China's internet giant Tencent on Wednesday reported strong third-quarter earnings, with revenue reaching 97.24 billion yuan (about 13.7 billion U.S. dollars), up 21 percent year-on-year. 

Its operating profit for the period rose 27 percent year-on-year to hit 28.5 billion yuan (4.036 million U.S. dollars).

Profit attributable to equity holders for the period increased 24 percent year-on-year to hit 24.4 billion yuan (3.45 billion U.S. dollars).

Online game revenues return to double-digit growth of 11 percent, reaching 28.6 billion yuan. Total smartphone game revenues increased by 25 year-on-year to 24.3 billion yuan. 

The increase primarily reflected revenue growth from smartphone games in both domestic and overseas markets, including key titles such as Honour of Kings, PUBG MOBILE, and Peacekeeper Elite. 

Social network revenues increased by 21 percent to 22 billion yuan, mainly driven by higher contributions from digital content services such as live streaming, video streaming subscriptions, and music streaming services, according to Tencent. 

'Use of technology for good is a conscious choice'

"Technology is powerful and evolving rapidly. The appropriate use of technology can have a significant impact on social welfare. Technology is a tool, but the use of technology for good is a conscious choice. We shall choose to do what's right and refuse to do what's wrong," Pony Ma, chairman and CEO of Tencent, wrote in an internal letter to his employees on Monday. 

For decades, disruptive innovations like the internet and new-generation technologies in China brought substantial economic benefits and drastically changed people's lifestyles. That makes China perhaps the friendliest nation in the world to new technologies. Tencent itself is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Chinese people's obsessive attitude toward new technologies. 

But in the past several years, people in China gradually realized technology is also a double-edged sword. And the Chinese government is also stressing the importance of social obligations of private enterprises. 

Stricter regulations have been imposed on the gaming industry and other internet sectors. Chinese tech firms are under unprecedented social pressure to respond to backlashes, just like their Silicon Valley counterparts.