Asian tech roundup: Jack is back

Plus: Alibaba splits up and JOLED goes under

Welcome to Computing's fortnightly roundup of tech news in Asia. This time we look at China easing restrictions on tech firms, and India's internet crackdown in Punjab.

China

• Jack Ma, co-founder of Alibaba, has returned to China after spending several months outside his home country. He had been travelling around Asia and Europe, following negative comments he made about the Chinese government's tech crackdown in 2020. Source
• Alibaba Group has announced plans to split into six separate business units, including one dedicated to cloud. Source
• At the last minute, Baidu switched its launch of generative AI chatbot Ernie from 'open to the media' to 'closed door' on the 27th March. The company says this was done to satisfy demand from the 120,000 companies that have signed up to test the bot. Source
• The Cyberspace Administration of China has vowed to moderate online comments that damage the reputation of businesses and entrepreneurs. Shen Yue, an official with the CAC, said it was an attempt to control "the online chaos of fabricating and spreading false information." Source
• Google has suspended Chinese e-commerce app Pinduoduo from its Play Store, after versions found outside the Store were found to contain malware. Source
• The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong has lowered the minimum market cap required for tech companies to list publicly, from HK$8 billion (£828.9 million) to HK$6 billion (£621.6 million). The aim is to support "innovative and progressive" companies, says HKEX CEO Nicolas Aguzin. Source
• Tencent's revenue has fallen for the first time since the company went public in 2004. Full-year revenue for 2022 was down 1% year-on-year to RMB554.6 billion ($80.6 billion). At the same time Q4'22 revenues were mostly flat (up 0.5% YoY) to RMB145 billion ($20.8 billion). Source

Japan

• Japan will not tax foreign tech firms who register their global headquarters in the country, the National Tax Agency has said. Japan asked several firms, including Microsoft, Meta and Google, to make the move last year to comply with regulations, although none have taken the government up on its request so far. Source
• JOLED, the joint venture between Panasonic and Sony to produce OLED panels, has filed for bankruptcy. Japan Display will take over the company's R&D business. Source
• Japan's first quantum computer has begun operations, at the Riken Center for Quantum Computing in Wako, Saitama Prefecture. Universities and research institutes that work with Riken can now access and use the computer via the cloud. Source
• The Japanese government plans to restrict exports of manufacturing equipment used to make semiconductors. Although it did not specifically mention China, trade minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said the plans were part of Japan's responsibility to contribute to international peace and stability. Original source English-language source

Other Asia

• Authorities in the Indian state of Punjab blocked internet access for 27 million people and suspended Twitter accounts - among other more physical measures - as part of a manhunt for Sikh activist Amritpal Singh this month. Despite the moves, he remains at large. Source
• The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is reviewing feedback on proposed cryptocurrency regulations, and is aiming to publish a response later this year. The proposals focus on making crypto dealing safer for investors. Source
• Apple has launched its Apple Pay service in South Korea, which it has been trying to do since 2017. The company was stymied by local regulations, but has now gained approval from the Financial Supervisory Service. However, NFC technology to support the payments system is still uncommon in the country. Source