China Tech Talk

As the coronavirus swept through China, communities, local governments, and business have been trying to figure out how to best follow social isolation rules. This being China, of course, tech majors and telcos jumped at the chance to serve the country by leveraging their vast data pools. But how much tech is actually behind the country's health code systems? Should we be more worried about how China is using data. LinksBecome a member of TechNode SquaredOur newslettersTechNode’s coverage of the coronavirusGuestDavid Cohen, @MartynvanBurenHostsJohn Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNodeMatthew Brennan, @mbrennanchina, ChinaChannelEditorPeter IsachenkoPodcast informationiTunesSpotifyRSS feedMusic: “Theme from Penguins on Parade” by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

The coronavirus epidemic doesn't show any signs of getting any better just yet. While the future of the outbreak is still unclear, the winners and losers of this are clear. In this episode, Matt and John discuss how the coronavirus is changing the face of tech in China.LinksBecome a member of TechNode SquaredOur newslettersTechNode's coverage of the coronavirusHostsJohn Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNodeMatthew Brennan, @mbrennanchina,ChinaChannelEditorPeter IsachenkoPodcast informationiTunesSpotifyRSS feedMusic: “Theme from Penguins on Parade” by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

This episode, Matt and John embark on a wide-ranging discussion about China tech in 2019. Using Bytedance as a lens, they explore the disruptive power of new companies, Bytedance's successes and challenges outside of China, as well as what the world is learning from China tech.Key QuestionsWhat's changed with Bytedance since we last talked about them?What challenges are they facing outside of China?How are other countries dealing with highly successful Chinese consumer products?How is Bytedance acting as a disruptor at home and abroad?What should we be thinking about as 2019 comes to a close?LinksBecome a member of TechNode SquaredOur newsletters66: The next Facebook will be ChineseHostsJohn Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNodeMatthew Brennan, @mbrennanchina, ChinaChannelEditorPeter IsachenkoPodcast informationiTunesSpotifyRSS feedMusic: “Theme from Penguins on Parade” by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China's social credit system (SCS) gets a lot of attention outside of China yet it's still very misunderstood. Many scholars and China watchers have shed light on the topic, but none have done it so concisely and accessibly as Kendra Schaefer and her team at Trivium China. She joins us this week to explain how the SCS is a broad framework for better regulation and enforcement and how it applies to companies, individuals, and government agencies.Key questionsWhat is the purpose of the SCS? How far along is its development?Is the SCS only for individuals?How does the SCS apply to companies?How are China's cities gamifying SCS?Links77: Peer-to-peer lending in China—Tech-driven shadow banking with Andrew PolkThe apps using social credit in ChinaExecutive Summary: UNDERSTANDING CHINA’S SOCIAL CREDIT SYSTEMChina's Social Credit System: An Evolving Practice of ControlKeeping track of social creditEUROPEAN CHAMBER REPORT ON CHINA’S CORPORATE SOCIAL CREDIT SYSTEM A WAKE-UP CALL FOR EUROPEAN BUSINESS IN CHINABecome a m

After an extended hiatus, John and Matt are back! This week, they look at the increasingly effective trend of private traffic. Powered by WeChat and its mini programs, marketers and brands are increasingly creating and driving organic traffic to their shops. Like owned traffic in the West, this is a direct response to the rising costs of reaching fans and followers. Matt delivered a presentation on the topic during the ChinaChat 2019 conference and they take a deep dive into the phenomenon this week.Key questionsWhat is private traffic?Why are brands resorting to this method?How does private traffic work?How do WeChat and Tencent view private traffic?What are traditional e-commerce platforms like Taobao doing to combat private traffic?LinksTechCrunch Shenzhen Nov 11-12Presentations from ChinaChat 2019China Tech Talk 83: Podcasting and why the open web is dead in China with Rio ZhanChina Tech Talk 10: [Interview] Influencers in China and the future of brands with Elijah WhaleyChina Tech Talk 37: Weibo’s KOL wo

Just weeks after Facebook announced their Libra cryptocurrency project, the People's Bank of China has become quite vocal about their on-going project. Most recently, the PBOC announced that China's digital currency is "nearly ready." Following on from our previous conversation about Libra and QQ Coin, this week we're joined by Zennon Kapron, director of Kapronasia, to look at what Libra means in a global context as well as China's plans to launch its own digital currency. Key questions What are the biggest implementation and adoption challenges for Libra? Why don't governments like cryptocurrency? How does a digital currency affect the RMB's status? What are the downsides of a digital fiat currency? Links China Tech Talk 33: Fintech IPOs and the future of money in China with Zennon Kapron China Tech Talk 80: Libra lessons from WeChat and QQ China fast-tracks development of national digital currency in response to Libra China’s digital fiat currency is ‘nearly ready’ for launch: PBOC offici

At the end of 2018, Connie Chan of Andreesen Horowitz, wrote about how podcasts in China monetize. However, what she calls podcasts aren't really what we call podcasts: they're more like paid-for educational audio content. Podcasting, like what we do at China Tech Talk, is actually still very immature in China. But that doesn't mean there aren't content creators following the "traditional" podcasting model. To talk about this, we're joined this week by Rio Zhan, early stage VC and host of the Crazy Capital podcast. We share notes on podcasting and talk about how China's content models have evolved away from the open web. Key questions Why is the China market different for audio content? Why is the open web almost non-existent in China? What role does culture play in creating acceptance of paying for content? How might Facebook's Libra enable monetization for Western podcasts? Links Crazy Capital (in Chinese) Outgrowing Advertising: Multimodal Business Models as a Product Strategy The Dark Forest

In the tech and startup ecosystem, there's always another conference to attend. The landscape isn't all that clear, however, with some conferences getting more public hype and others keeping it low-key. After organizing and attending many of them, John and Matt sit down this week to go over what's out available, what makes certain conferences different, and which are some of the best to attend and why. Key questions What kinds of conferences are there? What should you consider before going to a conference in China? How do conferences monetize? How much work goes into a successful conference? Links WeChat Conference: CHina CHat 2019! Become a member of TechNode Squared Hosts John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel Editor Peter Isachenko Podcast information iTunes Spotify RSS feed Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

In June, Carrefour sold 80% of its China operations to electronics retailer Suning. The news is representative of a much broader shift in the new retails space. When we first covered new retail in 2018, unmanned stores were gaining traction and it was unclear if Alibaba was going to win. In 1.5 years, unmanned stores are almost dead and Alibaba is a clear winner. To discuss this shift, we're happy to welcome Michael Norris, research and strategy manager at AgencyChina. This episode was recorded on June 25, 2019. Key questions: Why would Suning be interested in Carrefour? How did JD lose the new retail battle? What makes Hema and the Alibaba model so successful? What makes the China market so difficult for non-China retailers? Links New Retail Keynote (Dropbox) Carrefour sells 80 per cent of its Chinese retail operations to Suning for 4.8 billion yuan Why it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee on Luckin WeChat Conference: CHina CHat 2019! Become a member of TechNode Squared Guest Mic

On June 18, Facebook announced the Libra cryptocurrency, a solution to their P2P payments conundrum. As to be expected, this move has gotten a lot of attention. In China, that attention has taken the form of comparing Libra to Tencent's breakthrough Q Coin as well as how WeChat has integrated payments. Key questions: What is Q Coin? What's the difference between a virtual currency and a cryptocurrency? What is the relationship between Libra, Calibra, and Facebook? Will China ever have something like this? Links Everything you need to know about Libra, Facebook’s ambitious cryptocurrency Can Facebook’s Libra replicate WeChat Pay’s digital payment dominance? Facebook, Libra, and the Long Game FACEBOOK’S CALIBRA IS A SECRET WEAPON FOR MONETIZING ITS NEW CRYPTOCURRENCY Become a member of TechNode Squared Hosts John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel Editor Peter Isachenko Podcast information iTunes Spotify RSS feed Music: "Theme f

Facial recognition has taken off in China. Perhaps the most widely implemented use case, facial recognition is used to deter jaywalkers, track attention and behavior in schools, catch criminals, monitor live streamers, and more. Unlike Western countries, China's privacy protections laws are almost non-existent, but that is changing with draft legislation soon to be released Key questions: What is China's plan for facial recognition? How is facial recognition being used now? What are the local attitudes toward the technology? Links Video: Facial recognition is on the rise in China Upgraded AI surveillance helps nab student suspected in mother’s murder Inside China Tech podcast Become a member of TechNode Squared Guest Zen Soo, @zensoo, SCMP Hosts John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel Editor Peter Isachenko Podcast information iTunes Spotify RSS feed Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

Last week, the White House announced a ban on US companies doing business with companies deemed a security risk. Over the weekend, Google announces that they must suspend Huawei's access to Android. This episode, Matt and John have a short discussion about what the announcement means for Huawei and what the company may be able to do about it. Correction: In this episode, John says that "HongMeng OS" could be translated as "Red Dream." This is incorrect. The characters for HongMeng are 鸿蒙 and refers to the Chinese mythology's primal chaos. Links Hongmeng, Huawei’s proprietary OS, incorporates next-generation technology Shanghai tech board to push semiconductor independence Why Huawei’s ‘wolf culture’ will help telecom titan fight off attacks and thrive Halt and Catch Fire (TV series about making an OS) Frontline: Trump's Trade War Become a member of TechNode Squared Get your tickets to the first annual Emerge Hosts John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, China

China’s online peer-to-peer lending industry has been in turmoil for the last three years as financial regulators have clamped down as part of “de-risking” efforts. Tuandai.com, a top P2P lender, collapsed in March due to turnover problems. As of February, the platform had more than 220,000 investors with RMB 14.5 billion ($2.15 billion) in outstanding loans. The company is under investigation for illegal fundraising, leading to the arrest of 41 people so far, including co-owners Tang Jun and Zhang Lin. This week, Andrew Polk, partner at Trivium China, joins us to discuss what's happening with the P2P lending industry in China. Key questions: What role has the government played in the growth and death of P2P lending? How is the crackdown on cryptocurrency different from the tightening regulations around P2P lending? Are P2P companies really tech companies, as many claim? Can we expect companies like Dianrong to survive this round of government scrutiny? Links 22: P2P lending, retail banking, and the

With the number of English speakers around the world, it's no surprise that Chinese AI experts and engineers are keeping up with developments across the Pacific. However, the same is not true when it comes to the Chinese language. Indeed, Andrew Ng, former Chief Scientist at Baidu and co-founder of Coursera, made this exact point years ago when interviewed about China's AI progress. Jeffrey Ding, China lead for the Center for the Governance of AI, is trying to change that information asymmetry with his ChinAI newsletter featuring translations of Chinese thought leadership in AI. Links ChinAI newsletter How I learned to stop worrying and love surveillance capitalism 62: AI Superpowers with Kai-Fu Lee TechNode Podcast Network Guest Jeffrey Ding, @jjding99 Hosts John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel Producer Peter Isachenko Podcast information iTunes Spotify RSS feed Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Pod

Free cash flow is cash a company can use for whatever they want. If Pinduoduo is free cash flow positive they’ll likely be able to continue their growth spend and get even larger. If its free cash flow negative, the growth plan will put too much strain on their cash position and, it will eventually fail. To say it simply: the stakes are high. This week, we're joined by James Hull, professional investor and co-host of the China Tech Investor podcast, to take a look at Pinduoduo's actual financial health. Links Pinduoduo’s free cash flow conundrum 43: The e-commerce platform becoming a threat to Alibaba with Thomas Graziani China Tech Investor podcast TechNode Podcast Network Guest James Hull, @jameshullx Hosts John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel Producer Peter Isachenko Podcast information iTunes Spotify RSS feed Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

One of the earliest companies to get into bitcoin mining, Bitmain makes and sells mining equipment and manages one of the world's largest bitcoin mining pools. A controversial company in the space (as are most), Bitmain backed the Bitcoin Cash fork as well as the subsequent fork into Bitcoin Cash ABC. This week we are joined by Nishant Sharma, International PR and Communications Director at Bitmain, to talk about the company, some of their tech, as well as their future plans. This episode was recorded on January 31, 2019. Links How the world’s largest bitcoin miner is taking on AI’s most powerful players Bitmain co-founder Wu Jihan may be departing from core business TechNode Podcast Network Guest Nishant Sharma, @nishantsharma87, LinkedIn Hosts John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel Producer Peter Isachenko Podcast information iTunes RSS feed Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

All of China's most visible mobility players have undergone significant change over the last 12 months. Ofo is on the verge of collapse, Mobike is now Meituan Bike, and Didi is grappling with how to move past their existential safety problem. Links Failures and opportunities: A pivotal moment for China’s mobility industry TechNode Podcast Network Hosts John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel Producer Peter Isachenko Podcast information iTunes RSS feed Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

Early last year, the central government put a freeze on gaming approvals, shutting out many big titles from making money, including PUBG and Fortnite. However, in December, they reopened approvals only to find themselves with a 6-month backlog, leaving giants Tencent and Netease still unable to monetize their biggest hits. Daniel Ahmad, analyst at Niko Partners, joins us again to talk gaming regulation in China, the role of mini games in the WeChat vs Douyin battle, and how Steam is faring in the Middle Kingdom. Links Niko Partners China Tech Talk 18: China's gaming and e-sports industry with Daniel Ahmad Guest Daniel Ahmad, @ZhuGEX Hosts John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel Producer Peter Isachenko Podcast information iTunes RSS feed Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

While everyone is talking about China's expansion into Southeast Asia, China's largest neighbor has become the real target for China's tech companies. This week, Shadma Shaikh, writer at Factor Daily, joins us to discuss the takeover and what Indian entrepreneurs are learning from their Chinese counterparts.

This week saw a multitude of messaging app announcements. First was WeChat's Open Class PRO featuring a four-hour speech from Allen Zhang. Then, on the same day, Bytedance announced their own messaging app (Duoshan 多闪), what appears to be a clone of Snapchat, and Bullet Messenger announced their upgrade and rebrand to Liaotianbao (聊天宝). All three events, and the recent update to WeChat 7.0, raise interesting questions about the messaging market, WeChat's primacy, and the ascendancy of Bytedance.