TOPIC

/ company

WeChat

Released by Chinese web giant Tencent in 2011, WeChat is one of the largest messaging apps in the world, with more than 1 billion monthly active users, primarily in China. Originally confined to text messaging, WeChat has grown into an app platform, with gaming, payment, and social networking functions.

Chairman / President

Ma Huateng

CEO / Managing Director

Ma Huateng

CFO / Finance Director

John Lo

Industry

Social media

Website

wechat.com

Headquarters address

Tencent Binhai Towers, No. 33 Haitian Second Road,Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China

Stock Code

SEHK:2011

Year founded

2011

Ant Group is undertaking the biggest overhaul of its Alipay app in two decades. Photo: Shutterstock

Artificial intelligence

China’s Alipay gets AI-agent overhaul to challenge rivals Tencent and ByteDance

Fintech giant is seen leveraging its billion-user base to launch a conversational interface that coordinates 10,000 services, with safeguards.

16 Jun 2026 - 6:05PMvideocam

US-China relations

US citizen and journalist charged with acting as Chinese agent

5 Jun 2026 - 8:05PMvideocam

Tencent

WeChat to take commands from AI assistants in major shift for Tencent

4 Jun 2026 - 6:00PM

Artificial intelligence

Order coffee, book a flight, buy a burger: Alibaba broadens Qwen’s reach

As Tencent prepares a rival WeChat agent, Alibaba is moving quickly to turn Qwen from a chatbot into a digital concierge for everyday life.

3 Jun 2026 - 8:00PM

The latest upgrade to Alibaba’s Qwen platform brings consumer brands into its AI ecosystem, challenging rivals including Tencent in the battle for China’s next digital gateway. Photo: Shutterstock

Artificial intelligence

Tencent shares jump 10% on expectations of AI agent within WeChat

An AI agent would leverage the app’s ecosystem of mini-programs, payments, content and commerce for 1.4 billion users.

2 Jun 2026 - 4:23PM

Hong Kong society

Student recalls eye-opening trip with American peers that drew praise from Xi

CUHK undergraduate Liu Runjie describes how Chinese and US students reached common understanding during youth exchange trip.

31 May 2026 - 10:54PM

Artificial intelligence

Alibaba AI beats Google and OpenAI in global coding rankings

The Chinese tech giant is the only non-US firm to crack the top five in Code Arena’s latest leaderboard.

27 May 2026 - 8:15PM

Artificial intelligence

Chinese tech giants race to dominate AI-powered digital gateways

The integration of agentic AI with sites like Taobao and JD.com is reshaping shopping, but the bigger promise is an agent within WeChat.

18 May 2026 - 12:00PM

US-China relations

US trial hears witness claims of harassment over Chinese ‘secret police station’

Witness testifies he was harassed after holding a protest against the establishment of alleged Fuzhou-controlled facility in New York.

12 May 2026 - 8:52AMvideocam

Thailand

How RedNote, WeChat are reviving Thailand’s Chinese tourism market

Thai businesses are asking online experts to help reel in young big spenders who prize authenticity over heavily advertised content.

7 May 2026 - 4:24PMvideocam

Diners tuck into “phad kaphrao” at Phed Mark, a Bangkok kitchen with a pop-up feel. Photo: Aidan Jones

US-China relations

US trial opens over alleged Chinese ‘secret police station’ in New York

Lawyers of Lu Jianwang, who has lived in the US for decades, said the alleged covert police station was just a community centre.

7 May 2026 - 7:44AMvideocam

Supporters of Lu Jianwang stand outside a federal courthouse before the opening of his trial in New York, on May 6. Photo: AP

Financial crime

Hot tips, cold reality: China targets online stock scams luring novice investors

Crackdown targets social media accounts offering bogus stock tips, paid groups and AI-driven tools amid surge in retail scams.

17 Apr 2026 - 6:42PM

TikTok

From ‘probing minds’ to verified account: how Musk’s stance on TikTok shifted

The billionaire’s surprising return to TikTok reveals his evolving tech diplomacy, with his account quickly gaining 120,000 followers.

15 Apr 2026 - 9:00PM

Artificial intelligence

Tencent moves to rein in AI content flood on WeChat with stricter rules

Updated guidelines target mass-produced and AI-rewritten posts, reflecting growing concern over the spread of low-effort content.

10 Apr 2026 - 9:31PM

Tencent’s WeChat, marketed as Weixin on the mainland, has warned against speculative and low-effort content. Photo: Shutterstock

Artificial intelligence

Tencent expands OpenClaw suite with enterprise tool amid China’s ‘lobster’ craze

ClawPro tool promises quick AI agent deployment, giving enterprises control over models, tokens and security.

3 Apr 2026 - 8:00PM

Chinese tech firms are rushing to offer China users easy or inexpensive access to OpenClaw after it went viral. Photo: Getty Images

Hong Kong transport

40,000 taxi drivers sign up for e-payment systems as new rules come into force

Widespread coverage is good news ahead of coming holiday for mainland visitors who have solely been using e-wallets for years.

3 Apr 2026 - 11:04AMvideocam

Artificial intelligence

Tencent adds ClawBot plug-in to WeChat amid OpenClaw boom and privacy warnings

With over 1 billion users, WeChat becomes Tencent’s biggest OpenClaw campaign, bringing into focus opportunity and regulatory caution.

23 Mar 2026 - 10:30PM

US-China relations

Chinese social media is awash with criticisms of the US. Can it go too far?

Online responses range from sarcastic variants on Beijing’s official line to ‘armchair generals’ telling Tehran how best to fight America.

22 Mar 2026 - 8:00PMvideocam

Photos of grieving families in Iran have attracted millions of views on Chinese social media. Photo: Reuters

Apple

Apple reduces App Store commissions in China, to applause from Tencent, NetEase

Move has ‘long-term constructive significance for the overall prosperity of China’s mobile app ecosystem’, gaming company NetEase says.

13 Mar 2026 - 3:02PM

Artificial intelligence

China fines firms for fake ChatGPT and DeepSeek services

The two cases are among five examples made public by SAMR as it steps up efforts to fight unfair competition in China’s AI industry.

6 Feb 2026 - 10:06PM

Artificial intelligence

When context is everything, AI models still struggle in the real world: Tencent

Despite rapid advances, today’s top AI models are still “brittle” in messy, real-world environments, according to new Tencent research.

4 Feb 2026 - 7:01PM

Tencent

Tencent’s giveaway campaign for AI chatbot Yuanbao blocked – by WeChat

Units clash as super app blocks links from AI chatbot’s US$144 million promotion for ‘impacting user experience and causing harassment’.

4 Feb 2026 - 2:27PM

A post from WeChat said user complaints prompted it to block links from the chatbot’s campaign. Photo: Shutterstock

Artificial intelligence

Red packet rumble: will Tencent’s cash giveaway work again in crowded AI market?

Analysts say strong competition from ByteDance, DeepSeek, Ant Group and Alibaba may prevent Tencent’s Yuanbao from repeating WeChat glory.

3 Feb 2026 - 12:36AM

Robotics

Chinese tech giants Tencent and Baidu join fight for Spring Festival spotlight

The two companies launch digital red packet campaigns following tie-up moves by ByteDance and Alibaba with CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala.

26 Jan 2026 - 6:00PM

Tencent

Tencent crackdown on third-party WeChat backup tools sparks privacy debate

WeChat offers its own storage management feature, but some use third-party services for more functionality.

23 Jan 2026 - 6:00PM

WeChat’s every move – from technical updates to policy changes – is closely watched and scrutinised on the mainland. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Tencent

Uber’s WeChat tie-up pays off as demand from Chinese tourists rises overseas

Uber will offer a discount of at least 40 per cent during Lunar New Year for new mainland users who join via its WeChat mini-program.

16 Jan 2026 - 3:45PM

New York-listed Uber operates in 70 markets globally. Photo: Shutterstock

Consumer protection in Hong Kong

Mapping issues in 7 of 8 power bank rental platforms tested by Hong Kong watchdog

Consumer Council also finds significant variance in rental fees across different stations within the same platform.

15 Jan 2026 - 3:48PM

Robotics

Chinese robot vacuum maker Dreame gives staff gifts of gold, trip to Antarctica

Dreame’s surprise largesse reflects its robust business growth in 2025, as it remains one of the world’s top robot vacuum cleaner brands.

29 Dec 2025 - 7:32PM

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