Consumer Day shame for companies in China
Business & Technology
Top business and technology news for March 15, 2017. Part of the daily The China Projectย news roundup "The case of the missing Politburo member."
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Chinaโs name-and-shame TV show puts household brands on edgeย / Bloomberg
Today is World Consumer Rights Day, an annual promotion of the rights of consumers, which was launched on March 15, 1962, by U.S. president John F. Kennedy. Thereโs not much fuss made about it in America, but it is a big deal in China, as many large companies are targeted for unfair practices by the countryโs state broadcaster in an annual program called โCCTV March 15 Galaโย (ๆไผ 3.15). This year, highlighted companies included: Hudong Baike, a Wikipedia-like online encyclopedia, for becoming theย largest โfalse advertising garbage stationโ; Mujiย stores, for selling nuclear-contaminated food from Japan; Nike,ย for selling basketball shoes with solid rubber bottoms instead of advertised air cushioning; ecommerce sitesย JD.comย and Alibabaโs Tmall, for selling contaminated food and water on their platforms; and Wuhan Le Bailingย Biological Technology Company, forย inviting fake doctors to give โhealth lecturesโ to elderly people and selling dodgy health products.
On the popular Chinese social network Weibo, many users praised the TV program. One commentatorย said, โCalbee food was actually nuclear contaminated. I threw out the rest right away. But I already ate two bags and am worried that I probably have genetic mutations.โ Another commentatorย said, โIt is obvious that โ3.15โ was focusing on issues that mattered to peopleโs health and life such as food safety, instead of matters such as car repair or a mobile phone quality problem.โ (All links above in Chinese.) -
Chinaโs Anbang denies report of Kushner property investmentย / Reuters
Chinaโs Anbang Insurance Group denied earlier reportsย indicating that the company was investing $400 million in a Manhattan office tower owned by the family of Jared Kushner, President Donald Trumpโs son-in-law and senior adviser. A spokesman for Anbang said that โthere is no investment from Anbang for this deal.โ Kushner Companies, which bought the property located at 666 Fifth Avenue for $1.8 billion in 2006, responded that โnothing has been finalized.โ The New York Timesย reportedย (paywall) in January that Anbang chairman Wu Xiaohui and Jared Kushner were nearing agreement on a joint venture to redevelop the building.
- How to impress Chinaโs mass affluent malesย – a report on how to influence wealthy male Chinese consumersย / Jing Daily
- Chinaโs top chipmaker downplays rivalry with U.S.ย / Nikkei Asian Review
- Acupuncture and amusement parks: China rolls out service-economy gaugeย / WSJ (paywall)
- Marks and Spencer pulls out of Chinaโs High Street โ the worldโs biggest retail marketย / The Telegraph
- Beijing to strengthen regulation of online cateringย / China Daily
