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China’s Sina Weibo to release English version of site

China’s Sina Weibo is to expand its international presence by launching an English version of the microblogging site.

The site works similarly to Twitter, which is officially blocked in China. It commands 56% of the microblogging market, and even more of the time spent browsing on microblogging sites.

Before Sina Weibo, there were only a few other Chinese microblogging sites which were banned after the ethnic unrest in Xinjiang caused users to spread political messages.

The Wall Street Journal reported that more than 10% of users are overseas, and the decision to add an English component to the site should allow more overseas Chinese and expats in China to be linked to the larger community.

Jenni Baker, London