HONG KONG: Chinese gaming and social media group Tencent said on Tuesday (Sep 15) it would open a new office in Singapore that will be its regional hub for Southeast Asia.
"The new office is a strategic addition to our current offices in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand," the company said in a statement.
AdvertisementAdvertisementCNA has contacted Tencent for more details.
Listings on LinkedIn showed Tencent job openings in Singapore, with positions including data scientists, business development managers, operations managers and data analysts.
The move comes as the company recently faced a series of setbacks in key markets such India and the United States.
Earlier this month, India banned 118 Chinese apps as it stepped up economic hostilities against China over disputes along their Himalayan border.
AdvertisementAdvertisementNew Delhi said several Chinese apps promoted activities "prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India". Tencent said its apps complied with India's data protection laws and that it would engage with local authorities to clarify its policies.
[h=3]READ: Gamers left reeling as India pulls plug on Tencent's PUBG in China spat[/h]In August, US President Donald Trump issued executive orders banning any US transactions with ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns video-sharing app TikTok and Tencent, owner of the WeChat app.
The order would effectively ban WeChat in the United States in 45 days by barring "to the extent permitted under applicable law, any transaction that is related to WeChat by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with Tencent Holdings".
[h=3]READ: US downloads of WeChat, Signal apps spike after Trump threatens ban[/h]According to Tencent's chief technical officer, the firm understood that the executive order was focused on its WeChat app in the United States and not on its other businesses in the country.
Let's block ads! (Why?)
More...