The world this week - BusinessThe Chinese government published an edict limiting children’s playing of video games to just one hour on only Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.It is the authorities’ latest attempt to rein in what they view as the troublesome power of tech companies, though the government has long expressed concerns about gaming addiction among Chinese youth.Unlike previous decrees this one probably won’t hurt profits.Tencent, the biggest gaming company, generates only 2.6% of its total player spend from under-16s.Wang Xing became the latest tech boss in China to adopt the government’s line that the industry must do more to promote “common prosperity”.The chief executive of Meituan said that the shopping platform would “conduct in-depth self reviews and actively rectify any issues” with new requirements.As China’s government clamped down on its digital companies, India’s tech industry chalked up another big deal, with the acquisition of BillDesk by Prosus for $4.7bn.Founded in 2000, BillDesk is India’s oldest online-payments platform.Prosus, the investment arm of Naspers, a South African internet group, wants to combine BillDesk with its PayU fintech business, creating one of the world’s biggest payment systems.Tech regulators in various countries pondered the ramifications of the passage of a bill in South Korea that curtails the power of app-store providers such as Apple and Google, by allowing users to pay developers directly for their apps.
