An increasingly xenophobic West will face an important test in the next 30 days as Canada weighs whether to approve the $15 billion purchase of local oil exploration giant Nexen (Toronto: NXY) by Chinese rival CNOOC (HKEx: 883; NYSE: CEO). The deal could well become an important indicator of the West’s willingness to accept China as an equal partner in the global economy, and its approval would send a positive signal after a more controversial decision last week that saw two of China’s leading technology firms locked out of the US telecoms equipment market due to security concerns.
Tag Archives: China company stock news
Lenovo’s PC Crown: Tough to Defend 联想个人电脑皇冠：强力捍卫
The headlines today are filled with reports trumpeting Lenovo’s official ascension to the top of the global PC rankings, as the company officially passed longtime champion Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) to become the world leading computer seller. So now the next question is: What’s does it mean? Unfortunately, the answer could be “Not much,” as PCs get set to embark on a long-term decline that will ultimate see them go the same way as record players and VCRs as they get replaced by more nimble mobile devices. Over the shorter term, Lenovo will also have to show it has the power to stay at the top before it can claim true bragging rights as the world’s biggest PC seller — a challenge that could be tough for reasons I’ll explain shortly.
Hasbro Tests Out China Toy Box 孩之宝牵手奥飞动漫
Just a year after leading global toy maker Mattel (NYSE: MAT) decided it didn’t want to play in China, the second largest US toy company Hasbro (Nasdaq: HAS) is taking a shot at the market with a new joint venture that could stand a better chance of success. Unlike Mattel, which shuttered its flashy House of Barbie in March last year, Hasbro is taking a more behind-the-scenes approach to the market by developing toys for the China market rather than making any major retail initiatives. While there’s certainly no guarantee of success in this tough market, this kind of back-end approach seems a bit more suitable for a less-developed market like China where consumer tastes and spending patterns are a bit different from those in more mature markets like the US and Europe.
News Digest: October 12 报摘： 2012年10月12日
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on October 12. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- Lenovo (HKEx: 992) Knocks HP (NYSE: HPQ) From Top of Global PC Market: Gartner (English article)
- Hasbro (Nasdaq: HAS) and Alpha Animation Announce Strategic Partnership for China (Businesswire)
- US Prepares to Launch 2nd Round of Investigations Into Huawei, ZTE (HKEx: 763) (Chinese article)
- Suntech (NYSE: STP) Responds to Final US Dept of Commerce Determination (PRNewswire)
- Ex-Central Banker Says Canada Should Approve CNOOC (HKEX: 883) Bid for Nexen (English article)
VIP Shop Soars Past Dangdang 唯品会市值超当当网
After an IPO earlier this year that was a major flop, discount e-commerce company Vipshop‘s (NYSE: VIPS) have quietly jumped in the last few months despite many obstacle it has faced this year. This otherwise low-key company, which has been out of the headlines since its disastrous IPO in March, caught my attention after I read a report saying its market cap has passed that of Dangdang (NYSE: DANG), previously China’s largest publicly listed e-commerce firm. (Chinese article)
China Turns Up Short Seller Counter Attack 中国回击做空投资者
Chinese Internet executives are providing steady entertainment in their recent counter-offensive against short sellers who have attacked their stocks repeatedly for more than a year, with industry elder statesman Lee Kai-Fu now preparing to sue one short-seller over defamation. When the history books are written, Lee, a former high-level executive at both Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), could well emerge as the white knight that ultimately rescued battered Chinese tech companies.
News Digest: October 11 报摘： 2012年10月11日
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on October 11. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- Lee Kai-Fu Says To Sue Citron And Its Founder Over Personal Attack (Chinese article)
- Yum (NYSE: YUM) Says Equipped To Navigate China’s “Ups And Downs” (English article)
- US Sets Final Duties on Chinese Solar Panels (English article)
- Beijing Unicom (HKEx: 762) Requires 3G Bundling with All 2M+ Broadband Plans (English article)
- Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) Names Charm Click (Nasdaq: CHRM) as European SEM Agency (PRNewswire)
Suntech Gets Set to Tackle Debt 尚德着手应对债务问题
Struggling solar cell maker Suntech (NYSE: STP) has just issued a euphemistically upbeat plan on how it intends to “solidify market leadership,” as it tries to return to health amid a prolonged industry downturn that has seen prices plunge more than 70 percent over the last 2 years. But investors are clearly focused on the last part of the plan, specifically discussing how the company intends to deal with nearly $600 million in convertible bonds that will come due in March next year. The process of renegotiating that debt is likely to be a long one, and is hardly guaranteed success without major support from Beijing and other government entities.
Telecoms: ZTE, Apple and China Mobile 电信业：中兴、苹果和中国移动
A wide range of buzz is coming from the telecoms space, led by more reverberations from Washington’s controversial decision to lock out Huawei and ZTE (HKEx: 763; Shenzhen: 000063) from the US telecoms equipment market. China’s 3 major telcos are also making the headlines for other reasons, as they continue to jostle for position in both the 3G wireless and also the fixed-line broadband spaces.
News Digest: October 10 报摘： 2012年10月10日
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on October 10. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- Japan Car Sales in China Tumble, Hit By Islands Row (English article)
- Tencent (HKEx: 700) E-Commerce to Start 300 Mln Yuan Promotion (English article)
- Suntech (NYSE: STP) Announces Strategy to Solidify Market Leadership (PRNewswire)
- China Telecom (HKEx: 728), Unicom (HKEx: 762) Start Taking iPhone 5 Orders (Chinese article)
- ZTE (HKEx: 763) Says Equipment Safe, and Poses No Security Threat (Businesswire)
Alibaba Under New Merchant Assault 阿里巴巴或面临中小商户新一轮声讨
E-commerce leader Alibaba loves to talk about how the business model for its popular TMall online mall gives it an edge over most of its rivals by letting it focus on its role as a web mall operator while leaving the actual business of managing online stores to third-party merchants. But the company is much less talkative about some of the downsides to such a business model, most notably the issue of quality control for the products and service provided by thousands of merchants that sell their goods on TMall. A sharp and sudden price hike in store rentals fees by TMall last year provoked a sharp backlash from many smaller merchants, creating huge headaches and a publicity nightmare for Alibaba. Now, many of those same small- and medium-sized merchants, known in the industry as SMEs, are complaining once again about new policies that Alibaba says are designed to improve quality and customer service, even as the SMEs argue those policies discriminate against them and lack transparency. (Chinese article)
