OpenClaw, the open-source autonomous artificial intelligence agent, is stepping up efforts to tap into China’s user base as it works more closely with Chinese tech giants including Tencent Holdings and ByteDance.

A version update of OpenClaw released on Tuesday included Tencent’s QQ, making the long-standing messaging app the first Chinese social media platform to be natively integrated with OpenClaw’s official platform.

QQ bot, a versatile bridging service that connects the popular messaging platform with external applications through the Message Communication Protocol, was added as a “bundled channel plug-in”, according to OpenClaw. The source code of QQBot has also been merged into OpenClaw’s main repository.

The connection allows complex multimedia interactions, including multi-account set-up, slash commands, and automated reminders, it added. QQ users will be able to deploy OpenClaw’s agents directly within the app’s private chats.

The move is the latest sign the OpenAI-backed AI agent, which took the industry by storm with programmes able to autonomously perform tasks, will work more closely with Chinese tech giants to tap into the massive market.

Separately, the AI agent is featuring more technical support – from AI models to AI infrastructure – that is provided by Chinese tech companies.