This week, the HSBC PMI showed an uptick in China’s manufacturing activity; news of the possibility of an RMB clearing house in Toronto made waves; and Alibaba posted strong second quarter results.
The Alibaba IPO and How Chinese Companies Bypass Foreign Investment Restrictions
The upcoming Alibaba IPO has brought to the fore the contentious issue of how Chinese companies bypass foreign investment restrictions using a legal structure called the Variable Interest Entity (VIEs). A company in China is 100% owned by domestic parties, allowing it to obtain all necessary licenses to operate in a particular sector. It signs […]
China Roundup: China Industrial Production Slows and the Alibaba-Alipay Relationship Restructured
This week, China industrial production figures revealed a slower growth from last year; Lenovo and Tencent reported profits while sportswear manufacturer Li-Ning suffered yet another battering; and Alibaba restructured its relationship with Alipay. The Macro Picture China’s GDP growth bounced back to the target rate of 7.5% in the second quarter, but newly released data […]
China Roundup: LinkedIn Checks into China; Weibo to List on the NASDAQ; and the Renminbi Slides Further
The week that was: LinkedIn enters China with an innovative model; Sina Weibo plans US listing; the Chinese renminbi depreciates; and banks fight back against internet finance channels. LinkedIn Connects with China Six months ago people were curious why LinkedIn isn’t blocked in China, like Twitter, Facebook and many other networking sites are. Well, […]
Digital Marketing and China’s Expanding Internet: Is E-Commerce Giant Taobao China’s eBay?
In January 2013, China’s internet user base reached 564 million users. China’s smartphone users have also surpassed the 300 million mark, signaling a tectonic shift towards mobile internet usage. Despite strict censorship controls on internet content in China, social media has caught on with unprecedented momentum. Established Twitter-like platforms such as Sina Weibo and Tencent […]
Digital Marketing and China’s Expanding Internet: Location-Based Services and the Mobile Internet
In January 2013, China’s internet user base reached 564 million users. China’s smartphone users have also surpassed the 300 million mark, signaling a tectonic shift towards mobile internet usage. Despite strict censorship controls on internet content in China, social media has caught on with unprecedented momentum. Established Twitter-like platforms such as Sina Weibo and Tencent […]
Digital Marketing and China’s Expanding Internet: China’s Exploding Mobile Internet
In January 2013, China’s internet user base reached 564 million users. China’s smartphone users have also surpassed the 300 million mark, signaling a tectonic shift towards mobile internet usage. Despite strict censorship controls on internet content in China, social media has caught on with unprecedented momentum. Established Twitter-like platforms such as Sina Weibo and Tencent […]
China’s Social Media Giants
Unknown to most people outside China, the country has a very vibrant social media landscape. A surprisingly large percentage of people across both urban and small-town China are hooked to micro-blogs and social networking service (SNS) products. Over the years, Chinese social media companies have come up with some very innovative products and services, such as Tencent’s WeChat, […]
Microsteps
Wang Keqin’s office is not the polished workplace you might expect from a major Chinese charity. The space is borrowed, the furniture donated. As Wang expounds on China’s social problems, he whips out a tissue and scrapes a thick coating of dust from his desktop. And yet, thanks to Wang’s fresh approach to online fundraising, […]
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