China microblog battle goes upstream

Kathrin Hille

Kathrin Hille is an FT correspondent in Beijing, covering technology, the internet, media, telecoms and defense. Previously, she was the FT's Taipei correspondent and world news editor at Financial Times Deutschland.

China microblog battle goes upstream

April 12, 2012 9:05 am by Kathrin Hille

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Since Bo Xilai, the ambitious but controversial Chinese politician, was sacked as Communist party secretary of Chongqing in mid-March, the party has cranked up its propaganda machine to levels not seen in years. One aim is to control the flow of unauthorised information through the Twitter-like microblogs, or weibo, which have become the driver behind China’s news agenda. Will it work? Continue reading »

Tags: censorship, China internet, China media, China politics, microblogging, Sina, Tencent, Weibo Posted in Asia, China | Permalink

Haier: hoping to be big in Japan

February 17, 2012 9:19 am by Kathrin Hille

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When Haier said that it was setting up a regional headquarters in Japan, it did not make big news headlines.

But the Chinese white goods maker’s move indicates just how far it has advanced on its path towards globalisation, and that it is expanding its foothold in more demanding developed markets. Continue reading »

Tags: manufacturing Posted in China | Permalink

White-collar workers profit from China’s skills shortage

February 8, 2012 4:40 am by Kathrin Hille

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As business confidence in many western countries is once again being hammered, staying in work is the first thing on many managers’ and professionals’ minds.

But not so in Asia. As the regional economy remains resilient, employers will continue to hire, and the only question for executives and other white-collar staff , especially in China, is how much their salaries will rise, says Hays, the recruitment agency. Continue reading »

Tags: employment, wages Posted in China | Permalink

Innovation, Chinese style

February 2, 2012 6:30 am by Kathrin Hille

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Is China innovating? As China’s size has come to dominate the world in so many areas and the country seeks to match that weight and transform from a low-cost manufacturer to a creator of things, that question has often been asked.

McKinsey has come up with an interesting new report that jumps beyond this question. Under the headline “How China is innovating”, the consultancy postulates that innovation is happening – it’s just different from what multinationals might be used to from back home. Continue reading »

Tags: innovation Posted in China | Permalink

Labour unrest in China – no letup soon

January 19, 2012 9:00 am by Kathrin Hille

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As technology manufacturers in China battle rising wages and labour unrest, it may give them some relief that things are expected to get no worse than last year – at least from a statistical point of view. Continue reading »

Tags: labour costs, labour disputes, technology Posted in Asia, China | Permalink

Foxconn: workers in new suicide threat

January 12, 2012 7:42 am by Kathrin Hille

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It’s a new year, but for Foxconn, the old problems seem to be coming back all over again. It turns out that early last week, at least 150 workers at the Taiwanese group’s factory in the Central Chinese city of Wuhan threatened collective suicide in a pay dispute gone wrong.

After a Chinese internet post with pictures was picked up by Taiwanese media and then by Western blogs this week, Foxconn hurried to say late Wednesday that the dispute had been settled “peacefully” the same day, and Microsoft, one of the companies whose products are manufactured at the Wuhan plant, said it was looking into working conditions there. Continue reading »

Tags: Foxconn, labour, wages Posted in Global | Permalink

Luxury brands turn cautious on China

December 15, 2011 4:28 am by Kathrin Hille

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Watching three malls open within a square mile over the past year and a fourth preparing to follow, all with their share of luxury boutiques, Beijingers may think that soon their city will have as many Louis Vuitton and Salvatore Ferragamo stores as bank branches or McDonalds restaurants.

But things might be on the verge of changing. Although 2011 is shaping up as another good year for luxury goods sales in China, luxury brands are turning a bit more cautious after fierce expansion in the country over the past few years, according to a new research report.

Tags: consumer, luxury, retail Posted in China | Permalink

China’s 360buy to buy 300 trucks “out of frustration”

December 8, 2011 8:34 am by Kathrin Hille

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China may be the world’s fastest-growing e-commerce market but actually making any money has been a big problem for companies in the fiercely competitive sector.

360buy, the country’s second-largest online retail firm by transaction volume, has just made a shock move that promises to make that challenge even tougher: it plans big investments in transport to solve long-running logistics and delivery troubles. Continue reading »

Tags: e-commerce, infrastructure, internet Posted in Asia, China | Permalink

China brands: stand up and be counted?

December 2, 2011 1:14 pm by Kathrin Hille

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Many Chinese companies trying to build a global brand have chosen to keep quiet about one thing: where they come from. The ‘Made in China’ label is just too closely associated with cheap, low-quality goods and health and safety scandals to make it an asset.

But silence is the wrong strategy, says a report by Calling Brands, a UK consultancy. Continue reading »

Tags: marketing Posted in China | Permalink

China Mobile: fine without iPhones

November 17, 2011 8:44 am by Kathrin Hille

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It is almost like a ritual. Whenever a senior executive of China Mobile appears in public, he’s asked when the world’s largest mobile carrier by subscribers will seal a deal with Apple to distribute the iPhone. For more than two years, the response has seen little variation: The two companies are talking, and China Mobile hopes they are approaching an agreement.

Now, finally, it appears we have some clarity. Continue reading »

Tags: Apple, technology, telecoms Posted in China | Permalink

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Kathrin Hille