Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Sunday, Oct 05, 2025

A Chinese technology giant is donating all its profits to charity

A Chinese technology giant is donating all its profits to charity

One of China's biggest tech firms has pledged to hand over its entire profit for the last quarter to rural development projects in the country as Beijing steps up the pressure for wealth redistribution.
E-commerce firm Pinduoduo (PDD) on Tuesday pledged to donate the $372 million it made in the three months through June 30 toward the development of China's agricultural sector and rural areas. In total, it expects to donate 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) toward such causes.

"This is an important and challenging task, which we will invest in patiently," said Chen Lei, chairman and CEO of Pinduoduo, adding in a statement that he would personally oversee the project.

The decision is significant for the Nasdaq-listed company, which posted a profit for the first time as a public company in the June quarter.

Pinduoduo has never paid a dividend since it listed three years ago. But its stock has more than tripled, delivering handsome returns to shareholders.

The company's stock soared 22% in New York on Tuesday after earnings.

The donation move by Pinduoduo follows a similar charitable pledge that internet and gaming company Tencent (TCEHY) made last week, when it announced it would put 50 billion yuan ($7.7 billion) toward achieving Beijing's goal of "common prosperity" for all people. The company said it would support increasing income for the poor and addressing education inequality, among other initiatives.

That phrase — "common prosperity" — is a historically significant one in China, and was used recently by President Xi Jinping as he promised a new push to redistribute wealth in the country.

His mention of the term in the context of wealth redistribution echoed its use by Chairman Mao Zedong in the middle of the last century. The former Communist leader advocated "common prosperity" back then to mobilize poor peasants and take power away from the rural elites — rich landlords and farmers.

Xi's edict has piled even more pressure on the country's richest citizens and businesses, which are facing tougher regulations as Beijing reigns in the power of the private sector.

In its statement Tuesday, Pinduoduo also publicized its ongoing support of government social causes. It pointed to a commendation it received earlier this year from the ruling Communist Party for contributions to a major campaign to alleviate poverty — a key policy goal for Xi.

Pinduoduo's announcement also comes days after the government launched a probe into the relationship between businesses and local governments in Hangzhou, the home of Alibaba (BABA).

Founded in 2015 by Colin Huang, Pinduoduo has quickly grown into a formidable e-commerce company.

It's still a long way from surpassing industry leader Alibaba in market share. Pinduoduo holds about 10% of the market, behind Alibaba (BABA)'s 53% and competitor JD.com (JD)'s 19%, according to estimates by Guiyang-based Huachuang Securities.

But the company has edged out its biggest competitor in at least one important way: It had 850 million active users in the twelve months through June, surpassing Alibaba's 828 million.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×