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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.
Louis Vuitton’s watering can bag sprinkles novelty on luxury. Photo: Handout
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

Biomedicine: Industry Trends

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

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.

German chemicals giant BASF on Thursday put its massive production complex in Guangdong province into full operation, marking the largest single investment project wholly owned by a German enterprise in China. Photo: Xinhua
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.

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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.

Focus

Why China’s red-hot tech push is leaving some sectors out in the cold

Beijing’s preferences for innovation and emerging industries are affecting businesses’ development paths and reshaping the corporate landscape.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
South Korea

From oil to saffron: how US-Iran conflict is rattling Chinese retail investors

Retail investors on Chinese platforms probe companies about supply-chain risks and opportunities as tensions escalate in the Middle East.

Supply chain disruptions tied to the conflict could affect everything from fertiliser imports to pharmaceutical products containing saffron. Photo AFP
Artificial intelligence

Will users stick around after China’s US$1 billion AI marketing battle?

Vouchers, red packets and sponsorships drove a surge in AI users over Chinese New Year, but now the tech giants face a retention test.

Two Sessions 2026

How China could untangle its private firms’ complex debt burdens

As private businesses grapple with cash flow challenges, entrepreneurs say they want the settling of outstanding debts to be made a priority.

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Retailing

Warm winter no match: China’s sportswear sector posts surprise growth

Policy support, Chinese New Year demand and Winter Olympics exposure lift China’s sportswear makers, with Li Ning and Anta leading gains.

Anta has provided professional gear for 13 Chinese national teams during February’s Winter Olympics, including for freestyle skier Eileen Gu. Photo: AP
Biomedicine: Companies

Wave of Chinese biotech deals builds with US$1.2 billion Harbour BioMed pact

Deal involving an antibody asset ‘goes beyond a traditional licensing transaction’, founder and CEO says.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Speed bump ahead: rising battery costs nudge Chinese drivers towards hybrids

Higher lithium prices and the end of incentives are reshaping China’s EV market, with hybrids emerging as a more practical option for many.

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Biomedicine: Industry Trends

Lab monkey price tag climbs to US$20,000 thanks to China’s biotech boom

The cost of a single monkey exceeds the average annual salary in China and approaches a pandemic-era spike amid growth in drug licensing deals.

Founder Securities expects the annual domestic supply of experimental monkeys in China to range between 49,000 and 52,400 animals from 2025 to 2027. Photo: Shutterstock
China energy security

Chinese power line projects seek private capital in sign of infrastructure shift

Beijing is encouraging more private investment in a range of critical infrastructure projects, from railways to nuclear power plants.

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Workers inspect a power transmission line in China’s central Anhui province. Photo: Xinhua
China’s crackdowns

China charges former AstraZeneca executive – a sign of the times?

Foreign drug makers face pressure in the Chinese market, from tighter regulatory oversight to growing local competition.

Robotics

Before the factory floor, the dance floor: robots find path to market at US$145

Humanoid robots may one day transform factories and warehouses, but for now their most immediate role is keeping the party going.

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Colombia

Luckin’s 30,000th store milestone adds buzz to China’s brewing coffee battle

Xiamen-headquartered chain pushes to integrate supply network worldwide and accelerate growth in markets from Asia to the US.

Luckin Coffee’s store network spans more than 300 cities across mainland China. Photo: Handout
DJI

Insta360, Vivo challenge DJI’s turf, eyeing a slice of the gimbal camera boom

Insta360 and Vivo plan new handheld cameras to challenge DJI, but analysts say building a content ecosystem will be the tougher battle.

The Pocket series – compact cameras positioned between smartphones and professional rigs for vloggers – has evolved from a niche gadget into a flagship line. Photo: Handout
Middle East

China’s Pop Mart gains on earnings hopes as investors eye growth beyond Labubu

The toymaker’s stock gains as user growth, livestream sales and overseas expansion signal resilience despite softer consumer demand in China.

China Future Tech briefing

Biomedicine | China challenges US in new drugs after industry transformation

Drug makers in China are performing cutting-edge research and licensing products to global giants after a 10-year government push supercharged the industry.

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