It’s been only two weeks since Beijing requested major Internet companies to open access to each other, Alibaba and Tencent have already started to honour their pledges.
It is said that Alibaba-backed delivery platform Ele.me and Youku, known as China’s YouTube, have given access to Tencent’s WeChat wallet. At the same time, e-commerce platforms owned by Alibaba – such as resell app Idle Fish and supermarket app Hema Fresh – are also waiting for WeChat Pay integration to be approved by Tencent.
This morning, Alibaba has confirmed that the information above is true. The tech giant also reiterated its commitment to finding common grounds with other platforms in the future, and said that it believes “sharing, connecting and openness are fundamental to a sound digital ecosystem”.
However, Taobao and Tmall owned by Alibaba – the most popular online shopping platforms in China – are still limited to Alipay. The group said it will integrate other payment options step by step and make sure that no user’s data will be put at risk.
This access opening is the beginning of the end for major tech companies’ long practice of blocking each other’s services and links. Chinese netizens are now looking forward to a continuous joint effort between those internet giants so that they can have a better user experience across platforms; it is also believed that these moves will contribute to a better digital ecosystem and restrain monopolistic conduct in the Chinese market.
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