Technology

What are China’s main e-commerce platforms? Who buys what from which platform? Are Douyin and Xiaohongshu taking over from Tmall and JD? This infographic answers your pressing China e-commerce questions Created with information provided by cross-border e-commerce company Samarkand Global

JD and Tmall may be top of mind when it comes to e-commerce, but don’t neglect WeChat. China’s most popular app gives brands access to hundreds of millions of monthly active users, with simple ways to sell via mini-programs and mobile websites. AppInChina explains how to sell and promote your products via the WeChat ecosystem Where can businesses sell on WeChat? Mini-programs and mobile websites are both used to host …

Despite a dip in sales in 2019 and the impact of the pandemic in early 2020, China’s electric vehicle (EV) market is recovering at full throttle, writes Juliette Pitt. But with previously generous subsidies on the decline, how big can China’s electric vehicle market really get? Sales of China’s so-called new energy vehicles (NEVs) more than doubled between November and December of 2021. According to the China Passenger Car Association …

The Chinese government is pinning the country’s development on science and technology, ensuring the Party can innovate its way out of any problems the future may hold. British businesses could find themselves at a disadvantage as a new ‘techno-nationalism’ grips China’s industrial markets and results in the adoption of a ‘China first’ principal in government procurement, writes Joe Cash “Mr Science” has made many cameo appearances in the Party’s presentation …

From ubiquitous mobile payments and online insurance to carbon neutrality and rural revitalisation, China’s 2022-2025 Fintech Development Plan has some very lofty ambitions. Qian Zhou from China Briefing reviews the main contents of the new fintech plan The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) recently released its Fintech Development Plan for 2022-2025, which seeks to further develop China’s fintech sector and drive the digital transformation of finance in the country over …

China offers a range of tax incentives to encourage the growth of industries and technologies such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence and biopharmaceuticals. But what kind of companies qualify for these innovation tax incentives? As China endeavours to shift from a low-end mass manufacturer to a high-end producer, the government has doubled down on encouraging targeted investments in R&D and technological innovation. The ongoing technology confrontation with the US is another …

In the fourth in our COP26 series, we look at how companies like Oxford Instruments, Thoughtworks and XAG are driving the development of technologies that enable clean energy, zero-emission vehicles and carbon capture The 20th century saw unprecedented technological advances. However, in our quest for progress, we failed to heed the impact that our industries were having on the planet. Although we now know that human activity started influencing the …

On 26 October, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) jointly released a plan for e-commerce development during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) The scale and penetration rate of e-commerce in China is already astonishing, and this plan aims to push it to new heights. According to the plan, the volume of e-commerce transactions in China reached RMB …

What is Pinduoduo – the fastest growing social commerce giant in China – and why brands should get on the bandwagon, according to Sara Danese from Azya, a digital specialist for wine and spirits brands entering China Pinduoduo – now China’s third-largest e-commerce platform with a 10.5% market share – is the fastest-growing Chinese social commerce platform with roots in lower-tier cities in China. Starting out fulfilling the needs of …

Home to unicorns like Tencent, Huawei and BYD Semiconductor, Shenzhen now has the highest number of startups per head of population in China The number of newly registered companies in Shenzhen jumped 10.4% in the first six months of 2021 as the city kept its pole position in China for startups. From January to June, there were 258,449 newly registered commercial entities in the city. Based on the official resident …