Business News
Latest business news and updates
Total: 2060
Why China’s Hotels Are Raising Prices — and Why the Outrage Misses Half the Story
China’s hotel sector is undergoing an expensive, uneven upgrade in service and hardware that helps explain recent price rises. Strategic choices by chains — lifestyle retail at Atour, standardised pragmatism at Huazhu, and overextended portfolios at Jinjiang/BTG — determine who captures demand as consumers treat hotel stays as emotional and practical consumption. The immediate result is concentrated price pressure and public annoyance, but market forces and consolidation should rebalance prices over time as supply, consumer preferences and spending power converge.
China’s Contractors Want Their Own Rulebook for Belt and Road Projects, Urges Mo Dingge
Mo Dingge, chairman of China Chemical Engineering Group and an NPC deputy, urged China to develop a bespoke Belt and Road contract template, align financing with contract milestones, and create a contract support centre to protect outbound projects. He also called for stronger laws, standards and financial support to lift the domestic biodegradable materials industry and curb pseudo‑degradable products.
China Signals Steady Support as Oil Spike and Middle East Tensions Roil Global Markets
China’s government set a 2026 growth target of 4.5–5% and plans to issue 1.3 trillion yuan in long‑term special bonds while keeping policy moderately loose and injecting 800 billion yuan of short‑term liquidity. The moves come as oil prices spiked on Middle East tensions, pushing global markets lower and underscoring the intersection of Beijing’s domestic stabilisation strategy with external geopolitical risks.
A‑Shares Slip as Energy Stocks Plunge; Investors Pivot to Batteries and AI Hardware Bets
China’s A‑shares opened lower after a steep morning sell‑off in oil and gas stocks, while battery makers and AI‑adjacent companies attracted selective buying. Broker research highlighted long‑term opportunities in AI agents, overseas data‑centre power solutions and mass‑market AI NAS devices, suggesting structural winners even amid short‑term volatility.
Once a 'Xinhua' Star, Cui Jianbo Falls Silent as Fangzheng Fubon’s Equity Push Stalls
Fangzheng Fubon announced on 25 February that veteran manager Cui Jianbo had relinquished responsibility for a 12‑month holding mixed fund, highlighting a disappointing five‑year tenure during which his flagship fund returned roughly 0.5%. The episode exposes Fangzheng Fubon’s structural bias toward fixed‑income and money‑market products, misaligned resource allocation among equity managers, and broader challenges facing active equity managers in China.
Beijing Recalibrates for Resilience: More Social Spending, Big Bets on AI and Future Industries in 2026 Work Plan
China's 2026 government work report lowers the GDP target to 4.5–5% and shifts fiscal priorities toward consumption, social protection and strategic technologies. Beijing plans targeted bond-financed measures to boost demand while concentrating public funds on AI, semiconductors and other future industries as part of a broader push for resilience and technological self-reliance.
Curbing China's 'Involution' Overtime: A Push to Reclaim Rest, Consumption and Innovation
At the 2026 Two Sessions, CPPCC member Lu Ming urged legal, cultural and technological measures to tackle China's widespread unpaid overtime, citing its harms to health, consumption and innovation. His proposals include tightening the Labour Law, improving enforcement and evidence rules, encouraging industry standards and using digital tools and retraining to lift productivity.
Beijing Bets on 'Spring–Autumn' School Breaks and Paid Staggered Leave to Rewire China's Consumer Calendar
China’s 2026 government work report endorses local rollouts of spring and autumn school holidays and paid staggered leave for workers to spread and stimulate year‑round domestic consumption. Early pilots in Zhejiang and Sichuan produced sharp rises in travel and bookings, and analysts expect the policy to shift spending toward experiential services while posing implementation and equity challenges.
From Star IPO to Margin Squeeze: How Stone Technology’s Sweep for Growth Has Stalled
Stone Technology (Roborock) has seen sales rebound but profits tumble, as fierce competition, premiumisation that has not matched user expectations, and founder distractions have eroded investor confidence. The company shows early signs of course correction — higher R&D share and reduced marketing spend — but must prove sustainable margin recovery before its proposed Hong Kong listing can reset market trust.
Three Dolls, Three Fates: How Pop Mart’s Hits and Heritage Shape a Fragile Valuation
Pop Mart’s future hinges on whether its hit‑making is a repeatable industrial capability or a string of lucky, unreplicable phenomena. Labubu’s blockbuster success has driven recent growth and volatility, while Molly provides a steadier revenue baseline that underwrites the business. The company’s large design pool, global channels and willingness to trial dozens of IPs give it a plausible path to create further hits, but concentration risk and investor disagreement keep its valuation unstable.
Uni‑President’s China Unit Tops RMB31.7bn but Faces Slowing Drink and Noodle Growth
Uni‑President China posted RMB31.714 billion in revenue and RMB2.05 billion in net profit for 2025, maintaining its position above the RMB30 billion mark. Growth is slowing in both beverages and instant noodles, prompting investor caution despite a 100% cash dividend and margin gains from cost control and commodity tailwinds.
Huawei’s Favored Car Falters: Why the ‘Chosen’ Zhijie Brand Can’t Find Buyers
Zhijie, a Huawei-backed car brand within Hongmeng Zhixing, has seen sales collapse despite heavy investment and top-level support, delivering just 945 vehicles in February. The brand’s weakness stems from its awkward mid-market position between high-end models that benefit from Huawei’s experiential advantages and price-sensitive mass-market sedans; the upcoming V9 MPV is a make-or-break bet to reset its trajectory.