By S. Alex Yang and Angela Huyue ZhangHONG KONG Following a deadly fire in a residential building in China’s Xinjiang region, which many blame on COVID-19 lockdowns, Chinese protesters have taken to the streets to demand an end to stringent pandemic restrictions. Even before the protests erupted, there were signs that President Xi Jinping’s administration was preparing to
By S. Alex Yang and Angela Huyue ZhangHONG KONG Following a deadly fire in a residential building in China’s Xinjiang region, which many blame on COVID-19 lockdowns, Chinese protesters have taken to the streets to demand an end to stringent pandemic restrictions. Even before the protests erupted, there were signs that President Xi Jinping’s administration was preparing to
HONG KONG Hopes are rising that China’s embattled tech giants will finally get a reprieve from the severe legal and regulatory crackdown that has wiped out over $1.5 trillion of their shares’ value. Amid mounting challenges to economic growth, some Chinese government officials have signaled a possible shift to a new strategy: The acquisition of a 1 per cent equity stake,
HONG KONG Hopes are rising that China’s embattled tech giants will finally get a reprieve from the severe legal and regulatory crackdown that has wiped out over $1.5 trillion of their shares’ value. Amid mounting challenges to economic growth, some Chinese government officials have signaled a possible shift to a new strategy: The acquisition of a 1 per cent equity stake,
HONG KONG ByteDance, the parent company of the popular social-media platform TikTok, has a not-so-secret weapon. Its powerful algorithms are able to predict users’ preferences with precision and recommend content they actually want to see, thereby keeping them glued to their screens. But ByteDance may soon have to sheathe that weapon, or, at least, dull its blade.