Malls are big in China’s smaller cities

Mushrooming of mega shopping centres fuelled by retail boom

China according to Chinese

Guoco a winner, with or without BEA buyout

High hopes of Guoco Group, led by Malaysian chairman Quek Leng Chan, launching a takeover bid for Bank of East Asia have sent shares of the lender surging more than 14 per cent this week.

Nasdaq sees doubling of its Chinese listings

Nasdaq OMX Group said the number of Greater China companies listed on its exchange could double in as little as two years, fuelled by a growing appetite for these shares from a wider range of institutional investors in the United States.

Speculative money propels B shares in catch-up play

The mainland’s foreign-currency B shares rose yesterday amid an influx of speculative capital as analysts cautioned investors of a boom-to-bust scenario.

Crackdown imminent on hoarding of land

The mainland plans to penalise developers that hoard sites to boost land prices.

Beijing rejects projects worth 200b yuan

China, the world’s third-largest economy, has rejected requests to build industrial projects worth almost 200 billion yuan (HK$227.06 billion) and plans new measures to close factories to curb overcapacity and pollution.

Hong Kong should get fair deal over entry of mainland auditors

Former premier Zhu Rongji is known for his poker face. Unlike his self-aggrandising peers, Zhu rarely painted the huge calligraphy displays that one finds hanging at the doorways of almost every major mainland institution. He only did four.

It was spring 2001. He was visiting the newly founded Shanghai National Accounting Institute, one of the country’s three schools for accountants.

He wrote four words: “Bu zuo jin zhang (No book-cooking).”

Sino-Env gets flak over sacking of finance head

The Singapore Exchange (SGX) is threatening to delist waste recycler Sino-Environment if it fails to brush up on its governance practices.

Sino-Environment given 30 days to tackle governance issues

The Singapore Exchange has given Sino-Environment Technology 30 days to address issues raised by its independent directors (IDs) or face delisting after the IDs hit out at the company’s summary dismissal of its financial controller.

Growing US$ carry trade could fuel new speculative mania: Tsang

A carry trade that is building up in the US dollar could fuel a new wave of speculative mania, Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang said yesterday.

Shenzhen wants to be clean, just like Singapore

Shenzhen is in the midst of a self-improvement binge. On the orders of provincial party secretary Wang Yang, the ragged boom town has set the target of catching up with premier Asian cities such as Hong Kong and Seoul within 10 years, and becoming a “world-class international metropolis” within 20.

Magazine’s new team face uphill battle to maintain standards

Caijing magazine’s new editorial team will have a tough job maintaining quality and regaining the confidence of readers and advertisers following the departure of its founder, Hu Shuli, along with most of the staff of its business and editorial operations.

Caijing founding editor quits to launch venture

Editorial chief of mainland magazine known for stinging exposes unable to agree with publisher

West suspects Beijing has developed space-age arms, despite Hu’s denials

Military observers say satellite image confirms suspicions about PLA capabilities

US$ carry trade set to be next bubble horror

Speculators will get their fingers burned, just like their yen carry trade counterparts

China in race to secure overseas uranium supply

Whether it is in the frigid Athabasca Basin in north Canada, the arid Outback of Australia or the dunes of Namibia in southwest Africa, mainland firms have been eagerly acquiring access to uranium deposits around the world to supplement domestic supply of the raw material for nuclear power.

Vintners approach fickle Chinese market cautiously

Chinese wine imports have soared more than ten-fold in the past few years but foreign producers hoping to cash in on the boom are warning that the market is fickle and not for the faint of heart.

Waking the warrants market from its slumber

After experiencing explosive growth for the past few years, the covered warrants market in Singapore seems to have fallen off the cliff.

Year-end rally touted for mainland stocks

Unexpectedly strong earnings at listed mainland companies have spurred analysts to raise their profit forecasts, creating room for about a 15 per cent rise in Shanghai’s benchmark stock index over the next three months.

Has landslide threat halted dam’s finale?

Yunyang government admitted on its website that the frequent occurrences of landslides had alarmed the central government. What is clear is that the dam, a source of national pride, is now a headache for many.

Fossil trade puts China’s natural history at risk

China’s opening up may have led to an economic miracle, but it has been a mixed blessing for one of the world’s major finds of prehistoric fossils, as dealers and foreign buyers have exploited the lack of effective heritage laws to spirit them overseas.

Big money fuels illegal trade in rare fossils

“You want fish fossils, no problem. But bird fossils? That would be difficult.” The vendor at the Shenyang antique market looked nervously over his shoulder. “The authorities are very strict about bird and dinosaur fossils. I do not want to lose my licence.”

Her recipe for success is make the clients wait

Zhao Yue is creative director of Panda Mandy’s Slow Delivery, a start-up, snail-paced postal service that is the perfect antidote to today’s hectic world.

India feels chill wind from China

Fifty years ago, a young Dalai Lama fled Tibet in south-western China and crossed the border to Arunachal Pradesh in India’s remote north-eastern corner.

China on guard against outside influence

When the Dalai Lama visits the Himalayan region of Arunachal Pradesh tomorrow, he will step right into the heart of a long-running border dispute between China and India.

Not a great trading week; STI up just 7 pts

Perhaps the most worrying thing if you’re a trader has been the dip in daily volume over the past two to three weeks. Sure, the figures appear decent at first glance. Average turnover of just over $1 billion this week, compared to the $500 million-$600 million in the first quarter, appears favourable.

Lowering the Common Denominator

Are today’s youths afflicted with the sloppiness of thought?

Beijing’s ‘Marshall Plan’

China’s foreign policy is about to change, and not entirely by choice. The country’s engagement with the developing world has accelerated markedly in the wake of the economic crisis.

China, tech sector, private equity could be IPO drivers: poll

China, technology and private equity are expected to drive global initial public offering (IPO) activities over the next 12 months, the latest survey by Ernst & Young LLP shows.

Rapist dad traded daughter for whisky

A 33-year old man in Mumbai, India, injected sedatives into his eight-year-old daughter before raping her or sending her out to other men in exchange for cash or whisky.

Lightning dates minus the storms

It is the latest craze among young people in China: Meet new people and share a day of fun together in an unfamiliar city.

Republic of Chinapore

Republic of Chinapore
Attn: Mr Lee Kuan Yew
Prime Minister's Office
Istana Annexe, Orchard Road, Singapore 238823

University hospital death ‘not only one’

The controversial death of a Beijing professor who was allegedly treated by unlicensed medical postgraduates at prestigious Peking University First Hospital is not an isolated case, according to lawyers and relatives of victims.

Combined wealth of China’s richest 40 double in a year

Wang Chuanfu, chairman of battery and car maker BYD Co, is China’s richest man, partly aided by an investment US billionaire Warren Buffett made in his company.

Mustafa hit with writ of summons

Its owner says ‘we’d rather do more business than fight’

Sino-US marriage: Is it on the rocks?

‘SUPERFUSION’ - that’s the name of a new book by Zachary Karabell, which describes how ‘the unique relationship between China and the United States has become the axis of the world economy’. It’s a catchy concept in a world that struggles to find the terms to keep pace with a rapidly changing economy.

Guangzhao duo’s bankruptcy hearing adjourned

The bankruptcy petition filed by Singapura Finance against the chief executive officer and the chairman of Guangzhao Industrial Forest Biotechnology Group will be heard in the chambers on Jan 14.

Too much disclosure can sometimes be bad

However, in light of just how inadequate this model has proven to be in the banking collapse of the past two years, it is necessary to rethink the wisdom of this approach. There may be a need for greater official intervention, monitoring and policing - especially when one ponders the disturbing possibility that more disclosure may not always be good.

Silly to float Big 4 bank when state is buying back shares

You have to wonder why he is bothering. It makes little sense for Agricultural Bank to go public with a stock offering when the state is busy buying back the shares of banks it sold just a few years ago.

Pirates turn ancient trade into model modern business

When Zhang Zuyue, chief of the Chinese Shipowners’ Association, describes the pirates plaguing the Somali coast as “a beaming new star” in the ancient trade of piracy, he is not exaggerating.

New rule could spur competition

Competition in the accounting sector should rise after implementation of a stock exchange proposal to allow mainland companies listed in Hong Kong to use mainland auditors and accounting standards, according to Winnie Cheung Chi-woon, the chief executive of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Fake invoice industry continues to thrive

Police who spent three months trying to wipe out cells producing fake invoices say they unearthed an enormous and sophisticated hidden industry.

Disney gets Beijing approval for Shanghai theme park

The Walt Disney Co has received Beijing’s nod to build a theme park in Shanghai, in a major advance for the media and entertainment company in the tough market ahead of President Obama’s first mainland visit.

Stricter rules for EntrePass get expats worked up

Foreigners who set up businesses here will have to hire Singaporeans

Asian stocks lose some shine for Scotland’s fund managers

Aberdeen, Standard Life cut their holdings citing valuations, earnings

Scotland’s two biggest fund managers say it’s getting tougher to make money from Asian stocks.

Direct marketing gains new clout in Asia

Seeing the growth potential, major firms are using this strategy to sell products in region

What if the US defaults on its debt?

Deprived of credit, defaulting countries in the past have suffered deep economic downturns, hyperinflation, or both

SGX rejects listing of See Hup Seng subsidiary

See Hup Seng said yesterday that a proposal to list its subsidiary Tat Petroleum on the Singapore Exchange mainboard has been rejected by SGX because it may breach its chain listing rule.

China regulator to review developers’ debt levels

China’s banking regulator plans to review debt levels at some real-estate developers on concern the companies’ borrowings are fuelling excessive gains in property prices, a person familiar with the matter said.

ChiNext punters playing with fire, state media says

Volatility on the mainland’s new Nasdaq-style market has prompted a wave of finger-wagging from state-owned media, with analysts warning investors of the risks of speculating.

MM’s speech in US draws flak online in China

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew’s comments that the United States should remain engaged in East Asia have drawn criticism on the website of a state-owned newspaper in China.

China moves pose IPO challenge for SGX

ChiNext’s launch, Shanghai’s planned international board could dim Singapore’s draw

Shadow of protectionism in SGX’s stand on Li Heng

The aborted ‘back-door delisting’ of Li Heng Chemical Fibre may be a closed chapter as far as the Singapore Exchange (SGX) is concerned. But to many market players, the episode remains a talking point, and still raises many questions in its wake.

China's manufacturing growth rate at 18-mth high

PMI issued by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing rose to 55.2 in Oct, highest since April ‘08

Added value in being a scapegoat

The art of giving useful (but ignored) advice

Are Hong Kong shares worth their high prices?

Investors should do the maths on yield, P/E ratios

China’s Water Needs Create Opportunities

The Qinghe Wastewater Plant in Beijing. China’s water shortage, especially in the northern part of the country, is driving a need for wastewater recycling.

A diplomatic victory for China

As tensions in the South China Sea rise, Beijing appears to have scored a quiet diplomatic victory by ensuring the Asean grouping is unlikely to get involved in territorial disputes any time soon.

Police will jail every gang boss in the country, top officer promises

Law enforcement agencies across the country would launch all-out raids on triads, dismantle their strongholds and put every gang boss into prison, the mainland’s top policeman promised yesterday.

Nasdaq-style board opens with a bang

All 28 firms on ChiNext in Shenzhen close way above IPO prices

ChiNext, which opened yesterday, is expected to give small- and medium-sized companies access to financing and encourage private firms and venture capitalists to back start-ups.

Analysts unfazed by stock market sell down

Share price corrections are normal in bull markets, they say

China’s crime-buster gets a second wind

Once front-runner for presidency, Bo Xilai wins praise for anti-triad drive

Chinese culture a hard sell

New plan to rejuvenate culture industry doesn’t tackle tight govt control

Decentralised offices in Shanghai may cut costs by up to 50pc

Corporate tenants in Shanghai could save up to 50 per cent of their occupancy costs next year if they were to move to grade A offices in the city’s emerging business areas.

Behind Lujiazui building boom is a promising future

New office towers continue to mushroom from construction sites all over Shanghai’s Lujiazui financial district and to the casual observer it would seem an oversupply disaster looms, with 450,000 square metres of new grade A office space expected to come on to the market in each of the next two years.

China’s $treet fashion

How two U.S. entrepreneurs are selling Chinese fashion to the post-Tiananmen generation.

This Pullback is Buy Opportunity – Not Correction: Strategists

Bold said there’s still $4 trillion on the sidelines and there’s still “a lot of opportunity” going forward.

“Every time the market goes down a little bit, people think it’s going to go down a lot. But at some point, we’re going to get to the greed factor where people are going to think they’re going to miss out on the next run of the market and instead of buying at 6,500, they’re going to buy at 11,000 or 12,000,” said Bold.

Aussie case puts heat on directors

The name Centro Properties would probably not be readily recognisable to most readers, regulators and company directors here but if the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) wins a legal case it initiated last week, you can be sure Singapore-listed companies’ office bearers and anyone with an interest in directors’ responsibilities would surely sit up, take notice and very quickly familiarise themselves with all things Centro.

Galleon wiretap rattles hedge fund industry

First came the biggest bear market since the 1930s, then Bernard Madoff’s US$65 billion Ponzi scheme and the threat of increased regulation. Now hedge funds have a new concern: getting caught on tape as the government expands its use of wiretaps to ferret out insider trading.

S-chips pay attention to lure of Taiwan

After reports that some Singapore-listed Chinese companies or S-chips were seeking secondary listings in Hong Kong and the United States, it has emerged that some of them have pinned their hopes on Taiwan.

Dual-listings can be a double-edged sword

They can unlock value in some cases, but can add to costs and regulatory hassles

China Needs ‘Unexpected’ One-Off Yuan Appreciation

China should allow an immediate one- off appreciation in the yuan’s value and widen the currency’s trading band to stem inflows of speculative capital that may fuel inflation, said UBS AG economist Wang Tao.

Central Banks, Arsonists and Playing with Fire - Andy Xie

Money supply growth has sparked an asset market boom that supports the economy, not the other way around. Don’t get burned.

Raffles, MM Lee and the rule of law

Mr. Lee’s stamp is clear, but he knew what rule of law entailed, says CJ

CJ on judicial independence and judicial review

Addressing an often-raised accusation of executive interference in the judiciary here, he told his audience of lawyers: ‘It is not an oath to protect and defend the President, the legislature or the executive; it is an oath to protect and defend the Constitution.’

Taiwan’s TDR push in Singapore gathers pace

Interest in Taiwan as a secondary listing venue is rising among Chinese companies listed in Singapore and Hong Kong as China-concept stocks gain favour there, said an official from a Taiwanese brokerage.

Japan stands up to US on military base

The standoff between Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s government and the Obama administration over the relocation of a US Marine Corps military base in Okinawa is being watched with keen interest throughout the Asia Pacific region - and for good reason. Much more is at stake than simply the logistics of where a military base is located.

Singapore: The future global arbitration hub for Asia

Its convenient location, judicial support and transparent system make it attractive to firms

More distributors eyeing used car business

More authorised car distributors are going into the used car business, and they are doing it mainly to tap growing demand for used cars and supplement the drop in new car sales.

Oceanus proposes to issue TDRs in Taiwan

Abalone company Oceanus Group has proposed to offer and list Taiwan Depository Receipts (TDRs) representing up to 200 million shares of the company on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE).

At 40, internet an erratic but amazing teen

Leonard Kleinrock never imagined Facebook, Twitter or YouTube that day 40 years ago when his team gave birth to what is now taken for granted as the internet.

China economy seen slowing next year

China may face an economic slowdown in the middle of next year because the nation’s growth model is unsustainable, said Stephen Roach, chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia.

Currencies: A Front Line for Global Balance

Fluctuating currency values can make or break foreign exchange traders. On a far wider scale, they affect global economic balance.

Seven-month stock market rally is starting to show signs of wear

Corporate profits in the third quarter are doing what they are supposed to do to support lofty stock market valuations - beating expectations on the bottom line, and showing improvement in sales and revenues. But despite that, the seven-month-long stock market rally appears to be wearing thin.

Placements: name-dropping for lift-off

Share placements this year have confirmed a slight variation of the trite adage - it is not what you know, but rather who you know is buying into the company.

Placements knock out rights issues in 2009

The 2 cash-call methods have been given very different market treatments

Trading curbs: the curious case of Transcu

The recent circumstances surrounding UOB-Kay Hian’s imposition of trading curbs on the shares of life sciences firm Transcu Group, which precipitated a collapse of those shares, raises a few important regulatory issues for the authorities to ponder.

Transcu shares plunge again as trading resumes

Shares in life sciences company Transcu Group took another plunge yesterday. The stock’s erratic price movements of late, which saw it jumping to over 20 cents apiece before it nosedived, has prompted market talk of whether the counter was a subject of speculative play or whether it was suffering from the impact of the conversion of $5 million worth of structured notes and the freshly concluded private share placement.

Shanghai smoking ban moves step closer

Authorities in Shanghai have taken a further step towards implementing strict smoking restrictions in the city by the end of the year, local media reported yesterday.

Lustful cadres warned to exercise caution

Communist Party cadres need to guard against lust in the face of temptation, a top-level official has warned.

Cut Ties that Bind China to Special Interests

Too many selfish special interest groups are squeezing common people, perverting law and hurting the government.

China risks property bubbles for economy

China is risking property-market ‘bubbles’ to encourage growth in the world’s third-largest economy, according to former Morgan Stanley Asian economist Andy Xie.

China ‘developing cyber warfare capability’

China is building its cyber warfare capabilities and appears to be using the growing technical abilities to collect US intelligence through a sophisticated and long-term computer attack campaign, according to an independent report.

Companies rush to place out shares

Most taking placement route instead of rights issues to raise capital

Lifting lid on murky world of info-sharing

Galleon case: US regulator should be lauded for zeal in enforcing insider trading laws

There’s a cost to mainland overinvestment

In the euphoria over the surge in China’s investment-driven growth announced last week, many forget that there is a real economic cost to excessive infrastructure investment.

Little Hong Kong can do to slow inflows of hot money

In recent months, an unprecedented influx of cash has flooded Hong Kong’s financial system, doubling the city’s monetary base to more than HK$800 billion, driving the stock market up 100 per cent and lifting property prices by almost 30 per cent.

Fast trains closing the gap on air travel for short trips

With high-speed train services posing a rising threat to mainland airlines, carriers will have to do more than cut prices to stay in business.

China high-speed rail to take global lead by 2012

China’s high-speed rail network will overtake Europe as the world’s biggest by 2012, posing a threat to the country’s troubled airline industry.