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China’s Big Tech vies for AI agent supremacy after Manus relocates
AI-agents

China’s Big Tech vies for AI agent supremacy after Manus relocates

Tencent and ByteDance intensify AI agent competition at Shanghai’s WAIC, filling the gap left by Manus AI’s overseas move.

July 29, 2025
5 min read
South China Morning Post

Tencent and ByteDance intensify AI agent competition at Shanghai’s WAIC, filling the gap left by Manus AI’s overseas move.

China’s Tech Giants Tencent and ByteDance Battle for AI Agent Dominance Post Manus Relocation

Chinese Big Tech firms, including Tencent Holdings and ByteDance, are ramping up their focus on artificial intelligence (AI) agents amid a fiercely competitive market. This surge follows the relocation of rival Manus AI overseas due to geopolitical tensions. At the recent World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) held in Shanghai, Tencent’s cloud computing division unveiled a dozen AI agents. These agents are designed to autonomously perform tasks for both business users and consumers, as announced on Tencent’s WeChat platform. Tencent demonstrated an online marketing AI agent capable of automating entire workflows—from profiling target consumers and selecting appropriate products to creating marketing materials and assessing campaign effectiveness. AI agents specializing in coding have become a key battleground, with Chinese and international companies racing to launch competitive services. Tencent recently introduced CodeBuddy IDE, an AI-powered coding assistant similar to ByteDance’s Trae and Baidu’s Comate, aimed at streamlining software development. Beyond assistive coding, Tencent has enhanced its agent development platforms to empower third-party developers to build customized and specialized AI agents. This initiative is intended to accelerate AI adoption, which Tencent Cloud vice-president Wu Yunsheng described as essential for unlocking the full value of AI models.

The Growing AI Agent Market in China

The AI agent market is heating up as companies seek to capitalize on the growing demand for intelligent automation tools. Tencent’s broad portfolio of AI agents showcases the company’s ambition to lead in diverse applications, from marketing automation to software development assistance. The departure of Manus AI has created a vacuum that Tencent, ByteDance, and other Chinese tech giants are eager to fill, intensifying the competition in this rapidly evolving sector.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

AI Agent Capabilities and Applications

Q: What types of tasks can AI agents perform? A: AI agents can autonomously perform a wide range of tasks for both business and consumers. Examples include automating marketing workflows (consumer profiling, material creation, campaign assessment) and assisting with software development through AI-powered coding assistants. Q: How are tech giants like Tencent and ByteDance leveraging AI agents? A: They are developing and launching AI agents to gain a competitive edge. Tencent, for instance, has unveiled multiple AI agents for various tasks and is enhancing its platforms to enable third-party development of specialized AI agents. ByteDance also has its own AI agent, Trae, focused on coding assistance. Q: What is the significance of AI agents in the current tech landscape? A: AI agents are becoming a key battleground as they offer intelligent automation and assistance across various industries, from marketing to software development. Their ability to perform tasks autonomously is driving their adoption and market growth.

Market Dynamics and Competition

Q: Why is the AI agent market in China becoming more competitive? A: The market is heating up due to increasing demand for intelligent automation. The relocation of a competitor like Manus AI has also created opportunities for other major players like Tencent and ByteDance to expand their market share and leadership. Q: What role did the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) play in this development? A: WAIC served as a platform for companies like Tencent to showcase their advancements in AI agents, highlighting their capabilities and strategic focus in this competitive sector.

Crypto Market AI's Take

The intense competition between tech giants like Tencent and ByteDance in the AI agent space mirrors the broader trend of AI integration across all sectors, including finance. At Crypto Market AI, we are at the forefront of leveraging AI for cryptocurrency market intelligence and trading. Our platform utilizes advanced AI agents to analyze market trends, predict price movements, and execute automated trading strategies. We understand that the development of sophisticated AI agents, like those being pioneered by these tech leaders, is crucial for unlocking new levels of efficiency and innovation. Our focus on providing AI-driven crypto trading tools and expert market analysis directly aligns with the evolution of AI in handling complex tasks, demonstrating how AI agents are reshaping industries beyond traditional software development.

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Originally published at South China Morning Post on Tue, 29 Jul 2025