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In Shanghai, over seven million tourists arrived in the city for the weekend, according to Shanghai Travel Data. Also known as the May Day holiday, the Labor Day break is one of three major annual holidays in China. Tourists visit Nanjing Confucius Temple ahead of the May Day holiday on April 27, 2023 in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province of China. Visitors walk past the Casino Lisboa, operated by SJM Holdings, during Labour Day holiday in Macau, China, April 30, 2023. “The unscrupulous practice of these bed-and-breakfasts is ugly,” said an opinion piece posted on the social media platform by state media People’s Daily.

☆ China Renaissance suspends trading, delays results after founder Bao Fan goes missing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Bao Fan, 52, started the boutique investment bank in 2005 and has been unreachable since the middle of February, according to the company. Shares in China Renaissance have plunged since Bao went missing, at one point dropping as much as 50%. China Renaissance said in late February that it had learned Bao was “cooperating in an investigation” being carried out by certain authorities in the country. Chinese media have reported Bao might be assisting in an investigation related to a former executive at China Renaissance. In a filing on Sunday, China Renaissance said auditors couldn’t complete their work or sign off on their report because of Bao’s absence.

☆ China Renaissance delays results, halts trade citing star dealmaker's disappearance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Late in February 2023, China Renaissance said in an exchange filing that Bao Fan, its star dealmaker, was co-operating with authorities in their investigation. Boutique investment bank China Renaissance Holdings said it would delay its audited annual results and suspend its stock trading from Monday, after mainland authorities took away its chairman, Bao Fan, to co-operate with an investigation. "While the company has used its best efforts to facilitate the requests of the auditors," those requests are not matters within the control of China Renaissance, the bank said in the filing, adding that the board "was not able to reasonably estimate when it would meet to approve" the 2022 annual results. Bao, who is also CEO, started the bank in 2005 with a two-person team, seeking to match capital-hungry startups with venture capitalist and private equity investors. The bank had an unaudited loss of 563.8 million yuan ($81.8 million) for 2022, compared with 1.6 billion yuan worth of net income for the year earlier, Sunday's filing showed.

☆ Investors ride out China uncertainty in convertible bonds
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Georgina Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Funds that invest in Asian convertible bonds attracted inflows of $118.1 million in January and February, data from Morningstar shows, bucking the overall outflows recorded for the more than 350 convertible bond funds it tracks globally. Convertible bonds are hybrid securities with most, like a regular bond, paying a coupon. "Some Asian convertible bonds are attractive as they offer investors comparable or better yields for a shorter duration than straight bonds, as they come with an inexpensive equity option," said Girish Kumarguru, portfolio manager at alterative asset manager, China Everbright Assets Management (0165.HK). Compared to the 6% yield paid by its regular bond, convertible bond investors get less, with current pricing implying a yield of around 2.5%. "Measures to boost consumption in China should be favourable to Asian convertible bonds as there are numerous consumer-related issuers in this region," said Skander Chabbi, head of global convertible team at BNP Paribas Asset Management based in Paris.

☆ Google giggles at China tech’s shrinking act
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Pete Sweeney | Thomson Reuters | Asia Economics Editor Pete Sweeney Joined Reuters Breakingviews In Hong Kong In September Previously He Served As Reuters' Chief Correspondent For China Economy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, March 31 (Reuters Breakingviews) - As an $18 trillion economy home to 1.4 billion people, China is a natural font of statistical superlatives. The country’s internet giants, however, are dwarfed by American colossi like the $1.3 trillion Google owner Alphabet (GOOGL.O). Access to cheap capital helped founders like Alibaba’s Jack Ma quickly diversify and build sprawling empires with global ambitions. Meanwhile, the top eight U.S. tech names, led by Apple (AAPL.O), Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Alphabet, are worth $8 trillion today. The American tech giants already generate three times more revenue and nearly five times more free cash flow than their aspirant Chinese challengers, Refinitiv Eikon data shows.

☆ Alibaba hands parched dealmakers a glass half-full
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Antony Currie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Then New York- and Hong Kong-listed Alibaba (9988.HK) revealed it was creating six independently run businesses. That will keep dealmaking teams busy for months if, as CEO Daniel Zhang envisions, multiple listed companies emerge from the $250 billion parent. And if a breakup is good for Alibaba, they can dust off pitchbooks for its domestic rivals. Follow @AntonyMCurrie on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSAlibaba CEO Daniel Zhang said on March 29 that he hopes multiple listed companies will emerge from the group. “I hope there will be multiple listed companies emerging from the Alibaba system, and that they will continue to nurture their own sons and daughters, and cultivate more listed companies”, Zhang said, according to the South China Morning Post.

☆ Alibaba’s restructuring and Jack Ma’s homecoming are all part of China’s plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Ma is seen as a symbol of China’s tech industry and a barometer of the Chinese government’s support for private business. Alibaba’s restructuring is “part of [Beijing’s] strategy to shore up confidence in the private sector,” said Hong Hao, chief economist for Grow Investment Group. “[Alibaba’s restructuring plan] offers a way to limit monopoly power and platform sway,” Hong said. Unlocking valueInvestors and analysts have cheered Alibaba’s restructuring. Alibaba’s business will be split into six units: domestic e-commerce, international e-commerce, cloud computing, local services, logistics, and media and entertainment.

☆ Factbox: How Alibaba's six new business units stack up
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The company's CEO Daniel Zhang said the business units will each be free to pursue funding and IPOs independently, which points to a possible carving out in the future. Below are the six divisions:TAOBAO TMALL COMMERCE GROUPThe Taobao Tmall Commerce Group will cover Alibaba's domestic-facing e-commerce marketplaces, which make up over two-thirds of Alibaba's total revenue. Despite the scale of Alibaba's e-commerce operations, growth in the business has slowed. Taobao Tmall Commerce Group will remain wholly owned by Alibaba Group after the restructuring, the company said, even as the other units will be free to seek fundraisings and listings. Daniel Zhang, current chairman and CEO of Alibaba Group, will serve as CEO of the Cloud Intelligence Group.

Hong Kong/Beijing CNN —Jack Ma, the billionaire founder of Alibaba (BABA) and once one of China’s most prominent entrepreneurs, has made a rare public appearance in the country. Ma visited the city of Hangzhou and was seen meeting with students and teachers at the Alibaba-funded Yungu School. That intervention by regulators followed a speech from Ma in which he criticized China’s banks and financial regulators. In a statement to CNN about the trip, the Jack Ma Foundation said the Alibaba founder “travels very often in China and overseas.”“Mr. He paid a visit to Hangzhou Yungu School today and had a chat with teachers there on education,” a spokesperson said.

☆ Tencent Posts Surprise Profit Growth Despite Economic Slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

In the past few months, Tencent has secured government licenses for several blockbuster videogames in its pipeline. SINGAPORE—Chinese internet conglomerate Tencent Holdings Ltd. posted a surprise 12% rise in its quarterly profit from a year earlier, even as China’s weak economy and Beijing’s tough Covid-19 controls during the period dented demand for videogame and advertising markets. October-December net profit was the equivalent of $15.3 billion, boosted by a one-time gain of $12.46 billion from the disposal of food-delivery company Meituan stocks, the company said Wednesday. Revenue rose 0.5%. Both beat expectations of analysts polled by FactSet.

☆ China's Meituan to restructure ride-hailing unit, reduce service's staff - letter
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING/SHANGHAI, March 6 (Reuters) - Chinese tech giant Meituan (3690.HK) plans to restructure its ride-hailing service and reduce the number of staff it has working on the platform, according to an internal letter seen by Reuters on Monday and two sources. The company's main app is known in China as a 'superapp' which has services from food delivery to restaurant bookings. Meituan first launched the Meituan Dache app in 2017 but removed it from app stores two years later citing losses，local media reported at the time. But over the whole period, it has offered the ride-hailing service among the suite of services on its main app. Didi's Chinese service was allowed to resume new user registrations in January after it was dealt a $1.2 billion fine over data-security breaches.

☆ Missing Chinese CEO is being investigated by authorities, company says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Missing Chinese CEO Bao Fan is cooperating in an investigation by “certain authorities in the People’s Republic of China,” his company said in a statement Sunday. “The Board would like to reiterate that the business and operations of the Group are continuing normally,” a statement from the company said. Real estate tycoon Ren Zhiqiang disappeared for several months after he allegedly spoke out against Chinese leader Xi Jinping in 2020. Anbang chairman Wu Xiaohui was reportedly detained by authorities as part of a government investigation. His team has also invested in US-listed Chinese electric vehicle makers Nio (NIO) and Li Auto, and helped Chinese internet giants Baidu (BIDU) and JD.com (JD) complete their secondary listings in Hong Kong.

☆ Chinese bank says missing chairman is cooperating with Chinese authorities in an investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Feb 26 (Reuters) - China Renaissance Holdings (1911.HK) said in an exchange filing on Sunday that its missing chairman and star dealmaker Bao Fan was currently cooperating with relevant Chinese authorities conducting an investigation. This is the first time the mainland China-based boutique bank has given a reason for the disappearance of its founder -- who was reported missing 10 days ago -- though no details about the investigation were shared. "The Board would like to reiterate that the business and operations of the Group are continuing normally," the bank said in the exchange filing. Reuters previously reported, citing sources, that authorities took Bao away earlier this month to assist in an investigation into a former colleague, Cong Lin, the company's former president. read moreBao's disappearance also comes against the backdrop of more than two years of sweeping regulatory crackdown on technology companies.

Though the reasons for Bao's disappearance are unclear, his case follows a series of incidents in which high-profile executives in China have gone missing with little explanation during a sweeping anti-corruption campaign spearheaded by President Xi Jinping. China Renaissance said on Thursday in a stock exchange filing that it had no information that Bao's "unavailability" was related to its business, and that its operations were continuing normally. A spokesperson for Beijing-based China Renaissance declined to comment on specific details and referred Reuters to its exchange filing made on Thursday. "What happened to China Renaissance highlighted the key man risk with some Chinese companies," Li Nan, professor of Finance at Shanghai Jiaotong University, said. key man risk generally refers to the threat posed to a company from over-reliance on a limited number of personnel for decision making.

Feb 17 (Reuters) - Chinese dealmaker Bao Fan, founder of investment bank China Renaissance Holdings Ltd (1911.HK), has gone missing in the latest disappearance of a top business executive, unnerving investors and sending its stock down as much as 50% on Friday. A China Renaissance spokesperson referred Reuters request for comment on Friday to the investment bank's public filing. The firm earned $20.6 million in Chinese related investment banking fees in 2022, down from $43.13 million a year earlier, the data showed. Bao started China Renaissance in 2005 as a two-person team, seeking to match capital-hungry startups with venture capitalist and private equity investors. China Renaissance is also an active investor in the tech sector.

☆ Factbox-Five facts about missing star Chinese dealmaker and his firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Xie Yu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Well-known Chinese dealmaker Bao Fan, founder of investment bank China Renaissance Holdings Ltd, has gone missing in the latest disappearance of a top business executive in the country, unnerving investors. FILE PHOTO: Fan Bao founder and CEO of China Renaissance speaks at the WSJD Live conference in Laguna Beach, California October 25, 2016. Here are five facts about Bao and his firm --* Bao entered China’s prestigious Fudan University in 1989, and later received his master’s degree from the BI Norwegian School of Management. Its investment management business has assets worth around 48.6 billion yuan by the end of last June. It earned $20.6 million in Chinese related investment banking fees in 2022, down from $43.13 million a year earlier.

☆ Factbox: Five facts about missing star Chinese dealmaker and his firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Xie Yu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Well-known Chinese dealmaker Bao Fan, founder of investment bank China Renaissance Holdings Ltd (1911.HK), has gone missing in the latest disappearance of a top business executive in the country, unnerving investors. Here are five facts about Bao and his firm --* Bao entered China's prestigious Fudan University in 1989, and later received his master's degree from the BI Norwegian School of Management. Its investment management business has assets worth around 48.6 billion yuan by the end of last June. * The firm is currently ranked ninth on China's equity capital markets league table for 2023, according to Refinitiv. It earned $20.6 million in Chinese related investment banking fees in 2022, down from $43.13 million a year earlier.

☆ China Renaissance CEO Bao Fan goes missing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —One of China’s top investment bankers has become unreachable, according to his company. China Renaissance, an investment bank and private equity firm based in Beijing, said in a Thursday filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange that it “has been unable to contact” Bao Fan, its chairman and CEO. Shares of the company plunged as much as 50% in Hong Kong on Friday following the news. Bao did not immediately respond to messages from CNN on WeChat on Friday, while China Renaissance hasn’t yet responded to a request for comment. Chinese authorities detained Cong Lin, the company’s president, in September, it reported, citing unidentified sources.

HONG KONG, Feb 17 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The disappearance of Bao Fan is a chilling dampener on the reopening of the world's second largest economy. China Renaissance was valued at $2.3 billion in its own IPO in 2018 when it was ranked second on China tech deals per Dealogic. Entities including China International Capital Corp (3908.HK) and Citic Securities (600030.SS), also have to grapple with President Xi Jinping’s common-prosperity campaign, making it unclear whether these firms’ erstwhile generosity will resume when advisory activity picks up. It also noted that in September Chinese authorities took Cong Lin, the bank’s president and chairman of its Hong Kong securities unit, into custody. Column by Yawen Chen in Hong Kong and Una Galani in Mumbai.

SYDNEY, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Shares of boutique investment bank China Renaissance Holdings Ltd (1911.HK) fell by as much as 50% on Friday after the firm said it had been unable to contact Chairman and Chief Executive Bao Fan. China Renaissance shares slid by 50% in early trade to hit a record low of HK$5 each. He started China Renaissance in 2005 and the exchange filing showed he is its controlling shareholder. China Renaissance was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2018 after it raised $346 million. China Renaissance is also an active investor in the tech sector.

☆ Chinese food delivery firm Meituan plans to hire 10,000 workers as U.S. tech giants ax jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Chinese food delivery firm Meituan plans to hire 10,000 workers in the first quarter of the year, the company said Wednesday, sending shares more than 6% lower. That policy has hurt the Chinese economy. China ended its zero-Covid policy at the end of last year, spurring hopes of a rebound in the Chinese economy which could also help its embattled technology firms. Meituan's hiring spree is in contrast to Silicon Valley technology giants from Microsoft to Alphabet that have laid off thousands of workers. In 2022, Chinese technology giants posted some of their slowest growth in history as the economy faltered and companies from Alibaba to Tencent reduced headcount.

☆ ByteDance is testing food delivery service via its Chinese version of TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

ByteDance's Douyin has been trialing a food delivery service since December as it looks to expand its business beyond advertising. ByteDance told CNBC on Wednesday that it has been testing a type of food delivery service in China via its short video app Douyin, potentially pitting itself against major e-commerce companies like Alibaba and Meituan . Douyin is the Chinese version of TikTok which are both owned by ByteDance. The model is very different from Meituan and Alibaba's Ele.me which are both on-demand food delivery services, much like Uber Eats. There is no detailed timeline yet," a Douyin spokesperson said.

☆ Chinese lidar maker Hesai to raise up to $171 million in U.S. IPO
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

A lidar sensor from Hesai company on top of a vehicle in Shenzhen, China on Jul. China's Hesai Group on Friday announced plans to raise as much as $171 million in an initial public offering in the United States, according to a term sheet. The Shanghai-based lidar maker will offer up to 9 million American depositary shares (ADS) at between $17 and $19 apiece. To date, Hesai has raised over $500 million, according to the company's website. Hesai's IPO is the first major offering by a Chinese firm since the country scrapped most of its Covid curbs and reopened its borders.

☆ Worried about Alibaba’s share price slump? Analysts name 4 alternatives in China tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

No Chinese tech stock has generated as much excitement as Alibaba , one of the most recognizable names in the Chinese internet sector. More than 76% of analysts covering the stock rate it a "buy," giving it average upside of 31%, according to FactSet data. Kuaishou is rated buy or overweight by 94% of analysts covering the stock, who give it average upside of around 24.4%. It is rated buy by 88% of analysts covering it, and has average upside of 37.7%, according to FactSet data. Rounding off the list is food delivery giant Meituan , with average upside of 32.5%.

☆ The case for investing in China's reopening is strong. Here's how to proceed with caution
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Patti Domm | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Strategists see China's markets easily scoring double-digit gains this year. The case for investing outside the U.S. is strong, particularly with the dollar coming off its highs and looking at further downside. "While China's reopening is undoubtedly a turning point, there remain reasons to be cautious," wrote Barclays equity strategists. But still the prospects for China's economy are much brighter than they were just several months ago. The Covid lockdown has been so damaging to the Chinese economy, they want to get back to a growth path in 2023."

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