Shanghai to regulate bike-sharing services
Business & Technology
Top business and technology news for March 13, 2017. Part of the daily The China Project news roundup "Trump to host Xi at Mar-a-Lago in April — U.S. media."
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Shanghai officials draft rules to wrangle China’s bike-sharing craze / Tech in Asia
Since the Chinese bike-sharing apps Mobile and Ofo launched last year, the two startups have raised almost a billion dollars in investment. There are about 30 companies in China that offer similar services. Unlike bike-sharing systems in the U.S. and Europe, where users have to return rental bikes to a fixed station, these Chinese startups allow users to rent and drop off bikes wherever they like; moreover, users can find nearby available bikes using mobile apps — see this The China Project article for details. However, the new industry has been been plagued with problems, such as rental bikes ending up in the street and clogging pedestrian sidewalks. The Shanghai Bicycle Association is expected to introduce regulations for bike-sharing services as early as June, according to local media (in Chinese). Draft regulations could include requiring companies to return deposits and other expenses within seven days, maintain a 24-hour customer complaint hotline, and remove their bikes after three years of use. -
China looks to introduce real name registration for UAVs in face of booming industry / TechNode
Civilian use of drones is popular in China, but there are concerns that the use of drones could threaten the country’s aviation safety and national security. There are more than 20,000 drones in China, but only 10,000 operators have acquired unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) pilot licenses, according to a Chinese website focused on private planes. China’s civil aviation watchdog is expected to introduce a policy that requires drone owners to sign up with their real names, according to media reports (in Chinese).
- Leasing companies strengthen Chinese influence in world shipping / Financial Times (paywall)
- Goldman joins the China-equity bull party after missing rally / Bloomberg
- Is Google another step closer to being unblocked in China? / SCMP
- China moves to make $9 trillion domestic bond market global / Bloomberg
- After $225 billion in deals last year, China reins in overseas investment / NYT (paywall)
- Li Na is China’s most bankable athlete — even in retirement / WSJ (paywall)
