Didi Denies Passing User Data to U.S., Vitasoy’s Shares Plunge After Boycott Call, U.K. to Lift Covid-19 Restrictions

Here is today’s ranking of the 10 most-read news stories in China, in economics, finance and current affairs, to help give you a sense of what’s trending in the Chinese language sphere.

Chinese social media users have continued to follow the investigation of three other apps after Didi. They have also been paying close attention to the lockdown in the border city of Ruili in southwestern Yunnan province.

1. China’s cybersecurity regulator orders Didi removed from app stores

Ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing received a fresh blow when China’s cyberspace regulator ordered its app removed from domestic app stores Sunday, two days after the company was placed under review.

2. Chinese astronauts perform first spacewalk outside space station

Chinese astronauts successfully performed a spacewalk outside the Tianhe core module of the Tiangong space station on Sunday, during which they tested a new generation of spacesuits, installed equipment, and checked the station’s robotic arm.

3. SMIC loses key member of its technical team

On Sunday, leading Chinese chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (external source, in Chinese) announced the resignation of a key member of its technical staff, Wu Jingang, who was vice president of research and development.

Photo: VCG

4. China-Myanmar border city in lockdown after Covid-19 infections

The Chinese border city of Ruili in southwestern Yunnan province launched (external source, in Chinese) a new round of mass testing and went into lockdown on Monday, after reporting three local Covid-19 cases on Sunday.

5. Fine levied on family for having eight children cut from 2.66 million yuan to 90,000 yuan

Authorities in April decided to cut the fine of levied (external source, in Chinese) on a family in southwestern Sichuan province for having eight children from 2.66 million yuan ($412,000) to 90,000 yuan, payable over three years.

6. Canadian luxury outerwear-maker to abandon fur

Canadian luxury parka-maker Moose Knuckles has committed to (external source, in Chinese) stop using natural fur by the end of 2022. Canada Goose, another luxury outwear brand, also announced in June that it would phase out the use of wild coyote fur.

7. Didi denies passing domestic user data to U.S.

Ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing Sunday refuted rumors that it had passed Chinese road information and user data to the U.S. The rumors began circulating after the company came under regulatory scrutiny (external source, in Chinese) on Friday.

8. Vitasoy’s share price plunges after calls of boycott on mainland

Hong Kong beverage-maker Vitasoy saw nearly half a billion dollars wiped off its market value on Monday after its shares plunged in Hong Kong, following calls for a consumer boycott of the company after an employee stabbed a police officer as Hong Kong marked its return to Chinese rule last week.

9. U.K. announces lifting of Covid-19 restrictions on July 19

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (external source, in Chinese) announced Monday that his country will soon end nearly all government mandates to control the spread of the coronavirus, including social distancing and wearing of masks, and all businesses will be allowed to reopen.

10. China criticizes U.S. for accessing large amounts of Microsoft user data

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Monday that the U.S. is the biggest threat to global cybersecurity after a Microsoft executive said last Wednesday that U.S. federal law enforcement agencies secretly access Microsoft user data (external source, in Chinese) thousands of times a year.

Translated by intern reporter Chen Bingyi

Caixin has not independently verified the veracity or accuracy of all of the headlines.

The daily ranking of most read news stories among Chinese people, about China and global affairs, is jointly provided to you by Caixin Insight and HANA Data, an artificial intelligence technology team.

The key indicators calculated on the list are based on mass data sourced from China’s mainstream social media platforms and online news websites. Click here for a detailed introduction of our methodology.