Google execs applaud Chinese developers

Chinese developers are playing a vital role in Google's developer ecosystem as they take the lead in building applications at a fast pace, actively adopt new technologies, create aspirations for global developers and contribute a very large proportion of its revenue, said senior Google executives.

The company is putting more focus on Chinese developers' needs and making technology upgrades to help them further expand their global reach, they said at the Google I/O Connect China in Shanghai last week.

The event is the last stop of a series on its global tour this year.

"We believe that China is an amazing market with developers who are pushing the future of technology, building innovative applications and products that I think the rest of the world is learning from and being inspired by," said Jeanine Banks, vice-president and general manager of Developer X and head of developer relations at Google.

"This is my first time having a chance to speak with so many startups and developers to hear firsthand about the work that they're doing, the problems they're solving and catering to the unique needs and interests of the Chinese market, but also going global and reaching users all around the world," said Banks, who joined the event in China for the first time.

According to Google, China makes up 20 percent of the global developer population, with the number rising.

"Chinese developers have shown outstanding performance on the global stage. To date, a total of 48 Chinese apps have won Google Play's annual 'Best Of' awards in 23 regions across the world. Chinese developers continue to win the favor of global users in the production of cross-platform games," said Stanley Chen, vice-president of Google Greater China.

"We can see Chinese developers creating inspiration for developers around the world. For example, trends like super apps, livestreaming and commerce apps started here in China, followed by other players abroad trying to implement similar platform approaches," Banks said.

Referring to the rise of Chinese developers, Purnima Kochikar, vice-president of Play Partnerships at Google Play, said: "I think the Chinese developer has several advantages. The first is the vast Chinese market, which helps in building applications at scale. The second is their 'export mindset'. As China has always been an export market to the world, Chinese developers have an automatic mindset about taking things to the world.

"And third is the nation's talent resources. As I have learned, there are 110 million developers who are technically capable. When talent gathers together, they can form big teams and do big things as well as learn from each other in a strong developer community."

Banks said that Google attaches great importance to Chinese developers' feedback and needs. During her visit to Shanghai, Banks met with many developers and startups to hear their voices and shared how Google can help them expand their global reach.

The global developer population has been expanding, and China has the second-largest developer population in the world in 2021, said the Octoverse report released by Git Hub, the world's largest open-source programming and code-hosting website.