The "2019 Research Report on Social Responsibility of Chinese Internet Enterprises" is released at the inaugural ceremony of Beijing Normal University Internet Institute in Beijing on June 19, 2019. [Photo courtesy of BNU Internet Institute]

A report studying the social responsibilities of Chinese internet companies was released Wednesday in Beijing.

The research, conducted by Beijing Normal University (BNU), studies eight categories of tech companies, doing businesses in e-commerce, social networking, video content, transportation, auto services and repair, healthcare, tourism, and online games.

The release of the report also marked the launched of BNU Internet Institute, a think tank focusing on the internet's development and governance. A launch ceremony was held on campus.

Using various data points such as public surveys, media reports, and the companies' social responsibility reports, researchers scored 110 companies through a theory-based model and ranked them by category. Alibaba comes out first in e-commerce, and Tencent is the leading company in social networking. At the top of the other categories: Kuaishou for video content, Meituan Dache for transportation, Tuhu for auto services and repair, WeDoctor for healthcare, Ctrip for tourism, and 37 Interactive Entertainment for online games.

China has more than 800 million internet users, which more than doubles the U.S. population. According to the new report, seven out of the world's top 30 internet companies by market value are based in China, signaling the necessity of tech companies to fulfill their social responsibilities.

The report also finds that, in the eight categories of companies it studies, healthcare-related tech firms are performing much better in terms of social responsibility than those in other business sectors. Meanwhile, companies creating online games, providing video content, and facilitating transportation are poorly ranked.