BOAO - Tencent's president Liu Chiping said Sunday that the company's Wechat software will remain free to use in response to complaints from netizens regarding the possibility of being charged for using the free chat application.

Liu made the remarks at a roundtable discussion held at the Boao Forum for Asia, which is being held from April 6 to 8 in south China's Hainan Province.

The app's large userbase will offer room for cooperation with telecom operators, Liu said, adding that there will be no need to charge people for using the app.

China's telecom industry regulator said last weekend that telecoms companies may be allowed to charge Wechat users for using the app on their networks.

Wechat has become increasingly popular over the last year due to its free voice messaging and photo sharing features.