6 Must-Read Tech Stories in China This Week

I usually try to keep this list limited to five stories so that it’s quick and easy to browse, but I’m going to be honest: that simply wasn’t possible this week. There was just too much going on to pick only five stories, so we’ve got six, plus a few bonus ones. You may have missed some of our China stories this week, but trust me, you don’t want to miss these:

1. Why the WeChat vs. Weibo War Will Be the Year’s Biggest Story, and Why Weibo Needs to Win

I break down why the Weibo vs. WeChat battle is so important. Later in the week, we also caught Chinese superstar blogger Han Han doing the same thing.

2. China’s Tencent to Open Office in US Devoted to WeChat App

And speaking of WeChat, Tencent is planning to open a US office for the fast-growing chat app everyone loves to talk about. That’s a huge step!

3. Illegal E-Commerce: Buying Guns Online in China is Apparently Pretty Easy

This week, I tried to buy guns online in China, and discovered that it doesn’t seem to be as difficult as you might expect. Guns are illegal in China, but apparently even that can’t stop the power of ecommerce.

4. Chinese Teen Tries to Murder Entire Family for Restricting His Internet Access

There’s never a good reason to murder your whole family, but “I need more internet time!” seems like an especially bad one. We take a look at one of the most shocking internet-related crimes in recent memory.

5. China’s Baidu Reaches Out to World, Makes Developer Tools Available in English

Tencent isn’t the only company pushing aggressively outside of China. Baidu launched a new English-language developer tools website this week, the latest indication that the company is taking its overseas business increasingly seriously.

6. Expose Blasts Qihoo 360 as ‘Cancer of the Internet’; Qihoo Denies Everything

A huge article blasting Qihoo was published this week; we take a look at the accusations and Qihoo’s response before deciding to launch an investigation of our own.