Tencent (HKEx: 700) founder Pony Ma is suddenly shedding his low-key style with a flurry of public appearances and speeches, which have been the talk of the microblogging world over the past week. I’ve admired Pony for quite a while now, as he’s quietly built up Tencent into one of the world’s biggest Internet companies with his strong product development skills and early bet on social networking services (SNS). But public speaking has never been a strong suit for this Internet visionary who is one of China’s richest men, which is evident in his mundane series of appearances and mostly mundane comments over the last week. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on November 14. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Sina Announces $600 Mln Convertible Note Offer, Share Repurchase (PRNewswire)
Chinese Internet Firms Sue Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) For Online Piracy (English article)
After a roaring few weeks in late October, the market for offshore Chinese IPOs has lost some momentum in the last 2 weeks as investors return their focus to important issues like company quality and growth prospects. In the latest sign of the market’s fickle nature, Chinese bank Huishang (HKEx: 3698) has sputtered in its trading debut in Hong Kong, boding poorly for other mainland banks lining up to list there. Another piece of IPO news is less ominous, with media reporting that education services firm Tarena is preparing to list as early as next year, most likely in New York. While that news is relatively neutral, reports are also pointing out that one of Tarena’s top executives recently joined the company from NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ), the former New York-listed Chinese high flyer whose stock has tanked recently on doubts raised by a short seller. Read Full Post…
A pair of tired tech titans, namely software maker Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and electronics maker Sony (Tokyo: 6753), are making new pushes in the Chinese instant messaging (IM) and gaming spaces, as each tries to remain relevant in the fast growing market. Both of these companies are struggling for direction not only in China but also globally, with each recently seeking new leadership in a bid to regain their former glory. Back on the China front, Microsoft is formally ending a longstanding local partnership in a bid to bolster its flagging IM services in China. Meanwhile, Sony is making headlines in gaming, one of its few remaining strong areas, with word that it plans to roll out its popular PlayStation consoles in China. Read Full Post…
During my trip to Australia over the recent National Day holiday, I had an experience at Pudong International Airport that I would never care to repeat, even though it has a happy ending. While I probably gained a few gray hairs in the process, the entire ordeal was also quite remarkable because it shows just how far telecommunications in China have advanced in just the last 2 decades. Read Full Post…
Sometimes it seems like I’m living in slow motion when I write about China telecoms, since major developments in the sector often drag on for months past their expected launch dates. That’s been the case for 3 major new initiatives that could inject important new life into the space, even though rumored launch dates for all 3 have passed numerous times. The latest news bits on all 3 indicate things are still moving ahead, meaning perhaps we will someday soon see the announcement of licenses for 4G mobile service and new virtual network operators (VNOs), as well as the launch of a new national broadband network operator.Read Full Post…
US electric car maker Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) has landed in the headlines with an escalating trademark dispute in China, casting a spotlight on Beijing’s ongoing efforts to bolster the country’s intellectual property (IP) protections. China has made great strides in its IP protection in the last 5 years, resulting in a healthier business environment where both domestic and foreign companies can feel more secure that their trademarks, copyrights and product designs won’t be illegally stolen and copied. Read Full Post…
There’s a flurry of news in the fund-raising realm, led by word that online lottery company 500.com has sharply cut the size of its upcoming New York IPO following recent successful trading debuts for 2 other companies. At the same time, struggling online clothing seller Vancl has reportedly raised a new $100 million to keep funding its operations, as it looks for elusive profits. Meantime, Nasdaq-listed chipmaker RDA Microelectronics (Nasdaq: RDA) may be moving in the opposite direction of 500.com, with word that it has received a buyout offer that would see its shares de-listed from the Nasdaq. Read Full Post…
A couple of news bits are showing how a wider range of Chinese investment choices are slowly becoming available to western buyers, including many of riskier quality. Shares of premium Chinese names like top telco China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) and leading Internet company Tencent (HKEx: 700) have been available to western investors for years through their overseas-listed shares, mostly traded in New York and Hong Kong. But now a new group of decidedly lower-tier Chinese companies are coming onto the market with 2 new developments. One those will see Cinda Asset Management, one of Beijing’s main bad debt aggregators, make an IPO in Hong Kong; the other has seen the first exchange traded fund (ETF) that directly buys and sells China-listed A-shares make its debut in New York. Read Full Post…
The axiom that history repeats itself certainly seems to be true for fast-sinking Taiwanese PC maker Acer (Taipei: 2353), which has just announced the resignation of its chairman J.T. Wang. In the meantime, the region’s other top PC maker Lenovo (HKEx: 992) was probably wishing for a repeat of history, hoping that its successful purchase of IBM’s (NYSE: IBM) PC business in 2005 would be repeated with a recent bid for dying smartphone pioneer BlackBerry (Toronto: BB). But instead, media are reporting that Lenovo never bothered to make a formal bid for BlackBerry, after being told that such a deal would be blocked by Ottawa due to national security concerns. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on November 9-11. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Cinda Hong Kong IPO To Test Investor Appetite For China’s Bad Debt (English article)
Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) to Take Over China Skype Operation From Tom (English article)
500.com Sets IPO Price Range At $9-$11 per ADS (Chinese article)
Holder Of Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) Name In China Wants $30 Mln For Trademark (Chinese article)
Vancl Raises Another $100 Mln In Quest To Regain Lost Glory (Chinese article)
