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Singapore becomes hub for Chinese tech amid US tensions

  • wisepowder jack
    • 629 posts
     
    September 18, 2020 6:10 AM EEST

    Tencent and Alibaba are increasing their presence in the city state while TikTok owner ByteDance is reported to be investing billions of dollars.To get more China news, you can visit shine news official website.
    Considered neutral territory, Singapore has good ties to both the US and China.
    Relations between Washington and Beijing are growing increasingly hostile, particularly over technology.Tencent announced this week it was “expanding its business presence in Singapore to support our growing business in South East Asia and beyond”.
    The new regional office is described as a “strategic addition” to its current offices in South East Asia.Tencent’s WeChat messaging app is facing a ban this month in the US, along with TikTok, under the Trump administration’s clampdown on Chinese apps and tech firms.Given the US-China tensions in tech and the heightening risk of decoupling, it makes sense for Chinese tech companies to separate operations in China and outside of China,” said Tommy Wu at Oxford Economics.
    “Singapore would be an ideal location given the city state’s comparative advantage in tech, its geographic proximity to China and as an innovation hub in South East Asia.”
    Singapore has always been seen as a regional base for Western firms because of its advanced financial and legal system. Now it’s firmly on the radar of Chinese companies.
    The political turmoil in Hong Kong and the introduction of China’s controversial national security law has seen many firms look for a more stable business environment within Asia.But there is another reason why Singapore is so attractive to China, according to Nick Redfearn, deputy chief executive at UK-based consultancy Rouse.
    It could explain why the city state has attracted so much foreign direct investment (FDI) compared to other South East Asia countries he said.
    “This is usually because regional headquarters, operating on behalf of parent companies, act as the foreign investor in countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and elsewhere.
    “This can help Chinese companies avoid the appearance of Chinese investment,” he said.
    South East Asia overtook the EU to become China’s largest regional trading partner in 2020, according to Mr Redfearn.