Major developments from Tencent and Alibaba this week as they take their e-commerce battle up another notch. But even these mighty firms have to play by the rules, as the Chinese government intervenes in WeChat and virtual credit cards.
1. Sina Weibo files for US IPO, aims to raise $500 million
Ending months of speculation, China’s top Twitter-esque social network, Sina Weibo, has filed for a US public listing.
2. Compared to the iPhone 5s, this chart shows the iPhone 5c has bombed in China
Apple isn’t going to tell everyone precisely how much of each model it sold in every country, so we need to find an alternative source of data to dig up some insights about its phones.
3. What you need to know about China’s 700 million smartphones and tablets
Among the top 1,000 apps (apps and games) in the Chinese market, 55 percent of them provide links to Chinese social networking services.
4. ZTE set to release China’s first games console later this month
This is not an unexpected development, given China’s recent removal of its thirteen-year console ban.
5. Cough up the money: Panasonic will pay employees sent to China a pollution bonus
While Beijing is doing what it can to curb China’s smog – most recently demonstrated by pollution-fighting drones – most analysts agree the problem is going to get worse before it gets better.
6. WeChat clamps down on political content, bans several outspoken bloggers
An alleged crackdown on WeChat this week led to at least a dozen public accounts being unexpectedly blocked.
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