China :: Business :: Deals

Lenovo Mobile App Incubator Fund Invests in 18 Projects Sina Tech, 11/30/11 Chinese laptop, PC, and handset manufacturer Lenovo (0992.HK) revealed at the 2011 Lenovo Mobile Internet Developers Conference in Beijing today that 18 out of more than 1,000 projects that applied will receive nearly RMB 60 mln in combined funding from the LeFund mobile app development incubator fund. The LeFund investment fund was first unveiled at the same conference in 2010, with an initial investment of RMB 100 mln to be overseen by a team of professional investors which answers directly to parent company Legend Holdings. Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing revealed in his keynote speech at the conference that there are currently more than 13,000 apps available through Lenovo's mobile applications store, 1,300% more than this time last year. The number of downloads also increased by 1,000%, and the Lenovo mobile applications store is currently partnered with more than 12,000 developers. Editor's Note: For mor...

Study of Consumer Behavior Leads to Specific Ideas for Consumer Product Launches in China New York Michael Zakkour , principal of Technomic Asia a veteran business consultancy for companies in the China market, provides insights about Chinas fashion consumer at the fashion business industry event, Fashion, China, and You on Tuesday, December 6 from 9am noon. The event, being held at SUNY Global Center at 116 East 55th Street, is part of the State University of New York program Confucius Institute for Business which incorporates expertise in innovation, culture and business strategies. Zakkour has more than a decade in developing business strategies for companies launching products in China markets. Technomic Asia also recently concluded a year long study of Chinas high-end brand consumers and growing middle class consumer who have an appetite for known and independent new fashion brands. Hell present these findings and other first hand information about Chinas fashion consumer ...

Baidu, MIIT Partner on SME Assistance Program Tencent Tech, 11/28/11 Chinese Internet giant Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU), along with China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's (MIIT) Department of Medium & Small Enterprises and Department of Informatization Promotion, has announced its new RMB 3 bln "Xiang" ("Soar") SME Assistance Project. The project is designed to support the development of 2 mln SMEs over the course of China's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015). The project has four goals, according to Baidu VP of marketing and public relations Zhu Guang: train at least 100,000 search marketing professionals within participating SMEs; build a search marketing service platform; provide free promotion for SMEs in remote and underdeveloped areas; and deliver research reports on SMEs' operating conditions to relevant government agencies. The Xiang project will first be introduced in Beijing, Shanxi, Henan, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, and expa...

In America we have laws and contracts so that we can create predictable outcomes. In China no such system exists but the same desire for predictable outcomes is there. That is what lies at the heart of guanxi- Vice Minister Xi, paraphrased. In this day of technological ubiquity in entertainment, it is still The Theater (and books) that give me the greatest pleasure. I love plays: comedies, dramas, ancient, classic, contemporary, and musicals of all stripes as well. I love that plays are essentially staged and told the same as they were 2,000 years ago. The planks, the players, the audience, the ambiance. But it is not often that I go to the theater with the anticipation of seeing my life, my profession and my experiences laid bare upon the stage. So it was with David Henry Hwangs new play about cross-cultural misunderstanding, Chinglish. His best since his Tony Award winning M. Butterfly. If you are in any way involved in doing business in/with China, if you are a Sinophile, if you...

Rumor: NDRC Dispenses RMB 660 Mln in Cloud Subsidies China Securities Journal, 11/25/11 China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) distributed the first batch of cloud computing industry subsidies - totaling RMB 660 mln - last month to more than 10 firms involved in 15 pilot projects in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, and Wuxi. Recipients include e-commerce conglomerate Alibaba Group subsidiary AliCloud, internet giants Tencent (0700.HK) and Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU), Shanghai East-China Computer (600850.SH), and integrated IT service provider Teamsun (600410.SH). Alibaba and Baidu each received a subsidy of more than RMB 100 mln, while sums received by East-China, Teamsum and others ranged between RMB 15-20 mln. According to the source, the NDRC will conduct annual assessments of the 15 projects over the coming five years to determine which will be eligible for continued funding. The NDRC, however, has not yet determined whether it will solicit new projects next y...

Source: GLG Life Tech Vancouver, British Columbia, Nov. 14, 2011 -- GLG Life Tech Corporation, the vertically-integrated leader in the agricultural and commercial development of high quality stevia and all natural and zero calorie food and beverage products, announces financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2011. Revenue from AN0C for the third quarter was $1.0 million -- The Company's consumer products business, AN0C, had sales of $1.0 million in the third quarter of 2011. The average revenue per bottle was higher by 3.8% for the third quarter compared to the second quarter as it reflected the change in product mix and the reduced level of promotional activities that were undertaken in the second quarter to support the launch of the new AN0C brand the RTD products. The first sales of vitamin enriched waters began in the third quarter, and were on average sold at a higher price than the RTD teas. The objectives of the promotional campaigns were to encourage consumers...

Tencent Microblog Launches E-Commerce Platform China Computer World, 11/18/11 Chinese internet giant Tencent's (0700.HK) microblogging platform has launched its "Wei Mai Chang" e-commerce feature, with sites like Beijing-based apparel e-commerce firm Okaybuy launching dedicated pages. E-commerce sites can promote items on Tencent Microblog by posting a limited-time deal on specific items. The price is reduced by RMB 0.1 each time a user "tweets" about the deal, which means users can obtain the item for free if enough users "retweet" the post, or can purchase it at anytime at the current price. While users currently must go to the merchant's official website or online store to complete their purchase, a spokesperson for Tencent said that soon users will be able to complete purchases on the microblogging platform itself. Okaybuy has garnered over 50,000 followers since launching on November 14. Tencent plans to release an API within a month, enabling...

Panguso Releases PC, Mobile Clients Sina Tech, 11/16/11 Panguso.com, the national-level online and mobile search engine developed by China Mobile (NYSE: CHL; 0941.HK) and Xinhua News Agency, has released desktop and mobile applications and upgraded its website. Panguso has added or upgraded a number of features to its web and mobile offerings, including a trending news feature, a news comments channel, and personalized user services including search history, bookmarks, and cloud storage. CEO Wang Hongyu pledged the site will not adopt paid search ranking advertising. Panguso has begun promoting a new SME search advertising product, Pangu "Chuang" ("Window"). Panguso has a number of mechanisms to prevent "harmful" information from being included in its search results, including an auditing process and user feedback tools as well as both automated and human reviewing mechanisms. Xinhua president Tian Shubin was appointed chairman of Panguso when the platform...

Ex-Jiayuan VP of Operations Joins 58.com DoNews, 11/16/11 Cheng Chong, the former vice president of operations for Beijing-based online matchmaking site Jiayuan.com, has joined online classifieds site 58.com as head of its matchmaking operations. While at Jiayuan, Cheng handled overall operations as well as value-added services offered by the site. Prior to Jiayuan, Cheng served as CEO assistant and product operations manager for Chinese social networking site 51.com, preceded by time with Shanda Interactive's (Nasdaq: SNDA) Shanda Online as head of its operations center. Editor's Note: 58.com has recruited a string of Chinese internet industry veterans over the last several months, including not only Cheng Chong, but also Zhang Chuan, former Baidu Union content network product director, and Li Jian, former Baidu product director responsible for all vertical search products and most knowledge-base and community products. Earlier, in June this year, 58.com appointed Zhou Hao, fo...

Sohu Merges User Accounts Across 6 Web Platforms BiaNews, 11/15/11 Chinese internet firm Sohu (Nasdaq: SOHU) has announced that it will unify accounts for six of its products as of December 1. New users of the My Sohu portal (i.sohu.com), Sohu's microblogging, video and blogging platforms, the comments section of Sohu's news channel (comment.news.sohu.com) and Sohu's forums (club.sohu.com) will register for a single account interoperable across all six services, while current users must choose a single user ID. In addition, accounts that have been dormant for more than six months will be removed as of December 15 and made available to other users. Account consolidation is expected to be concluded by January 31, 2012.

McDonald's Denies Partnering with Gaopeng Beijing Times, 11/12/11 McDonald's has issued a statement declaring that the fast food chain has not partnered with any group buy sites, and that any group buy deals for McDonald's set meals are not genuine. Yesterday, Gaopeng offered a group buy deal for Beijing residents to purchase a two-person set meal, valued at RMB 46, for only RMB 25. The deal claimed that customers would receive a 16-bit QR code that could be used as a coupon. As of the evening of November 11th, 517 users had purchased the offer.

Source : By Li Woke (China Daily) The soft drinks maker aims to enter new territory in the west of China BEIJING - PepsiCo Inc (China)'s Chairman Tim Minges said the beverage maker will expand production into a greater number of Chinese provinces in the next three to five years. That's just days after PepsiCo signed a strategic agreement with Tingyi-Asahi Beverages Holding Co Ltd (TAB). "We still have six, seven provinces that don't have Pepsi production, so our core focus is to continue the plan we have been on all along, to continue to expand the footprint. That will be the focus for the next three to five years, to continue to grow that out, fill in the white space gaps because right now we are not available in many parts of the country, and our key competitors are," said Minges. The company said it hopes to penetrate western areas, such as the autonomous regions of Xinjiang and Tibet. PepsiCo, the maker of the Pepsi Cola and 7Up brands, entered the Chinese mar...

Jobs. Jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs. The word that is on everyones mind. There arent enough of them. There arent enough of the right kind. Everyone argues about how to create them. The most common complaint you hear in the US is that developing nations have stolen US jobs and that globalization is the cause. Yet, if you were to ask those complaining most vocally a few questions, such as: Do you want your kids to go to college or a trade school to prepare them for the 21st century job market? Do you want them to work in high paying, high skilled jobs? Do you want them to work 12 hour days in a factory for minimum wage? Are you angry that we told the world to embrace capitalism and now that they did we have competition? The answers would be yes, yes, no, HUH? Yet, the call to bring these jobs back to America (which is nearly impossible anyway) continues. This fascinating story out of Alabama (and it is happening across the South) about draconian anti-immigrant, anti-illegal worker laws a...

Hao123 Launches B2C Discount Vertical Directory DoNews, 11/10/11 Internet company Baidu's (Nasdaq: BIDU) online web directory site, Hao123, recently launched a new channel (zhekou.hao123.com) that aggregates discounts from major B2C sites. In order to ensure quality and eliminate fraud and counterfeit goods, all merchants must undergo an audit by Baidu. The channel currently has discounts as high as 90% off, with 80% of deals at 50% or higher. Some merchants also provide coupons. Hao123 plans to continue adding more products and refining product categories and also to add on-deck search functionality.

Guangdong Telecom to Roll Out 50 Mbps FTTx by 2014 Chinabyte.com, 11/09/11 Guangdong Telecom launched its new FTTx network strategy on November 8, announcing that within three years it would offer fiber-optic broadband coverage throughout the province, increasing broadband speeds to 50 Mbps - 10 to 25 times the speed of current ADSL connections. The operator also announced that it would implement a low-price strategy for the service, charging RMB 50 per month for 20 Mbps broadband access (when bundled with a mobile subscription). Guangdong Telecom plans to offer FTTx broadband to 5 mln users within three years - many of whom it intends to transition from its current 13 mln-plus ADSL broadband subscribers. This year, China Telecom (NYSE: CHA; 0728.HK) will upgrade its home ADSL broadband plans to FTTx broadband, with broadband access to double yearly. Chen Dexing, GM of Guangdong Telecom, said that the operator would offer three broadband speeds - 20 Mbps, 50 Mbps, and 100 Mbps - to hom...

Give me those nuts! In my many years of living, working and doing business in China I have seen countless ways in which Chinese manufacturing and consumer consumption have changed the world. Not just the obvious examples but the small, subtle ways as well. Take for example the cobbler on the Upper West Side who I send my shoes to. Years ago he complained to me how badly his business had fallen off. He couldnt understand why things had been going so poorly for him, so fast. People still wore shoes? The hippies didnt win on that one right? His problem, it turned out, was that shoes that used to be made in Europe or the US that retailed for $300 now cost only $75 at retail, thanks to Chinese production. At $300 people would spend the money to resole and repair. At $70 they would be paying only slighlty more for a new pair. Thus my cobbler friends precipitous drop in business. Which brings me to this headline from todays Voice of America: Chinese Taste for Pecans Raises Price in US A...

Rumor: Datang Places Highest Bid in TD-SCDMA Tender Sina Tech, 11/07/11 An industry source has revealed that the lowest bids in the recent equipment tender for the fifth stage of construction of China Mobile's (NYSE: CHL; 0941.HK) TD-SCDMA network came from Huawei and ZTE (0763.HK; 000063.SZ), while the highest bid was placed by Datang Telecom (600198.SH). The eight telecom equipment manufacturers which have consistently been part of the bidding process and construction of the network have remained in their three industry alliances, consisting of ZTE and Shanghai Potevio (600680.SH); Datang, Fiberhome Telecommunication Technologies (600498.SH) and Ericsson; and Huawei, Nokia Siemens Networks and New Postcom. The alliances were formed based on the need for technical cooperation, however each manufacturer bids for tenders separately.

Shanghai, China November 15, 2011 Technomic Asia, a consulting firm based in Shanghai, is happy to announce that its relationship with Pan Asian Commercial Consulting Group (PA) has been expanded as PA grows its operations in China and other key Asian markets. Technomic Asia is now the sole in-country consulting partner for Pan Asian, a commercial debt recovery consulting firm, in China and is also now managing the companys overall expansion in Asia. We are pleased that Pan Asian has placed its trust in Technomic Asia to help the company build a dominant market position in Asia. Our work for the company in China has provided the blueprint for our expansion across the region, said Technomic Asia Principal, Michael Zakkour. As the Western economic downturn continues, the need for Pan Asians products and services in the region has grown exponentially and Technomic is excited to help steer the company into the future in this most important of markets, continued Zakkour. Highlights...

Source : Advertising Age By: Normandy Madden Demand for fast growth is driving multinational marketers into smaller and smaller cities -- but in China, small is a relative term. China has over 160 cities with a population above one million. The U.S., by comparison, has nine. Most foreign marketers start with Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and then add provincial capitals, but those markets, known as the first and second- tier cities, cover just a sliver of China's territory. Today, companies are looking closely at China's third- and fourth-tier cities and beyond, where the creation of new wealth, particularly through manufacturing and industries like mining, has led to tens of millions of consumers with spending power. "These days, China's economic excitement is in its smaller markets. Third and fourth-tier cities are booming," said P.T. Black, Thoughtful China's senior creative director. Tier three spans about 150 county capitals, usually with more than 1 mi...

Imagine Mark Zuckerberg, Biz Stone, Bill Gates, Sergey Brin, Michael Dell, and ten other top technology and internet CEOs being summoned to Washington D.C. to be coached up on how to run their businesses and to be warned about what content they could and could not produce and distribute. Impossible right? Not in China. Loretta Chao of the Wall Street Journal has a story out today detailing how Beijing has summoned Chinas top internet CEOs for a policy training session. To wit: By LORETTA CHAO BEIJINGExecutives from Chinas top Internet companies have been summoned for an unusual policy-training session by the Communist Partys propaganda department, according to people familiar with the matter, the latest move in the governments campaign to increase oversight of the nations fast-growing Internet sector. The executives are participating in a multiple-day policy-training event held on the outskirts of Beijing this week, similar to training sessions often held for government officials to ...

Apple, Environmental NGOs Discuss China Pollution Oriental Morning Post, 11/04/11 On October 31, Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPEA), a Chinese NGO, met with Linda Greer, director of the US National Resources Defense Council's (NRDC) public health program, and representatives of Apple's operations, government relations, and China supply chain management at Apple's Cupertino headquarters for a five-hour discussion. According to Ma, Apple representatives committed to increasing the transparency of their supply chain - a change from the company's tradition of not revealing its suppliers. On January 20 of this year, a group of Chinese environmental NGOs including the IPEA, Friends of Nature, and the Green Beagle Environmental Institute published a report entitled "The Other Side of Apple" highlighting pollution and environmental damage caused by Apple's supply chain. Apple did not respond to the allegations of criminal ...

Shanda Games Renews Operating Rights for Aion 17173.com, 11/03/11 Chinese online game developer and operator Shanda Games (Nasdaq: GAME), the online gaming subsidiary of Shanda Interactive (Nasdaq: SNDA), has announced that it has reached an agreement to renew its mainland China operating rights for Korean online game developer NCSoft's 3D fantasy MMORPG Aion. Shanda Games also announced that a new version of Aion, titled "Shen Zhi Jingjichang," will be released in the beginning of November, 2011.

Alibaba Group Invests RMB 1 Bln into ETao Search Engine DoNews, 11/02/11 Chinese e-commerce conglomerate Alibaba Group has announced plans to invest RMB 1 bln in its ETao e-commerce search engine. ETao will develop a single-login cross-platform account system enabling users to use their Taobao or Alipay accounts to log into ETao and directly purchase items from over 600 partner B2C sites, including Chinese home appliance and consumer electronics retailer Gome (0493.HK) and Chinese B2C clothing website Vancl. According to data released by ETao, as of the end of October the search engine covered over 5,000 online shopping sites and 600 group buy sites offering 1 bln products and 200 mln user comments in such areas as consumer electronics, home appliances, apparel, foodstuffs, and pharmaceuticals.

Hc360.com, 11/23/11 Chinese online video site LeTV (Leshi) (300104.SZ) has formed a strategic partnership with Infront Sports & Media China, official marketing partner of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), to jointly operate the CBA's IPTV copyright licensing for the next three years. Fans will be able to watch CBA games on smart TV sets from LeTV partners such as Hisense (600060.SH) as well as using LeTV's HD internet TV set-top box. LeTV will also engage in brand advertising on CBA basketball courts. LeTV also plans to bid for the broadcasting rights to other sporting events such as the NBA and the UEFA European Cup.

From the Vancouver Sun Chinese coin found in Yukon evidence of early east-west link By Randy Boswell, Postmedia News November 1, 2011 A 340-year-old coin from China has been unearthed by archeologists near a planned Yukon gold mine, shedding fresh light on historic trade links between 17th-century Chinese merchants, Russian fur traders and first nations in the northwest corner of North America. Great, now we have to worry we might hurt the feelings of the Chinese people by claiming Columbus discovered America. In related and more serious news. Word coming out of France is that Sarkozy is being pilloried by the opposition, as well as some of his supporters (however few are left) for turning to China for help with the debt crisis. This is a small tidbit all but buried in the news of the day but in my mind its an interesting peek in on how Europe and China may or may not get along in the coming years. So much focus is always (and rightfully) put on the questions surrounding US/China rel...

New Express, 11/22/11 The Dongguan Intermediate People's Court recently ruled in favor of Guangdong-based handset vendor Oppo Mobile Communication in a trademark suit the company filed against Shenzhen-based Xingbao Electronics, whose "CCPO" mobile handsets Oppo felt were designed to resemble its own. The court awarded Oppo RMB 2.6 mln in damages, rather than the RMB 3 mln it had sought. Oppo has reportedly filed more than 30 infringement suits in Dongguan alone, and is said to be fighting cases in other cities throughout the Pearl River Delta.

China's 2010 Online Shopping Service Market Reaches RMB 2 Bln Sina Tech, 11/01/11 According to figures released by Hangzhou-based C2C & B2C e-commerce site Taobao, China's online shopping services market had a total scale of RMB 2 bln in 2010. Taobao expects transaction volume to reach RMB 5 bln this year, up 150% YoY, and a total market scale of RMB 12.5 bln in 2012. The report from Taobao showed that Taobao vendors used e-commerce tools including software applications, outsourced online store management, data analysis, quality monitoring, sales services, photo models, consulting and training services, and HR for supply chain, finance, and legal representation, among other services. Software tools were the most commonly used e-commerce services, with 1.5 mln vendors paying for an average of 2.75 software tools per vendor. Most of these vendors - 73.8% - had feedback ratings ranging from one to four 'diamonds,' with four-diamond vendors spending an average of RMB 15...