The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on August 7. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Mead Johnson (NYSE: MJN) Announces China Probe Resolution, Fined $33 Mln (Businesswire)
Lacoste Launches Online Business in China (Businesswire)
China Steps Up Internet Financial Sector Oversight (English article)
Tencent (HKEx: 700) WeChat-Customized Wo SIM Pre-Orders Exceed 1 Mln (English article)
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.
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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)
I don’t usually have many positive things to say about Unicom (HKEx: 762; NYSE: CHU), China’s second largest mobile carrier that has been in a state of management gridlock for most of the last 4 years after its formation through the merger of 2 smaller telcos. But I commended the company earlier this year for its stance on WeChat, the popular mobile messaging service operated by Internet giant Tencent (HKEx: 700), and am praising it once again for its new market-oriented tie-up with WeChat. At the same time, we’re seeing other interesting news on the WeChat front with word that Alibaba has recently stopped offering its e-commerce services over the popular social networking (SNS) platform. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on August 2. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Fund House ChinaAMC Launches Service On Tencent (HKEx: 700) WeChat (Chinese article)
Youku Tudou (NYSE: YOKU) To Enter Internet TV Arena – Reports (English article)
Online Marketplace 58.com Plans NY IPO This Year To Raise Up To $100 Mln (Chinese article)
Toyota (Tokyo: 7203) Expects To Meet China Sales Target Despite July Slip (English article)
ZTE Wins 5 Pct Of Global Smartphone Market In Q2 (Businesswire)
I should have a bit more confidence in my predictions, following word that leading Internet firm Tencent (HKEx: 700) has become a major shareholder in top global electronic game designer Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq: ATVI) as part of a deal to buy out the company from its parent. I had predicted last year that Tencent could buy Activision outright, after France’s Vivendi (Paris: VIV) put the US gaming company up for sale to raise cash and divest non-core assets. But then when more than a year passed without any word of a deal, I concluded that Tencent was either unable to raise the financing for a transaction, or perhaps had lost interest. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 27-29. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Activision (Nasdaq: ATVI) Goes Solo In $8.2 Bln Deal, Tencent (HKEX: 700) Invests (English article)
EU, China Resolve Solar Dispute – Their Biggest Trade Row By Far (English article)
US Extends Review Of Shuanghui, Smithfield (NYSE: SFD) Merger (English article)
Wanda Orders Up to 120 New Imax Theaters for China （English article)
TMall Daily Mobile Gross Merchandise Value Exceeds 100 Mln Yuan (English article)
I’m pleased to see that after a major socialist-style clash in China’s mobile Internet space earlier this year, all of the relevant parties are turning to the business of more market-oriented competition with the roll-out of new rival products. Internet followers will know I’m talking about the high-profile clash in early 2013 between China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) and Internet leader Tencent (HKEx: 700) involving Tencent’s highly popular WeChat mobile instant messaging service. In the latest wrinkle to the story, media are reporting that online game operator NetEase (Nasdaq: NTES) is teaming up with China Telecom (HKEx: 728; NYSE: CHA), the smallest of China’s 3 mobile operators, to roll out their own WeChat rival product. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 24. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Tencent (HKEx: 700) Invests in Xiaomi via Russia’s Digital Sky – Sources (English article)
US Citizen Detained As China Pharma Probe Spreads (English article)
Just days after making its first acquisition in China under a new CEO, faded US search giant Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO) is reportedly in talks to re-acquire the Chinese rights to its brand from former China partner Alibaba. The reports, if true, would be the latest signal that Yahoo is gearing up for a major new attempt to become a player in China’s huge Internet market, following 2 failed previous attempts. If such a new foray really comes, Yahoo would join other major US Internet giants such as eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), which also look set to make big new pushes into China following earlier failures. Read Full Post…
Consolidation in China’s crowded Internet is moving ahead full steam these days, with the latest reports indicating that online matchmaking site Jiayuan.com International (Nasdaq: DATE) may be the latest takeover target. If the reports are true, the talks would mark the latest tie-up that has seen cash-rich Internet giants including Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU), Alibaba and Tencent (HKEx: 700) embark on a recent buying frenzy for undervalued and cash-starved smaller Internet firms. Jiayuan certainly seems to fit that description, as the company’s shares have languished since its IPO 2 years ago. Read Full Post…
Yet another Chinese Internet firm is reportedly eying a Hong Kong listing, with word that mid-sized online gaming firm Suzhou Snail Digital is weighing an IPO to raise up to $100 million. This latest news must be worrisome to the 2 major stock markets in New York, which traditionally were the preferred listing venue for Chinese Internet companies and other start-up tech firms. Most of China’s biggest Internet firms now trade in New York, including search giant Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) and online travel services leader Ctrip (Nasdaq: CTRP). But the Nasdaq and New York Stock Exchange have lost some of their appeal over the last 2 years, amid waning interesting by investors and a crackdown against Chinese firms by the US securities regulator following a series of accounting scandals. Read Full Post…
