Blog

1. China’s $8.5 Trillion Shadow Bank Industry Is Back in Full Swing

China’s shadow banking is back in full swing, an unintended side effect of the government’s campaign against financial leverage, which has curbed traditional lending and squeezed bond financing. The most popular forms of shadow banking, according to PBOC data, are so-called entrusted loan agreements and trust loans. Under the former, a company lends money to another firm with the bank as the middleman, while for the latter, banks use money raised from wealth-management products to invest in a trust plan. Read More…

2. United Airlines’ boss Oscar Munoz should have followed this four-point checklist

After years of experience of delicate situations, I came to realise that it is almost 100 per cent better to tell the whole truth. It is believable; the story has no holes; and it makes the listener feel trusted and part of the solution. Mistakes happen. CEO Lesson No 4 is to tell the truth. United’s first instinct was to dissemble. Chief executives are paid the big bucks to have wisdom and foresight as well as expect the unexpected. Read More…

3. Tesla Set To Gain Increased Traction In Asia

Interesting to see what could make the electric car market finally take off in China. Even more interesting is to imagine what a collaboration between the most recognized player in this industry (Tesla) with a great “cool” image in China and one of the digital giants who dominate especially the market of car sharing and hailing (Tencent) could generate, and how the whole segment could benefit from this new force. Read More…

4. Chinese bike-sharing start-up Ofo says it’s now worth more than $2 billion

Ofo’s dizzying rise is a testament to the giant bike-sharing battle that has suddenly unfurled through China’s busy urban streets. Cities are now dotted with a rainbow of bikes, each color representing a different company. . But as more firms crop up to help residents manage the sprawl and the traffic, the big question remains: When, and will, they ever be profitable? And how are they going to do that with bike rides that cost a couple of cents per whirl? Read More…

5. China Box Office: ‘Furious 8’ Paves New Roads

In three days of release, The Fate of the Furious became the highest-grossing Hollywood film of 2017, toppling several all-time box office records, and cementing the series’ unrivaled popularity in China. It setted an opening-weekend record with RMB 1.323 billion ($192.2 million) in total ticket sales according to local box office tracker Maoyan.Furious 8 completely dominated screens this weekend  and accounted for 90% of all weekend moviegoing business, squeezing out what little competition remained. Read More…

6. 共享单车是否会成为第二个易到 Will bike sharing companies become the second Yidao Yongche (易到用车, a rival to Uber in China)?

• Resigned CEO of Yidao Yongche disclosed the embezzlement of users’ prepaid money-1.3 billion yuan totally.
• Mobike (摩拜) was suspected similarly since users complained its delay of refunding deposits-299 yuan per person.
• To gain consumers’ trusts, Ofo raised ‘deposit free’ plan for those with high Credit Score in Alipay.

8. 港大内地生竞选，80元微信红包派百人，贿选还是文化差异？ Bribery or cultural shock: a student from mainland China gave 80-yuan Wechat hongbao to 100 people before election in The University of Hong Kong

• 100 people shared the 80-yuan Hongbao: the biggest one was 2 yuan.
• Opponent accused him of bribery but university considered it an amusement
• He finally won the election but 2400 students and teachers together called for an investigation.

9. 中国，你终于承认了同性恋  中国，你终于承认了同性恋

China is reforming its education textbooks including homosexuality as a commonly accepted status.

• A new official sex-educational textbook for pupils describes homosexuals as normal.
• The book uses bold illustrations of two boys or two girls showing love to each other.
• Hot discussions: some parents rejected but most showed their acceptance.

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