The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on August 3-5. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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GM (NYSE: GM) Splits China From International Unit, Hires Former Volvo CEO (English article)
China Starts Website To Refute Rumors As Scrutiny Grows (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’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 6-8. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 5. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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China Probes Pricing At Drugmakers Including GSK, Merck (English article)
China Merchants Bank (HKEx: 3968) Sets Up Online Branch On WeChat (Chinese article)
HKEx Approves AgBank (HKEx: 1288) To Issue $5 Bln In Medium-Term Notes (HKEx announcement)
Qihoo (NYSE: QIHU), Sogou Increase Search Traffic Share in June (English article)
Beijing Praises Baby Formula Brands for Price Reduction (English article)
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.
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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
I previously welcomed the installment of a new generation of leaders at China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) about a year ago, but a steady series of mixed signals since then have me wondering if these new executives may be just as confused as their predecessor, former Chairman Wang Jianzhou. Since taking the helm of the world’s biggest telco, the new executives, led by new Chairman Xi Guohua, have made a number of moves that seem to reflect a company whose head remains in a haze. The latest of those has seen China Mobile just announce that it’s suspending its Skype-like Jego mobile messaging service just weeks after its launch. (Chinese article) Read Full Post…
Sina’s (Nasdaq: SINA) Weibo microblogging platform is moving in many different directions these days, this time adding a major video component through a new tie-up with online video leader Youku Tudou (NYSE: YOKU). This new tie-up looks smart in some ways, as it pairs 2 leaders in online entertainment spaces that look complementary. But at the same time, Sina needs to be careful in its zealous campaign to commercialize Weibo, or risk alienating its millions of users and eventually driving them away to a growing array of rival products entering the market. Read Full Post…
After months of complaining about new competition from the private sector, dominant mobile carrier China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) is finally developing its own rival products to combat the rapid rise of WeChat, a popular mobile messaging app run by Internet giant Tencent (HKEx: 700). This move is what China Mobile should have done from the start, and marks the carrier’s own important realization that it can’t depend on Beijing to protect its dominant market status the way it might have in the socialist era. Read Full Post…
I’ll openly admit that I’ve generally sided with Internet giant Tencent (HKEx: 700) in its ongoing dispute with China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) over Tencent’s popular WeChat mobile messaging service; but a new report today on the debate is also making me realize that China Mobile’s point has some validity, even if I disagree with its tactics to address the issue. The report I’m talking about cites an executive at Shanghai-based China Merchants Bank (HKEx: 3968; Shanghai: 600036), a leading regional lender, saying his bank is piloting a service on WeChat as it looks to migrate some of its mobile-based services to the platform. (English article)Read Full Post…
