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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.

☆ Mafia boss Messina Denaro held in top security Italian prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A general view shows the prison where Italy's most wanted mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro is detained, in L'Aquila, Italy, January 18, 2023. REUTERS/Gabriele PileriL'AQUILA, Italy, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro was being held on Wednesday in a high-security jail in central Italy, subject to special restrictions applied to the country's most dangerous prisoners. "I've no criminal record," Messina Denaro, who was caught on Monday after 30 years on the run, told prison guards when he was admitted to the Costarelle prison close to the city of L'Aquila, Italian media reported. Police on Tuesday found the apartment where they believe Messina Denaro had been living for the past few months under the assumed name of Andrea Bonafede. Prosecutors say Messina Denaro was one of the leading figures in Cosa Nostra but preferred to remain in his own region and was not the "boss of bosses" like the late Salvatore "Toto" Riina.

☆ 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

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/didi-global-to-resume-new-user-registration-for-ride-hailing-service-11673854334

☆ 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

☆ China’s Service Sector Contracts Amid Covid Surge, Survey Shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Joyu Wang | Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Health workers guided people arriving from China this week in Seoul after South Korea imposed curbs on Chinese travelers. China’s services sector contracted for a fourth straight month in December, underscoring Covid-19’s economic costs just days before the country reopens its borders to revive growth. The Caixin services purchasing managers index, published on Thursday, rose to 48.0 in December, indicating the slowdown of activity in the sector had moderated from the previous month, when the gauge was at 46.7. A reading below 50 indicates contraction.

☆ China Approves Foreign Videogames in Latest Breather for Tech Giants
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Imported videogames have been an important source of income for large Chinese game companies. SINGAPORE—China has resumed granting publishing approvals for foreign videogames, ending a halt stretching back to June 2021 and removing a source of uncertainty for the country’s once-flourishing videogame industry. China’s main videogame regulator, the National Press and Publication Administration, said Wednesday that it had approved 45 imported titles, including “Pokémon Unite,” a multiplayer battle arena game co-developed by China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Japan’s The Pokémon Co., and Riot Games Inc.’s first-person shooter game “Valorant.”

☆ Chinese Rush for Exit as Beijing Ends Zero-Covid and Opens Its Doors
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Raffaele Huang | Rachel Liang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SINGAPORE—Moments after China said it would reopen its borders to international travel for the first time in almost three years, sales of air tickets out of the country soared, as people leapt at the chance to put the stifling restrictions of zero-Covid behind them. Top of the getaway wish list were regional destinations a short hop away, with Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan favorite choices. Bookings more than tripled from the day before, data from travel company Trip.com Group show.

☆ Tesla Halts Auto Production at Shanghai Plant in Rare Christmas Suspension
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SINGAPORE— Tesla Inc. suspended car production at its Shanghai plant on Saturday, extending a planned eight-day production halt at its largest worldwide plant by car output, according to people familiar with the matter. The halt follows a recent slowdown in global demand for Tesla vehicles. The decision to prolong the work suspension comes as the electric-vehicle manufacturer faces a wave of Covid-19 infections among its workers and suppliers in China, the people said.

☆ Tesla Extends Shutdown at Shanghai Plant in Rare Christmas Suspension
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SINGAPORE— Tesla Inc. suspended car production at its Shanghai plant on Saturday, extending a planned eight-day production halt at its largest worldwide plant by car output, according to people familiar with the matter. The decision to extend the work halt comes as Tesla faces a wave of Covid-19 infections among its workers and suppliers, the people said. The temporary halt follows a recent slowdown in global demand for Tesla vehicles.

☆ TikTok’s Efforts to Distance Itself From Chinese Parent Stumble Over Talent
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SINGAPORE—TikTok has accelerated efforts to move workers away from China in an attempt to distance itself from its Chinese parent, but the short-video app still counts on local talent to handle some key functions and continues to recruit there. TikTok and its parent ByteDance Ltd. have moved key executives to Singapore and the U.S., ramped up hiring of staff and engineers outside of China, and reorganized teams internally from the rest of the Chinese company’s suite of apps, part of efforts to separate the companies under scrutiny from Washington.

☆ China Plans Covid Vaccination Drive for the Elderly in Bid to Ease Pandemic Controls
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Raffaele Huang | Cao Li | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

HONG KONG—China is planning a Covid-19 vaccination campaign for the elderly in December and January, part of its effort to be able to ease its zero-Covid policy, public-health officials familiar with the plan said, as outbreaks hit records and protests denouncing rigid pandemic controls spread. China aims to inoculate 90% of people aged 80 and above with at least one shot by the end of January, said the officials, who work at local branches of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and received instructions from Beijing. That rate is currently at 77%, according to government data.

☆ China Missed a Window to Be Better Prepared for Covid-19 Surge
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Liyan Qi | Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

China had three years to prepare for a nationwide surge in Covid-19 cases. While it increased spending to build more hospitals and develop vaccines, funding gradually shifted toward paying for costly Covid-19 restrictions. Investment in expanding medical resources, such as hospital beds, actually slowed during the pandemic, government data shows.

☆ China’s Central Bank Takes Action as Record Covid-19 Outbreak Hits Economy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Jason Douglas | Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SINGAPORE—China’s central bank moved to backstop growth by boosting lending to households and businesses, as the world’s second-largest economy struggles with its biggest Covid-19 outbreak since the pandemic began. Economists said the shift in policy will likely have limited impact, as repeated lockdowns, a continuing real estate crunch and fading demand for Chinese exports mean appetite for loans is weak.

☆ Pop Star Kris Wu Is Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison in China for Rape
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Pop singer and actor Kris Wu, who is also known as Wu Yifan, has previously denied the allegations. He is pictured at a music awards ceremony in Toronto in 2018. China sentenced Chinese-born Canadian pop star and actor Kris Wu to 13 years in prison after finding him guilty of rape and one other sex crime, closing the book on one of the most high-profile cases to emerge from the country’s embattled #MeToo movement. A court in the Chinese capital of Beijing said in a statement Friday evening that Mr. Wu, one of the country’s most recognizable celebrities, raped three women who were too intoxicated to resist in late 2020.

☆ China Covid-19 Cases Hit Record High, Forcing Fresh Control Measures
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SINGAPORE—China’s new Covid-19 cases hit a record high, testing the government’s push to contain the virus with more-targeted virus controls and avoid damaging the economy. Almost 30,000 locally transmitted infections were recorded for Wednesday, surpassing the previous record in April, when Shanghai’s two-month lockdown severely hurt China’s economy and snarled global supply chains. Economists say the risk that China’s “zero-Covid” policy will again force officials to impose sweeping measures is one of the main threats to world growth.

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