China Global M&A Push, 2005 ~ Nowadays

[ahojunk]

China's investment in U.S. in new year expected to grow fast
2017-01-02 09:01 | Xinhua | Editor: Mo Hong'e

China's direct investment in the U.S. is expected to grow fast in 2017, but political realties pose major downside risk to it, according to a research report by a U.S. consulting firm.

Chinese companies invested a record of 45.6 billion U.S. dollars in the U.S. in 2016, tripling the amount in 2015, said the Rhodium Group in its recent report.

Although merger and acquisition remain the primary Chinese investment in U.S., greenfield investment is continuing fast expansion, the report said.

The rising Chinese investment to certain degree reflected China's economic restructuring. "In contrast to the dominance of fossil fuel investments before 2013, more than 90 percent of Chinese FDI (foreign direct investment) in 2016 was targeting U.S. services and advanced manufacturing sectors," it said.

Real estate and hospitality, information and communications technology, entertainment, and financial services continued to attract the interest of Chinese investors.

The report expected Chinese investment in U.S. to continue experiencing growth in 2017, because Chinese companies are keen to upgrade technology and build out brands and local consumer presence.

Other factors, such as stable U.S. economic outlook and the appreciation of U.S. dollar, also played a role in boosting Chinese investment.

However, the report warned that political realties are likely to pose a major downside risk to the Chinese investment.

"Chinese investors also face greater uncertainty and political deal risk in the United States in the aftermath of the Presidential election," said the report.

President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet appointments suggest a more confrontational approach to trade and investment policy toward China, it said.

In addition, China is tightening administrative controls on certain types of transactions amid rising capital outflow pressure, which could also pose uncertainty for the outlook of the Chinese investment in U.S., the report added.


********

China should use her American T-Bills to buy, buy and buy.
The T-Bills are slowly becoming worthless.
.

 

[TaiShang]

China should use her American T-Bills to buy, buy and buy.
The T-Bills are slowly becoming worthless.
.

Indeed. Selling viable assets to China can be one practical way for the US to pay back the growing debt to China.

 

[Shotgunner51]

Although merger and acquisition remain the primary Chinese investment in U.S

more than 90 percent of Chinese FDI (foreign direct investment) in 2016 was targeting U.S. services and advanced manufacturing sectors

Indeed. Selling viable assets to China can be one practical way for the US to pay back the growing debt to China.

Yes, payment in real assets is the always preferred. China is gradually unloading T-bills (since Oct 2013) and redirect proceeds to outbound FDI. Some of these FDI will for sure be in form of M&A of American assets, however due to (1) limited sizes of target/favorable assets (2) political interference from Washington, total M&A amount wouldn't match those in other destinations, let alone gigantic green field FDI in OBOR (Global South).

US debt will go only one direction - fast growth. China should know this, be prepared and act accordingly.

 

[ahojunk]

Chinese Consortium to buy 40% of Pakistan Stock Exchange
(CRI Online) 08:31, December 28, 2016

A Chinese-led Consortium has signed an 85-million-US-dollar deal to purchase a 40-percent stake in the Pakistan Stock Exchange.

The group includes three Chinese exchanges and two Pakistani financial institutions.

Both the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange are involved in the deal.

The three Chinese exchanges will hold a combined 30-percent stake, while their Pakistani partners will own 10 percent.

The Pakistan Stock Exchange has been one of the best-performing markets in Asia in 2016, with its benchmark KSE 100-stock index gaining more than 40 percent this year.

Pakistan has seen major Chinese investment in recent months under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure program.

.
Bourses to invest in Pakistan
2017-01-03 14:48 | China Daily | Editor: Feng Shuang

Consortium to buy 40 percent stake in Karachi stock exchange

A Chinese-led consortium has successfully bid to buy a 40 percent strategic stake in Karachi-based Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), according to an announcement of the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE). This is the first time for a Chinese bourse to acquire shares of a foreign stock exchange.

The announcement, dated Dec 30, 2016, said the consortium includes three Chinese bourses－Shanghai-based China Financial Futures Exchange, the Shanghai Stock Exchange, and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Together, they will take a 30 percent share. Two Pakistani financial institutions in the consortium, Pak-China Investment Company Limited and Habib Bank Limited, will take 5 percent each.

The consortium will invest $85 million, a source with close knowledge about the deal told China Daily.

Deng Ge, spokesman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, said earlier that CSRC supports the acquisition and hopes the deal is completed smoothly, with the prerequisite that the risks are controllable.

"This investment will help broadening economic and financial collaboration between China and Pakistan and will help implement the Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor," said the announcement of SSE.

PSX expects that the investment will bring experience, technological assistance and new products, according to a report by Dawn, a Pakistani news outlet quoting a PSX official. For example, options trading and futures trading may be activated.

The PSX was formed in January 2016 when the Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad stock exchanges consolidated into one bourse. PSX was included in the emerging market index of the Morgan Stanley Capital International in June last year.

"Pakistan's market reform has been accelerating in recent years and the country has received backing from global institutions and overseas capital, making PSX more appealing to global investors than before," said Bao Kaijun, an analyst with Shanghai-based Kunyuan Investment Advising Services.

China's financial market has been opening up and getting increasingly connected to global markets. The Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock connect and Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock connect are key to this opening.

Zhang Wenlang, analyst with Everbright Securities, said that as China's financial market continues to open up, it is likely that there will be more collaborations between Chinese financial institutions and overseas ones, including the Shanghai-London stock connect, which is under discussion.
.

 

[Shotgunner51]

Louvre Hotels Buys Sarovar in First Ever China Move on India Hotels
2016-12-28 By Delia Gavrilescu

Jin Jiang owned Louvre Hotels has agreed to buy Indian chain Sarovar Hotels. In a first India hotel market acquisition, Louvre edged out Wyndham Hotel Group to secure the deal.

The deal, slated to take effect in January, adds Sarovar’s portfolio of some 73 hotels managed by the Indian company. Louvre has some 1,000 plus hotels in 51 countries before this latest acquisition. While financial details pertaining to this transaction are still undisclosed, DNA Money was told the deal size is anywhere between Rs 330 crore to Rs 350 crore, slightly more than what the Wyndham offer was.

Louvre operates across several segments ranging from one-star to five-star properties with a portfolio of six hotel brands: Première Classe, Campanile, Kyriad, Tulip Inn, Golden Tulip and Royal Tulip.

This deal is beneficial for Louvre as Sarovar Hotels network has some hotels that belong to the Carlson portfolio of brand like Park Inn, Park Plaza and Radisson hotels.


http://www.argophilia.com/news/louvre-hotels-buys-sarovar-first-ever-china-move-india-hotels/217024/

 

[AndrewJin]

Louvre Hotels Buys Sarovar in First Ever China Move on India Hotels
2016-12-28 By Delia Gavrilescu

View attachment 365698

Jin Jiang owned Louvre Hotels has agreed to buy Indian chain Sarovar Hotels. In a first India hotel market acquisition, Louvre edged out Wyndham Hotel Group to secure the deal.

The deal, slated to take effect in January, adds Sarovar’s portfolio of some 73 hotels managed by the Indian company. Louvre has some 1,000 plus hotels in 51 countries before this latest acquisition. While financial details pertaining to this transaction are still undisclosed, DNA Money was told the deal size is anywhere between Rs 330 crore to Rs 350 crore, slightly more than what the Wyndham offer was.

Louvre operates across several segments ranging from one-star to five-star properties with a portfolio of six hotel brands: Première Classe, Campanile, Kyriad, Tulip Inn, Golden Tulip and Royal Tulip.

This deal is beneficial for Louvre as Sarovar Hotels network has some hotels that belong to the Carlson portfolio of brand like Park Inn, Park Plaza and Radisson hotels.


http://www.argophilia.com/news/louvre-hotels-buys-sarovar-first-ever-china-move-india-hotels/217024/

I don't know Louvre Hotels now belongs to Jin Jiang....
I think it is quite a big hotel group mainly in Europe.

 

[Shotgunner51]

I don't know Louvre Hotels now belongs to Jin Jiang....
I think it is quite a big hotel group mainly in Europe.

Yes, in early 2015, Shanghai-based Jin Jiang Hotels acquired French-based Louvre Group, Europe's second largest hotel chain. Louvre Hotels has more than 1100 hotels in 46 countries. It operates under 7 different brands.

Shanghai Jin Jiang Hotels Acquire Louvre Hotels
2015-01-16 20:11:54
http://english.cri.cn/12394/2015/01/16/3241s862033.htm​

 

[onebyone]

Chinese Renewable Power Giant Builds Global Empire
By JOE MCDONALD, AP BUSINESS WRITER
BEIJING — Jan 4, 2017, 12:47 AM ET
The Associated Press

In this Nov. 7, 2008 photo, people stand near electric pylons watching flow of water is discharged through the Three Gorges Dam in Yichang in central China's Hubei province. Three Gorges Group is spending heavily to buy or build hydro, wind and solar projects at a time when Western utility investors are pulling back and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to revive coal use has raised doubt about U.S. support for renewables. (Chinatopix via AP)


Other investors are wary of Brazil, but when Duke Energy wanted to sell 10 hydroelectric dams there, a Chinese utility shrugged off the country's economic turmoil and paid $1.2 billion to add them to an energy empire that stretches from Malaysia to Germany to the Amazon.

State-owned China Three Gorges Group is spending heavily to buy or build hydro, wind and solar projects at a time when Western utility investors are pulling back and President-elect Donald Trump's pledge to revive coal use has raised doubt about U.S. support for renewables.

"They're happy to invest wherever they see value or they can gain a foothold," said Andrew Shepherd, who follows the global utility industry for BMI Research.​

Flush with cash and willing to tolerate risks that put off older rivals, CTG and other state-owned utilities including State Grid Corp., the world's biggest power supplier, are expanding abroad in search of new revenue sources as economic growth and electricity demand at home cool.

A decade ago, they built dams and power plants in Asia and Africa. Now, they also are taking on a longer-term role as operators of power companies in Europe and Australia and are looking at the U.S. market. They are providing welcome investment in troubled markets such as Brazil and southern Europe.

Set up in 1993 to run the vast Three Gorges Dam in central China, CTG is unusual in its status as a national-level Chinese power company with global ambitions but a reliance on non-fossil-fuels sources.

The company still gets most of its 60 gigawatts of generating capacity from dams. Its namesake 46-gigawatt facility on the Yangtze River competes with Brazil's Itaipu Dam for the title of world's biggest hydropower facility.

Such projects face a backlash over environmental damage and forced relocation of local communities.

In August, Brazil's environmental agency rejected a proposal by CTG and Portugal's national power company, Energias de Portugal, to build the 8-gigawatt Sao Luis do Tapajos Dam on the Amazon. The dam would have flooded land belonging to Munduruku Indians.

CTG, which says it is active in 40 countries, starting investing in wind power in 2007 and solar in 2011 — projects that are easier and more politically attractive.

• In June, it bought a wind farm in Germany from Blackstone Energy Partners. A CTG-built dam in Malaysia started commercial generation in May. CTG has a joint venture with Australian startup RayGen Resources to set up solar projects in China.

• In the past five years, CTG has spent more than $10 billion on hydro and wind assets in Brazil, Germany, Italy, Poland and Portugal, according to Dealogic, a financial data provider. It also has built a dam in neighboring Laos and a wind farm in Pakistan.

• "Three Gorges Group takes building an international first-rate clean energy group as a strategic goal," the company said in a written response to questions. It said its European presence is a "development platform" for North America.

The ruling Communist Party is spending heavily on renewable energy to curb reliance on imported oil and gas and on coal, reduce eye-searing smog and create profitable technologies.

Not including large-scale hydroelectric dams, China invested $103 billion last year in wind, solar and other renewable sources, according to the U.N. Environment Program. The U.S. spent $44 billion.

Beijing's spending is nurturing Chinese export industries. The country's solar panel makers are global industry leaders and its wind turbine manufacturers are stepping up exports.

In the United States, CTG and other Chinese investors may face tougher scrutiny under Trump, who castigated Beijing during his campaign and has appointed advisers favoring a more antagonistic stance on trade.

And when it comes to acquiring U.S. assets, that market is crowded with experienced, deep-pocketed potential rivals such as Duke, Southern Company and Dominion Resources.

"Chinese power companies may be interested to look at opportunities in North America. However, so far there have been few," said Daniel Qiu, a managing director in Credit Suisse's Asia Pacific investment banking group.​

As a springboard to new markets, CTG paid $3.5 billion in 2011 for 21 percent of Energias de Portugal, one of the biggest global investors in wind energy.

Their tie-up might help ease CTG's entry into the United States since EdP's Houston-based U.S. arm owns wind farms in New York, Iowa, Texas and other states.

"This is an interesting way for Three Gorges to essentially get access to U.S. renewable projects through the back door," said Shepherd.​

The two companies are building two hydropower projects in Brazil in addition to the dams CTG is buying from Duke Energy.

CTG has ample resources, with 563.7 billion yuan ($82.8 billion) in assets including 18.7 billion yuan ($2.7 billion) in cash — more than double the price of Duke Energy's Brazilian dams. The company earned 28.8 billion yuan ($4.2 billion) in profit in 2015 on revenue of 63.5 billion yuan ($9.3 billion).

Industrywide, China's state-owned utilities have spent more than $30 billion to buy all or parts of power suppliers in Brazil, Germany, New Zealand and other countries over the past five years, according to Dealogic.

The bulk of that came from State Grid, which has spent $22 billion in Brazil, Australia, Italy, Greece and Portugal. In 2013, it made China's biggest utility acquisition in a developed country, paying $6.7 billion for 60 percent of Australia's SGSP (Australia) Assets Pty. Ltd., an operator of gas and electric distribution networks.

"They are much more aggressive and are more willing to take on risk," said Shepherd.​

http://abcnews.go.com/International...ble-power-giant-builds-global-empire-44540770

 

[TaiShang]

Chinese enterprises acquire 91 overseas companies in 2016

By Sun Wenyu (People's Daily Online) January 05, 2017

Statistics from Wind Information show that 91 overseas acquisitions were carried out by Chinese enterprises in 2016, with a value of over 160 billion RMB ($23.2 billion). Compared with the same figure in 2015, the number of overseas mergers and acquisitions (M&A) cases in 2016 dropped by 37 percent. However, the total value of such cases increased by 67.6 billion RMB.

The value of 40 cases totaled 100 million RMB, most of which were in fields like machinery, metal and equipment. Air travel was also a popular industry. Analysts believe that the integration of global resources, as well as access to scarce resources in industrial chains, were the main factors in enterprises' interest in overseas M&A.

Implementing a strategy of outward foreign direct investment is more than just an urgent need when it comes to boosting domestic development under the new economic normal. In addition, it is part of China's long-term demand to participate in economic globalization, take initiative in global economic governance and share the outcomes of both, said Wang Xiaohong, deputy director of the Department of Information under the China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE). Wang said that overseas M&A have become an important method for enterprises to acquire high-end resources around the globe.

Wang noted that 96 percent of the enterprises expanded their overseas market share upon the completion of their respective acquisitions. What's more, 89 percent established research and development centers in Europe and the U.S., and 51 percent enhanced their international influence.

However, Wang believes that the enterprises also face increasing risk, noting that these companies should pay close attention to issues such as debt, overseas operations and capital outflow. In addition, she suggested that the government maintain stricter supervision over the authenticity, feasibility and security of overseas M&A cases.

 

[AndrewJin]

Chinese Renewable Power Giant Builds Global Empire
By JOE MCDONALD, AP BUSINESS WRITER
BEIJING — Jan 4, 2017, 12:47 AM ET
The Associated Press

In this Nov. 7, 2008 photo, people stand near electric pylons watching flow of water is discharged through the Three Gorges Dam in Yichang in central China's Hubei province. Three Gorges Group is spending heavily to buy or build hydro, wind and solar projects at a time when Western utility investors are pulling back and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to revive coal use has raised doubt about U.S. support for renewables. (Chinatopix via AP)


Other investors are wary of Brazil, but when Duke Energy wanted to sell 10 hydroelectric dams there, a Chinese utility shrugged off the country's economic turmoil and paid $1.2 billion to add them to an energy empire that stretches from Malaysia to Germany to the Amazon.

State-owned China Three Gorges Group is spending heavily to buy or build hydro, wind and solar projects at a time when Western utility investors are pulling back and President-elect Donald Trump's pledge to revive coal use has raised doubt about U.S. support for renewables.

"They're happy to invest wherever they see value or they can gain a foothold," said Andrew Shepherd, who follows the global utility industry for BMI Research.​

Flush with cash and willing to tolerate risks that put off older rivals, CTG and other state-owned utilities including State Grid Corp., the world's biggest power supplier, are expanding abroad in search of new revenue sources as economic growth and electricity demand at home cool.

A decade ago, they built dams and power plants in Asia and Africa. Now, they also are taking on a longer-term role as operators of power companies in Europe and Australia and are looking at the U.S. market. They are providing welcome investment in troubled markets such as Brazil and southern Europe.

Set up in 1993 to run the vast Three Gorges Dam in central China, CTG is unusual in its status as a national-level Chinese power company with global ambitions but a reliance on non-fossil-fuels sources.

The company still gets most of its 60 gigawatts of generating capacity from dams. Its namesake 46-gigawatt facility on the Yangtze River competes with Brazil's Itaipu Dam for the title of world's biggest hydropower facility.

Such projects face a backlash over environmental damage and forced relocation of local communities.

In August, Brazil's environmental agency rejected a proposal by CTG and Portugal's national power company, Energias de Portugal, to build the 8-gigawatt Sao Luis do Tapajos Dam on the Amazon. The dam would have flooded land belonging to Munduruku Indians.

CTG, which says it is active in 40 countries, starting investing in wind power in 2007 and solar in 2011 — projects that are easier and more politically attractive.

• In June, it bought a wind farm in Germany from Blackstone Energy Partners. A CTG-built dam in Malaysia started commercial generation in May. CTG has a joint venture with Australian startup RayGen Resources to set up solar projects in China.

• In the past five years, CTG has spent more than $10 billion on hydro and wind assets in Brazil, Germany, Italy, Poland and Portugal, according to Dealogic, a financial data provider. It also has built a dam in neighboring Laos and a wind farm in Pakistan.

• "Three Gorges Group takes building an international first-rate clean energy group as a strategic goal," the company said in a written response to questions. It said its European presence is a "development platform" for North America.

The ruling Communist Party is spending heavily on renewable energy to curb reliance on imported oil and gas and on coal, reduce eye-searing smog and create profitable technologies.

Not including large-scale hydroelectric dams, China invested $103 billion last year in wind, solar and other renewable sources, according to the U.N. Environment Program. The U.S. spent $44 billion.

Beijing's spending is nurturing Chinese export industries. The country's solar panel makers are global industry leaders and its wind turbine manufacturers are stepping up exports.

In the United States, CTG and other Chinese investors may face tougher scrutiny under Trump, who castigated Beijing during his campaign and has appointed advisers favoring a more antagonistic stance on trade.

And when it comes to acquiring U.S. assets, that market is crowded with experienced, deep-pocketed potential rivals such as Duke, Southern Company and Dominion Resources.

"Chinese power companies may be interested to look at opportunities in North America. However, so far there have been few," said Daniel Qiu, a managing director in Credit Suisse's Asia Pacific investment banking group.​

As a springboard to new markets, CTG paid $3.5 billion in 2011 for 21 percent of Energias de Portugal, one of the biggest global investors in wind energy.

Their tie-up might help ease CTG's entry into the United States since EdP's Houston-based U.S. arm owns wind farms in New York, Iowa, Texas and other states.

"This is an interesting way for Three Gorges to essentially get access to U.S. renewable projects through the back door," said Shepherd.​

The two companies are building two hydropower projects in Brazil in addition to the dams CTG is buying from Duke Energy.

CTG has ample resources, with 563.7 billion yuan ($82.8 billion) in assets including 18.7 billion yuan ($2.7 billion) in cash — more than double the price of Duke Energy's Brazilian dams. The company earned 28.8 billion yuan ($4.2 billion) in profit in 2015 on revenue of 63.5 billion yuan ($9.3 billion).

Industrywide, China's state-owned utilities have spent more than $30 billion to buy all or parts of power suppliers in Brazil, Germany, New Zealand and other countries over the past five years, according to Dealogic.

The bulk of that came from State Grid, which has spent $22 billion in Brazil, Australia, Italy, Greece and Portugal. In 2013, it made China's biggest utility acquisition in a developed country, paying $6.7 billion for 60 percent of Australia's SGSP (Australia) Assets Pty. Ltd., an operator of gas and electric distribution networks.

"They are much more aggressive and are more willing to take on risk," said Shepherd.​

http://abcnews.go.com/International...ble-power-giant-builds-global-empire-44540770

Quite a major progress abroad.

 

[ahojunk]

.
Chinese firm unveils world's largest automotive glass facility
2016-10-08 15:59:52 Xinhua Web Editor: Zhang Xu

View attachment 341900
Fuyao Glass America celebrated the grand opening of its newest U.S. facility in Moraine,
Ohio Friday, marking the largest glass fabrication plant in the world. [Photo: Weibo]​

Fuyao Glass America celebrated the grand opening of its newest U.S. facility in Moraine, Ohio Friday, marking the largest glass fabrication plant in the world.

Upon completion, the 116-acre facility, which is housed in a General Motors former assembly plant, will be the world' s largest glass fabrication plant with the capacity to produce 4.5 million automotive car sets and 4 million automotive replacement glass windshields each year. Currently employing about 2,000 local workers, Fuyao expects this number to grow to 2,300 - 2,500 by the end of 2017 to meet growing customer demand.

"Today's grand opening in Moraine is the culmination of a monumental undertaking by Fuyao and our partners," said Chairman Cho Tak Wong of Fuyao Glass Industry Group. "We are proud of our work in Ohio, in the heart of the U.S auto corridor, and are highly committed to supporting the growth of the North American automotive market."

"Now we have 2000 families that are seeing their lives dramatically improved because of the commitment of the company and vision of my friend chairman Cho," said John Kasich, Governor of Ohio.

The new Moraine facility represents 600 million U.S. dollars in total investment by Fuyao, the largest Chinese investment in Ohio history. Bringing auto glass production back to the U.S., Fuyao aims to regenerate both the local Ohio community, with 25 million dollars to 30 million dollars funneled into the economy each month, and the broader automotive industry.

"Fuyao's goal is to provide the highest quality product and outstanding service to our customers," said John Gauthier, President of Fuyao Glass America. "Building on the heritage of this facility, the support of our community and state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities, customers are already seeing the benefits from shorter development and shipping lead times."

"We are thrilled to receive strong support today from the wider Fuyao community and look forward to building on this foundation of innovation and success," he added.

Fuyao Glass America is part of Fuyao Industry Group Co. Ltd., a leading international manufacturer of automotive and industrial glass located in China, with U.S. manufacturing plants in Dayton, OH, Mt. Zion, IL, and Lake Orion, MI. Its main customers include GM, Ford, Honda, Isuzu, Toyota, Mazda, Audi, Volkswagen, Citroen, and Mercedes, to name a few.

.
A video on the world's largest automotive glass factory.

Chinese direct investment: Fuyao Glass repurposes US factory
CGTN

Published on Jan 5, 2017
China has rapidly emerged as one of the fastest growing sources of foreign direct investment in the US Fuyao Glass, one of the leading Chinese glass makers, opened its first US factory in the Ohio town of Moraine, in October 2016. CGTN’s Jim Spellman brings us the story.

 

[خره مينه لګته وي]

China cementing global dominance of renewable energy and technology

It now owns five of the world’s six largest solar-module manufacturing firms and the largest wind-turbine manufacturer

China is leading the world in renewable energy, investing both domestically and internationally.
Photograph: Tyrone Siu/Reuters

China is cementing its global dominance of renewable energy and supporting technologies, aggressively investing in them both at home and around the globe, leaving countries including the US, UK and Australia at risk of missing the growing market.

A report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (Ieefa) found China’s dominance in renewables is rapidly spreading overseas, with the country accelerating its foreign investment in renewable energy and supporting technologies.

Analysing Chinese foreign investments over US$1bn, Ieefa found 13 in 2016, worth a combined $32bn. That represented a 60% jump over similar investments in 2015.

China was already widely recognised as the largest investor in domestic renewable energy, investing $102bn in 2015, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance – more than twice that invested domestically by the US and about five times that of the UK.

The big foreign investments in 2016 included two in Australia, two in Germany and two in Brazil, as well as deals in Chile, Indonesia, Egypt, Pakistan and Vietnam.

• 
  
• In Australia, China Light & Power struck a $1.1bn deal, buying power from wind and solar farms.
  
• In Chile, Tianqi Lithium spent $2.5bn acquiring a 25% stake of a lithium miner and processor. (Lithium is essential for lithium batteries used in electric vehicles and home battery storage.)
  
• In Germany, Beijing Enterprises Holdings Ltd spend $1.6bn on a Waste to Energy development.

The report noted the global expansion cements China’s total domination of renewable energy growth globally. China now owned:

• 
  
• Five of the world’s six largest solar-module manufacturing firms
  
• The largest wind-turbine manufacturer
  
• The world’s largest lithium ion manufacturer
  
• The world’s largest electricity utility

Tim Buckley, director of Ieefa and author of the report, said the election of Donald Trump in the US and lack of supportive policy in Australia left those countries at risk of missing a huge opportunity.

“At the moment China is leaving everyone behind and has a real first-mover and scale advantage, which will be exacerbated if countries such as the US, UK and Australia continue to apply the brakes to clean energy,” he said.

“The US is already slipping well behind China in the race to secure a larger share of the booming clean energy market. With the incoming administration talking up coal and gas, prospective domestic policy changes don’t bode well,” Buckley said.​

But because of the magnitude of opportunities in investment, technology and jobs opportunity expected in the future, he said there was still time for other countries to catch up.

“We are still in a relatively early stage of the transition, so the next couple of years will be defining in terms of which countries gain the major slices of the market,” Buckley said.​

theguardian

 

[cirr]

CES 2017: Did DJI Buy Hasselblad?

January 6, 2017

By James DeRuvo



It wasn’t all that long ago that DJI bought a minority interest in German camera maker Hasselblad, to explore how developing larger format cameras for a drone could be done. Now the word on the street is that the leading drone maker is going all in with a complete acquisition of the company.

“It seems that everyone inside Hasselblad knows about this, as well as some distributors and resellers. You can’t keep something this big a secret for very long, eventually, it is going to get out.” – Kevin Raber, Luminous Landscape

This isn’t an official announcement just yet, but according to “reliable sources” by Luminous Landscape, DJI has expanded their investment in the company and now owns a majority share. What prompted the investment may have been that Hasselblad was spending money hand over fist in an effort to develop a line of medium format digital cameras to evolve and compete in the digital marketplace. DJI was looking to expand into more camera platforms and so it seemed that getting a minority share of the company could be the answer to all Hasselblad’s financial troubles.



Now a year later, it looks like they’ve quietly expanded their investment to own a majority share. Why quietly? Well, DJI’s manufacturing is in China, while Hasselblad is in Europe. It could be the company plans to move the brand closer to their manufacturing base, which would have a dramatic impact on jobs in Sweden.

Then there’s the sales impact… Like many companies that have tried to evolve from film to digital, Hasselblad has been struggling with reinventing itself and getting some market share in the new digital paradigm. DJI can give it a shot in the arm by adding a new line of larger platform drones that have a medium format camera array. But only when it’s ready.

Then there’s the Hasselblad X1D and H6 line of medium format digital cameras that the company has been working on bringing to market. What will happen to them and the pre-orders that have been done? I’m sure that those will be fulfilled.

But there’s no doubt that DJI will make changes to the company to fulfill the vision which prompted its acquisition. And while some would express fear about a Chinese company having bought such a prolific name brand, another iconic Swedish company, Volvo, was saved by Chinese carmaker Zhejiang Geely in 2010. Even though they have opened two factories in China, they claim to be “more Swedish than ever.”

Only time will tell if the future of such an iconic name brand in our industry will have a future or merely be absorbed into the new company. But the potential of a larger drone platform carrying Hasselblad cameras is an exciting one from a professional point of view. And it would also bring the company back to its aerial photography roots.



During World War II, the company was started to create an aerial camera for the Swedish military, and that ultimately led to the iconic images of the Apollo moon landings 20 years later. Now its future may be quite literally back up in the air.

http://www.doddlenews.com/news-room/ces-2017-dji-buys-hasselblad/

 

[TaiShang]

CES 2017: Did DJI Buy Hasselblad?

January 6, 2017

By James DeRuvo



It wasn’t all that long ago that DJI bought a minority interest in German camera maker Hasselblad, to explore how developing larger format cameras for a drone could be done. Now the word on the street is that the leading drone maker is going all in with a complete acquisition of the company.

“It seems that everyone inside Hasselblad knows about this, as well as some distributors and resellers. You can’t keep something this big a secret for very long, eventually, it is going to get out.” – Kevin Raber, Luminous Landscape

This isn’t an official announcement just yet, but according to “reliable sources” by Luminous Landscape, DJI has expanded their investment in the company and now owns a majority share. What prompted the investment may have been that Hasselblad was spending money hand over fist in an effort to develop a line of medium format digital cameras to evolve and compete in the digital marketplace. DJI was looking to expand into more camera platforms and so it seemed that getting a minority share of the company could be the answer to all Hasselblad’s financial troubles.



Now a year later, it looks like they’ve quietly expanded their investment to own a majority share. Why quietly? Well, DJI’s manufacturing is in China, while Hasselblad is in Europe. It could be the company plans to move the brand closer to their manufacturing base, which would have a dramatic impact on jobs in Sweden.

Then there’s the sales impact… Like many companies that have tried to evolve from film to digital, Hasselblad has been struggling with reinventing itself and getting some market share in the new digital paradigm. DJI can give it a shot in the arm by adding a new line of larger platform drones that have a medium format camera array. But only when it’s ready.

Then there’s the Hasselblad X1D and H6 line of medium format digital cameras that the company has been working on bringing to market. What will happen to them and the pre-orders that have been done? I’m sure that those will be fulfilled.

But there’s no doubt that DJI will make changes to the company to fulfill the vision which prompted its acquisition. And while some would express fear about a Chinese company having bought such a prolific name brand, another iconic Swedish company, Volvo, was saved by Chinese carmaker Zhejiang Geely in 2010. Even though they have opened two factories in China, they claim to be “more Swedish than ever.”

Only time will tell if the future of such an iconic name brand in our industry will have a future or merely be absorbed into the new company. But the potential of a larger drone platform carrying Hasselblad cameras is an exciting one from a professional point of view. And it would also bring the company back to its aerial photography roots.



During World War II, the company was started to create an aerial camera for the Swedish military, and that ultimately led to the iconic images of the Apollo moon landings 20 years later. Now its future may be quite literally back up in the air.

http://www.doddlenews.com/news-room/ces-2017-dji-buys-hasselblad/

DJI is unstoppable. Much like Huawei. Or BYD. Or Xiaomi.

 

[AndrewJin]

DJI China!