KEY POINTS
  • For years, China's major internet platforms have operated as walled gardens, blocking links from rivals or not allowing users to purchase goods using competitors payments products.
  • Regulators are now forcing companies like Tencent and Alibaba to change some of their anti-competitive behavior across their apps.
  • Tencent has started unblocking links to rivals' content on WeChat. And Alibaba is now integrating Tencent's WeChat Pay on some of its apps.

In this article

A WeChat messaging app logo is seen on an smartphone.

GUANGZHOU, China — For years, China's major internet platforms have operated as walled gardens, blocking links from rivals and not allowing users to purchase goods using competitors payments products.

That's starting to change as regulators force China's technology giants to tear the walls down and change some of their anti-competitive behavior.

In this article