Tiktok Moves into E-Commerce, Music Streaming Across the Global South

Tiktok CEO Shou Zi Chew speaking during the Tiktok Southeast Asia Impact Forum in Jakarta in June. Image: Bay Ismoyo / AFP

Bytedance, the parent company of the Chinese social media giant TikTok, is racing to expand its business into e-commerce and other fields, in a bid to mimic the success of other Chinese e-commerce giants like Shein.

The platform’s TikTok Shop, which allows users to sell directly to followers via built-in e-commerce architecture, has proven massively popular in Southeast Asia and beyond. TikTok Shop is emerging as an e-commerce giant, with a projected $20 billion in gross merchandise value by the end of the year, quadrupling that of 2022.

  • Get a daily email packed with the latest news and analysis from Africa, Asia, and across the Global South.
  • Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China’s relations across the Global South.
  • Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in the Global South.

China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening.

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

OR

Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More
by Cobus van Staden

Most Read

1
Developing Countries’ Debt Servicing Costs to China Are Significant, but Nowhere Near as Much as Other Creditors
2 Chinese Military Fans Discuss Why Indonesia Bought Rafale Instead of J-10C
3 From J-10C to Kaan? Indonesia’s Fighter Jet Deal With Turkey Shocks Chinese Military Fans
4
Indonesia Goes Nuclear, Taps China and Russia for Modular Reactors
5
Chinese Cargo Planes Secretly Ferrying Supplies to Iran, Claim Online Sleuths
6
Thailand in Last-Minute U.S. Talks as 36% Tariff Looms

You Might Like

The U.S. and Chinese Embassies in Liberia Go at Each Other Over Huawei

The U.S. and Chinese embassies in Liberia are engaged in a social media squabble over whether it’s safe for African countries to use Chinese technology. The feud began on August 9th when the ...

Lots of People Are Confused About Indonesia’s Decision to Ban E-Commerce on TikTok. Here’s Why They Did It.

The Indonesian government last week outlawed the use of TikTok to sell goods online goods, delivering a massive blow to the Chinese social media giant in its fastest-growing market in Southeast Asia. Since ...

Facing the Prospect of Getting Booted Out of the U.S., TikTok Looks to Expand in Africa

The Chinese-owned short-form video platform TikTok appears to be ramping up its staffing in Africa as it faces an uncertain future in the United States.  The company recently posted an ...

Inspired by China’s Example, Nigeria’s Information Minister Wants to Regulate Social Media

Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, sparked widespread outrage on Tuesday when he called for the government to step in and begin to censor online content. “If we don’t regulate social ...

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.

More about CGSP