Coronavirus: How Chinese rivals are trying to take Zoom's crown

Video meetings have become hugely important as the world adapts to the "new normal" of the pandemic.

Even as lockdown rules ease, they're a safe, convenient and free way to stay in touch for business and socialising.

Zoom has become the app of choice for millions, overshadowing rival products from much larger companies such as Microsoft and Google.

But the firm is now facing major challenges from some of China's biggest technology companies.

Beijing temporarily blocked the international version of Zoom in September, leaving the market wide open to local players, including Alibaba's DingTalk and Tencent-backed VooV.



Since then two big Chinese video conferencing apps have significantly increased the size and reach of their services.

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Alibaba's DingTalk says it is used by more than 10 million businesses and organisations and in excess of 120 million students across China.

As more people have been forced to work from home DingTalk has tripled the number of participants that can join a meeting to just over 300.

In April, Alibaba launched the global version of the app, DingTalk Lite, across key Asian markets, including Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. It is now available in Japanese, English, and Traditional Chinese.