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Other Industries

Losing their cool

Gree and Midea tussle over China Mobile deal
Jul 17, 2020 (WiC 504)

China’s largest air conditioner maker Gree Electric rarely backs down from a battle. Against Xiaomi, its boss made a Rmb1 billion wager about whether the smartphone-to-air purifier firm would overtake Gree in sales (see WiC266). Against lesser ...

Time to cool off

Gree alleges that rival Aux Group makes subpar air conditioners
Jun 21, 2019 (WiC 457)

One of the fiercest rivalries in business history was between two inventors, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. It wasn’t a dispute for the faint-hearted: to prove that his direct-current electrical system was safer, Edison rounded up stray ...

Why the $625 million IPO of China’s biggest cooking school has disappointed
Jun 14, 2019 (WiC 456)

WiC readers still harbouring any doubts about China’s world conquering potential could do worse than watch one of the many adverts propagated by New East Culinary Education. The country’s leading vocational training institute is well known ...

Media and netizens angrily debate whether Chinese salt is safe
Sep 14, 2018 (WiC 424)

Tell It Like It Is was the name of the TV talk show that made Cui Yongyuan’s name back in the 1990s and its mantra has defined his life ever since. But can you ever really speak plainly in a country where no one knows how long online ...

Tough time for Chinese furniture makers
Sep 14, 2018 (WiC 424)

Buddhism is deeply assimilated into Chinese culture. One lesser known area where it had an impact was the adoption of furniture. One theory posits that prior to the religion’s arrival more than 2,000 years ago, it was common for the Chinese ...

One of China’s oldest monopolies finally gets broken up
May 13, 2016 (WiC 324)

China’s salt monopoly dates back more than two millennia. For hundreds of years the country’s emperors relied on salt taxes to fund their military might. Later, the proceeds paid for parts of the Great Wall. With that kind of history, news ...

Industry on the rise?

Elevator inquiry uncovers fake products – but foreign firms still prospering
Dec 5, 2014 (WiC 263)

As far as sales pitches go, the technical director of the Congzhi Elevator Parts Factory still has a lot to learn. Xinhua has reported that the executive – who it says is surnamed Wu and is based in Foshan in Guangdong – has been explaining ...

Lightning strikes thrice

NVC Lighting founder ousted for a third time in amazing corporate row
Aug 22, 2014 (WiC 249)

When Steve Jobs was kicked out of Apple in September 1985 – and in the process ousted as chairman of the board – the stock price went up 7%. If that weren’t maddening enough, the board also sued him for “breaches of fiduciary ...

Will scandal impact Sany Heavy Industry’s forthcoming Hong Kong IPO?
May 6, 2011 (WiC 105)

There’s no good time to be accused of bribery, but last month’s revelations came at a particularly bad time for Sany Heavy Industry. The Shanghai-listed construction equipment maker has a Hong Kong IPO thought to be a little over a month ...

Fashion conscious

DHL’s big plans for Shanghai
Jul 30, 2010 (WiC 71)

Discovering that one of your main competitors also happens to be setting the rules in your industry is never going to be a pleasant experience. And the message was reinforced last October in reforms to the Postal Law, which confirmed China ...