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☆ McDonald's raises China bet, bucking Western firms' derisking trend
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Casey Hall | Thomson Reuters | Casey Has Reported On China'S Consumer Culture Her Base In Shanghai For More Than A Decade | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] A woman sits on a swing attached to a giant sign of McDonald's, outside its themed exhibition in Beijing, China December 4, 2023. One advantage for McDonald’s: its majority partner in the China business, CITIC, provides top-level political cover, said Jason Yu, greater China managing director of market research firm Kantar Worldpanel. McDonald's China, Carlyle Group and CITIC declined to comment. Other consumer-facing U.S. firms, including Starbucks (SBUX.O), Apple (AAPL.O), Coach owner Tapestry (TPR.N) and sportswear giant Nike (NKE.N), have remained similarly dedicated to the China market. Although the McDonald's China menu would be familiar to U.S. consumers, there are nods to local tastes, including taro pie, rather than apple.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, McDonald's, Jason Yu, Kantar, Yu, Carlyle, Wallace, Greg, Euromonitor, Ben Cavender, Casey, Kane Wu, Deborah Sophia, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Group, Carlyle Group, Starbucks, Apple, Nike, Research, Investment, China Market Research, Casey Hall, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, U.S, Hong Kong, Macau, Yum China, Russia, Shanghai, Bengaluru

To be sure, China is still Walmart's biggest country for importing goods. "We want the best prices," Andrea Albright, Walmart's executive vice president of sourcing said in an interview. Walmart has been accelerating growth in India since 2018, when it bought a 77% stake in Indian e-commerce firm Flipkart. Its rapidly growing workforce and technological advancement were a draw for Walmart, Albright said. The rising cost of shipping goods from China has also contributed to the switch to India, supply chain experts say.

Persons: Eduardo Munoz, Andrea Albright, we're, Albright, Doug McMillon, Narendra Modi, Modi, McMillon, Rajesh Kharabanda, Chris Rogers, Shekhar Gupta, Devgiri, Richa Naidu, Siddharth Cavale, Casey Hall, Manoj Kumar, Matthew Scuffham, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Walmart, REUTERS, Companies Walmart, Reuters, Flipkart, Walmart Global Tech India, Indian, Amazon, Freewill, P, Thomson Locations: Teterboro , New Jersey, U.S, India, China, United States, Washington, Beijing, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangalore, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mundra Port, Gujarat

☆ China food delivery firm Meituan beats revenue expectations amid economic headwinds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Casey Hall | Thomson Reuters | Casey Has Reported On China'S Consumer Culture Her Base In Shanghai For More Than A Decade | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The platform, whose app provides services such as bike-sharing, ticket-booking and maps, reported June-September revenue of 76.47 billion yuan ($10.69 billion), versus 62.62 billion yuan in the same period a year earlier. Meituan posted a profit of 3.59 billion yuan versus profit of 1.22 billion yuan a year earlier. Meituan CEO Wang Xing previously flagged a tougher third quarter for the food delivery business due to macroeconomic headwinds. A Meituan delivery worker rides a scooter carrying vegetables on a snowy day in Beijing, China January 19, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsQuarterly revenue from core local commerce, which includes food delivery as well as non-food delivery service Meituan Instashopping, rose 24.5% to 57.69 billion yuan.

Persons: Meituan, LSEG, Wang Xing, Tingshu Wang, Ele.me, ChinaIRN, John Choi, Wang Huiwen, ChatGPT, Casey Hall, Christopher Cushing, Edmund Klamann Organizations: HK, REUTERS, Alibaba Group, Meituan, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, Beijing, China, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia

"Many protesters experienced being part of a civic collective for the first time," said Huang, who fled to Germany in March after narrowly avoiding detention during protests in Shanghai. Reuters was unable to confirm the total number of protesters detained last year, although some were since released. This year, on the weekend anniversary of the protests, there were no demonstrations in Beijing and Shanghai. During last year's Beijing protests, some demonstrators also called for press freedom, democracy and human rights. Some of the protesters that Reuters spoke to, as well as observers, said the events helped raise awareness of how much political power Chinese people actually wielded.

Persons: Huang, Xi, It's, Li, Li Keqiang, I'm, Laurie Chen, Jessie Pang, Casey Hall, Nicoco Chan, Brenda Goh, Tian, Miral Organizations: Reuters, Washington DC, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, HONG KONG, China, Germany, Shanghai, Beijing, New York, London, Tiananmen, Italy, Guangzhou, Hong Kong

Analysts expect Temu, launched in September last year, to generate more than $16 billion in revenue this year. Chinese retail sales in September rose 5.5%, following 4.6% growth in August. PDD's revenue was 68.84 billion yuan ($9.62 billion) in the quarter ended Sept. 30, compared with analysts' average estimate of 54.59 billion yuan, according to LSEG data. The company's net income attributable to ordinary shareholders rose to 15.54 billion yuan in the third quarter, from 10.59 billion yuan a year earlier. ($1 = 7.1532 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru and Casey Hall in Shanghai; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Temu, Xiaoyan Wang, Chavi Mehta, Shilpi Majumdar, Mark Potter Organizations: PDD Holdings, Pinduoduo, East, Alibaba, HK, Casey Hall, Thomson Locations: China, United States, Europe, East Asia, Australia, Bengaluru, Shanghai

☆ Alibaba's research arm shuts quantum computing lab amid restructuring
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Casey Hall | Thomson Reuters | Casey Has Reported On China'S Consumer Culture Her Base In Shanghai For More Than A Decade | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Alibaba Group sign is seen at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, China July 6, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Chinese tech giant Alibaba (9988.HK) has cut a quantum computing laboratory and team from its research arm, donating both the lab and related experimental equipment to Zhejiang University, the company said on Monday. A spokesperson for Alibaba's DAMO Academy, Alibaba's in-house research initiative which included the lab, said the academy would continue to focus on technology research with the aim of being a leader in artificial intelligence (AI) research. The source said Zhejiang University would try and recruit the affected employees to work on its own quantum research. DAMO Academy was launched in 2017 by Alibaba Group to research advanced technologies such as AI and machine learning.

Persons: Aly, Eddie Wu, Casey Hall, Miral Organizations: Artificial Intelligence, REUTERS, Rights, HK, Zhejiang University, Alibaba's DAMO Academy, Alibaba's, Reuters, DAMO, Alibaba Group, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China

☆ Beijing police launch investigation into troubled wealth manager Zhongzhi
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The office building of Zhongrong International Trust, a trust company partially owned by Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, in Beijing, China August 22, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Beijing police are investigating suspected crimes committed by Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, a leading Chinese wealth manager, according to a social media post published by the Chaoyang Public Security Bureau on Saturday. Zhongzhi did not immediately reply to an email request for comment after normal business hours on Saturday. Zhongzhi apologised to its investors in a letter issued on Wednesday that said it had total liabilities of about 420 billion yuan ($58 billion) to 460 billion yuan ($64 billion), compared to estimated total assets of 200 billion yuan. The post did not specify what crimes Zhongzhi or the individuals were suspected of having committed.

Persons: Florence Lo, Zhongzhi, Casey Hall, Mark Potter Organizations: International Trust, Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, REUTERS, Rights, Chaoyang Public Security, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, China's

☆ China, US exchange accusations over US vessel in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING/SHANGHAI, Nov 26 (Reuters) - China and the United States exchanged accusations at the weekend over the disputed South China Sea, after China's military said it had driven away a U.S. warship that the U.S. Navy said was on a routine freedom of navigation operation. The U.S. Navy said on Sunday that the Hopper had "asserted navigational rights in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands, consistent with international law". China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. This weekend's incident, China said, "proves that the United States is an out-and-out 'security risk creator' in the South China Sea". "Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas."

Persons: Hopper, China's, Kristina Weidemann, Casey, Laurie Chen, Ben Blanchard, Mark Potter, Edmund Klamann Organizations: United, U.S . Navy, People's Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command, U.S, Australia, Philippine, U.S . 7th Fleet, U.S . State Department, Casey Hall, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, SHANGHAI, China, United States, U.S, South China, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Beijing, Manila, South, Shanghai, Taipei

☆ China says US destroyer entered its territorial waters without permission
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SHANGHAI, Nov 25 (Reuters) - The Chinese military said on Saturday that American naval destroyer USS Hopper entered China's territorial waters without the approval of the Chinese government. According to a post on the official WeChat account of the Chinese People Liberation Army's Southern Theatre Command, the Chinese military deployed its naval and air forces to "track, monitor and warn away" the vessel. It went on to say that the incident "proves that the United States is an out-and-out 'security risk creator' in the South China Sea." This latest announcement comes days after China accused the Philippines of enlisting "foreign forces" to patrol the South China Sea, referring to joint patrols held since Tuesday by Philippine and U.S. forces. Earlier this month, the United States and China held "candid" talks on maritime issues, including on the contested South China Sea, and the U.S. side underscored its concerns about "dangerous and unlawful" Chinese actions there, the U.S. State Department said.

Persons: Hopper, Casey Hall, Mark Potter Organizations: American, People Liberation, Southern Theatre Command, Philippine, U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, United States, South China, China, Philippines, U.S

☆ Chinese military holds training drills near Myanmar border after convoy fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Smoke rises as a truck burns near the Myanmar-China border, near Muse, Myanmar, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released on November 23, 2023. Video Obtained by REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI, Nov 25 (Reuters) - China's military will begin "combat training activities" from Saturday on its side of the border with Myanmar, it said on social media, a day after a convoy of trucks carrying goods into the neighbouring Southeast Asian nation went up in flames. The training aims to "test the rapid maneuverability, border sealing and fire strike capabilities of theatre troops," the Southern Theatre Command, one of five in China's People's Liberation Army, said on the WeChat messaging app. The surge in fighting has displaced more than 2 million people in Myanmar, the United Nations says. Reporting by Casey Hall; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Casey Hall, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Southern Theatre Command, Liberation Army, Nations, Thomson Locations: Myanmar, China, Muse

The logo of Alibaba's e-commerce apps Taobao and Tmall are displayed on mobile phones, in this illustration picture taken October 27, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Alibaba's online shopping platforms Taobao and Tmall cancelled its annual Dec. 12 shopping festival and will instead host another shopping festival called 'year-end good price' in December, according to notices on the platforms' websites on Friday. The dates of the new festival were not included in the notice, which was posted in a help section for platform merchants, and Alibaba did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the change. The 12.12 shopping festival, held annually on Dec. 12 since 2012, was the less-celebrated sister of November's Singles Day sales festival, which traditionally fell on Nov. 11 but has in recent years ballooned into a multi-week event beginning in late October. Reporting by Albee Zhang and Brenda Goh; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Edmund KlamannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Florence Lo, Tmall, Alibaba, Albee Zhang, Brenda Goh, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Edmund Klamann Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Rights BEIJING

3D printed clouds and figurines are seen in front of the Alibaba Cloud service logo in this illustration taken February 8, 2022. Two company sources told Reuters that Ma's move had generated a lot of discussion within the company, as did Jiang's post. Alibaba and the Jack Ma Foundation, the philanthropic organization that handles media queries for the billionaire, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In her internal note, Jiang also repeated comments from Ma's family office shared with the Alibaba-owned newspaper South China Morning Post on Friday that Ma remained "very positive" about Alibaba and that his family trust eventually did not sell a single share. The company has also been grappling with some upheaval in its top ranks, welcoming a new CEO, Eddie Wu, in September.

Persons: Dado, Jack Ma's, Jiang Fang, Jiang, Jack Ma, Ma, Alibaba, Eddie Wu, Daniel Zhang, Casey, Jenny Wang, Brenda Goh, David Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, HK, Reuters, Jack Ma Foundation, China Morning, Casey Hall, Thomson Locations: Rights SHANGHAI, BEIJING, Shanghai, Beijing

☆ Shanghai's Jewish refugee history takes centre stage in new oratorio
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Casey Hall | Thomson Reuters | Casey Has Reported On China'S Consumer Culture Her Base In Shanghai For More Than A Decade | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Musicians perform onstage at the debut performance of Emigre at the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Hall in Shanghai, China November 17, 2023. A collaboration between the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic as well as choirs from the U.S. and China, the work premiered on Nov. 17. Composer Aaron Zigman, known best for his movie scores, said he was approached by Shanghai Symphony Orchestra's maestro Long Yu in 2019 with the idea for a piece telling the story of Shanghai's Jewish refugee history. In the late 1930s, as World War Two was about to break out, Shanghai was one of the few places in the world open to Jewish refugees, as many countries restricted visa access. Chen Jian, curator of the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, was in the audience for Emigre's global premiere at the Jaguar Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Hall in downtown Shanghai.

Persons: Nicoco Chan, Aaron Zigman, Long Yu, Zigman, Mark Campbell, Chen Jian, Casey Hall, Sonali Paul Organizations: Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Hall, REUTERS, Rights, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Shanghai, Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, Jaguar Shanghai, Orchestra Hall, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, U.S, Nazi Germany, Europe, Japan, Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, New York

"Investors had hoped to receive separate shares of the cloud business in hopes the segment could achieve a higher multiple in the public markets due to its growth potential." The company then appointed Eddie Wu, one of Alibaba Group's co-founders and long-time lieutenant of former chief Jack Ma, as both CEO of Alibaba and the cloud business. Instead the group would focus on growing the cloud business and providing investment for its AI drivers, he said. [1/2]3D printed clouds and figurines are seen in front of the Alibaba Cloud service logo in this illustration taken February 8, 2022. Alibaba International Digital Commerce, a business that includes platforms such as Lazada and AliExpress, however reported a 53% rise in revenues, with retail revenue up 73% year-on-year.

Persons: Cainiao, Thomas Hayes, Alibaba's, Daniel Zhang, Eddie Wu, Alibaba Group's, Jack Ma, Zhang, Joseph Tsai, Tsai, Wu, Dado Ruvic, Alibaba, Akash Sriram, Brenda Goh, Sam Holmes, Arun Koyyur, Jane Merriman Organizations: Alibaba, HK, Tencent Holdings, Alibaba's, Investors, Analysts, Cloud Intelligence Group, REUTERS, Alibaba Group Holdings, PDD Holdings, Digital Commerce, Casey Hall, Thomson Locations: U.S, China, Hong Kong, Alibaba's U.S, Bengaluru, Shanghai

REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI/PARIS, Nov 17 (Reuters) - The world's biggest luxury brands seeking growth in their second-largest market China are all courting the likes of wealthy entrepreneur Diana Wang. "Luxury brands offer you this event experience, this personal experience and it makes you feel privileged," Wang told Reuters. This week, Burberry (BRBY.L) also flagged low double-digit growth due to a slowdown in luxury spending globally, and in China. FEEDING THE LUXURY HABITEven as they narrow their focus, luxury brands remain optimistic about the potential in China, which is forecast to account for almost 40% of global luxury sales by 2030, according to consultants Bain. Luxury consultant Mario Ortelli said several luxury firms are hedging their bets on China by also expanding their global footprint.

Persons: Thomas Peter, Diana Wang, Wang, Tiffany, Chopard, Jacques Roizen, Cartier, Richemont, It's, Jean, Marc Duplaix, Versace, Donatella Versace, Gucci, Chanel, Dior, Cyrille Vigneron, LVMH, Louis Vuitton, Bain, Eric du Halgouet, Birkin, Mario Ortelli, Ortelli, it's, Mimosa Spencer, Casey Hall, Miral Organizations: Tiffany, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Burberry, HSBC, Digital Luxury, Chanel, Shanghai, Capri Holdings, Tapestry, Bund, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, PARIS, Shanghai, Cartier, Shenzhen, South Korea, Japan, Thailand

The drop, potentially its biggest one-day fall in more than a year, wiped about $20 billion off the Chinese tech giant's market value. It was the first market reaction in Asia since the stunning strategy reversal was announced late on Thursday. "The cancellation of a full spin-off of AliCloud is a negative surprise," said Nomura analyst Shi Jialong in a note. The company said it will press ahead with a listing of Alibaba's logistics arm, Cainiao, which applied for a Hong Kong initial public offering in September. Reporting By Donny Kwok and Josh Ye in Hong Kong, Casey Hall and Gu Li in Shanghai; Writing by Anne Marie Roantree and Brenda Goh; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Aly, Group's, Nomura, Shi Jialong, Alibaba, Jack Ma, Kenneth Fong, Joseph Tsai, Bo Pei, Eddie Wu, Donny Kwok, Josh Ye, Casey Hall, Gu Li, Anne Marie Roantree, Brenda Goh, Muralikumar Organizations: Artificial Intelligence, REUTERS, Hong, Tencent Holdings, HK, UBS, Tiger Research, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, HONG KONG, SHANGHAI, HK, Hong Kong, Asia, AliCloud, Washington, U.S, Hangzhou, Alibaba

Alibaba Group's Hong Kong shares closed down 10%, their biggest single-day drop in more than a year. Some analysts said keeping the cloud unit could assist Alibaba's AI push. But (it) also points to the increasing importance of retaining the cloud unit given the surging demand for AI computing in China," said US Tiger Research analyst Bo Pei. Alibaba reported second-quarter revenue of 224.79 billion yuan ($31.01 billion), in line with the 224.32 billion expected by analysts, LSEG data showed. The company also said it will press ahead with a listing of Alibaba's logistics arm, Cainiao, which applied for a Hong Kong initial public offering in September.

Persons: Group's, Jon Withaar, Alibaba, Joseph Tsai, Aly, Jack Ma, Kenneth Fong, Bo Pei, Eddie Wu, Daniel Zhang, Vey, Sern Ling, Donny Kwok, Josh Ye, Casey Hall, Gu Li, Yelin, Ankur Banerjee, Anne Marie Roantree, Brenda Goh, Muralikumar Anantharaman Organizations: HK, Pictet Asset Management, Tencent Holdings, Artificial Intelligence, REUTERS, UBS, Tiger Research, Union Bancaire, Hong, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, China, Hong Kong, Asia, U.S, Singapore, Washington, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Alibaba, Union, Yelin Mo, Beijing

☆ Reaction to Alibaba's scrapping of cloud unit spin-off
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

3D printed clouds and figurines are seen in front of the Alibaba Cloud service logo in this illustration taken February 8, 2022. Alibaba said its decision to shelve the spin-off was due to uncertainties fuelled by U.S. curbs on exports to China of chips used in artificial intelligence applications. Following are what people are saying about the decision:LI CHENGDONG, BEIJING-BASED TECH AND E-COMMERCE ANALYST:"I believe scrapping the cloud unit's IPO reflects a new development strategy implemented by the new leadership. In short, I think prior decisions to restructure and IPO certain business units will have to be reassessed based on prevailing market conditions. The international business is one of the few Alibaba units that’s growing fast, which puts it in a better position to explore external funding."

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Alibaba, LI, Daniel Zhang, Zhang, BRIAN WONG, CHARLIE CHAI, Eddie Wu, SERN LING, Casey, Josh Ye, Yelin, Anne Marie Roantree, Muralikumar Anantharaman Organizations: REUTERS, China's, HK, Cloud Intelligence, Casey Hall, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Hong Kong, China, BEIJING, AliCloud, Alibaba, Shanghai, Yelin Mo, Beijing

☆ Beauty Stocks Tell an Ugly Story About China
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Jacky Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Nov. 13, 2023 7:53 am ETChinese consumers have grown to become a significant part of global beauty companies’ earnings. Photo: CASEY HALL/REUTERSChinese consumers have been tightening their purse strings. Third-quarter retail sales data seemed to hint at a modest rebound in spending—but beauty stocks are telling a different story. That should give pause to investors hopeful that Chinese growth has bottomed.

Persons: CASEY Organizations: CASEY HALL, REUTERS

Data released on Thursday showing a drop in consumer prices to their lowest since the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the doubts in China's economic rebound after some months of indicators showing growth stabilising. China's big online shopping platforms did not release final sales figures for 2022, when analysts said COVID-19 restrictions inhibited spending and consumer confidence. Some indicators point to a slowdown in Singles Day sales. Data provider Syntun estimated e-commerce platforms sold 311 billion yuan of products from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3, a 7.1% decrease year-on-year. For Tan Jiapeng, a 35-year-old office worker in Beijing, his only Singles Day purchase so far has been a Descente winter jacket, an "essential purchase" for the winter.

Persons: Florence Lo, Jason Yu, Kantar, COVID, Bain, Jacob Cooke, Nomura, Tan Jiapeng, Tan, Casey Hall, Sophie Yu, Marius Zaharia Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, HK, PDD Holdings, Company, Technologies, Thomson Locations: Rights BEIJING, China, Beijing

☆ China Southern to honour $1.30 flight tickets sold during glitch
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Chinese carrier China Southern Airlines (600029.SS) said on Thursday it would honor the sale of tickets priced as cheaply as $1.30 during a two-hour technical glitch on its mobile phone app and some ticket-booking platforms late on Wednesday. Other online screenshots indicated the cheap prices were offered for about two hours on the carrier's app as well as across several ticket-booking platforms, including market leader Trip.com. On top of that price, buyers were required to pay at least an additional 110 yuan in airport fees and fuel surcharges. "Passengers can use them as normal," Guangzhou-based China Southern said, on the proviso that tickets were already paid for and issued. ($1 = 7.2852 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Sophie Yu and Casey Hall; Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Trip.com, Sophie Yu, Casey Hall, Bernadette Baum Organizations: China Southern Airlines, Consumers, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Chengdu, China, Beijing, Guangzhou, China Southern

☆ China's e-commerce platforms not doing enough on climate -Greenpeace
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of e-commerce app Pinduoduo is displayed next to mobile phones displaying the app, in this illustration picture taken October 25, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSINGAPORE, Nov 9 (Reuters) - China's top e-commerce platforms have made insufficient effort to steer consumers onto a more sustainable path that would help protect the environment and combat climate change, environment group Greenpeace said on Thursday. "But overall, China's e-commerce giants still don't do enough to leverage their platforms towards sustainability." In a report ranking the environmental record of six of China's e-commerce giants, Greenpeace said the discount online shopping platform Pinduoduo (PDD.O) performed the worst, making "no progress whatsoever" on climate and environmental protection. Pinduoduo was given a negative score on Greenpeace's list after failing to draw up strategies on issues like climate change, waste, dangerous chemicals and biodiversity.

Persons: Florence Lo, Tang Damin, Pinduoduo, Douyin, Bytedance, Alibaba, David Stanway, Sophie Yu, Josh Ye, Casey Hall, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Greenpeace, HK, Thomson Locations: Rights SINGAPORE, Beijing

Dozens of international and private schools in China are closing or merging, industry executives said, weighed down by tighter regulation, a slowing economy and dwindling foreign student numbers. A rapid expansion prior to the COVID-19 pandemic drove a surge of privately run bilingual schools in China offering a western exam curriculum. Dulwich College operates nine schools in China including bilingual schools catering to Chinese nationals that have been hit hardest by regulatory changes. It mandated that Chinese compulsory education be taught in private schools, aligning the curriculum more closely to public schools and making parents question the need to pay private school fees when their children can attend free government schools. Authorities have also moved to control the number of private schools.

Persons: Aly, Julian Fisher, Fisher, Dulwich, Xi, It's, Frank Feng, Jimmy Chin, Nicholas Burns, Mathias Boyer, Casey, Roxanne Liu, Dorothy Kam, Muralikumar Organizations: REUTERS, Dulwich College, Venture Education, Strategic, Education, Motion, Dulwich, British, Authorities, Dulwich's, Victoria Kid House, Western International School of, Everpine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, University of Science, Technology of, International School of Beijing, Casey Hall, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, HONG KONG, British, Asia, China's, Beijing, Dulwich, Singapore, South Korea, U.S, Britain, Canada, Lucton, Greater Bay Area, Shenzhen, Eton, Guangzhou, Western International School of Shanghai, Xi'an, Technology of China, Anhui, Hong Kong

☆ Private Schools Rethink China Future After Flunking Growth Test
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

Dozens of international and private schools in China are closing or merging, industry executives said, weighed down by tighter regulation, a slowing economy and dwindling foreign student numbers. Dulwich College operates nine schools in China including bilingual schools catering to Chinese nationals that have been hit hardest by regulatory changes. Strategic plans for growth of its high schools in China were "scaled back in light of changing government regulations", Dulwich said in its 2022 annual report. Authorities have also moved to control the number of private schools. Dozens of schools, from kindergartens to high schools, have shut or stalled in the past two years.

Persons: Farah Master, Kane Wu, Julian Fisher, Fisher, Dulwich, Xi, It's, Frank Feng, Jimmy Chin, Nicholas Burns, Mathias Boyer, Casey, Roxanne Liu, Dorothy Kam, Muralikumar Anantharaman Organizations: Reuters, Dulwich College, Venture Education, Strategic, Education, Motion, Dulwich, British, Authorities, Dulwich's, Victoria Kid House, Western International School of, Everpine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, University of Science, Technology of, International School of Beijing, Casey Hall Locations: Kane Wu HONG KONG, British, China, Asia, China's, Beijing, Dulwich, Singapore, South Korea, U.S, Britain, Canada, Shanghai, Lucton, Greater Bay Area, Shenzhen, Eton, Guangzhou, Western International School of Shanghai, Xi'an, Technology of China, Anhui, Hong Kong

BEIJING, Nov 7 (Reuters) - One of the few independently funded English-language publications to cover China in depth for Western audiences, "The China Project", is to close because of a lack of funding, its editor-in-chief, Jeremy Goldkorn, wrote in a post. The China Project, which began as a newsletter in 2016 and was formerly known as SupChina, expanded to become a "news and business intelligence company focused on helping a global audience understand China", it says on its website. But as with a number of online-based media companies in recent years, such as Buzzfeed News, financing became a problem. "The media business is precarious," Goldkorn wrote in a statement on the website. The company sought to produce "balanced" reporting on China and U.S.-China-themed topics.

Persons: Jeremy Goldkorn, Goldkorn, Bob Guterma, Martin Quin Pollard, Laurie Chen, Casey Hall, Brenda Goh, Robert Birsel Organizations: China, Media, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, U.S

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