Tag Archives: Charoen Pokphand

MULTINATIONALS: Free Trade Program Gets Boost From Japan, Thailand

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Bottom line: A new e-commerce joint venture by Japan’s Itochu and Thailand’s CP Group marks the latest major advance for China’s fledgling free trade zone program, whose policies should eventually expanded to the entire country.

Itochu forms new venture in Shanghai FTZ

China’s fledgling Free Trade Zone (FTZ) program got a new boost last week when a group of corporate giants from Japan, Thailand and China announced a major new retailing joint venture in the original zone in Shanghai. That news came just a week after a major expansion of the Shanghai zone, and the announcement of a plan for 3 additional FTZs in other parts of China.

This sudden expansion of the FTZ program is a welcome development for the many private companies whose growth plans have been stymied for years by China’s huge bureaucracy. That group includes not only big multinationals like Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) and HSBC (HKEx: 5; London: HSBA), but also a growing number of homegrown private giants like JD.com (Nasdaq: JD) and Alibaba (NYSE: BABA), which also harbor global aspirations. Read Full Post…

FINANCE: Citic, Galaxy Kick Off 2015 With Mega Fund Raising

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Bottom line: New mega fund-raising by Citic and Galaxy Securities could presage a flurry of global buying in the year ahead as non-banking financial firms look to expand abroad.

Citic raises $10 billion

Massive new fund raising by 2 major Chinese financial firms is showing that these companies remain an attractive option for international investors, even as traditional banks have become a pariah due to their huge volumes of bad debt. The deals by financial conglomerate Citic Ltd (HKEx: 267) and Galaxy Securities (HKEx: 6881) will raise a collective $12.3 billion, and could also presage a new wave of global buying by fast-growing Chinese financial firms outside the nation’s traditional banks. Read Full Post…