Tencent ends all exclusive music rights deals after Beijing crackdown August 31, 2021 Tencent has ended all its exclusive music licensing agreements with record labels across the world after Chinese regulators ordered it to do so last month, as part of an intensifying crackdown on the country’s tech giants. In a statement released on the Chinese tech conglomerate’s official WeChat page, Tencent said all parties involved in the [...]
China: Economy under pressure as services sector slumps into contraction August 31, 2021 China’s businesses and the broader economy came under increasing pressure in August as factory activity expanded at a slower pace while the services sector slumped into contraction, raising the likelihood of more near-term policy support to boost growth. Watch the full report.
Pinduoduo shoot up 22 per cent after donating £1bn to Chinese agriculture sector August 25, 2021 Chinese e-commerce group Pinduoduo said it would donate RMB 10bn (£1.12bn) in future earnings to contribute to the development of agriculture as part of the country’s “common prosperity” vision. Shares for the Nasdaq-listed company were up 22 per cent following the announcement of the programme. Pinduoduo reported its first-ever quarterly profits as a public company [...]
Kamala Harris takes aim at China over South China Sea claims August 24, 2021 United States Vice President Kamala Harris has accused China of coercion and intimidation in the South China Sea. “Beijing’s actions continue to undermine the rules-based order and threaten the sovereignty of nations,” Harris said in a speech in Singapore. She added that America would stand with its allies in the face of threats. China has [...]
Chinese tech shares drop after Beijing tightens rules on internet competition August 17, 2021 China has marked its latest crackdown on the technology sector as the authorities announced new rules today to tackle unfair internet competition and companies’ handling critical data. The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) published a set of draft regulations banning unfair competition and restricting the use of user data. Shares of Chinese tech companies [...]
SEC halts Wall Street IPOs of Chinese companies as mulls new risk disclosures July 30, 2021 The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has frozen registrations of Chinese companies for IPOs on US markets while it drafts new guidance for disclosing the risk of a Beijing regulatory crackdown to investors. Chinese companies must not submit registrations for the sales of securities to the SEC until it has formulated new rules on how [...]
US scientists: China is developing its nuclear force with a second base July 28, 2021 Researchers in the US said they have gathered evidence that China is expanding its ability to store and launch missiles, amid concerns it is amassing more nuclear capacity. China is building 250 silos for nuclear missiles in “the most significant expansion of the Chinese nuclear arsenal ever,” according to a new report from the Federation [...]
China’s industrial profit slows as material prices soar July 27, 2021 China’s industrial firms have seen their profits slow in recent months, as raw material prices put pressure on factories. Recovery post-coronavirus in the industry has seen weaknesses in higher materials prices and hits to global supply chains. Year-on-year profit for Chinese industrial firms climbed 20 per cent in June to 791.8bn yuan (£88.5bn), according to [...]
Meet Shein: The secretive Chinese fast-fashion firm taking over online retail July 27, 2021 Taking the Tube at the minute can still, at times, feel like time travel. Around you are slightly tattered posters for theatre productions that haven’t been on stage for more than a year; ads for movies touted for cinema release that ended up quietly released to Netflix with little fanfare. Amongst these relics of a [...]
UK e-commerce sector ranks third in the world July 22, 2021 The UK’s e-commerce sector ranks third globally when comparing sales to national GDP. According to BNPL platform Butter, The UK’s e-commerce retail sales total up to $180bn dollars, which equates to 6.7 per cent of the nation’s GDP of $2.7 trillion. The world’s biggest e-commerce retail market is China, which generated $2.3 trillion through online [...]