NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, already prominent on Twitter and Facebook, has now joined Sina Weibo, a Chinese microblogging site. Leading e-commerce company Alibaba group owns 32 percent of Weibo. Promoted by China’s Sina Corporation, it was launched in 2009. The company is listed on Nasdaq.
Estimates suggest at least 30 per cent of internet users go to Weibo. The company had gone public in April 2014.
Social networking in China has been mired in controversies, with the country blocking most of the services, such as Twitter and Facebook. Even the first Weibo (which literally means microblogging) service Fanfou was shut down after the 2009 riots. Subsequently, Sina Corporation launched the tested version of Sina Weibo.
In April 2013, Alibaba said it would buy a 18 per cent stake in Sina Weibo for $586 million, with the option of picking up further stake later. Alibaba exercised this option when Weibo listed on Nasdaq.
Weibo users include movie stars, business tycoons, media barons, athletes and foreign dignitaries, among others.
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