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China’s private sector

China’s private sector
The latest news, analysis and opinion on China’s private sector. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Lens Technology chairwoman Zhou Qunfei seated between Apple’s Tim Cook and Tesla’s Elon Musk at China’s state banquet hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday night. Photo: CCTV
2026 Xi-Trump summit

Meet Zhou Qunfei: the woman seated between Cook and Musk at China state banquet

The chairwoman of manufacturing giant Lens is one of the country’s richest self-made women, working her way up from Shenzhen’s factory floors.

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Banking & finance

China’s credit demand weak in April despite policy support, strong industry

China-EU relations

German firms in China more optimistic despite Iran war, trade headwinds: survey

Biomedicine: Companies

China’s Hengrui seals US$15.2 billion deal with US pharmaceutical giant BMS

Company’s shares jump in Hong Kong and Shenzhen after tie-up that bolsters China’s growing drug innovation profile.

A worker checks a feeding tray at the Hengrui Biomedical Industrial Park in Lianyungang, east China’s Jiangsu province. Photo: Getty Images
Stocks

After accounting overhaul, can Wuliangye share buys restore investor confidence?

Investors welcome Wuliangye’s multibillion-yuan share purchase plan after weak earnings and industry destocking hit sentiment.

Artificial intelligence

Kimi developer Moonshot AI valued at US$20b as it navigates new IPO rules

Firm raised US$2 billion from investors including Meituan’s venture and China Mobile, taking total to US$3.9 billion in the last six months.

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Britain

CK Hutchison exits UK’s largest carrier VodafoneThree in US$5.82 billion deal

Sale of 49 per cent stake marks CK Hutchison’s latest asset move, following disposal of UK Power Networks, as group builds cash war chest.

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Hong Kong-listed conglomerate CK Hutchison has agreed to exit its 49 per cent stake in the UK’s largest mobile operator VodafoneThree. Photo: CK Hutchison
Mainland China

WuXi AppTec posts record first-quarter revenue on strong global demand

Earnings top estimates as multinational pharmaceutical firms ramp up investment and partnerships in China.

Mainland China

Turning cast-offs into cash: China’s Zhuanzhuan looks to Europe, US for growth

From phones to luxury bags, the recycling platform wants to take its ‘trash to treasure’ model global as second-hand demand accelerates.

Indonesia

Muddy yet clear-cut: how Chinese investors are turning jungle into a new capital

Chinese construction firms keen to cement trade ties with Jakarta through multimillion dollar projects to build a brand new centre of power.

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Construction started on a Chinese-invested commercial centre at Ibu Kota Nusantara, the future Indonesian capital, on September 22, 2025. Photo: Ralph Jennings
Biomedicine: Companies

How China’s ‘landmark’ drug pricing guidelines could be a boon for biotech

State Council calls for ‘value-based pricing’ for innovative drugs, a move researchers said would benefit private healthcare players.

Chinese biotech firms reached 157 agreements to out-licence early-stage drugs last year. Photo: Shutterstock
Biomedicine: Companies

Chinese drug makers take on Western dominance in US$16 billion Parkinson’s race

The future of treating brain diseases could lie in non-invasive technologies, according to Chongqing Haifu Medical Technology.

Biomedicine: Companies

China’s drug makers are speeding up – will AI be their secret weapon?

Chinese biotech firms are striking big global deals as drug makers, but could artificial intelligence take them to the next level?

United States

Chinese firms drawn to Brazil as they seek anchor for Latin America expansion

Chinese brands like Mixue, BYD, and Geely are surging into Brazil, leveraging strong trade ties and local strategies for growth.

Chinese ice cream and beverage chain Mixue opened its first Brazilian store in Sao Paulo, on April 11, 2026. Photo: Reuters
Mainland China

China’s tea-drink shops thirst for profits as price wars dry up prospects

‘I am learning a hard lesson of how involution can destroy my business,’ a Shanghai shop operator says.

Tea-drink sales grew 6.4 per cent in 2025, a sharp drop from annualised growth of more than 20 per cent over the past two decades. Photo: Shutterstock
Mainland China

Splashing out: how much would you expect to pay for LV’s latest quirky man bag?

Offbeat designs may not drive sales, but they sharpen brand identity and attract individuality-seeking buyers, analysts say.

Coffee

Chinese coffee brands need more than low prices to compete globally: analysts

Luckin, Lucky Cup, Cotti and Nowwa are expanding quickly overseas, but analysts warn success depends on consumer experience and quality.

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Biomedicine: Industry Trends

Li Ka-shing’s CK Life unit eyes China fast track for cancer vaccine pipeline

Sequencio, CK Life’s new Hong Kong unit, is advancing about 20 cancer vaccine projects as China pathway offers faster route to human trials.

In China, investigator-initiated trials allow drug makers to generate human clinical data “faster” than the conventional regulatory process. Photo: Shutterstock
China manufacturing

BASF launches biggest overseas project in China with green-powered mega-site

German chemical giant opens US$10 billion Zhanjiang complex, its largest overseas investment, as Beijing courts foreign capital.

IPO

China’s Jiangsu Aidea eyes Hong Kong IPO as gateway to US, European Aids markets

Yangzhou-based drug maker views Hong Kong as a ‘good window’ for its international expansion in HIV and Aids treatments.

Biomedicine: Industry Trends

China’s obesity drug makers take on global giants as Novo Nordisk patent expires

Patent expiry of blockbuster drug opens door for Chinese drug makers to challenge multinationals in booming weight-loss market.

Semaglutide generated about US$35 billion in global revenue last year. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong

China Mobile bets on Hong Kong as gateway for global computing flows

China Mobile opens new data centre and expands cables as Hong Kong is drawn deeper into China’s national computing network.

The push to link Hong Kong more closely with mainland computing resources reflects China’s broader ambitions in artificial intelligence. Photo: Handout
Shenzhen

Visa-free travel, rising foreign visitors boost luxury hotel growth in China

China’s luxury hotels thrive as visa-free policies drive international tourism, with Shanghai and Beijing seeing significant growth in high-end stays.

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Biomedicine: Companies

Rights to antibody drug from China’s Keymed change hands in US acquisition

Sichuan-based Keymed expects to receive up to US$320 million as a result of deal involving its autoimmune disease treatment licensed in 2024.

Artificial intelligence

OpenClaw, government support fuel rise of 1-person companies in China

Guangdong is the first provincial-level government to roll out comprehensive action plans to support AI-powered OPCs.

A setup session to install OpenClaw outside the Baidu offices in Beijing, March 17, 2026. Photo: Reuters
Shanghai

Shanghai certifies 30 overseas offices amid China’s investment sales pitch

The city welcomed a batch of new regional headquarters and R&D centres this week, as China continues its campaign to win back overseas capital.

A view of the Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai’s Pudong district. Photo: AFP
Biomedicine: Companies

US reshoring drive casts shadow over China’s contract drug makers, analyst says

Strong order backlogs underpin earnings through 2027, but analysts warn longer-term demand is less certain as US firms reshore production.

Biomedicine: Companies

Eli Lilly boosts China footprint with US$3 billion plan to expand supply chain

US firm is strengthening its China operations amid an intensifying expansion race with other pharmaceutical giants.

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