Chinese search engine Baidu has bought a 9.38% stake in Guokr.com, a website featuring various questions-and-answers related to science, reported Chinese media outlet Chinaventure.com on Monday, based on its analysis of shareholding structure changes.
Baidu declined to comment on the deal when contacted by KrASIA on Monday, and did not provide any information such as the financial details.
The Chinese search engine has been on a shopping spree in the content sector. It also recently bagged Qimao Novels, a free literature app and the Q&A platform Zhihu, which is similar to Quora.
Baidu revealed on Friday that the number of daily active users of its Baidu App has surpassed 200 million, driven by Baidu’s content feed Baijiahao and mini programs inside the app.
The company is setting up defences against ByteDance, the startup behind TikTok which has launched a search portal designed for mobile users, encroaching on Baidu’s core search business.