China Inc by BBW

China’s steps up the stimulus, and U.S. Commerce secretary comes calling

China sharply stepped up its economic stimulus efforts last week, rolling out new initiatives to boost the stock market and support small businesses and the property market. But will the efforts be enough to jumpstart the slowing economy? And U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo paid visits on Beijing and Shanghai, where she raised eyebrows by saying China is quickly becoming “uninvestable.” Will Beijing take Raimondo’s words to heart and become friendlier to foreign businesses?

China kills a global chip deal, and a leading bubble tea maker goes to London

China has vetoed the purchase of Israel’s Tower Semiconductor by U.S. chip giant Intel by failing to give its approval for the deal. Is this retaliation for recent U.S. moves to stifle China’s chip development, and what are the implications for future global M&A? And bubble tea maker HeyTea has opened its first store in London, joining a growing number of peers looking for growth in the West. But is the bubble tea trend getting ready to burst in these places? And as many of these companies explore potential IPOs, will international investors still be interested in them in the current economic environment?

China’s central bank gets busy, and disappearing youth unemployment data

China’s central bank has been on a roll lately, first lowering several key interest rates, and then announcing its policy will be “precise and forceful.” Are these kinds of strong words and actions from the usually conservative central bank cause for concern? And the National Bureau of Statistics announces it will stop publishing youth unemployment data. Why would it do that? Might it be related to its most recent data showing youth unemployment at record highs over 20%?

China’s coffee comeback kid passes new milestone, and Miniso launches dividend policy

The unlikely comeback for scandal-tainted coffee chain Luckin marches on, as the company passed rival Starbucks in revenues for their China business. But is Luckin expanding too quickly? And low-cost retailer Miniso announces a dividend policy, saying it will return 50% or more of its profits to shareholders. Will more new economy Chinese companies follow suit as investors lose interest such stocks simply for the “China growth story”?

China calls for public participation in anti-spying campaign, and a China stock see-saw

China has called on the public to report any suspicious activity to assist in its latest campaign to root out espionage. That has foreign businesses worried, since some of the market data they routinely collect to make decisions might be considered national secrets under China’s new data security law. How will all this affect foreign business in China? And offshore-listed China stocks have fallen into a see-saw pattern lately, rallying one week, only to fall the next. What’s driving the trend, and how long will it last?

An E-Commerce Dust-Up and Foreign Private Equity Shuns China AI

E-commerce upstart Temu has sued fast-fashion sensation Shein in the U.S., accusing it of anti-competitive behavior. Will a U.S. judge agree? And big private equity has been notably absent from investing in China’s vibrant AI sector these days. Why are these big-name investors avoiding the space, and what impact might that have on the sector’s development?

GDP growth falls short, and John Kerry and Henry Kissinger call on China

China’s GDP grew 6.3% in the second quarter year-on-year. While that may look good on the surface, it was actually below analyst estimates and reflected weak year-ago numbers during the two-month Shanghai lockdown. Is more economic stimulus needed? And can Beijing use its old tools to fix these new problems? And U.S. climate envoy John Kerry comes calling on China for climate talks. But former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger steals the show with his own China visit, winning an audience with President Xi Jinping. What is it that the Chinese love so much about Kissinger?

Ant Group and Tencent slapped with fines, and Freshippo steps up for IPO

China’s central bank has slapped major fines on Ant Group and Tencent, including a nearly $1 billion fine on Ant, operator of Alipay. Is this the start of a new round of big fines on China’s big tech? Or does it mark the end of a recent storm of regulation that began after outspoken Alibaba founder Jack Ma criticized the government? 

Janet Yellen goes to China, and Beijing puts brakes on two key high-tech minerals

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has become the latest high-ranking U.S. government official to travel to Beijing, following Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit in June. But will it be enough to put U.S.-China relations back on track? And Beijing slaps export restrictions on gallium and germanium, two important minerals used in many high-tech devices. What will this mean for the global tech sector?

Corruption at a major policy bank, and AbbVie sues an upstart drug maker

China Development Bank has become the target of the latest anti-corruption crackdown by China’s main graft buster. Will this affect China’s policy of lending big money to developing countries, and if so, what’s driving such a shift?
And AbbVie has filed a suit in the U.S. against BeiGene, one of China’s most up-and-coming young drug makers. What’s likely to happen next in this tug of war between the two companies’ similar blood cancer drugs? Exactly how expensive and destructive are such lawsuits to the companies involved?