The founders of China’s three biggest tech companies, Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent – collectively known as BAT – are expected to receive national honours for their contributions to economic reform, putting them on the same pedestal as the first female Chinese Nobel laureate and deceased Communist Party role models.
Up to 100 individuals will be honoured as part of the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening up, according to People’s Daily, which published the nominee list on Monday as part of a five-day public review.