China: Burberry partners Tencent to trial ‘social media-friendly stores’ using WeChat
- ICYMI: Huawei’s Mate X goes on sale online in China and sells out first batch – admittedly without numbers stated – in minutes
- TikToK and data privacy: “…privacy concerns often bleed into national security concerns; issues of free speech, data privacy and cybersecurity are inextricably intertwined…”
- China: VIPKID online education startup providing one-on-one video English teaching for children denies rumours of 15-20% staff layoffs, despite sharp growth decline
- China passes US in education-tech investing, now responsible for over 60% of world investment in the AI-driven field
- China: Tujia, Airbnb copy, aims to treble bookings on the back of current 60% share with sights set on global home-share lead inside 5 years
- ICYMI: Shenzhen Taxation Bureau states it has issued over 10 million blockchain-based invoices, used on-demand without the purchasing of physical tax invoices
- China: Police in Nanjing uncover ‘stalkerware’ app which allows users spy on partners, revealing victim’s location and chat conversations
- China: Shutterstock found to run censored search blacklist, disappearing in-country results for ‘sensitive’ terms, ‘Taiwan flag’ and ‘dictator’ among them
- China: Huawei unveils FreeBuds 3 noise-cancelling headphones as a competitor product to Apple’s AirPods Pro
- Singapore’s VeChain launches blockchain-based Yunnan Pu’er Tea Traceability Platform in China
- China: Huawei launches blockchain directory and data exchange platform for government in Beijing, linking more than 50 institutions
- China: Everything you need to know about the world’s biggest PC games industry
- China: Weibo bans official accounts for Binance and TRON cryptocurrency platforms, after Xi Jinping’s blockchain praise revives speculative activity
- China: Ruikang Pharmaceutical partners Zheshang Bank on Jixiangtian platform, blockchain-based solution focused on supply chain finance
- China: An intro to Dongtu, the country’s version of Giphy, and how it came to be
- Y Combinator abandons plans to establish China branch, with hired YC China lead departing to run his own MiraclePlus program
- China: VPhoto live-steaming video and photo sharing startup raises $14M, with platform offering over 5K contract photographers
- China: A looko at Huya, game-centric live-streaming platform with 146M monthly active users, and how its mobile focus gives it an edge on larger rival Douyu
- China: Global Digital Bank Consortium Blockchain Investment Fund launches, aimed at building a digital bank which can later be transformed into main blockchain node
- China: Tencent launches Nearby Ads for SME retailers on WeChat Moments, displaying SME advertising within a 3km radius of their outlet
- China: PBOC central bank cracks down on cryptocurrency trading in Shanghai, following on from similar move in Shenzhen
- China: Pinduoduo group buying e-commerce platform’s monthly active users hit 429.6M in Q3 2019, an increase of 85% from Q3 2018
- China: ‘Financial Island’ of 2.5 square kilometers to be built in Hebei Free Trade Zone of Xiong’an New Area, to provide sandbox for ‘creative financial trading’
- China: Amazon marketplace tries new market entry with store on Pinduoduo, social e-commerce platform and fast-growing competitor to Alibaba
- State-owned China Reform Holdings partners ministry of industry and info-tech to establish $7BN fund to facilitate development of China’s security industry
- China: Beijing to add second ‘Silicon Valley’ district with development of Chaoyang, alongside established Zhongguancun district
- A look at how China’s tech companies are focusing on the growing ‘silver generation’, seniors, knowing that a demographic shift is rapidly approaching
- China: Tens of thousands of blockchain companies may have tried to issue their own cryptocurrencies, says Beijing Blockchain Application Association
- China: Financial technology, regulatory technology and blockchain Blue Book released, estimating ‘black industry’ market scale has reached $15BN in value
- The China Defence Universities Tracker – a tool to help universities and researchers understand institutions in China and avoid harmful collaborations
- China: Taobao e-commerce platform customers can order messages written in the snow for around 70 cents for six words, for use on social media and beyond
- China: “As of September 30, 2019, JD had over 250,000 merchants on its online marketplace, and over 200,000 employees excluding part-time and interns…”
- ICYMI: US Federal Comm’s Commission finalizes ban on Huawei, ZTE equipment in funded projects; ISPs may have to remove existing Huawei and ZTE gear
- China: ‘Digital Yuan’ goals in, first, retail payments and, second, cross-border payments for international finance will require different technical designs for each
- China: How even TikTok provides a window into China’s oppressive police state activities in Xinjiang
- China: WeRide autonomous vehicle startup commences robotaxi service pilot in Guangzhou, backed by Japan’s Nissan
- China: SOSV Chinaccelerator unveils the 9 startups set to present their businesses on its 16th Demo Day
- Blocking Huawei from Australia’s 5G network may not mitigate risks around the company’s telecommunication gear being used elsewhere, says defence strategist
- Hong Kong Monetary Authority to partner People’s Bank of China on central bank digital currency, aiming to link HK with PBOC trade finance blockchain
- Liberate Hong Kong VR game preps to launch on Steam, letting you fight as a protester, inspired by Blizzard’s Blitzchung controversy
- India: BAce Capital, backed by China’s Ant Financial, preps to deploy circa $90M in-country, looking at ‘small-ticket’ investments from $1M- $15M
- TikTok developer, ByteDance, to launch music streaming service in India in December 2019, in competition with local players JioSaavn, Gaana and Hungama
- China’s Ant Financial to raise a $1BN startup fund for investments in India and wider SE Asia, with a focus on payments and risk control
- Tourism Malaysia partners China’s Mafengwo travel-focused social network to boost visitation for Visit Malaysia 2020 program
- Malaysia: Online scam syndicate run by Chinese nationals busted, near 700 arrested over cross-border cybercrime using 8000 mobile phones and 1000 computers
- A quick comparison of Instagram’s new Reels feature and TikTok video sharing app
- Taiwan: Facebook to crack down on China’s state-run fake news and disinformation operations ahead of Taiwan elections in January 2020
December 2019
- Critical pieces of China’s cutting-edge surveillance state share a connection. They came from America.
- Mapping more of China’s tech giants: Australian Strategic Policy Institute update on companies mainly in the artificial intelligence and surveillance tech sectors
- China’s largest 3 blockchain trade finance projects claim $63BN in transaction volume so far
- An intro to Impossible Meats’ moves towards pole position in China with meat-alternatives focused on Chinese dishes
- China: At least 5 crypto exchanges halt all, or domestic-only, operations as gov’t seeks tighter controls on the market including exchanges, miners and asset issuers
- China: A brief look at Lilith Games, startup behind Rise of Kingdoms strategy series which, in October, beat Tencent and NetEase in overseas mobile game revenue
- China: “Airport, train stations, stores and hotels – almost every organisation asks for facial data…but no one tells me why they collect the data and how they protect it”
- China: Ethiopian gov’t inks MOU with Alibaba to join Alibaba-led initiative Electronic World Trade Platform in digital economy growth move
- China: Authorities targeted Zapya app users in Muslim Uyghur persecution by using it to identify those who downloaded the Quran and shared religious teachings
- China: Xiaomi launches Kindle-like e-book reader as more Chinese readers turn to mobile apps
- China: Huawei partners France’s Devialet startup for voice-enabled SoundX Smart Speakers, delivering a 60-watt double subwoofer and 360-degree sound
- China: Regulator clamps down further on online video and audio, banning publishing and distribution of ‘fake news’ created by AI and/or delivered in VR
- China: Blockchain Service Network Alliance to launch nat’l blockchain infrastructure platform, Gov’t-driven and with bank, digital payment provider and telco membership
- China: Esports-related sales in China hit $7.3BN during the first 6 months of 2019 and are on track to top $14.2BN by year-end
- US gov’t may expand ban to more foreign shipments of products containing US tech to China’s Huawei, amid blacklisting’s relatively low impact
- ICYMI: Court in Shaoxing, China, delivered the country’s first criminal sentence based on evidence stored on a blockchain
- How united is the ‘Sino-Russian approach’ in reality? The Hague Program for Cyber Norms’ new policy brief examines what may, in fact, be a coalition of the unwilling
- A reporter took DNA tests in both the US and China. The differences between the two companies are stark.
- ICYMI: JD e-commerce giant opened its largest offline store, JD e-space, in November, spanning 50,000 square meters in Chongqing
- China: EtherscanIO, one of the longest-running and most widely-used Ethereum block explorers, now blocked for in-country IP addresses
- China: A look at smalliot, offering in-hospital infection control using IoT and computer-vision tech
- Huawei files lawsuit in response to US Federal Communications Commission ban on rural American carriers purchasing Huawei equipment via Universal Service Fund
- Together, these measures show Beijing’s absolute determination to seize from foreign companies all communications, data, and other information stored…in China
- China: Huawei faces growing backlash in-country as details emerge around 251-day jailing of former employee following now-disproven accusation of blackmail
- China’s Alibaba-backed startup AutoX applies for California driverless test permit, the first challenger to Alphabet Inc’s Waymo
- US reportedly considering listing Huawei on Specially Designated Nationals list, which would make it near-impossible to complete transactions in US dollars
- ICYMI: US House passes Uyghur bill demanding sanctions over human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang camps, prohibit US tech export used in state suppression
- China: Sweetome Group, shared accommodation operations spin-off from online short-term rental unicorn Tujia, acquires two domestic vacation rental startups
- China: HeyGears 3D digital app provider raises $60M from Group 42, UAE-based AI and cloud computing giant
- China: An overview of autonomous driving startup WeRide, focusing on driverless ride-hailing and running a driverless taxi pilot scheme in Guangzhou
- China: An overview of the opportunities and challenges in brands seeking a marketing foothold in China’s huge ‘influencer economy’
- China: In mid-November, digital Yuan stage 1 implementation commenced with 3 pilot provinces chosen; stage 2 likely to be DLT-based digital national identity cards
- China: New swarm of Twitter spambots identified, spreading lies and disinformation supporting Xinjiang concentration camps targeting Uighurs
- China: Gov’t issues order that all foreign computer equipment and software be removed from government offices and public institutions inside 3 years
- China: Clumsy propaganda game released based on HK protests against Chinese Communist Party, built around players attacking protesters
- China Blockchain Report now available from Hong Kong’s Forkast News
- Just like its vice-like grip over the internet and flow of information, China will probably use its digital currency for mass surveillance purposes
- China: Gansu library commences removing – and burning – pro-democracy publications and those critical of Communist Party. Comments on this? Censored
- China: Taojiji e-commerce startup, once seen as a Pinduoduo competitor, declares bankruptcy
- China: “…bank cards and payment accounts, WeChat and social media, accounts to buy train and air tickets, my phone, even my face ID, are connected to my ID card…”
- China: Hackers hijack $1M in seed funding during wire transfer between a Chinese venture capital firm and an Israeli startup using spoofed emails and domains
- China: An overview of Guangya Keji, using visible light communications tech as a faster and safer payments vehicle
- China: A look at 3 imaging-related tech startups that exhibited at TechCrunch Shenzhen 2019
- China’s ByteDance now testing new social music app, Resso, in India and Indonesia, hoping to generate another global sensation like TikTok
- China: Cosmose AI raises $12M to track brick-and-mortar purchasing habits
- China’s in-development national digital currency to be compatible with Alipay and WeChat Pay, and to be available for use without an internet connection
- China: Tianjin Kylin Information and China Standard Software to create new firm to develope Chinese OS, following gov’t directive to remove all foreign soft/hardware
- China’s AI champions have spun AI algorithms into gold in recent years, but that may become more difficult as the technology becomes more widely available
- ICYMI: Threats to the U.S. Research Enterprise – China’s Talent Recruitment Plans – the report received by the US Senate (pdf)
- Somehow, China’s Communist Party propaganda mouthpiece, Xinhuanet, secures presentation rights as media partner for 2020 CES Tech Awards in Las Vegas
- China: Suqu Net aims to resolve hotel hygiene scandals using embeddable chips to track hotel inventory, from cleaning rags to bed linen
- China’s bitcoin miners taking an increasing percentage greater of production power, currently controlling 66% of the global hashrate
- China: Bytedance, parent of TikTok, adds Shanghai Dongfang Newspaper media house to JV list, to develop business lines for its Jinri Toutiao news aggregator platform
- Bank of China uses blockchain to issue $2.8BN of financial bonds to small businesses and micro-enterprises
- What do Uganda’s police force, a Mongolian prison and Zimbabwean airports have in common? All are testing China-produced facial recognition systems.
- China: Tencent trials revamped version of Pengyou social app, a combination of Facebook, Instagram and Tinder, focusing on teenage users
- China: Qutoutiao mobile content aggregator preps to sue following analysis of 50K ads on the platform, suggesting near 50% revenue came via Qutoutiao CEO-owned parties
- One Country, One Censor: How China undermines media freedom in Hong Kong and Taiwan – from the Committee to Protect Journalists
- China: Conflux blockchain startup to receive research institute and incubation centre funding from Shanghai Government
- A brief intro to China’s notional 4 city tiers, and the impact your location might have on the technology you use
- UK footballer, Mesut Ozil, removed from China version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 game following his criticism of China’s persecution of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang
- An overview of the apparently reviving relationship between Slovakia and China, and the role blockchain tech may play as time goes on
- China: Kuaishou platform claims 100M daily active live-broadcasting user base, selling items from cosmetics to industrial equipment
- China: Qingsong Fund early-stage VC firm closes $43M tech fund; prepares $143M 4th fund, also tech-focused
- China consumer report 2020: The many faces of the Chinese consumer, from McKinsey
- Download: The Social Credit System And China’s Rule Of Law (pdf), from Mapping China
- ICYMI: The Pentagon reportedly prompting US telecoms to join forces on open-source 5G software in drive towards alternative to China’s Huawei
- China’s Alibaba secures 2 US patents to secure and expedite its blockchain network, reducing data verification time and introducing process scheduling
- China: Tencent internet giant to launch cryptocurrency research unit in payments arm, reportedly to also support government digital currency initiatives
- An overview of the problems online content-hub models face, in China and in general
- China: Huawei to invest $10.5BN across 5 years to build ecosystem around Kunpeng processors, market move both towards desktop and to address Google Play access loss
- China: iFlytek startup announces development of AI-powered tech that can accurately identify a person by voice, ostensibly for use in law enforcement
- China: Regulatory agencies issue joint warning reminding individuals and companies not to engage in cryptocurrency trading and related activities
- ICYMI: Huawei and Honor sub-brand launched $1BN global fund to aid developers to build for Huawei Mobile Services, replacement for blocked Google system
- China’s Huawei launches South Africa-specific Shining-Star as part of 1BN Huawei Developer Programme
- China: Global development of AI-based education, focusing on China, from Deloitte
- China’s PlusAI self-driving truck startup successfully completes autonomous delivery trial run from the US West Coast to the East Coast
- China: Bitcoin miners in Sichuan province reportedly advised by local authorities to scale down operations due to dry-season electricity shortages
- China: Securities regulator considering application for listing of exchange-traded fund that will track blockchain-related stocks as underlying assets
- KPMG rolls out KPMG Origins, blockchain-based track-and-trace platform for trade, in Australia, China and Japan
- Australia: Adelaide China Biotech Investment Fund launches with $45M corpus, for commercialisation of health and biotech research
- Australian companies operating in China to be forced to allow Chinese gov’t access to encrypted data, described as legalising in-country theft of trade secrets
- Australia: Somehow, Brisbane’s Cross River Rail Authority contracts China’s Huawei for digital signalling system, ignoring federal government ‘high-risk vendor’ status
- Russia’s Alrosa diamond producer launches WeChat mini-program with Everledger, allowing consumers and retailers in China to track diamond sources via blockchain
- Cambodia: China-linked espionage group Rancor found to have made repeated, ongoing attempts to hack Cambodian government organisation
- The illusion of a rules-based global order: “Nowadays, international law is powerful against the powerless, and powerless against the powerful”
- Japan’s Marubeni trading house partners China’s Byton EV firm in move to secure used auto batteries for recycling as energy storage units serving homes and more
- Japan: Huobi cryptocurrency exchange’s Japan branch gains $4.6M investment from Tokai Tokyo financial services firm
- Taiwan: Thousands of lies flood social media every day as Beijing seeks to exploit social divisions and undermine democracy in lead up to presidential election
- 1BN surveillance cameras projected worldwide by year-end 2021; more than half of those will be in China, each likely providing all data to the CCP
- Hong Kong: Kr Space, Beijing-HQ co-working space and China competitor to WeWork, to shut down its Hong Kong Time Square location
- US House of Rep’s unanimously passes Secure and Trusted Comm’s Networks Act, barring gov’t bodies from purchasing tech from potential nat’l security threats
- Huawei cloud services unit to partner regional arm of San Francisco’s Skymind to offer joint expertise on smart city innovation with projects in Indonesia, Malaysia
- An intro to 8 Asian food-tech startups working on the future of food, from meatless meat to sustainability
Startup News: China
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