Sina may launch new social communication product

Sina Corp, which operates a leading micro blog website, will launch a social communication product as it steps up the battle with larger rival Tencent in the mobile chat business, according to media reports on Friday.

Charles Chao, Sina's chief executive, told the Financial Times that the company is going to launch a new social media product, complementary to Sina's Weibo.

According to the report, the new product will focus more on interest groups and will provide chat, news feeds and picture services.

These features resemble those offered by Tencent's WeChat, a leading mobile chat app in China, a major challenger to Weibo.

However, Chen Jinguo, senior public relations manager with Sina, did not confirm the launch. Chen told China Daily on Friday that he did not know anything about the possible move until reading the report in the Financial Times.

If Sina's move is confirmed it will be the latest in China's mobile messaging industry.

China Telecom, one of the country's three State-owned telecom operators, and NetEase, another Internet company, on Monday jointly launched instant messaging software Yixin, a direct WeChat competitor.