China’s biggest apps are inviting the West closer into its insular internet economy

For decades, China’s internet economy has been a gated-off party. Now, some of its biggest companies are cracking the door open to outsiders.

While China has long since invited foreign businesses to set up shop within its borders, its internet has been closed off. Dominated by a handful of local players — such as Tencent’s messaging app WeChat, ByteDance’s TikTok-equivalent Douyin, the X-like Weibo, and the lifestyle content app Xiaohongshu — the country’s internet has been difficult for non-Chinese users to access.

Many of these platforms have historically been Mandarin-first and presented registration, verification, and other hurdles for…