Beijing hopes to revive its economy by loosening its control over tech giants
The logo of Chinese carpooling giant Didi's app on a mobile phone's navigation map, illustrative photo taken July 1, 2021. REUTERS - Florence Lo
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
Didi, the Chinese carpooling and taxi giant, announces that it has obtained authorization to register new customers.
This several months after the cybersecurity regulator concluded its investigation.
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With our correspondent in Beijing,
Stéphane Lagarde
The authorization to register new registrants for Didi was eagerly awaited, especially among those who had not been able to access the fleet of VTCs and taxis that work with the "Chinese Uber".
However, Didi Chuxing accounts for 90% of passenger vehicle
reservations with driver in China.
A behemoth cut in its tracks after its attempted
IPO on the New York Stock Exchange
.
An investigation was opened against him in the summer of 2021. The carpooling giant with the orange "D" logo, turned over on his stomach to form a smile and known to all smartphone users in China, is then accused. not to protect the private data of its customers and even to harm national security.
The company was fined
the following summer.
She had to pay more than 8 billion yuan (1.16 billion euros) to the state and proceed to a “rectification”.
In a statement posted on its Weibo account, Didi said today that it is "committed
to protecting the platform's facilities and big data, as well as maintaining the security of the national network
".
This green light from the authorities authorizes the company to recruit new customers, while the platform has recently made layoffs in a context where domestic consumption remains sluggish.
Beijing is betting on the private sector to revive the economy
A news also awaited by the other tech giants who also hope for a loosening of controls.
After the lifting of the Chinese zero Covid health policy, Beijing is betting on the private sector to revive the economy.
"
We expect growth of around 5% for the whole year
," said the mayor of Shanghai against the backdrop of perky music in videos posted on state media sites on Monday.
For this, Gong Zheng also highlights tech and digital companies: integrated circuits, biomedicine and artificial intelligence.
A reversal in relation to the decisions in particular of the Head of State in recent years aimed at curbing large private groups perceived as too powerful and "disordered".
The just-concluded Shanghai Party Congress set a target of 5.5 percent or more for the city's growth this year.
This was also what was announced for 2022. An objective undermined by the zero Covid health policy lifted last month.
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