Managing The Dragon

After respectable — but low for China — growth of 7.7 percent in 2012, car sales surged by 21.6 percent during the first quarter of 2013. Even more surprising was the fact that sales of Chinese brands increased even faster than the overall market. Sales by the local car companies increased by 33.6 percent during [...]

Sometimes, too much success in China can create its own set of challenges. Ironically, the very success that Apple Inc. (NasdaqGS: AAPL) has had selling its products to Chinese consumers may be at least part of the reason why the Cupertino, California company found itself at odds with the powers that be in China in [...]

Hope springs eternal — and nowhere is it gushing more strongly than with electric vehicle enthusiasts all over the world. In the United States, investors in Tesla Motors, Inc. (NasdaqGS:TSLA), the U.S. maker of electric sports cars, seem to be shrugging off the fact that the company is losing a $100 million a quarter, the [...]

Anticipation grew in advance of Monday’s 85th Academy Awards, “Oscar Fever” spread throughout the world, including China. Even though the country had no films in the competition, the buzz could be heard before, during and after the annual Hollywood event. Just 30 minutes into the ceremonies, “Oscars” was the top trending topic on Sina Weibo, [...]

The pending auction of the battery business of A123 Systems, Inc. (OTC Markets: “AONEQ”) will present yet another test for the U.S. expansion plans of Chinese companies interested in becoming global players. On October 16, A123, a Massachusetts-based company that designs, develops, manufactures, and sells rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and energy storage systems, filed for bankruptcy [...]

As financings go, the $7.8 million of three-year bonds that Tri-Tech Holding, Inc. (NASDAQ CM: TRIT) issued last month will not set any records for size. The significance of the financing, however, lies in the fact that it foreshadows a promising new source of capital for China’s small and medium-sized private companies. According to research [...]

In recent weeks, many of the large international retailers have announced changes in their expansion plans for China. Home Depot (NYSE: HD), the large U.S. do it yourself chain, is closing stores, as is Tesco PLC (LSE: TSCO.L), the large U.K. retailer. Even the two earliest entrants into China’s retailing industry, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT) [...]

With most of the world’s major economies still sputtering, there isn’t a day that goes by that economic and business commentators don’t bring up China, and the fact that the biggest, fastest-growing economy in the world is slowing, and dampening the growth prospects for the global economy in the process. If that’s not bad enough, [...]

All signs point to the fact that Chinese companies are gearing up to make more overseas direct investments (ODI) in coming years. Moreover, there are indications that they are likely to find more welcoming arms than they have in the past — at least in some circles. First, there’s the anecdotal evidence. Just in the [...]

The world’s beleaguered financial services industry may begin receiving much needed capital support from an unexpected source—China. Reflecting the relative strength and growth of their country’s underlying economy, Chinese banks and securities firms are now following the examples of their industrial cousins and stepping up overseas expansion plans. Ever since I’ve been in China, the [...]