Källor: Google planerar intåg på Kinas molnmarknad

Tencent Holdings Limited (Chinese: 腾讯控股有限公司; pinyin: Téngxùn Kònggǔ Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī) is a Chinese multinational investment holding conglomerate founded in 1998,whose subsidiaries specialize in various Internet-related services and products, entertainment, artificial intelligence and technology both in China and globally. Its twin-skyscrapers headquarters Tencent Seafront Towers (also known as Tencent Binhai Mansion) are based in Nanshan District, Shenzhen.Tencent is the world's biggest investment corporation, one of the largest Internet and technology companies, one of the biggest venture capital firms, and the largest and most valuable gaming (Tencent Games) and social media company. Its many services include social network, music, web portals, e-commerce, mobile games, internet services, payment systems, smartphones, and multiplayer online games, which are all among the world's biggest and most successful in their respective categories. Offerings in China include the well-known instant messenger Tencent QQ and one of the largest web portals, QQ.com. Its mobile chat service WeChat has helped bolster Tencent's continued expansion into smartphone services, and has been credited as one of the world's most powerful apps. It also owns the majority of China's music services (Tencent Music Entertainment), with more than 700 million active users and 120 million paying subscribers, the world's largest and most profitable.As of January 2018, the company has a market value of US$580 billion (HK$4.48 trillion), and is Asia's most valuable company, with continued revenue growth, massive user base and investments into new areas. It maintained an exceedingly high buy rating of 98% from stock watchers, credited to its bullish outlook. It is the first Asian company to cross the US$500 billion valuation mark, while surpassing Facebook in market value on 20 November 2017, and became the world's most valuable social media company. Tencent has been credited as one of the world's most innovative companies by numerous media and firms, including Boston Consulting Group. As of 2018, Tencent has the 5th highest global brand value.Tencent controls hundreds of subsidiaries and associates in numerous industries and areas, creating a broad portfolio of ownerships and investment across a diverse range of businesses including e-commerce, retail, video gaming, real estate, software, virtual reality, ride-sharing, banking, financial services, fintech, consumer technology, computer technology, automobile, film production, movie ticketing, music production, space technology, natural resources, smartphones, big data, agriculture, medical services, cloud computing, social media, IT, advertising, streaming media, artificial intelligence, robotics, UAVs, food delivery, courier services, e-book, internet services, education and renewable energy. It is one of the most active investment corporations in the world, with recent focus on start-ups within Asia’s burgeoning tech scene.

Internet censorship in China is among the most extensive in the world due to a wide variety of laws and administrative regulations. More than sixty Internet regulations have been created by the government of China, which have been implemented by provincial branches of state-owned ISPs, companies, and organizations. According to CNN, the apparatus of China's Internet control is considered more extensive and more advanced than in any other country in the world. The governmental authorities not only block website content but also monitor the Internet access of individuals; such measures have attracted the derisive nickname "The Great Firewall of China." Amnesty International notes that China "has the largest recorded number of imprisoned journalists and cyber-dissidents in the world," and Paris-based Reporters Without Borders stated in 2010 and 2012 that "China is the world's biggest prison for netizens." The offences of which they are accused include communicating with groups abroad, signing online petitions, and calling for reform and an end to corruption. The escalation of the government's effort to neutralize critical online opinion and organizing comes after a series of large, anti-pollution, anti-corruption protests, and ethnic riots, many of which were organized or publicized using instant messaging services, chat rooms, and text messages. The size of the Chinese Internet police force was reported by the state government to be 2 million in 2013.Carrie Gracie wrote that local Chinese businesses such as Baidu, Tencent, and Alibaba, some of the world's largest internet enterprises, benefited from the way China has blocked international rivals from the market, encouraging domestic competition.Since May 2015, Chinese Wikipedia has been blocked in mainland China. This was done after Wikipedia started to use HTTPS encryption which made selective censorship impossible or more difficult. Although the censorship affects the whole nation, it does not affect China's special administrative regions such as Hong Kong and Macau. This is because these regions enjoys a high degree of autonomy, as specified in local laws and the "One country, two systems" principle. Nevertheless, it was reported that the central government authorities has been closely monitoring the Internet use in these regions.