Part 6/10:
Simultaneously, the CCP nurtured a domestic tech landscape designed to operate within the confines of its oppressive regulations. Companies like Baidu thrived as Google withdrew from the Chinese market in 2010, securing government favor by aligning their operations with CCP mandates. The emergence of social media saw platforms like WeChat, Renren, and Weibo replace Western counterparts, offering an arena for users to generate content while the companies themselves acted as censored gatekeepers.