After years of dodgy acquisitions targeting struggling rivals, Chinese PC giant Lenovo (HKEx: 992) is finally making some acquisition bids I like, with reports the company is in talks to buy former Taiwanese smartphone superstar HTC (Taipei: 2498). This new report looks quite interesting, as it comes just 2 months after media speculated that Lenovo could make a bid for BlackBerry (Toronto: BB), another former smartphone high-flyer whose fortunes have also faded rapidly due to its failure to keep up with the latest trends. But Lenovo wisely decided to skip Canada-based BlackBerry, which would have been difficult to turn around for a number of reasons, including cultural and other structural issues due to its roots as an email specialist. Read Full Post…
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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Lenovo (HKEx: 992) In Talks To Acquire HTC (Taipei: 2498) – Report (English article)
Ctrip (Nasdaq: CTRP) Announces Proposed Offer Of $500 Mln Convertible Notes (PRNewswire)
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on September 27 to October 1. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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China Mobile (HKEx: 941) Guangdong Unit Announces 4G Package (Chinese article)
Xiaomi MIUI Store to Remove Qihoo 360 (NYSE: QIHU) Apps (English article)
58.com to Submit IPO Prospectus to SEC By End September – Source (English article)
China To Offer Tax Breaks To Solar Power Manufacturers (English article)
Lenovo (HKEx: 992) Aims At Apple, Samsung With New VIBE Brand Smartphones (Chinese article)
Internet TV is fast becoming the flavor of the day for China’s leading Internet and gadget companies, with word that e-commerce giant Alibaba has now entered the field through a new tie-up with TV maker Skyworth (HKEx: 751). The news comes just a week after online search leader Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) announced its own similar tie-up with TCL Multimedia (HKEx: 1070), another leading TV maker, and following other similar recent product roll-outs by names like smartphone maker Xiaomi, video content provider LeTV (Shenzhen: 300104) and PC giant Lenovo (HKEx: 992). Read Full Post…
Local media are buzzing with word that China’s telecoms regulator has just approved 4 smartphones for use on the nation’s upcoming 4G networks, implying the long-awaited issue of 4G licenses could be imminent. But equally interesting is a separate report that says the number of newly approved phones is actually 5, and that the fifth phone was a version of Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) new iPhone 5S that can operate on networks using a homegrown Chinese technology called TD. That report says Apple requested its iPhone approval be kept secret; but if true, it means we could soon see announcement of a long-awaited tie-up between the US tech giant and leading Chinese mobile carrier China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL). Read Full Post…
I have to commend the Obama administration for approving the sale of leading US pork processor Smithfield (NYSE: SFD) to China’s Shuanghui, rather than succumbing to pressure from US politicians who opposed the deal. Washington regulators who were reviewing the deal for national security issues quietly approved the sale just before the weekend, providing a nice gift for Shuanghui for the upcoming Mid-Autumn and Chinese National Day holidays. (English article) But more importantly, approval of the deal sends an important message that the US wants to promote fair and free trade with China, and won’t play the kinds of political tit-for-tat games that often happen during trade disputes. Read Full Post…
China will reach an important milestone in the week ahead when it becomes included for the first time in the global launch for Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) newest smartphone, the iPhone 5S. The move reflects the growing importance of China to Apple, which now counts the market as its second largest. China’s inclusion in the global launch also reflects an effort by Apple to try and win back local consumers, many of whom have recently abandoned the US tech giant due to long waits to get the latest iPhones and a series of negative media reports. Read Full Post…
Let’s start the day with a look at the latest Internet TV tie-up between leading TV maker TCL Multimedia (HKEx: 1070) and online search leader Baidu, the latter of which has suddenly discovered a huge appetite for similar new partnerships. I need to start off by saying that anyone who didn’t see this latest tie-up coming must be living in a cave, as media previously reported on it a few weeks ago and TCL chief Li Dongsheng has been talking about it non-stop on his microblog these last few days. I’ve previously said that I like this deal for reasons I’ll recap shortly (previous post); but now that the deal is official, what’s more intriguing is the potential for a stronger tie-up in the future, including a potential equity swap or even a purchase of TCL Multimedia by Baidu. Read Full Post…
It’s refreshing to see Lenovo’s (HKEx: 992) chatty CEO Yang Yuanqing finally doing something besides boasting about his big plans for the company, with word that he is donating a big chunk of his annual bonus to ordinary employees. I’m a bit too jaded to believe that Yang’s donation of $3 million is a purely selfless act, since he was quite willing to give the media a detailed account of his decision. Still, the latest news comes as a nice break from the usual chatter about new M&A targets and other global aspirations from one of China’s most successful tech firms. Read Full Post…
Most of the world is buzzing with speculation about what prompted a top Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) executive to defect to Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, but few are giving much credit to one of China’s hottest tech companies for luring Hugo Barra to join its ranks. Most media are focusing instead on an apparent love triangle between Google co-founder Sergey Brin and an unnamed current love interest, who just happens to be an ex-girlfriend of Barra. (English article) But instead, I would venture to guess that Barra’s departure has less to do with this titillating love story, and more to do with Xiaomi’s aggressive global aspirations, including its recent receipt of $2 billion in new funding — the most ever for a privately funded China tech firm. (previous post) Read Full Post…
Perhaps struggling former global PC leader Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) has finally straightened its house, or perhaps it senses that rival Lenovo (HKEx: 992) has become distracted with its recent push into smartphones. Whatever the reason, HP appears to be gearing up for a new push into China, with its announcement of a newly created China chairman position which is being filled with a tech industry veteran. Such a move implies an overhaul of HP’s China operations, and is certainly long overdue for a company whose share of China’s PC market has dropped sharply in the last few years. But the move also looks like too little too late, amid a global trend that has seen PC sales fall sharply due to the rising popularity of smaller devices like tablet PCs and smartphones. Read Full Post…
