Chinese tech giants help exporters’ efforts at domestic expansion

Tencent said Thursday that it launched a program to support Chinese exporters in the domestic market via its WeChat e-commerce facilities. The program aims for a 100 billion yuan, equivalent of $13.69 billion, in sales, it said.

This program will let Chinese exporters open online shops on WeChat using a special channel, and in some cases they can start operating without deposits. The company will also provide discounts and subsidies to support Chinese exporters selling with WeChat’s live functions.

Tencent also said that it would help mid- and small-sized businesses to expand in Southeast Asian markets using its Tenpay Global platform, a global business cross-border payment platform.

Similarly, ByteDance’s Douyin, a Chinese version of TikTok, said late Wednesday that it launched a program to help exporters expand in domestic markets and reduce their reliance on overseas orders. The company said it would provide specific channels for Chinese exporters to start shops on Douyin and help reduce their operational costs.

Douyin said that it would provide these users capital credit of up to 1 million yuan and offer 45 days of interest-free financing, within certain limits, for eligible business owners.

These programs came as China’s largest technology companies move to support Beijing amid U.S.-China trade tensions.

Last week, JD.com said it plans to spend 200 billion yuan over the next year to help export-oriented manufacturers sell their products in the domestic market.

Alibaba’s grocery chain Freshippo, also known as Hema, said last week that it is opening a 24-hour fast-track onboarding channel for Chinese exporters. The company also plans to launch a dedicated section for export-to-domestic products on its platform.

Write to Jiahui Huang at Jiahui.Huang@wsj.com