President Xi says China will guarantee foreign companies’ legal rights

By Paul Carsten WUZHEN, China (Reuters) – China will guarantee foreign companies' legal rights, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday at the country's second annual World Internet Conference in Wuzhen. “Safeguarding the legal rights of foreign-invested businesses will not change,” said Xi

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Google aims for China launch of Google Play app store next year: sources

BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Google, part of Alphabet Inc, aims to launch the China version of its Google Play smartphone app store next year, according to people familiar with the matter, its first major foray in the market since ending localized product support in 2010. The Google Play app store would be set up specifically for China, and not connected to overseas versions of Google Play, two of the people said.

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Marriott, Alitrip tie-up to let Chinese travellers book online

By Clare Baldwin HONG KONG (Reuters) – U.S.-based hotel chain Marriott International Inc and Alibaba Group’s online travel booking platform announced a tie-up on Monday, joining a flurry of rivals expanding their presence in China to cater to the country’s growing upper-middle class. China’s economy is forecast to slow to roughly 6.5 percent growth in coming years, but companies such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Tencent Holdings Ltd promise direct access to the country’s middle class and what Marriott Asia Pacific head Craig Smith is calling a “land grab” for Chinese travellers.

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China’s JD.com says watchdog accepts request for probe into rival Alibaba’s practices

A Chinese regulator has formally accepted a request by JD.com, the country's second-biggest online retailer, to investigate its rival Alibaba Group Holding Ltd for possible unfair practices during promotions, JD.com's official microblog said on Thursday. Alibaba, China's biggest e-commerce firm, has previously denied accusations outlined in a JD.com letter to the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) in the run-up to Nov

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Myanmar’s reformist law used to stifle dissent

By Timothy Mclaughlin YANGON (Reuters) – Last week’s arrest of an NGO worker in Myanmar for a Facebook post is raising fears that legislation drawn up as part of the country’s economic and democratic liberalization are being used to stifle dissent in ways reminiscent of laws drafted by the former military junta. Myanmar only began to regain its freedoms of expression from 2011 after 49 years of military rule, and critics fear the arrest of Patrick Kum Jaa Lee for commenting on a picture showing a foot standing on a photo of commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing is a worrying backward step.

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Despite protests, slog more likely than radical change in Brazil

By Paulo Prada RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Despite protests by hundreds of thousands of Brazilians against President Dilma Rousseff and ongoing calls for her impeachment, little suggests radical change in Brazil anytime soon. With the country hobbled by legislative gridlock, a lack of viable alternatives to the established political parties and an economic reversal so complete that its currency is trading at a 12-year trough, there are no easy or fast fixes

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Out of the shadows, China hackers turn cyber gatekeepers

By Paul Carsten and Gerry Shih BEIJING (Reuters) – China, long accused by the United States of rampant cyber aggression, may be synonymous with hacking exploits these days, but that doesn't mean every Chinese hacker is out to pilfer and destroy. As Chinese companies grapple with a sharp increase in the number of cyber attacks, many hackers are finding it increasingly lucrative to go above board and join the country's nascent cyber security industry

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