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We update you on the most essential news from Asia in tech, media, and business—the things you need to know that you probably haven’t heard in Western media.
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China’s Vow to Go Carbon Neutral by 2060 ☁️
Last week at the UN General Assembly, Chinese President Xi Jinping declared China’s new public plan to go carbon neutral by 2060. As the world’s biggest climate polluter, China’s announcement was a major step forward in the human battle against climate change. Making this statement is one thing, but actually marshalling the resources and regulations to make this happen is a different story. This requires the replacement of pretty much China’s entire current energy system.
It was a bold move for Xi Jinping that many people did not expect. This should also prompt a response from the US, the world’s second biggest carbon emitter. President Donald Trump has not set any specific targets for the US and actually plans to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement in November. There are political undertones to the conversation around climate change, which is now opening as another front in the tensions between the US and China. With this new declaration by Xi Jinping at the UN, China wants to increase its soft power as China comes across as a forthcoming team player.
Virtual Events and Experiences in Indonesia 💻
The events industry, like many other industries, has had to pivot their model because of the coronavirus, shifting many of their events from offline to online. You have seen this across the East and West. And in Indonesia, it’s a similar story where local tech companies are responding to more online demand by creating new virtual products, such as KiosTix and Gojek. KiosTix is a ticketing management company that launched an online event hosting platform in April called KiosLive. This new platform focuses on providing a space for musicians to host live concerts online and also has interesting features like allowing people to simultaneously order food delivery while watching an online event.
Gojek is the multi-billion dollar Indonesian tech company best known for their ride-hailing app. Gojek has been expanding into other areas in a quest to become more like a SuperApp, and they launched GoPlay Live in July. This is a new on-demand live video platform for people to host large events. In September, Gojek launched a similar product called Loket Live Studio, which is focused more on helping content creators host online events. Gojek has also integrated features like live shopping and virtual donations into these platforms. Whether these companies succeed or new startups come into the picture, the commercial opportunity of online events is huge in a country like Indonesia, which has a population of 260 Million people.
Hiding Your Chinese Apps in India 🕶
Since the Indian government banned hundreds of major Chinese mobile apps a couple of months ago, some Chinese companies have been trying to figure out workarounds to get back into the Indian market. One common tactic is sneaky rebranding. For example, Chinese company Kuaishou had an app banned earlier this year called Kwai. However, Kuaishou has just launched Snack Video in India, which is very similar to the banned Kwai app. It’s a game of cat and mouse, and there are always going to be ways to get around the rules.
Some have reported Chinese developers now teaming up with Indian developers to be seen as an Indian company. Other Chinese companies are registering as new companies with a Southeast Asian headquarters. And technically, one could argue that if the Indian government bans a specific app then a thinly veiled clone app should be allowed…until the new clone app is banned. The Indian government has actually followed up with more ban lists that specifically target these new clone apps. Either way, India is so big that many Chinese companies can’t afford to lose access to the market. Or at the very least, they will do everything in their power to stay connected to Indian consumers.
Update #77 - Carbon Neutral China, Virtual Indonesian Events, and Sneaking Into India