China.com Launches Web 2.0 Developer Program in China

By Anuradha Shukla

TMCnet Contributing Editor

 

China.com has launched its Web 2.0 Developer Program, which includes US$20 million allocated for investment in selected web development partners.

The Chinese Internet services provider will establish strategic relationships with major local Web 2.0 companies to accelerate the development of innovative products and services for the China market.

Small to medium size developers possessing the technological skill, innovative vision and deep understanding of what drives the Chinese Internet community will be selected by the company for developing the next generation of products and services. These will include online video, social networking, blogs, 3G and broadband content and mobile search.

China.com will invest up to US$20 million in selected Web 2.0 development partners through direct cash investments, equity investments, lines of credit or a combination of these. The company also plans to leverage its relationships with advertisers and broad knowledge of the market.

The development partners will also be able to leverage the extensive market coverage of the CDC family of companies as part of the strategic partnership.



“We are very excited at the potential for Web 2.0 in China and our goal is to be one of the leaders of this vast emerging market,” said Dr. Xiaowei Chen, chief financial officer of China.com, in a press release.

He continued: “We believe that with our strong financial resources, deep partnership with technology leaders like Google and Microsoft (News - Alert) and broad understanding of Chinese Netizens, we are well placed to help our Web 2.0 development partners fully monetize their products and services.

China.com is reportedly in negotiations with a number of major Web 2.0 developers in China and expects to finalize investments in several companies in the next few quarters.

China.com Inc. is Mobile Value Added Services, and Internet Services Company operating principally in China, and a subsidiary of CDC Corporation.

For more information, visit China.com.

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Anuradha Shukla is a contributing writer for TMCnet covering call centers, CRM and information technology.