Century-old news media company South China Morning Post (SCMP) has launched Abacus, an English-language news website that covers multiple aspects of the fast-growing tech industry in China from an insider's point of view.
On Thursday, the website abacusnews.com went up online.
Since China's tech industry has been building its presence fast in recent years, the country has the world's largest internet population now at 772 million. At least 97% see the smartphone as their go-to device to access the internet. In 2017, the gaming industry in China brought in US$ 30 billion, nearly three times the revenue North American box office made in 2016.
According to Ravi Hiranand, the executive producer of Abacus who previously worked for CNN, he says that he believes China's tech scene is gaining autonomy from the Western world through the country's unique ideology.
However, the unparalleled propagation of mobile payment and QR codes, for example, can be attributed to the local culture, vast population size and government regulations.
"Gone are the days when every Chinese trend had a Western counterpart. And that's where Abacus comes in: our goal is to share what's happening in China and why it matters to the rest of the world," said Hiranand.
On the other hand, the news website features journalists in Hong Kong and mainland China, offering editorial and multimedia coverage across various categories, from latest information about up-and-coming tech startups to reviews of fast-trending gadgets:
"Abacus and its editorial team will deliver breadth and depth of technology coverage, and a plurality of views to serve the curiosities of our readers. This new product will provide an 'expert's take' on the growing global influence of China's tech giants and new upstarts," said Gary Liu, chief executive officer of SCMP.
In celebration of Abacus's launch, Hiranand and Malcolm Ong, head of product at SCMP will ring the New York Stock Exchange opening bell this Friday to commemorate such marvelous event.
In addition, Abacus is also launching a US social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube and will offer readers a "Best of Abacus" newsletter that highlights the top stories of the week.
You can click on this site to visit the news page.
