London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

China's Xi Jinping warns of tech crackdown, Alibaba pulled from app stores

China's Xi Jinping warns of tech crackdown, Alibaba pulled from app stores

CCP officials on Monday warned of tech giants 'growing in an inappropriate manner'

Chinese companies are pulling tech giant Alibaba's search engine from their platforms after President Xi Jinping warned of a tech crackdown in the country, according to reports.

The action comes after China in November pulled the record $37 billion initial public offering of Alibaba's financial-technology affiliate Ant Group after facing regulatory scrutiny, The Financial Times reported.

It also comes after Chinese state media company CCTV criticized Alibaba for displaying medical ads from untrustworthy sources, according to Reuters, but experts say neither its e-commerce dominance nor its misleading ads led to China's crackdown on the company.

"The real reason behind the crackdown is ... the conglomerate's growing influence in various aspects of Chinese people’s lives," Weifeng Zhong, senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, told FOX Business.


He added: "Being able to influence and command a large population is the most critical monopoly power of the Chinese government, and any challenge to that, even if unintended, won't be tolerated. This is also why Li Ka-shing, Hong Kong's richest man, has been divesting his various businesses from China even before Beijing heavy-handedly intervened in Hong Kong's system."

Chinese Communist Party leadership said during a Monday meeting that some tech companies "are growing in an inappropriate manner and therefore bear risks," according to The Guardian. "It is a considerable problem that the current regulatory regime has failed to adjust."

Alibaba did not immediately respond to an inquiry from FOX Business.

The tech giant, often referred to as China's Amazon, owns a greater share of China's e-commerce market than Amazon's share of the U.S. e-commerce market. The CCP is apparently considering fining Alibaba $975 million over anticompetitive practices, eyeing its tech and media acquisitions over the past several years, The Guardian reported.

China’s market regulator last December fined Alibaba and other companies for not seeking approval over several deals.


The company told The Guardian in a statement that "the purpose" of such investments "is to provide technology support for their business upgrade and drive commercial synergies with core commerce business."

"We do not intervene or get involved in the companies’ day-to-day operations or editorial decisions," the company said.

China in February released anti-monopoly guidelines aimed at clamping down on anti-competitive practices in the internet industry, such as signing exclusive agreements with merchants and the use of subsidies to squeeze out competitors.

The country has banned a number of U.S.-based tech giants like Google and Facebook and is now grappling with the expansion of Chinese tech companies seeing huge success within their home country.

Last week, China’s market regulator said that it fined a dozen companies, including games company Tencent Holdings and Chinese search engine firm Baidu Inc., for not disclosing past deals as authorities step up anti-monopoly scrutiny in the internet sector.

The companies were fined $77,000 each for not disclosing previous investments, acquisitions or joint ventures, according to a statement by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×