Up-and-coming smartphone maker Xiaomi’s recent campaign to distance itself from previous role model Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) is gaining momentum, with word that it’s preparing to launch a game console. Industry watchers will know that Xiaomi’s charismatic founder Lei Jun has enjoyed seeing his company compared to Apple for most of the last 2 years, and I suspect Lei also considers himself as the equivalent of a Chinese Steve Jobs. But with Jobs no longer in Apple’s life and Apple’s own fortunes plunging sharply in China this year, Lei seems to have suddenly lost interest in his former role model. Read Full Post…
When is the merger of search sites operated by 2 major media and a top telco not a very big news story? The answer: When all 3 of those companies are big state-run behemoths that have a poor track record for innovation in the fast-moving Internet world. That’s my personal assessment on reading news that Panguso and Jike, the respective online search sites of the Xinhua news agency and People’s Daily newspaper, have merged their operations to form a new company. (English article) In addition to its Xinhua backing, Panguso counts dominant mobile carrier China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) as its other major stakeholder. Read Full Post…
I’m not the biggest fan of software security specialist Qihoo 360 (NYSE: QIHU) due to its sometimes dubious business practices that often result in lawsuits and other complaints against the company. But I do have to admire the creative ways it finds to secretly install its products on people’s computers, which I suspect is the main motivation for its newly announced wireless router that carries a very low price tag. Of course all this stealth activity is just slightly ironic for a company like Qihoo, whose core product is software that’s supposed to make users’ computers more secure. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on June 20. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════
China’s Wanda To Spend $1.6 Bln On UK Yacht Maker, Hotel (English article)
GM (NYSE: GM) Aims For 10 Pct Of China’s Luxury Car Market By 2020 (English article)
Some 6 months after buzz first emerged that Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) could soon bring its popular Kindle tablet PCs to China, media are reporting that the product could finally make its debut in the market next month. I’ll be frank in saying that Amazon is coming to the China tablet PC market a bit late, as the space is already quite competitive due to the earlier arrival of Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPad, along with tablet offerings from Samsung (Seoul: 005930) and homegrown giant Lenovo (HKEx: 992). But that said, I would also say there’s still no clear leader in the space, meaning Amazon could quickly grab some market share if it makes the right moves. Read Full Post…
A new “scandal” involving a popular brand of bottled water is casting an embarrassing spotlight on China’s tendency to over-regulate many consumer goods and services, creating confusion among the very people such oversight was meant to protect. China should see this case as a wake-up call and take steps to unify and streamline its complex and sometimes contradictory regulatory system. Otherwise it risks a continuing stream of similar “scandals” that will bruise the country’s reputation as a good place to do business, and needlessly worry consumers. Read Full Post…
Security software specialist Qihoo 360 (NYSE: QIHU) is learning that bad news comes in waves, with new reports saying the company’s highly hyped new search engine isn’t doing quite as well as previous reports indicated. The news, if true, would follow another major setback for the company last month when an anti-monopoly lawsuit it filed against Internet giant Tencent (HKEx: 700) was thrown out by a judge in a courtroom in southern Guangdong province. (previous post) Read Full Post…
A new attack on software giant Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) by an English-language Chinese broadcaster looks like a relatively minor affair and would probably not even qualify as news in most western markets. But this is China, where all media are owned by the state and often support each other by speaking with a single voice. That means this new criticism by China National Radio could be just the opening shot against the world’s largest software maker, similar to an ambush faced by rival Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) just weeks ago. Read Full Post…
The ongoing tiff between the US and China over the security of Chinese telecoms equipment took a new twist last week when Washington largely forbid several government agencies from buying products from industry giants Huawei and ZTE (HKEx: 763; Shenzhen: 000063). While Washington’s previous moves in the dispute have been controversial and often contrary to fair trade principles, this latest act looks more reasonable because it is limited to purchasing by a small number of government agencies. Read Full Post…
Chinese Internet icon Lee Kai-Fu’s penchant for controversy is once again splashing into the headlines, this time with word that the former Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) China executive has gotten himself in trouble for criticizing the foundering online search engine of a major state-owned newspaper. This latest brouhaha highlights the risk that people who do business in China face when they speak too candidly in public forums about major official organizations like the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party.
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on February 6. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline. ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Commerce Ministry Officials In Europe to Negotiate For Huawei, ZTE (HKEx: 763) (Chinese article)
SABMiller (London: SAB) JV To Buy Chinese Breweries For $863 Mln (English article)
Yum (NYSE: YUM) CEO Says Time, Not Cash, To Cure China Sales Drop (English article)
Huawei, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Co-Develop Customized W8 Phone For Africa (Chinese article)
Perfect World (Nasdaq: PWRD), Lenovo (HKEx: 992) Partner on Smart TV Game (English article)
