Zuckerberg reportedly blocked Meta Quest's China listing

中国市场对Meta销售Quest头显的疑虑可能因扎克伯格过去的言论而产生阻碍。

Meta aims to sell the Quest headset into China, but that may be stymied by past comments from Mark Zuckerberg.

Chinese news outlets first reported on Meta's partnership with Chinese tech giant Tencent in February. Previously, Tencent reportedly canceled its own VR headset project under development due to the high cost of the project.

To sell various products in China, foreign companies must cooperate with Chinese companies or establish local subsidiaries. Tencent has been selling and supporting the Nintendo Switch console in the Chinese market since 2019, while Meta is said to be pursuing a similar arrangement to sell Quest 2 and Quest 3.

However, the Wall Street Journal reported this week that the partnership was "faced with challenges" as Chinese executives raised concerns about Zuckerberg's past remarks. Tencent executives had "vigorously debated" whether to work with Meta, the report said.

In a speech at Georgetown University in 2019, when referring to the pro-people movement in Hong Kong, Zuckerberg said: "On TikTok, the fast-growing Chinese app around the world, references to these protests are censored. , even in the US. Is this the internet we want?"

At a congressional hearing in 2020, Zuckerberg said: "I think there is ample evidence that the Chinese government is stealing technology from American companies."

According to the Wall Street Journal, the comments meant Zuckerberg was "not viewed as a friendly person in China" and could block China's approval of the Quest.

Another problem with launching the Quest in China is content. Meta and Tencent plan to work together to localize and translate the game, while Tencent and other potential partners also hope to launch their content on the Chinese version of the Quest store. But those Chinese partners expressed concern about Meta's response to existing and future demands for stricter government scrutiny, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Currently, the partnership is reportedly still under discussion, and the company has yet to apply for the required licenses and approvals. Meta could be waiting for Quest 3's release later this year, or crafting its content strategy amid political concerns.