China tells Alibaba and Tencent to open platforms to each other: media

SHANGHAI, Sept 11 (Reuters) – China’s Ministry of Industry has told technology companies such as Alibaba Group Ltd (9988.HK) and Tencent Holdings Ltd (0700.HK) to stop blocking links to websites. their platforms mutually, the 21st Century Business Herald said Saturday.

The newspaper, citing unnamed sources, said the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Friday proposed rules to companies for instant messaging services, saying all platforms must be unlocked within a certain amount of time.

The ministry said it might have to resort to other measures if companies did not comply, the newspaper said.

The move is the latest in a regulatory crackdown spanning industries, from technology to entertainment and gaming companies.

Companies that attended the meeting included Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, Baidu Inc., Huawei Technologies Co. (HWT.UL) and Xiaomi Corp (1810.HK), according to the newspaper. Companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Internet in China is dominated by a handful of tech giants who have historically blocked rival links and services on their platforms, creating what analysts have described as “walled gardens”.

Regulators in recent months have cracked down, accusing companies of building monopolies and restricting consumer choices.

In July, the Wall Street Journal reported that Alibaba and Tencent were gradually considering opening up their services to each other, such as introducing Tencent’s WeChat Pay to Alibaba’s Taobao and Tmall e-commerce markets.

Reports by Brenda Goh in Shanghai and Yingzhi Yang in Beijing; Edited by William Mallard

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