财新传媒
2017年09月14日 10:34

CHIPS: Trump Vetoes Chipmaker Sale, More to Come?

CHIPS: Trump Vetoes Chipmaker Sale, More to Come?

Bottom line: The US is likely to take a tougher stance towards Chinese M&A of politically sensitive companies following Trump's veto of a major deal, but in such cases will still need to justify the national security risk.

Trump vetoes sale of chipmaker

In a move that is sure to make major waves but wasn't completely unexpected, Donald Trump has made his first big statemen...

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2017年09月13日 10:46

MEDIA: Tencent, Alibaba in Music Licensing Swap as Regulator Gets Involved

MEDIA: Tencent, Alibaba in Music Licensing Swap as Regulator Gets Involved

Bottom line: A new music re-licensing deal between Alibaba and Tencent, combined with a meeting between the copyright regulator and major online music sellers, hint at attempts to create a more level playing field in the space.

Alibaba, Tencent in music cross-licensing deal

A couple of items from the music sector are in the headlines today, showing how tricky the situation...

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2017年09月11日 10:26

SMARTPHONES: Huawei Unseats Apple, Eyes the Cloud

SMARTPHONES: Huawei Unseats Apple, Eyes the Cloud

Bottom line: Huawei could overtake Apple as the world's second largest smartphone seller in the next 1-2 years, while it could also pose a challenge in global cloud services over the next 5 years.

Huawei takes a shot at the cloud

We'll begin the new week with a couple of items from Huawei that show how the company that began as a telecoms network builder looks set to unsea...

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2017年09月06日 10:45

INTERNET: Google Steps Up Beijing Dance with AI Drive

INTERNET: Google Steps Up Beijing Dance with AI Drive

Bottom line: Google's campaign to build a China-based artificial intelligence team is at least partly designed to woo Beijing, as part of its broader effort to get permission to open a China-based Google Play app store.

Google Play edging towards China?

In the latest signal of its move back to China, Internet titan Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) is apparently on a hiring spree in B...

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2017年09月04日 10:40

NEW ENERGY: BYD Wins Hometown Business, Launches Monorail

NEW ENERGY: BYD Wins Hometown Business, Launches Monorail

Bottom line: BYD's new order from Shenzhen shows its continued reliance on state support for new energy vehicle sales, while its new monorail product could become a cash cow in 1-2 years if the technology works well.

BYD gets new order from Shenzhen, launches monorail

Futuristic transport company BYD (HKEx: 1211; 002594) is in a couple of headlines as the new work week beg...

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2017年09月01日 10:04

BUYOUTS: Investor Blasts Unfinished Buyouts at Jumei, iKang

BUYOUTS: Investor Blasts Unfinished Buyouts at Jumei, iKang

Bottom line: Jumei could formally abandon its stalled buyout plan soon, putting more downward pressure on its stock, while iKang needs to enter serious negotiations with two bidders for the company.

Jumei, iKang under pressure over stalled buyouts

Ever wonder what happened to a handful of buyout plans for US-listed Chinese companies that were announced more than two years ...

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2017年08月31日 10:21

CHIPS: Samsung Chases China Goodwill With Massive Chip Expansion

CHIPS: Samsung Chases China Goodwill With Massive Chip Expansion

Bottom line: Samsung's new $7 billion investment in a chip expansion in Xi'an should help to earn big government goodwill, which could help position its smartphone division for a rebound in China.

Samsung expands chip chip plant

A major new China investment by chip maker Samsung (Seoul: 005930) is spotlighting just how important the market has become to the company, and So...

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2017年08月30日 09:49

IPOs: Alibaba-Backed Logistics Firm Stumbles Towards IPO Gate

IPOs: Alibaba-Backed Logistics Firm Stumbles Towards IPO Gate

Bottom line: Best Inc is likely to make its New York IPO in the next two weeks, but its shares will price in the middle of their range and debut weakly due to stiff competition in the logistics sector.

Best Inc. raises IPO target

It's been a quiet year so far for major Chinese IPOs in New York, but all that looks set to change soon with several major offerings coming down ...

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2017年08月28日 10:57

SMARTPHONES: LeEco Mobile Chief Leaves, Ending Jia Era

SMARTPHONES: LeEco Mobile Chief Leaves, Ending Jia Era

Bottom line: The rumored departure of LeEco's mobile chief is likely to be followed by the official closure of its smartphone division and sale of its Coolpad stake by the end of October.

LeEco mobile head reportedly resigns

As we approach the first anniversary of the crisis that has seen the rapid demise of LeEco (Shenzhen: 300104), the latest headlines are hinting at the...

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2017年08月24日 10:27

E-COMMERCE: JD Shops for Expansion in Thailand

E-COMMERCE: JD Shops for Expansion in Thailand

Bottom line:  JD.com's Thai joint venture looks like a smart move into Southeast Asia, though it shouldn't move too aggressively abroad and instead focus on becoming profitable.

JD.com tests out Thailand

China's big Internet companies have a pretty varied record for expanding abroad. At one extreme there's Alibaba (NYSE: BABA), which is using its big cash pot to buy a wide...

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2017年08月23日 10:44

MEDIA: Sina, Focus Media Team on PR Investment

MEDIA: Sina, Focus Media Team on PR Investment

Bottom line: Focus Media could make a bid for Sina's core web portal assets within the next year, following their co-investment in a fashion public relations specialist.

Sina, Focus Media invest in Bazaar

It's a relatively slow time during the final dog days of summer here in Beijing, so I thought I would zoom in on an interesting new investment in a company called Bazaar ...

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2017年08月22日 10:29

INTERNET: Baidu Spits Out Takeout Dining Service

INTERNET: Baidu Spits Out Takeout Dining Service

Bottom line: Baidu could announce a sale of its takeout dining unit to Ele.me by the end of the month, in a smart exit that will leave the industry with two major players and could result in a major write-off for Baidu.

Baidu takeout gets taken out

In a move that's been a long time coming, media are reporting that search giant Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) is on the cusp of a de...

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2017年08月17日 10:25

TELECOMS: Giddy Unicom Picks 14 Mixed-Ownership Partners

TELECOMS: Giddy Unicom Picks 14 Mixed-Ownership Partners

Bottom line: Unicom's choice of 14 partners for a mixed-ownership reform plan involving its Shanghai-listed unit is far too many, and is ultimately likely to fail when those partners become frustrated and sell their shares.

Unicom puts 14 new partners into its mix

What I feared might happen has come to pass in a mixed-ownership reform plan being crafted by China Unicom (HK...

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2017年08月15日 10:01

RETAIL: Alibaba, Tencent Take Wars to Convenience Stores

RETAIL: Alibaba, Tencent Take Wars to Convenience Stores

Bottom line: Alibaba's move into unmanned coffee shops could stand a strong chance of success due to its relative simplicity, while WeChat's move into Hong Kong convenience stores should also be relatively well received.

Alibaba samples coffee shops

Convenience stores are shaping up as the next battlefield in the wars for supremacy between Internet titans Alibaba (NYSE: BA...

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2017年08月14日 10:11

FINANCE: Jack Ma's Yu'ebao Fund Gets Too Fat

FINANCE: Jack Ma's Yu'ebao Fund Gets Too Fat

Bottom line: Yu'ebao's further lowering of investment limits shows the Ant Financial-owned fund is growing too unwieldy, and the company would be better advised to diversify its wealth management product portfolio.

Yu'ebao gets too fat on cash

Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) founder Jack Ma is quickly discovering that his super-aggressive promotional ways can sometimes yield too much...

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2017年08月11日 09:43

INTERNET: Mobike Outage Leaves Commuters Sweaty, Late for Work

INTERNET: Mobike Outage Leaves Commuters Sweaty, Late for Work

Bottom line: A peak-time outage for Mobike highlights how popular the shared bike service has become in a very short time and its vulnerability to hiccups, even though bigger issues are more likely to threaten its longer-term survival.

Mobike sees mass outage

We'll end the work week with a story about work itself that shows just how pervasive shared bike services have b...

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2017年08月08日 10:24

INTERNET: Tencent - China's New Opiate of the Masses?

INTERNET: Tencent - China's New Opiate of the Masses?

Bottom line: Tencent could be forced to take more measures to control addictive play of its popular "Honour of Kings" game, which could take a short-term toll on its gaming business.

Military critical of Tencent hit game

Internet juggernaut Tencent (HKEx: 700) has been in nonstop headlines lately for its smash hit game called "Honour of Kings", along with its stock price t...

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2017年08月07日 10:38

SMARTPHONES: Smartisan Gets New Funding, But From Where?

SMARTPHONES: Smartisan Gets New Funding, But From Where?

Bottom line: Smartisan's new funding and plans to produce 5-6 smartphones a year look like an anomaly in the highly competitive market, and it's unlikely to survive as a standalone entity over the next 5 years.

Smartisan gets new funding

I was a bit surprised to read that a clear second-tier smartphone player, the uppity Smartisan, has received 100 million yuan ($147 milli...

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2017年08月03日 10:28

TELECOMS: Unicom Plan Gaining Too Many Partners

TELECOMS: Unicom Plan Gaining Too Many Partners

Bottom line: Unicom's mixed-ownership reform plan could prove a dud if it chooses too many partners, which looks likely based on the latest reports.

Unicom eyes too many cooks for pilot plan

I haven't written for a while about a highly anticipated plan to inject some new life into perennial laggard telco China Unicom (HKEx: 762; NYSE; CHU) through a Beijing-led pilot progr...

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2017年08月02日 10:15

TRAVEL: Ctrip Travels Offline, Tongcheng Finds Profits

TRAVEL: Ctrip Travels Offline, Tongcheng Finds Profits

Bottom line: Ctrip's offline travel alliance campaign looks like a shrewd move with good chances of success, while Tongcheng's move back into profits shows the sector is heading into a new stable period.

Tongcheng travels back to profits

A couple of travel-related stories are in the headlines today, led by a blitz into the offline realm by leading online agent Ctrip (Nasda...

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