Lotte Mart

MNCs in the News-2018-05-18

Gap struggles to find its way with respect to T-shirt sold in China featuring criticized map. Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) shows large overseas investment results since 2013. Chinese lithium firm moves forward on deal to take major stake in Chilean lithium producer despite potential government opposition. Seizing opportunities created by China’s BRI, Wu Yi plans to construct an approximately $100 million industrial park in Kenya. First jointly built container port involving public and private sectors of both Japan and Vietnam opens in Vietnam’s Haiphong. Chinese officials increase visits to Japanese corporations to court greater investment. Chinese workers at South Korea’s Lotte Mart affiliate in Beijing stage sit-ins to protest Lotte’s decision to back out of Chinese market. Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister pledges to work with South Korean firms to boost incoming investment. Malaysia’s new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad vowed to reassess all large infrastructure projects with Singapore. Mitsui and Mitsubishi Estate partner with Malaysia’s Sime Darby Property to build and manage industrial facilities with development cost of $133 million

MNCs in the News-2018-04-06

Beijing’s market competition regime exerts increasing effect on global merger and acquisition (M&A) activity and foreign firm operations in China. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) put severe constraints on Japan’s SoftBank as a condition of its acquisition of US investment group Fortress last year. Toshiba Corp. to miss March deadline to sell USD $19 billion flash memory division due to complications with China’s anti-trust regulators. Kumho Tire to finalize sale agreements with Qingdao Doublestar following its union’s vote on the sale. Lotte Group reaffirms its decision to exit its Chinese operations after China’s State Councillor pledged China would support smooth sales of Lotte Mart’s Chinese stores. Turkey’s Hitay Holdings repeats pledge to develop USD $1 billion geothermal power plant in Indonesia’s Aceh province. Indonesia’s investment board announces removal of foreign capital restrictions on investment in university and other educational ventures. Thai investors criticized for their impact on locals and the environment in Cambodia and Myanmar. Malaysia to evaluate market impact of Uber’s move to sell its Southeast Asian operations to Singapore’s Grab. Malaysia’s state-owned energy utility company Tenaga Nasional secures USD $168.77 million to refinance its 80 percent stake in two UK wind energy companies. Foreign investment in Vietnam increases due to country’s increasingly open investment environment.

MNCs in the News-2017-09-15

China’s potentially massive electric car market and regulatory pressure charge up foreign auto firms’ willingness to share technology and invest in the sector. China plans to blacklist and potentially punish blacklisted Chinese outward investors that become “discreditable.” National security concerns lead American President Donald Trump to crunch Lattice chip’s sale to Chinese buyer. The European Commission has come up with a pan-European measure to vet Chinese investments in the European Union (EU). Thailand’s military junta assures Japanese investors proposed plan for USD $45 billion injection into Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor will go ahead regardless of the results of the next election. Suzuki Motor partnering with Toshiba and Denso to invest in electric vehicle facilities in India in line with the latter’s “Make in India” initiative and increasing demand for green mobility. Hyundai releases plans for electric vehicle manufacturing plant in India after Indian government pledges to ban sales of non-EV cars by 2030. South Korean retail giant Lotte Group has begun making plans to sell its China shops due to politically-related pressures in China. Asian Development Bank to support Indonesia’s energy sector. China’s expanded investment in Thailand raises local anxieties. The divestment of numerous Vietnamese SOEs has problematic features that discourage foreign investment. Southern Vietnamese province promoting investment in several industrial sectors through policy reforms and other initiatives.