Published daily by the Lowy Institute

Digital Asia links: Alibaba & Chinese arms, QQ, Modi's app, smartphone shopping and more

Digital Asia links: Alibaba & Chinese arms, QQ, Modi's app, smartphone shopping and more

The Asia Pacific is the most dynamic digital landscape in the world, home to the fastest adopters of new technologies and the largest concentration of mobile and social media users. An escalation in online activism, changing cyber dynamics, developments in digital diplomacy and the exploitation of big data are shaping the region's engagement with the world.

  • An unusual partnership between e-commerce giant Alibaba and one of China's largest arms exporters.
  • A whopping 67% of Indonesians shopped on their smartphones in the last year.
  • A review of the role Chinese  social media played in relaying news and images about the Tianjin explosions.
  • Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je is under fire in Taiwan after his wife's Facebook revealed he was at home when Super Typhoon Soudelor hit. Ko defended his actions by claiming he kept abreast of rescue efforts and gave commands via mobile chat app LINE.
  • Google, Apple, Xiaomi and Foxconn rush in as India becomes the world's hottest smartphone market.
  • It may be blocked in China but that doesn't stop Twitter from working with Chinese firms.  
  • A new report from The Economist on 'Asia's digital disruption' examines three trends: the rise of mobile, social media and online commerce.
  • These four tech entrepreneurs from India have landed on MIT's '35 innovators under 35' list.
  • New data shows digital adoption in China is not slowing, with QQ still the country's most popular social media platform, hitting 843 million monthly active users.
  • Five things you need to know before launching a mobile app in Indonesia.
  • In China's booming tech scene, where is all the money coming from?
  • The BBC reviews Indian Prime Minister Modi's new mobile app, calling it 'Tinder for good governance'. The app, which includes messages and blogs directly from the Prime Minister and enables users to share their ideas, is explained here by his YouTube channel:




You may also be interested in