Is Tencent next on US' hit list after Huawei?

Tech giant's popular WeChat app criticised as a tool for data gathering and surveillance

A screen displaying QR codes for various programmes and services at Tencent's WeChat Open Class Pro conference in Guangzhou last year. WeChat is the fifth-most popular network globally, and countries including Australia and India have blocked the use
A screen displaying QR codes for various programmes and services at Tencent's WeChat Open Class Pro conference in Guangzhou last year. WeChat is the fifth-most popular network globally, and countries including Australia and India have blocked the use of the app by their military in the past two years, amid security fears that important data could be leaked. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
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It is big and rich, and millions use its WeChat app. Will Tencent be the next Chinese tech giant that the United States puts the squeeze on?

After the arrest of Ms Meng Wanzhou, daughter of the founder of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, Mr Ren Zhengfei, in Canada last month at the request of the US authorities, some wonder which other Chinese tech giant the US would get tough with.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 11, 2019, with the headline Is Tencent next on US' hit list after Huawei?. Subscribe