Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng said Wednesday it had been selected among the first companies to receive support from a new Guangdong provincial government investment fund aimed at accelerating the growth of strategic emerging industries.

The funding, which highlights how Beijing and local authorities are increasingly directing state capital toward artificial intelligence-linked mobility technologies, is also seen as another EV subsidy from the government.

The Guangzhou-based automaker, which has been expanding beyond electric vehicles into robotaxis, humanoid robotics, and flying cars, did not disclose the size of the investment commitment.

But the symbolism of the backing may prove as important as the funding itself. The Guangdong fund, described as the province’s first corporate-style government investment vehicle with a perpetual operating structure, has a planned size of 100 billion yuan ($15 billion), including an initial registered capital base of 50 billion yuan.

The structure marks a broader shift in China’s industrial policy, where local governments are increasingly deploying what officials describe as “patient capital” to support sectors considered strategically vital for long-term technological competitiveness.

“The development of strategic emerging industries relies on ‘patient capital’ that can span economic cycles,” Xpeng founder and chief executive He Xiaopeng said in a statement.

The comment captures a growing concern inside China’s technology and manufacturing sectors: that many next-generation industries, particularly those tied to AI and advanced mobility, require sustained financing over many years before becoming commercially profitable.

Unlike traditional venture capital, which often seeks quicker returns, state-backed “patient capital” funds are designed to tolerate longer development timelines and higher upfront infrastructure costs.

For Xpeng, the support comes at a moment of transition.

The company has been repositioning itself from a pure electric vehicle manufacturer into a broader AI and robotics platform company. While China’s EV market remains fiercely competitive and crowded with price wars, Xpeng has been attempting to differentiate itself through autonomous driving software, AI-powered mobility systems and futuristic transportation concepts.

That includes heavy investment in robotaxi systems, humanoid robots and electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, commonly referred to as flying cars.

Those bets align closely with Beijing’s industrial priorities.

Chinese policymakers have identified embodied AI, robotics, autonomous transportation and advanced manufacturing as critical areas where China hopes to reduce dependence on Western technology while creating new engines of economic growth.

Guangdong province, one of China’s largest manufacturing and export hubs, has become a key battleground in that effort. Authorities there are attempting to transition the regional economy away from lower-margin manufacturing toward higher-value sectors tied to semiconductors, AI infrastructure, robotics and smart mobility.

The launch of the Guangdong strategic industries fund also comes amid intensifying global competition around industrial policy.

The United States has expanded subsidies for semiconductors and clean energy technologies through measures such as the CHIPS Act and Inflation Reduction Act, while Europe is pushing for greater technological sovereignty in AI, chips and telecommunications. China, facing mounting U.S. export restrictions on advanced semiconductors and AI-related technologies, has responded by accelerating state-backed investment in domestic innovation ecosystems.

Xpeng’s inclusion among the first batch of companies supported by the fund suggests authorities view the automaker as more than simply a car company.

Investors have increasingly viewed Xpeng as one of the Chinese EV makers most aggressively pursuing AI integration. The company has invested heavily in autonomous driving models, in-car AI systems and robotics research, areas that require massive computing infrastructure and long-term research spending.

That transformation, however, carries significant financial risk. The Chinese EV sector continues to suffer from overcapacity, margin pressure and brutal pricing competition led by larger rivals including BYD and Tesla in China’s domestic market.

Many automakers are therefore looking beyond vehicle sales toward software, autonomous mobility services and AI ecosystems as potential future profit centers. State-backed funding could help Xpeng absorb some of the enormous costs associated with those ambitions.

The “perpetual” nature of the Guangdong fund is also notable because it signals a willingness by local authorities to support industries through prolonged market downturns and economic volatility. Chinese officials have increasingly emphasized long-term technological resilience rather than short-term profitability as geopolitical tensions reshape global supply chains.

For Guangdong, supporting companies like Xpeng may also serve a broader regional objective: ensuring southern China remains central to the next phase of global manufacturing and AI-driven industrial transformation.

The move is another evidence that the competition over artificial intelligence is no longer confined to software models and semiconductors alone. Increasingly, governments are treating autonomous vehicles, robotics and intelligent transportation systems as strategic national industries capable of reshaping economic power over the next decade.

A growing clash between the Canadian government and major U.S. technology companies is exposing how the global fight over encryption is entering a more confrontational phase, with implications reaching far beyond Canada’s borders.

At the center of the dispute is Bill C-22, an online safety and national security measure proposed by Canada’s Liberal government that technology firms fear could eventually allow authorities to secretly compel companies to weaken the encryption protecting billions of devices and communications worldwide.

Executives from Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc. used testimony before Canada’s House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security on Tuesday to push for major amendments, warning lawmakers that the legislation lacks sufficient safeguards against covert government demands for access to encrypted systems.

The confrontation is another episode in the global struggle between governments seeking greater surveillance capabilities and technology companies increasingly positioning encryption as critical infrastructure for the digital economy.

Canadian authorities argue the legislation would help security agencies investigate terrorism, organized crime, child exploitation, and cyber threats more effectively by enabling earlier intervention. Officials have framed the bill as part of a wider effort to modernize law enforcement powers in an era where encrypted messaging platforms and cloud services have become central to daily communication.

But the companies argue the proposal creates dangerous ambiguity.

While the bill does not explicitly require firms to break end-to-end encryption, Apple, Google, and Meta Platforms warn that its structure could allow authorities to issue confidential technical orders compelling firms to create undisclosed access mechanisms, effectively establishing legal pathways for encryption backdoors.

Jeanette Patell, Google’s director for government affairs and public policy in Canada, told lawmakers that “secret orders are out of step with other democratic countries and would severely restrict companies’ ability to be transparent with users about how their data is protected.”

The testimony pinpoints mounting concern within Silicon Valley that governments are increasingly pursuing indirect methods to gain access to encrypted data after years of public resistance to explicit anti-encryption laws.

Apple’s intervention carried particular significance because the company is already locked in a similar dispute in the United Kingdom. Last year, British authorities reportedly issued a confidential order demanding access to encrypted user data. Apple responded by removing certain encrypted cloud backup features from the UK market rather than comply fully with the request.

That episode has become a defining example inside the technology industry of how governments may pressure firms privately while avoiding politically explosive public debates over encryption.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Conservative lawmaker Frank Caputo asked Apple executive Erik Neuenschwander whether the company could reconsider its Canadian operations if ordered to weaken device security.

“I can’t speculate what would happen in that situation,” Neuenschwander replied, while emphasizing Apple’s hope that lawmakers would amend the legislation.

The exchange highlighted how the dispute is no longer simply about privacy and is increasingly becoming an economic and geopolitical issue tied to digital sovereignty, cybersecurity resilience, and control over technological infrastructure.

Technology firms argue that encryption cannot be selectively weakened for “good actors” alone. Security experts have long maintained that once vulnerabilities are intentionally introduced into widely used systems, they can eventually be exploited by hostile governments, cybercriminals, or espionage groups.

Those concerns are intensifying as cyberattacks targeting financial systems, hospitals, energy infrastructure, and government agencies continue to rise globally. Many cybersecurity officials privately acknowledge the paradox confronting governments: the same encryption that frustrates criminal investigations also protects critical infrastructure and national economies from large-scale cyber intrusions.

The Canadian bill arrives at a time when governments across North America and Europe are simultaneously seeking tighter oversight of artificial intelligence, social media platforms, cloud infrastructure, and digital communications systems.

For Ottawa, the legislation also reflects a broader push to establish stronger state authority over online spaces amid growing fears around extremism, cybercrime, and foreign interference.

But the timing risks placing Canada in the middle of a widening global regulatory fracture. Countries including the UK and Australia have already introduced laws expanding government powers over encrypted platforms, while U.S. officials continue pressuring technology companies to provide lawful access mechanisms. Meanwhile, privacy-focused jurisdictions in Europe have often taken the opposite position, emphasizing stronger consumer protections and data security standards.

That divergence is creating operational headaches for multinational technology firms attempting to maintain globally consistent products. Industry executives warn that if Canada proceeds without explicit judicial oversight and transparency protections, it could encourage other governments to pursue similar frameworks allowing confidential technical directives.

The debate could also carry economic consequences. Canada has become an increasingly important destination for AI, cloud computing, and cybersecurity investment, particularly in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Large technology companies are investing billions into data centers, research hubs, and digital infrastructure projects across the country.

Executives privately fear that uncertainty surrounding encryption policy could complicate future investment decisions, particularly as firms weigh where to expand sensitive cloud and AI operations. Civil liberties organizations have also raised alarm about the bill’s potential implications for democratic accountability, arguing that secret government orders affecting digital infrastructure could erode public trust in technology platforms while limiting independent oversight.

Link building is often considered a technical SEO strategy to improve website rankings, but it has more advantages. Good quality backlinks help create an image of a company, increase its web presence, and build trust with audiences in its area of operation. For sectors such as SaaS, e-commerce or financial services, good quality links serve as indicators of goodwill, which lead to making decisions even prior to visiting the website!

Modern SEO teams require effective tools to grow their capabilities. A link building marketplace provides a central place to manage all aspects of your work – from discovering relevant websites to creating content and measuring results. Rather than dealing with disparate channels for outreach and manually coordinating efforts, teams can focus on creating effective strategies, such as identifying high-quality domains, using appropriate anchor text, and increasing website visibility across various countries.

How Link Building Drives Brand Growth Beyond Rankings

1. Supporting Multi-Channel Marketing Performance

Link building also improves other marketing channels. Users who know of your brand from articles and reviews will be more likely to convert later through paid ad campaigns, email newsletters, or direct visits to the website. Building links contributes to a snowball effect, which boosts overall marketing productivity.

2. Expanding Brand Visibility Across Digital Touchpoints

Backlinks provide visibility to your brand for an audience that can’t find it through regular Google searches. Even without immediate website clicks, being mentioned on high-quality websites can create awareness of your identity over time.

3. External Validation Strengthening Credibility

If reliable websites mention your brand, they can act as a form of indirect advertising. Users have good faith in businesses featured in editorial pieces, industry blogs or specialised websites more so than ones that simply rely on advertisements and their website alone.

Practical Strategies for Brand-Focused Link Building

• Prioritise relevance and audience alignment over raw domain volume.
• Focus on editorial and contextual mentions rather than the low-value directories.
• Increase geographical targeting efforts to strengthen a brand’s global presence.
• Ensure anchors and the surrounding context reinforce brand positioning.
• Track assisted conversions, not just organic traffic improvements.

Final Thoughts

Building links is no longer just about improving your website’s ranking. Good link-building strategies can contribute to healthy business growth: Increasing the level of awareness, trust and a strong market presence for several years. Businesses implementing strategic and efficient ways to obtain quality links can create effective competition in already crowded digital space areas where good authority contributes to strong keyword rankings.

FAQ

Why is link building important for brand growth, not just SEO?

Backlinks can serve as important credibility indicators. They contribute to increased online visibility through third-party websites, help create a certain image and build credibility even if they don’t lead to an immediate increase in website traffic.

How does link building improve brand recognition?

Mentions of the brand across reliable websites increase awareness. Over time, users become familiar with the brand across different contexts, which contributes to increased ability to recall and trust the brand.

Are backlinks still relevant in modern SEO?

Yes. Regardless of algorithm updates, backlinks are one of the best indicators of website authority on search engines, influencing both rankings and brand perception.

What type of links are most valuable for branding?

Contextual, editorial links from relevant, trustworthy websites yield the best results. They provide both SEO benefits and good quality web traffic opportunities that increase the effectiveness of your brand identity.

Salesforce chief executive Marc Benioff is leaning on aggressive share repurchases and an expanded artificial intelligence strategy as the cloud software company confronts renewed investor skepticism over its long-term growth outlook and competitive positioning in the generative AI era.

Speaking on CNBC’s “Mad Money” on Wednesday, Benioff said the company’s near-term priority remains execution rather than reacting to market concerns about disruption from AI-native platforms.

“We’re going to keep focusing on our customer success,” he said. “We’re going to continue to drive our revenue, we’re going to continue to deliver tremendous cash flow.”

The comments come as Salesforce shares continue to underperform broader technology benchmarks this year, with investors increasingly questioning whether enterprise software incumbents can maintain pricing power and product relevance as tools from companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic reshape expectations around automation, customer service, and software development.

Despite reporting stronger-than-expected earnings, Salesforce still fell about 1.5% in after-hours trading on Wednesday after issuing guidance that some analysts viewed as conservative, underscoring how sentiment has become more forward-looking than headline results.

Benioff pushed back on the idea that Salesforce is losing ground in what he referred to as the “Saaspocalypse,” arguing instead that the company is experiencing strong demand in large enterprise contracts.

“You can see we just had a record quarter,” he said. “We’ve never seen this many large transactions happen.”

The emphasis on deal size and enterprise adoption is central to Salesforce’s defense of its business model. While generative AI tools have lowered barriers to entry for some software functions, Salesforce continues to position itself as a core system-of-record provider for customer data, sales pipelines, and enterprise workflow orchestration, areas that remain deeply embedded in corporate IT stacks.

At the same time, Benioff highlighted capital allocation as a key pillar of shareholder value support during the downturn. Salesforce has now repurchased $27.1 billion in shares, a figure that signals a more assertive stance on returning capital as growth expectations moderate.

Chief financial officer Robin Washington said the buybacks had a material impact on financial metrics, reducing diluted share count by 10% year over year in the most recent quarter and contributing 23 cents to first-quarter adjusted earnings per share.

Benioff framed the repurchases as both opportunistic and conviction-driven.

“We can look around for great opportunities in the market, but Salesforce is probably the greatest,” he said. “We are very happy to buy back our stock.”

The approach is common with large-cap software companies that are balancing slower top-line acceleration with stronger free cash flow generation, increasingly using buybacks to stabilize earnings-per-share growth and support valuations in a more cautious market environment.

Beyond capital returns, Salesforce is also attempting to reposition its platform around artificial intelligence rather than treat it as a competitive threat. Benioff argued that AI is being integrated directly into existing workflows, particularly through Slack, which the company has increasingly used as a distribution layer for AI-enabled productivity tools.

“That Slack bot is driven by Anthropic,” he said. “By building Anthropic now into Slack, we’re able to take an incredibly successful product…and give tremendous advice.”

The integration highlights Salesforce’s strategy of embedding third-party AI models into its enterprise products rather than competing directly at the foundation-model level. This approach allows the company to present itself as an orchestration layer for enterprise AI adoption, while still relying on external model providers for core capabilities.

Investors, however, remain focused on whether these integrations will translate into sustained revenue acceleration at a time when enterprise software spending is becoming more selective and procurement cycles are lengthening.

For now, Salesforce is attempting to stabilize sentiment through a combination of record-reported results, expanded AI positioning, and one of the largest buyback programmes in the software sector. It is not clear yet if that is sufficient to counter structural concerns around software disruption. Analysts believe it will depend on how quickly AI reshapes enterprise purchasing behavior in the quarters ahead.