This week in China was punctuated by The Global Mobile Internet Conference 2012 in Beijing. But there was no shortage of other news throughout the week. Our wrap up of the week that was is below, followed by a quick run-down of our conference coverage.
1. Tmall to Challenge 360Buy by Subsidizing Electronics Sales
This week kicked off with Alibaba’s Tmall launching a pricing offensive against in the e-commerce space, subsidizing 200 million RMB (or $31 million) in sales in consumer electronics. The move is a threat to traditional electronics retailers as well.
2. Meituan Pads its Lead in Chinese Group Buy Space
Figures from Dataotuan show that group buy player Meituan has solidified its position as market leader now with 17 percent of the market. This is not a major change, but it looks like there will be more consolidation in this somewhat messy sector. Stay tuned to see how it plays out.
3. Executives Leaving China’s Group Buy Industry
Speaking of the mess that is group buy, there appears to be a sort of exodus of high-level management from an assortment of companies in the industry. And it isn’t just the little players affected here either.
4. Chinese Lawyer Sues Kane & Lynch 2 Developers for Defamation
The game Kane & Lynch 2 Dog Days offended a certain lawyer in China filed a suit against IO Interactive and Square Enix for “vicious vilifying” of the Chinese people in the game. IO Interactive subsequently issued an apology (of sorts) late in the week.
5. China Unicom to Rollout HSPA+ 3G For Phones Next Week
Good news for lots of iPhone, iPad, and Android users, China Unicom (NYSE:CHU; HKG:0762) – the country’s second-largest mobile telco – will be rolling out higher-speed HSPA+ 3G next week.
6. Censorship Alert: Two Provinces Suddenly Vanish from Baidu’s Tieba
Two major provinces — Chongqing and Liaoning — have disappeared from Baidu’s Tieba. Apparently, just as Melissa Chan has become an unperson online in China, Chongqing and Liaoning have become unplaces.
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