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WeChat
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WeChat

WeChat
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
Foreign tourists handle their smartphones while buying tickets for a performance at a theatre in China’s Chongqing municipality last month. Photo: Xinhua
China travel

Before Apec meeting, China’s mobile-payment overhaul is helping foreigners spend

Smartphone apps such as Alipay and WeChat Pay now link foreign cards and wallets, easing a cashless barrier that has long frustrated international visitors.

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

From wine to ping-pong, Trump and Xi’s state dinner leans on historic symbolism

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Tencent

Tencent launches payment app for foreign visitors ahead of Apec summit

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Education in Hong Kong

CUHK instructor triggers backlash over WeChat attendance registration policy

Department later clarifies rule after students raise privacy concerns over using mainland app and location tracking to register class attendance.

The university department has since said the app’s use is optional for students. Photo: Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence

China is beating the US in consumer AI adoption, thanks to super apps: report

While the US has a lead in frontier AI, China’s advantage stems from distributing services through platforms tailored to local habits.

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Artificial intelligence

US firm shows how AI helped hijack WeChat account with just 1 unanswered call

The flaw allowed for remote account takeovers without user interaction, prompting Tencent to patch the problem after Calif cybersecurity team flagged it.

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Hong Kong

Uber to apply for Hong Kong licence by end of October as Macau rides surge

Ride-hailing giant prepares application under new rules while Hong Kong users fuel fivefold trip growth in gaming hub.

An Uber Elite vehicle. The new government regulations require ride-hailing platforms to fulfil nine key requirements, including handling more than 100,000 daily orders in at least two locations. Photo: Sun Yeung
In anticipation of the October “golden week”, Uber has also announced the launch of its WeChat mini programme feature for the Macau market. Photo: Handout
In anticipation of the October “golden week”, Uber has also announced the launch of its WeChat mini programme feature for the Macau market. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

‘Slop’ purge: Chinese watchdog scrubs millions of harmful AI posts

Clampdown sweeps across 2,400 websites and apps as cyberspace watchdog escalates fight against generative tech abuse.

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Tencent

How Hy4 preview puts Tencent back in the top tier of open-source AI

On the DeepSWE benchmark, the Hy4 preview scored 64.3, surpassing Alibaba’s Qwen-3.8 Max at 56.6 and DeepSeek-V4 Pro at 62.7.

Artificial intelligence

24 hours with Tencent’s WeChat AI agent: successes and stumbles

The new Xiaowei agent promises hands-free control across WeChat’s vast digital ecosystem. I set out to see whether it delivers.

Xiaowei sits inside an ecosystem where messaging, payments and millions of mini-programs have already coexisted for years. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Artificial intelligence

DeepSeek’s flagship AI model update underwhelms – except in cybersecurity

Chinese AI start-up’s model impresses in niche areas like cybersecurity but leaves some developers disappointed in its overall capabilities.

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Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek quietly released an updated version of its latest flagship model, DeepSeek-V4-Pro-0813, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
Tencent

Tencent capex jumps 176% on AI push as revenue beats estimates

The firm’s second-quarter revenue surpassed market projections at US$30.4 billion, but the surge in AI spending led to a large negative free cash flow.

Tencent

Tencent fires WeChat manager after 7-figure bonus leaks online, sparks uproar

Screenshots of the executive’s eye-watering compensation went viral on social media, which Tencent said caused a ‘severe negative impact’.

China travel

The Haaland effect? Chinese tourists flock to Norway amid World Cup ad blitz

The hulking striker has become a huge star in China during the World Cup, helping his homeland attract a growing wave of tourists.

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Norwegian football star Erling Haaland has become the face of a major advertising campaign for the Chinese herbal drink brand Walovi during the World Cup. Photo: Captured from Instagram
Artificial intelligence

AI | Chinese AI giants, start-ups ready for the agentic web era

With artificially intelligent agents set to become our interface with the digital world, Chinese tech platforms are embedding them and launching AI-native products.

Chinese AI giants, start-ups ready for the agentic web era
Science

Chinese researchers find a peephole to any smartphone in its leaked radio signal

Authorities could be able to determine which apps are being used by analysing faint electromagnetic signals emitted as the device operates.

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The Future of Marketing in Asia

Basking in the shadows: marketing to and through Hong Kong

Experts at Hungry Digital, Jules & Co and Red Ant Asia discuss the city’s evolving role in marketing strategies.

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The Future of Marketing in Asia

China’s digital platforms redefine global marketing strategies

The mainland’s app ecosystem integrates content, discovery and transaction into a single and seamless experience.

Social networking and e-commerce app RedNote is viewed by Chinese consumers as a search engine and trust-builder. Photo: AFP
The Future of Marketing in Asia

The art of persuasion enters the AI era

Content creators have risen to eclipse traditional ad formats, but now, as AI takes centre stage, the battle for authenticity is on.

China travel

A phone away from home: China urged to provide rental handsets to aid tourists

A think tank says low-end handsets, rentable at border checkpoints and pre-installed with local apps, could narrow ‘digital divide’ for visitors.

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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.

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

US citizen and journalist charged with acting as Chinese agent

According to court documents, Thomas Weir Pauken II worked at the ‘direction and control’ of Chinese officials for at least seven years.

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An American citizen is facing federal charges after being accused of working as an agent for the Chinese government. Photo: Shutterstock
Tencent

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

Phone makers including Huawei, Honor, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo set to support feature that reverses past reluctance to open the super app.

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.

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.

Tencent has repeatedly stressed its cautious approach to adding an agent to its super app. Photo: Reuters
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.

Liu Runjie (centre in white) was among 20 young students from China and the US who took part in the two-week “A Shared Voyage: China-US Youth Friendship Program” in March and April. Photo: Handout
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.

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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.

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