Companies that have spent months being feted by the media don’t tend to revise down their sales target, but in March Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi did just that—from 100 million units set in December 2014 to 80-100 million. Rival Chinese brand Huawei overtook Xiaomi in the third quarter as China’s top smartphone vendor. It’s a reality check for the upstart vendor, which soared to fame and a $45 billion valuation in less than five years as China’s first-time smartphone buyers snapped up handsets at a furious rate. But Xiaomi isn’t the only one hurting from the smartphone market slowdown in China.
China Roundup: Dumped! Shanghai’s GDP Growth Target
This week, Shanghai brought the annual practice of fixing GDP growth targets into sharp focus by simply abandoning it; Alibaba and SAIC washed their dirty linen in public; and Apple posted record profits bolstered by Chinese fans of the iPhone 6.
China Statistics: R&D spending, Automobile Sales and Bad Loans
The China statistics you need to know: from data on growth in R&D spending to flagging automobile sales and China’s precious metal exports.
China Roundup: Alibaba Share Price Touches New High and Lenovo Completes Motorola Mobility Buyout
Xiaomi was officially crowned the world’s third-largest smartphone maker but news of Lenovo completing its buyout of Motorola Mobility is clouding the verdict; and meanwhile Alibaba’s share price touched new highs.
Brain Power: The Patent Buying Spree of Chinese Tech Companies
Chinese tech companies are stocking up on patent purchases, but is it anything more than share price padding?
CKGSB Knowledge Fall 2014 Issue: The Alibaba IPO and Variable Interest Entities
The Fall 2014 issue of CKGSB Knowledge is out! It has articles and interviews like: COVER STORY: Around the World: In a circuitous way, billions of dollars rely on an international game of legal cat and mouse. China’s top companies use variable interest entities, but now the Alibaba IPO is shining a light on this legal grey area. CHINA BY NUMBERS: From […]
China Roundup: The Tesla China trademark row; raid on Mercedes-Benz; and rules for WeChat
This week, Mercedes-Benz faced an anti-monopoly probe; the Tesla China trademark episode finally came to an end; WeChat got new rules for news while Line and Kakao Talk got axed in China; Xiaomi edged ahead of Samsung; and Priceline invested in Ctrip. For the China Policy Wonks… The Chinese government made a lot of headlines this […]
Samsung in China: A Tenuous Hold
Samsung in China is not where it used to be. Can the South Korean electronics giant fend off domestic brands and Apple to stay at the top of China’s smartphone market? Until recently, South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics has enjoyed the title of undisputed champion in China’s smartphone market since 2012, jamming retail channels […]
China Roundup: Apple inches ahead of Samsung in China; China’s Staggering Debt; and a New Food Scandal
The week that was: Apple is making a comeback and beating Samsung in China; China has a debt-to-GDP ratio of a whopping 251%; and fast food giants find themselves battling a new food scandal. Will Apple eat Samsung’s pie? Although the earnings report of Apple’s third fiscal quarter of 2014 (Apple’s fiscal quarter runs from end […]
Why Elon Musk Released Tesla’s Patents
Overnight the maverick electric car company became an evangelist of the Open Source philosophy. Why is releasing Tesla’s patents such a big deal? In the traditional business playbook, one way companies win is to create something useful, patent it, and then make money on their exclusive right to use that intellectual property (IP). Most companies still operate this way […]
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