Gaming giant Tencent joins Chinese tech firms investing in Singapore

Gaming giant Tencent said on Tuesday it would develop a regional hub for Southeast Asia in Singapore, opening a new office and becoming the latest Chinese tech firm to invest in the city-state. 

The new hub comes on the heels of a planned expansion by TikTok owner ByteDance and investment by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd as firms look to deepen their exposure to fast-growing Southeast Asia - home to about 650 million people. 

Singapore has also gained fresh appeal as a base for Chinese corporate operations, benefiting from the political tensions that have rocked rival hub Hong Kong and growing distrust of China in the United States and other parts of the world. 

Tencent will develop a full-scale comprehensive hub in Singapore that will house its international game publishing business, said a source.