Embattled telecoms equipment maker Huawei is hoping that Britain will become the key turning point in its quest for acceptance by the west, based on its recent flurry of initiatives there designed to show portray itself as a good corporate citizen. I’ve been reporting on China for a while now, and will openly say that Huawei is certainly doing a good job of trying to look like a western-style company by highlighting its contributions to the markets where it does business. Among the companies I follow, only PC giant Lenovo (HKEx: 992) engages in a similar level of this kind of PR. Read Full Post…
China should be proud of itself for recently using negotiations to avoid a trade war with the EU over solar panels; but it is quickly falling back into old behavioral patterns that could cause a similar dispute involving telecoms equipment to quickly become a new crisis. My suggestion to Beijing is to seize the momentum from the recent solar success to quickly open new negotiations to try and resolve the new looming dispute over telecoms equipment sold in the EU by industry leaders Huawei and ZTE (HKEx: 763; Shenzhen: 000063). But instead of taking such a proactive approach, we’re seeing signs that Beijing is falling back into its old habit of not doing anything and instead waiting until a new crisis erupts before taking any action to try and resolve the matter. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on August 6. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Fonterra CEO Apologizes, Sees China Dairy Curbs Lifted Within Days (English article)
Tencent’s (HKEx: 700) WeChat v5.0 Adds Game Center, In-App Payment (English article)
Concord Green Energy to Buy 5 Solar Plants from Canadian Solar (Nasdaq: CSIQ) (PRNewswire)
Huawei To Open London Office To Manage Global Finances (English article)
Stability has become the buzzword of the moment for Chinese tech firms, which appears to be the driving factor behind the positive receptions for what otherwise look like so-so results from online search leader Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) and telecoms equipment giant Huawei. In Baidu’s case, the company has been hit by slowing revenue growth and evaporating profits in the last few quarters caused by growing competition and a sharp slowdown in ad spending. Huawei, meantime, is fighting a sluggish global economy and also growing resistance in the US and Europe to its core networking equipment. Read Full Post…
I’ve been reporting on China’s cellphone market long enough to know that change can come suddenly and without much warning, and that a superstar one day might be struggling for survival just a year or two later. Such transformations often come in waves, and it appears the newest shake-up could be coming as consumers start to shun prestigious high-end smartphones in favor of booming lower-end models that perform many of the same functions for a fraction of the price. China’s slowing economy could cause the trend to accelerate, since many consumers are now looking for ways to cut back their spending due to uncertainty about the future. Read Full Post…
China’s top 2 telecoms equipment makers appear to be losing their patience with growing hostility from the west, with Huawei making unusually frank remarks about its frustrations as ZTE (HKEx: 763) announces a major new initiative in the friendlier India market. I’m not surprised at all by this latest turn of events, as both companies are probably realizing they won’t be making any major inroads into the US networking equipment market anytime soon. To make matters worse, both are facing growing resistance in the lucrative Western European markets as well, where Huawei had previously made strong progress. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 20-22. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO) To Reacquire China Yahoo From Alibaba – Source (English article)
SPD (Shanghai: 600000), China Mobile (HKEx: 941) In E-Payments Tie-Up (Chinese article)
The latest moves from embattled telecoms equipment maker Huawei Technologies are showing it will continue its aggressive public relations campaign to convince the world it is a serious company and not just a spying arm of Beijing. One of those moves has Huawei actually lobbying on behalf of its major European rivals as everyone gets set to bid for billions of dollars in contracts to help China build its 4G mobile networks. The other comes in a new executive appointment that has Huawei hiring a major former top executive from Nokia (Helsinki: NOK1V), as part of the company’s drive to make its management team look more global. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 4. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════
GM (NYSE: GM) China Sales Accelerate on Higher Demand for Cadillac (English article)
Huawei Says Hopes European Rivals Become Big Suppliers For China 4G (Chinese article)
WeChat 5.0 to Overhaul Public Accounts, Add Payment Features (English article)
LeTV’s (Shenzhen: 300104) First Batch Of Super TVs Sells Out In 49 Minutes (Chinese article)
Li Ning (HKEx: 2331) Seeks to Revive Brand With NBA Superstar Dwyane Wade
The inevitable price wars may finally be coming to China’s smartphone market, in an all-too-common pattern seen time and again for popular new products. Media have been so busy reporting about how China will become the world’s biggest smartphone market this year that no one has really stepped back to examine the phenomenon and why it’s happening. At least one media is finally doing that, and reporting that inventories are suddenly building up to dangerous levels at the homegrown smartphone makers that are the main force behind China’s recent smartphone boom. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on June 19. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Mengniu (HKEx: 2319) Adds Another Deal With Offer For Carlyle’s Yashili (English article)
EU Trade Chief To Discuss Solar Dispute In Beijing (English article)
Software Developer SkyTech to IPO in HK – Source (English article)
Qihoo 360 (NYSE: QIHU) To Roll Out Portable Wi-Fi Router Device (Chinese article)
Huawei, Responding To Rumors, Says No Plans To Buy Nokia (Helsinki: NOK1V) (English article)
