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Baidu CEO Robin Li speaks at the company’s Ernie Bot launch in Beijing on Thursday. BEIJING—At an intimate event space in Baidu Inc.’s Beijing headquarters on Thursday, the Chinese search giant’s Chief Executive Robin Li sought to wow an in-person and online audience by introducing its AI-powered chatbot, Ernie Bot. Over half an hour, Mr. Li showed a series of prerecorded videos of the chatbot—the first real Chinese contender to ChatGPT, developed by San Francisco-based firm OpenAI—answering questions about Chinese literature, solving math problems and generating images and videos.

SINGAPORE—The failure of Silicon Valley Bank reverberated through startups and venture-capital firms from China to Singapore and India during a roller coaster few days that shook confidence in Asia over reliance on U.S. tech financing. After frantic efforts trying to secure their money, some startup executives said the incident served as a warning despite U.S. authorities stepping in Sunday to shore up the bank’s customers.

☆ Baidu Hurries to Ready China’s First ChatGPT Equivalent Ahead of Launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Raffaele Huang | Karen Hao | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Baidu plans to roll out Ernie Bot in stages, first opening it up for public testing to a restricted pool of users. A week away from the March 16 launch of Baidu Inc.’s ChatGPT equivalent, employees at China’s biggest search-engine operator said they are racing to meet the deadline with the chatbot still struggling to perform some basic functions. To develop the artificial-intelligence-powered chatbot, dubbed Ernie Bot, hundreds of people have been working around the clock, people familiar with the project said. Other teams have been asked to lend their staff and their powerful computer chips, which Chinese companies can no longer buy because of U.S. sanctions, they said.

☆ Baidu Scrambles to Ready China’s First ChatGPT Equivalent Ahead of Launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Raffaele Huang | Karen Hao | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Tesla Rival BYD Plans Big Commercial-Vehicle Push
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( River Davis | Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

China’s BYD, which has a factory in Lancaster, Calif., is North America’s largest electric-bus manufacturer. China’s BYD Co., having risen over the past decade to become one of the top global sellers of electric passenger cars, is now plotting a big push into battery-electric commercial vehicles. Over the next three years, BYD plans to introduce new commercial-vehicle models in markets including China, Europe and Japan, according to people familiar with the company’s plans. It has mapped out a budget of more than $20 billion for its commercial-vehicle unit through 2025, with major outlays planned for research, product development and expansion of production capacity, the people said.

☆ American Firms Race to Meet China’s Data Rule Deadline
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Some companies operating in China must pass a security review by the country’s internet regulator before they can transfer users’ personal data abroad. SINGAPORE—Multinational companies doing business in China raced to submit their data practices for Beijing’s review ahead of a Wednesday deadline as the country seeks to identify national security and cybersecurity risks from the increasingly global flow of data. In September, Beijing gave companies operating in China six months to seek approval before allowing some locally-generated data to be exported outside its borders, part of a broader tightening of data security as geopolitical tensions rise between China and the West.

☆ China Data-Transfer Law Adds to Strains on Multinationals
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Meta in Talks to Reboot China Business With VR Headsets
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Raffaele Huang | Newley Purnell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Tencent Holdings Ltd. is in talks to sell Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc.’s popular virtual-reality headset in China, home to the world’s biggest pool of internet users. Tencent, China’s biggest videogame company, has proposed to Meta that it become the exclusive seller of Meta’s Quest 2 headsets in China, people familiar with the discussion said. Tencent has also sought to publish Chinese versions of existing videogames for the device, they said.

☆ Tencent in Talks to Sell Meta’s Quest 2 VR Headset in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Raffaele Huang | Newley Purnell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ TikTok Parent’s Work-Collaboration Tool Feishu Hit $100 Million in Revenue
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Consumers learned about ByteDance’s platform Feishu at an exhibition Beijing. SINGAPORE—ByteDance Ltd.’s Slack-like work-collaboration tool Feishu said its subscription revenue hit $100 million last year, as the Beijing-based parent company of TikTok seeks new sources of growth. Xie Xin, the chief executive of Feishu, told staff in a virtual meeting Thursday that the product’s annual recurring revenue—a metric that software-service companies refer to—jumped around 270% from 2021, according to employees who attended the meeting.

☆ TikTok’s Talks With U.S. Have an Unofficial Player: China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Liza Lin | Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SINGAPORE—As TikTok pushes for an agreement with U.S. officials over its operations, an unofficial force at the negotiating table is the Chinese government. TikTok has been negotiating with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., an interagency government panel, for more than two years on a way to wall off the company’s data and operations from the Chinese government.

After Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Beijing on Tuesday, the countries signed 20 cooperation agreements. President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday at the start of a three-day trip, as the two countries shored up ties amid their escalating tensions with the U.S.Iran is increasingly reliant on China to salvage an economy crippled by U.S. sanctions, but also fears Beijing’s growing ties with Saudi Arabia could leave it further isolated.

☆ American Cloud Companies Face Challenge From China in Southeast Asia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

China’s Alibaba Cloud has pledged a new investment of $1 billion to support its global partners in the coming three years. SINGAPORE—U.S. cloud-computing companies, dominant globally, are facing intensifying competition from upstart Chinese rivals in Southeast Asia, offering a head-to-head look at how the two geopolitical rivals’ corporate champions stack up in a key technology. China’s Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Huawei Technologies Co. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. are planning to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in Southeast Asia in the coming years.

☆ Amazon, Microsoft, Google Pressured by Chinese Cloud Rivals in Southeast Asia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Baidu Developing Its Own ChatGPT, Aiming to Integrate It Into Search
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Karen Hao | Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Baidu CEO Robin Li, here in 2019, told employees in late December that the great challenge is turning the company’s ‘cool technology’ into products that everyone needs. China’s Baidu Inc. has thrust itself into a global race to commercialize the next-generation of artificial-intelligence technologies like ChatGPT that could bring major transformations to the internet. The company is developing an AI-powered chatbot similar to OpenAI ‘s popular ChatGPT and plans to integrate it into its main search engine in March, people familiar with the matter said.

☆ Baidu Is Developing Its Own ChatGPT, Aiming to Integrate It Into Search
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Karen Hao | Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Baidu CEO Robin Li, here in 2019, told employees in late December that the great challenge is turning the company’s ‘cool technology’ into products that everyone needs. China’s Baidu Inc. is developing an artificial-intelligence-powered chatbot similar to OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT and plans to integrate it into its main search engine in March, people familiar with the matter said. The search giant also plans to build an independent website for users to access the tool, some of the people said.

☆ Kuaishou Co-Founder Sells $483 Million in Stock to Fund Donations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Dave Sebastian | Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Beijing-based Kuaishou says some of the proceeds will go to a foundation that will make donations for public-benefit purposes. Kuaishou Technology Chairman Su Hua sold $483 million worth of shares in the short-video app operator to fund charitable contributions and other causes, joining other founders of Chinese technology giants who have made similar moves. A company owned by Mr. Su and his family sold a roughly 1.3% stake in Hong Kong-listed Kuaishou on Wednesday in an off-market block trade, according to a regulatory filing. Beijing-based Kuaishou said some of the proceeds will go to a foundation that will make donations entirely for public-benefit purposes. Other funds will be directed to a trust supporting the development of cutting-edge technology and related infrastructure.

☆ NetEase Rejects Activision Offer to Extend China Licensing Partnership
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SINGAPORE—Chinese videogame publisher NetEase Inc. has refused Activision Blizzard Inc.’s offer to extend a licensing partnership, the two companies said, deepening a rift between the firms over operations in the world’s biggest mobile game market. Blizzard Entertainment Inc., an Activision Blizzard subsidiary, said Tuesday that it proposed to NetEase a six-month extension to the partnership that is set to expire next week. The licensing partnership has brought Blizzard’s globally popular videogames such as “World of Warcraft,” “Diablo III” and “Overwatch” to the Chinese market through NetEase.

☆ Activision Says NetEase Rejected Offer to Extend China Licensing Partnership
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

NetEase recently launched a new version for its multiplayer role-playing game ‘Justice,’ with features that NetEase said are similar to Blizzard’s ‘World of Warcraft.’SINGAPORE— Activision Blizzard Inc. said NetEase Inc., its longtime partner in China, has refused its offer to extend a licensing partnership and that it is in talks with several videogame firms to find a new partner in the country. Blizzard Entertainment Inc., an Activision subsidiary, said Tuesday that it proposed to NetEase a six-month extension to the partnership that is set to expire next week. The licensing partnership has brought Blizzard’s globally popular videogames such as “World of Warcraft,” “Diablo III” and “Overwatch” to the Chinese market through NetEase.

☆ Didi Wins Approval to Restart New User Registration for Ride-Hailing Service
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ Didi Global to Resume New User Registration for Ride-Hailing Service
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ China Buys Stake in Alibaba Unit, Signaling New Normal of State Oversight
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

China’s cyberspace regulator also appointed an official to the board of an Alibaba subsidiary, say people familiar with the matter say. SINGAPORE—Chinese authorities recently acquired a stake in a subsidiary of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., indicating regulators intend to keep the sector on a tight leash even as they move past an extended crackdown on the country’s internet-technology giants. A Beijing-based entity controlled by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s internet watchdog, took a 1% stake in a Guangzhou, south China-based Alibaba business on Jan. 4, according to China’s corporate registry. The cyberspace regulator also appointed an official to the board of the Alibaba entity, whose media portfolio includes mobile browser UC Web, people familiar with the matter say.

☆ China’s Shortage of Antivirals Puts Vulnerable People at Risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Raffaele Huang | Clarence Leong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SINGAPORE—China is struggling with shortages of lifesaving antivirals more than a month after its government made an abrupt U-turn on its zero-Covid policies, leaving hospitals and drugmakers unprepared for the rapid rise in cases. Many people in China are hunting for antiviral treatments such as Pfizer Inc.’s Paxlovid and Merck & Co.’s Lagevrio, also known as molnupiravir, which have been shown to suppress the ability of the virus to reproduce when taken soon after a patient gets infected.

Liza LinLiza Lin covers Asia technology news for The Wall Street Journal from Singapore, focusing mostly on China, the internet, supply chains and surveillance. In 2021, Liza was part of a team at the Journal that was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting, for their coverage of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Liza, alongside other Journal reporters, won the Gerald Loeb Award for International Reporting in 2018 for a series of stories on China's surveillance state. Liza is the co-author with Journal colleague Josh Chin of the book "Surveillance State: Inside China’s Quest to Launch a New Era of Social Control." A Fulbright scholar, she has also worked for Bloomberg News in Singapore and China.

Persons: Liza Lin Liza Lin, Liza, Xi Jinping, Gerald Loeb, Josh Chin Organizations: Wall, New York Press Club, Society of Publishers, Social Control, Bloomberg News Locations: Asia, Singapore, China, Shanghai

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