“Nobody is safe”. That was the stark assessment a long-time China watcher gave me while discussing what’s happening to one of the country’s richest men, Wang Jianlin. Mr Wang, once considered a Beijing favourite, seems to have fallen foul of the establishment. His business, Dalian Wanda, grew into one of the country’s most prominent property […]
Why the US has changed its tune on the yuan
A funny thing happened in the US on Thursday night. Steve Mnuchin, the US Treasury Secretary, testifying in a senate banking committee hearing, said something positive about China. In response to a question from the floor about why the US has yet to name China a currency manipulator – an often repeated vow made by […]
Is real reform possible at South Koreas chaebols?
You just have to walk down the streets of Seoul to see how pervasive is the influence of South Korea’s massive family-run business empires – or chaebols as they’re known. Samsung, Lotte, LG, Hyundai: they are unavoidable, selling everything from mobiles to laptops, cars to washing machines as well as food, drink and even health […]
Is real reform possible at South Koreas chaebols?
You just have to walk down the streets of Seoul to see how pervasive is the influence of South Korea’s massive family-run business empires – or chaebols as they’re known. Samsung, Lotte, LG, Hyundai: they are unavoidable, selling everything from mobiles to laptops, cars to washing machines as well as food, drink and even health […]