China’s tech giants are drawing a line in the sand in Southeast Asia. From internet heavyweight Alibaba to smartphone maker Xiaomi, Chinese companies have singled out the region as a critical market to push back against their Japanese, South Korean and U.S. rivals. The region’s start-ups pulled in US$7.86 billion from investors last year, an over threefold rise from 2016’s US$2.52 billion, according to Tech in Asia’s data. That’s the highest growth since 2013 and came about despite the number of deals falling to 320 from 335. China’s Alibaba announced earlier this week that it was doubling down on Lazada, pouring in a further $2bn and installing one of its top brass as chief executive, relegating the Southeast Asian e-commerce company’s founder to an advisory role.