I was somewhat amused today to read an announcement from stodgy domestic smartphone maker ZTE (HKEx: 763; Shenzhen: 000063) trumpeting the success of a “cool” new online campaign for its high-end brand of nubia smartphones. But after giving the matter some thought, I do have to compliment ZTE for its new approach to create some buzz around its smartphones, which currently enjoy a reputation as dependable but also quite stodgy and low-end products. Most Chinese refer to phones from domestic names like ZTE, Huawei and Lenovo (HKEx: 992) as guochan, literally meaning “made in China,” which carriers distinctively negative overtones for inferior quality and lack of imagination. ZTE is clearly trying to cast off that image for its nubia line with this new China-based campaign. Read Full Post…
Spin doctors from Chinese tech titans Tencent (HKEx: 700) and Alibaba have been hard at work these last few days, doing their best to promote their products and add positive interpretations to news involving their companies. Tencent chief Pony Ma was actively hyping up several of his company’s products and services, while an Alibaba executive was touting a visit between founder Jack Ma and visiting British Prime Minister David Cameron. Tencent also got a helping hand from restaurant ratings giant Dianping, whose low-key founder was hyping a new tie-up between Dianping and the payments platform on Tencent’s wildly popular WeChat instant messaging service. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on December 12. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Wanda Group‘s Wang Jianlin To Enter E-Commerce (Chinese article)
Walmart’s (NYSE: WMT) Yihaodian Consolidates Under Shanghai FTZ Company (English article)
It seems China’s second largest online real estate services firm E-House (NYSE: EJ) is suffering from a case of envy over sector leader SouFun (NYSE: SFUN), and is now following its larger rival with plans for a major new convertible bond offering. The offering marks the latest in a steady stream by some of China’s biggest US-listed tech firms, which are discovering strong investor appetite for their debt that can be converted later into company stock. While a recent string of New York IPOs by Chinese firms have attracted more media attention lately, this ongoing series of bonds has actually raised far more money for some of China’s biggest tech firms. Read Full Post…
In a development that many would say was widely expected, Beijing’s recent campaign to root out official corruption at state-owned companies is spreading deeper into the system, with word that an executive from grocery chain operator Lianhua Supermarket (HKEx: 980) is under investigation. I don’t normally follow Lianhua, as it’s a distinctively second-tier company that operates unimpressive grocery stores that are usually mostly empty whenever I happen to shop there. But that’s exactly why this particular probe is interesting, as it shows that the anti-corruption campaign is moving beyond the high-profile biggest state-run companies that have been targeted so far and into the smaller firms that populate the big majority of China’s corporate landscape. Read Full Post…
A recent case involving some bathhouse bandits seemed like a good excuse to look at the colorful history of public showers in China over the last half century. Such public bathhouses were a fixture of everyday life for years in a densely populated city like Shanghai, where many homes lacked running water.
In addition to their more functional role as places to wash, these bathhouses were traditionally an important place to socialize, where people could chat with friends and neighbors and catch up on all the latest news and gossip while soaking in a hot tub. Much of that glamour has been lost these last few decades in Shanghai’s current generation of grungy bathhouses, which themselves are rapidly drying up. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on December 11. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Santander (Madrid: SAN) Ups Bet On China With Bank of Shanghai Stake (English article)
China Mobile (HKEx: 941) Website To Take iPhone 5S Orders From Thursday (Chinese article)
E-House (NYSE: EJ) Announces Plan To Offer $180 Mln Convertible Notes (PRNewswire)
Lianhua Supermarket (HKEx: 980) Former Top Executive Under Probe (Chinese article)
LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK) Extends Forbearance Arrangement With Noteholders (PRNewswire)
The IPO world is humming with activity as we head into what’s likely to be the final week of new listings this year, with web firm Autohome gaining some momentum in New York as China Everbright Bank struggles to find an audience in Hong Kong. In another smaller offering in Hong Kong, a death care services firm called Fu Shou Yuan International is attracting some big-name investors in the run-up to its offering, shining a spotlight on the big potential for such services in China. Read Full Post…
Most people are focusing on Alibaba in the new announcement of its major new logistics tie-up with leading home appliance maker Haier (HKEx: 1169), so I thought I would take a different approach and focus instead on the underappreciated Haier. Actually, I should clarify and say that Haier was formerly underappreciated, as investors quickly discovered its shares after announcement of the $360 million tie-up, bidding the stock up to a 14-year high on optimism about the new partnership. I’ve always been quite positive on Haier, one of China’s top brands in home appliances, and think this new venture continues its tradition of carefully considered partnerships with good chances for success into new areas. Read Full Post…
A recent rush into financial services by Chinese Internet firms took a new twist last week when China Unicom (HKEx: 762; NYSE: CHU), the nation’s second biggest wireless carrier, announced it will move into the space with the establishment of a new joint venture. Unicom joins China’s major Internet companies and a wide range of other firms in launching such joint ventures, with Alibaba, Tencent (HKEx: 700) and Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) all announcing similar tie-ups this year. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on December 13. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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China Everbright Bank To Launch $2.8 Bln Hong Kong IPO On Tuesday (English article)
Alibaba Invests $361 Mln In Haier’s (HKEx: 1169) “Big Goods” Logistics (English article)
Canadian Solar (Nasdaq: CSIQ) Signs Loan Agreement For Solar Projects In Japan (PRNewswire)
