Recruiting in China

By Cathy Chan

March 17 (Bloomberg) -- HSBC Holdings Plc, Europe’s biggest lender, hired former Nomura Holdings Inc. executive Jane Wang to bolster investment banking in the world’s fastest-growing major economy, two people with direct knowledge of her plans said.

Wang, 42, will become China chairman for corporate finance in a newly created position and start in early April, the people said, asking not to be identified before an announcement. She will report to Liu Che-Ning, 44, the head of global corporate and investment banking in Hong Kong and China, they said.

The executive is HSBC’s second senior hire in six months in China, the world’s biggest market for initial public offerings in 2009. Liu, a former managing director at Morgan Stanley, joined HSBC in October.

HSBC ranks fourth in arranging overseas stock sales by Chinese companies this year, up from 16th in 2009, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Before this year, the bank’s highest ranking in the past decade was eighth.

The London-based bank doesn’t have a license to underwrite domestic share sales in the country, lagging behind rivals including Goldman Sachs Group Inc., UBS AG and Credit Suisse Group AG.

Annie Cheng, a spokeswoman at HSBC in Hong Kong, declined to comment. The company, set up in 1865 as the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp., plans to trade its shares in Shanghai and moved Chief Executive Officer Michael Geoghegan to Hong Kong from London last month to sharpen its focus on Asia.

Lehman Takeover

Wang, who joined Nomura through the takeover of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.’s Asia operations in 2008, resigned last week from the Tokyo-based brokerage as vice chairman of China investment banking, people with knowledge of the matter have said. She will be based in Hong Kong with HSBC.

She joined Deutsche Bank AG in 2000 and was promoted to co- head of China investment banking in 2004. Lehman hired her the following year as head of China corporate finance. During her stints at Deutsche Bank and Lehman, she helped win work arranging share sales for Dongfeng Motor Group Co. and China Citic Bank Corp.

HSBC was hired to underwrite Bank of Communications Ltd.’s rights offer of as much as $6.15 billion, and won a role arranging the initial public offering of Swire Pacific Ltd.’s property unit this year, one of the people said.

Banker Departures

HSBC tried to expand its investment bank under co-heads Stuart Gulliver and John Studzinski as part of a five-year plan that started in 2003. Studzinski added about 1,400 people to the corporate and investment bank in 2005, increasing expenses and contributing to the unit’s decline in pretax earnings.

After Studzinski left in 2006, HSBC scaled back its ambitions to focus on a narrower range of securities services targeting emerging markets. Studzinski joined Blackstone Group LP and hired HSBC bankers including Zheng Jianping and Jing Xiaowen in 2008.

The U.K. bank lost senior bankers hired in Asia in 2007, including Asia CEO Michael Smith; Daniel Palmer, global head of capital markets; and Steven Wallace, Asia investment banking head. Smith became CEO of Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd.

HSBC’s posted full-year net income of $5.83 billion, missing the $7.76 billion median estimate of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Pretax profit at the investment banking unit, led by Gulliver, more than tripled to $10.5 billion. It was the only among HSBC’s divisions to report a gain in profit.

The lender wants to raise more than $5 billion in Shanghai as China opens the exchange to foreign companies, people with knowledge of the matter said in August.

Lee Zhang set to become ICBC's vice president

* Zhang's appointment subject to Beijing's approval

* China wants influential Chinese to return to help SOEs

* Deutsche Bank shares up 0.3 pct in line with peers

(Adds sources' quotes, more details, background)

By George Chen and Zhao Hongmei

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, March 19 (Reuters) - Lee Zhang, China head of Deutsche Bank AG (DBKGn.DE), Germany's top lender, is set to take a senior role at Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (1398.HK), according to people familiar with the matter.

The sources said the appointment is expected to receive final government approval in the next few weeks, part of Beijing's plan to attract influential Chinese away from leading Western firms to drive expansion inside major state-owned enterprises.

Zhang has been in talks for several months with senior Chinese government officials and the management of ICBC.

"There will be more to come back as Beijing is eager to push the trend," said one of the sources.

"It does make sense for big enterprises like ICBC. You are already the No. 1 in the world (by market value) and of course you also need No. 1 talent to work for you," he added.

The departure is a blow for the Frankfurt-based lender which in December unveiled ambitious profit targets to reach 10 billion euros in pretax profit by 2011, in part based on its ability to drive revenue growth in Asia.

Deutsche wants to raise revenues in Asia Pacific excluding Japan to around 4 billion euros by 2011 from around 2.1 billion euros in 2008, mainly by focusing on organic growth. [ID:nWEA5547] [ID:nWEA5552]

Deutsche already has a joint venture in China with Zhong De Securities, with plans to reach a market share of 5 to 8 percent within three to five years. It recently raised its stake in Hua Xia Bank (600015.SS). [ID:nSHA137769] [ID:nSHA199464]

The sources said Beijing-based ICBC (601398.SS) agreed to hire Zhang as its vice president, but the appointment must be approved by the Organization Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, a process that could still take several weeks.

Sources at Deutsche Bank told Reuters that Zhang is still working in the bank this week. Spokesmen at ICBC and Deutsche Bank declined to comment on the matter. Zhang's mobile phone went unanswered.

The sources declined to be identified because the hiring process is private and confidential.

WELCOME TO BEIJING

Zhang, a long-time banker for Western financial institutions, helped Deutsche Bank launch its investment banking joint venture in China, allowing the European lender to help Chinese clients underwrite shares and debt in fast-growing domestic markets.

Zhang, Group Chairman of Deutsche Bank China and Head of Global Banking Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, also helped Guangdong Development Bank, a mid-sized Chinese lender once in deep financial trouble, to strike a $3.1 billion deal with a Citigroup-led (C.N) consortium in a landmark foreign banking investment in China in 2006.

In Beijing, Zhang is already well known among top Chinese leaders since he is a delegate to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top political advisory body.

As a CPPCC delegate, an honoured political status very rarely offered to Chinese people working for Western firms, Zhang has opportunities to meet top government leaders and regulators annually and submit proposals on a variety of issues. If his appointment is approved, Zhang would be the highest profile executive to be lured to a state-owned company under Beijing's plan to lure top talent from Western banks.

Many Western banks were badly hit during the global financial crisis, and even influential bankers whose compensation has come under public scrutiny may be more open than previously to outside offers.

Meanwhile, China's fast economic growth has helped big banks such as ICBC grow even more and they are now ambitious for global expansion, providing opportunities for veterans such as Zhang.

Last week, Fred Hu, a high-profile Chinese dealmaker, stepped down as a partner of Goldman Sachs (GS.N) after 13 years with the firm to launch a new private equity fund with help from China Construction Bank (0939.HK) (601939.SS), another of the Big Four state lenders, and other parties. [ID:nTOE6290BD]

Jan. 8 (Bloomberg) -- China Mobile Ltd. fired Vice Chairman Zhang Chunjiang from the world’s largest phone carrier by market value citing “alleged serious financial irregularities.”

Zhang was voted off China Mobile’s board at a meeting of its members yesterday, according to a company statement that gave no details of allegations against him. The latest edition of Caijing Magazine reported the former executive was being investigated for falsifying earnings and hiding losses while he was an executive at another Chinese telecom company.

Zhang was ousted from parent China Mobile Communications Corp. after a Xinhua News Agency report Dec. 26 said the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, the nation’s main anti-corruption body, had made him the subject of an investigation over an unspecified “serious disciplinary breach.” His firing will not affect China Mobile’s operations, said Peter Ho, an analyst at Quam Ltd. in Hong Kong.

“I think Zhang’s going will have little impact on the company,” said Ho, an analyst at Quam Ltd. in Hong Kong. “The company has a good management team in place and he is not a key member.”

A China Mobile spokeswoman in Hong Kong, Rainie Lei, declined to discuss the nature of the “economic issues” faced by Zhang beyond saying they won’t affect the company.

Shares in China Mobile rose 1.6 percent to close at HK$74.45 in Hong Kong trading, extending gains made since the corruption investigation was announced to 6.7 percent. The benchmark Hang Seng index, which rose 0.1 percent today, has advanced 3.8 percent in the same period.

Under Scrutiny

Zhang was under scrutiny by the commission for possible misdealing at China Netcom Group Corp. before he joined China Mobile, Beijing-based Caijing said without saying where it got its information. Zhang could not be reached through the main line of the company’s Hong Kong office.

Netcom may have overstated its profit by 20 billion yuan ($2.9 billion) cumulatively before Zhang left the company in 2008, the Jan. 4 issue of the magazine said. The matter was uncovered by China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd. according to the report. Sophia Tso, a spokeswoman for China Unicom, which took over Netcom as part of a government revamp of the telecom sector in 2008, declined to comment on the report.

The former executive, aged 51 according to Caijing, was removed from his posts as Communist Party secretary and vice- president at China Mobile Communications, Hong Kong-listed China Mobile said in an e-mailed statement Dec. 31.

Zhang was named Communist Party secretary at China Mobile Communications in May 2008, when the government ordered the country’s six biggest phone carriers to merge in a reorganization aimed at boosting competition.

Senior Position

The post gave him a more senior position in the state-owned company’s hierarchy than chief executive Wang Jianzhou, industry consultant Duncan Clark said Dec. 30.

Before his tenure at Netcom, Zhang was director of telecommunications administration at the Ministry of Information Industry.

China Mobile Communications owns 74.3 percent of the Hong Kong-listed carrier, which named Zhang as its vice-chairman in June 2008 following his appointment at the parent company.

The probe won’t “materially impact” China Mobile’s business given Zhang’s short tenure at the company, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. analysts Helen Zhu and Lucy Liu wrote in a Dec. 27 report.

Google Inc. announced that Kai-Fu Lee, president of Google Inc.'s China operations, is resigning from the company after working for years to establish the Internet giant as a formidable player in the country.

Mr. Lee will be succeeded by two Google executives, the company said. Boon-Lock Yeo, currently director of Google's Shanghai engineering office, will run engineering for Google China. John Liu, who currently leads Google's sales team in greater China, will assume Mr. Lee's business and operational responsibilities.

Mr. Lee left Microsoft Corp. to join Google in 2005 to develop the company's operations in China, where Google was later than some of its rivals to establish a beachhead.

Mr. Lee's hiring kicked off a legal battle between Microsoft and Google. Microsoft, alleging Mr. Lee violated his employment contract, filed suit against Google. Google countersued, accusing Microsoft of "a shocking display of hubris," according to court documents. The companies settled privately in 2005.

Google said Mr. Lee is leaving to work on his own venture. "With a very strong leadership team in place, it seemed a very good moment for me to move to the next chapter in my career," Mr. Lee said in a statement.

During Mr. Lee's tenure, usage of Google products, including its search service, has grown among Chinese users. The company has also launched some products unique to the market, including an online music service. In announcing Mr. Lee's departure, Google said it was nearly doubling the size of its sales force in China in response to strong growth.

But Google continues to confront a range of headaches in China, which, as the country with the largest number of Internet users, is critical to its growth. Google still trails Chinese search leader Baidu by a wide margin. In the second quarter of 2009, Google drew around 20% of Chinese Internet searches, compared with Baidu's 76%, according to iResearch, an Internet research concern

Google has also continued to clash with Chinese authorities, who have selectively blocked services such as its video-sharing site, YouTube.

May 19, 2009 (FinancialWire) -- Simcere Pharmaceutical Group (NYSE: SCR | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) has appointed Peng Wang as its chief scientific officer.

Wang most recently served as VP of discovery biology at WuXi PharmaTech (NYSE: WX). Before that he was a research fellow at Schering-Plough's (NYSE: SGP) research institute, where he worked for eighteen years.

In his new role, Wang will lead Simcere's research team in developing new products and research projects. He will also participate in the strategic planning of the R&D department and manage domestic and international research collaborations.

Nanjing, China-based Simcere Pharmaceutical is a manufacturer and supplier of branded generic and original pharmaceuticals in China. Simcere manufactures and sells antibiotics, anti-cancer medication and stroke management medication.

Simcere concentrates its research and development efforts on the treatment of diseases such as cancer, strokes, orthopaedics and infectious diseases.

BEIJING, March 3 (Reuters) - McDonald's Corp (MCD.N) on Monday named Kenneth Chan as its new chief executive officer in China, replacing Jeffrey Schwartz, the company said in a statement.

Chan, a Singaporean, has been with McDonald's for 12 years, most recently acting as regional manager in Malaysia, Taiwan and Korea, and managing director of its restaurants in Singapore.

Schwartz, a 40-year McDonald's veteran, will retire from the company, the statement said. (Reporting by Michael Wei; Editing by Ken Wills)

Hand joins LaSalle

David Hand has been promoted as investment head for China in Jones Lang LaSalle after seven years as managing director of Jones Lang LaSalle Beijing and head of the China Retail Business. Hand said he expects to leverage the strong relations he and the Pan-China Investments teams have had with local and international developers and investors to facilitate transactions between these groups in China.

Sang is Lafarge CEO

French cement and building materials manufacturer Lafarge SA has appointed Sang Kang as chief executive officer in place of Cyrille Ragoucy, who was previously in charge of its business expansion in China. Ragoucy is returning to the company's French headquarters where he will take up a new position. Sang jointed Lafarge in 2003 after working for several years with Boston Consulting Group as partner and board director.

Ford new Starwood VP

Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels and Resorts has appointed Stephen Ford as vice-president and area managing director for South China, and general manager of Sheraton Sanya Resort. Ford has more than 40 years of management and work experience in the hospitality industry. Prior to this he was Starwood's regional vice-president for India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Ford joined Starwood in 2001 as general manager of the Westin Bund Center, Shanghai.

WuXi CFO steps down

WuXi PharmaTech has said Benson Tsang, chief financial officer, is leaving the company for personal reasons at the end of this month. Edward Hu, chief operating officer, will act as acting CFO until a replacement is found. Tsang joined WuXi PharmaTech in 2006 as CFO.

The company's board has formed a search committee to recruit a new CFO. Tsang has agreed to provide transition services and to assist in recruiting his successor.

Unicom appoints Lu

China Unicom has appointed Lu Yimin as president, while Chang Xiaobing will continue to act as chairman and CEO, effective Feb 13. Zuo Xunsheng, Li Jianguo, Pei Aihua, Zhao Jidong, Li Fushen, Li Gang, Zhang Jun'an and Jiang Zhengxin were appointed senior vice-presidents of the company. Lu Yimin and Zuo Xunsheng remain as company executive directors.

The appointment signals the closing of the Unicom-Netcom merger.

McQuillan named GM

British Airways has appointed Kevin McQuillan as its regional general manager for the Far East with effect from March 2. Based in Hong Kong, McQuillan will be responsible for the airline's commercial interests on the mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Philippines.

HONG KONG, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs' senior China economist, Hong Liang, has resigned amid reports saying she plans to join a mainland Chinese competitor.

A source at the investment bank (GS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Tuesday that Liang had a disagreement with the bank's management and wants to move into capital markets. Liang could not be reached for comment. A Goldman Sachs spokesman said Liang, a Hong Kong-based executive director of Asia economic research at the bank, resigned last week.

According to the South China Morning Post newspaper, she is likely to join Beijing-based investment bank China International Capital Corp (CICC), which is partly owned by Morgan Stanley (MS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz). CICC could not be reached for comment.

The Goldman Sachs spokesman denied a report in the South China Morning Post that professor Song Guoqing, a senior economist at Peking University, had also resigned as an adviser at Goldman's China joint venture, Gaohua Securities. (Reporting by Alan Wheatley and Susan Fenton, Editing by Ken Wills)

NEW YORK, Apr. 21, 2008 (Thomson Financial delivered by Newstex) -- Linktone (NASDAQ:LTON) Ltd. Monday named Anthony Chia chief operating officer and Jimmy Lai chief financial officer.

The Shanghai, China-based company also named Muliawan Guptha to its board while announcing the resignation of five other directors - Colin Sung, Elaine La Roche, Allan Kwan, Agus Mulyanto and Sutanto Hartono. Each left because of 'personal reasons and other professional commitments,' Linktone said.

Chia most recently served as senior advisor to PT Media Nusantara Citra Tbk (OOTC:PTMEF) , which is Linktone's controlling shareholder.

Lai most recently worked as chief financial officer of Palm Commerce Holdings.

Shares of the provider of wireless interactive entertainment services rose 3% to $2.38 in late trades.

HONG KONG, April 2 (Reuters) - Baidu.com Inc (BIDU.O: Quote, Profile, Research) has poached Apple Inc's (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) former China head for the role of chief operating officer, the latest high-level executive shuffle at China's largest search engine firm.

Peng Ye, who oversaw all business operations in China for Apple as the U.S. firm's country general manager, joins Baidu on the heels of the appointment of ex-General Motors (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) executive Jennifer Li to the post of chief financial officer. [ID:nSHA340039]

Ye's posting takes effect April 25.

Baidu maintains an edge over Google Inc (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) as the most popular search engine in the world's No. 2 Internet arena. China had 210 million Internet users at the end of 2007, second only to the United States, and that Web population is set to become the world's largest in 2008.

NEW YORK - Chinese Internet portal operator Sina Corp. said Monday that its board chairman, Yongji Duan, departed from the board, effective immediately.

Duan is no longer a director and is also no longer on the company's compensation committee.

The company did not disclose a reason for Duan's departure.

Sina said it named the Yan Wang, who had been the vice chairman of its board, as acting chairman, effective immediately.

Sina shares fell 49 cents to $35.03 in afternoon trading.

SHANGHAI, March 21 (Reuters) - Top Chinese Web search firm Baidu.com Inc (BIDU.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Friday it had appointed Jennifer Li as chief financial officer. Li previously worked for General Motors China (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research), Baidu said in a statement.

Shawn Wang, Baidu's previous chief financial officer, died in an accident late last year.

NEW YORK - Diesel engine maker China Yuchai International Ltd. said Thursday it appointed Hoh Weng Ming as its chief financial officer, effective May 1.

He replaces Ho Tuck Chuen who resigned as a director and CFO effective April 30 for health reasons. Chuen will continue as an adviser to the company.

Shares fell a penny to $8.34 in morning trading.

China Solar & Clean Energy Solutions has announced the appointment of Yihai Yang to the position of acting CFO.

Mr Yang replaces Gary Lam, who resigned from the position of CFO to pursue other interests. Mr Yang has prior experience working for several China-based companies in accountant, controller and CFO positions.

From September 2006, Mr Yang served as the financial controller of China Diagnostics Medical Corporation, a company engaged in the business of pharmaceutical research and development.

From April 2005 to August 2006, he served as the CFO of Beijing Tanglewood Tour Development, a company engaged in the business of real estate investment and development.

Deli Du, CEO, said: "We are very pleased to have Mr Yang join as our acting CFO. We are confident that his experience in several industries will provide our management team a valuable perspective on how to grow our business."

China Voice Holding Corporation (CHVC) has hired Jose Ferrer as the Company's Chief Operating Officer.

CHVC's President and CEO Bill Burbank said, "Mr. Ferrer brings to CHVC over 20 years of success in Business Development and Operations. He has extensive experience in working with technology development companies in the communications space in the U.S. and abroad. Jose also possesses an in-depth understanding of emerging technologies and their commercial applications. For over ten years of his career, he was focused in the telecommunications field and has worked at a senior executive level with both private and public companies."

The Hong Kong-headquartered Chinese online and mobile media group Tom Group announced its 2007 financial results, and the once-profitable company is now operating at a loss and Tom Group Limited CEO Tang Meijuan, in the position for the last five years. has resigned due to "personal reasons". Operating Director Yang Mengguo will become the new CEO.

TOM's revenues were 2.68 billion HK dollars ($347 million) in 2007, down 4.2 percent from the year before. In 2007, TOM's losses were 297 million HK dollars ($38 million) compared to a profit of 32 million HK dollars ($4.1 million) in the prior year. The losses in 2007 were mainly due to a drop in mobile-valued added services (MVAS) revenues as the top 2 Chinese carriers, China Mobile and China Unicom, placed new restrictions on MVAS providers. More details in the releases here and here.

The losses included an HK$127 million impairment charge in its digital business after the mobile operators changed their policies, which hurt all MVAS players in China. It also lost HK$104 million from Tom Eachnet, an online auction venture with Ebay in China.

The chairman of the Bank of East Asia has bowed to public pressure and resigned from Hong Kong’s top policy-making body.

Bank of East Asia chairman David Li has bowed to mounting public pressure over insider dealing-related charges and resigned from Hong Kong’s cabinet Exco (executive council).

Exco advises the chief executive on policy. Li's resignation comes two weeks after agreeing to pay the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) a fine of $8.1 million to settle insider dealing-related charges, though, as is usual with these cases, Li has neither admitted nor denied the charges.

Hong Kong’s chief executive, Donald Tsang, said in a statement announcing the resignation that Li, “regretted that the matter had caused public concern and thus wished to resign from the council”. Tsang said he had asked Li to reconsider his resignation, adding, “I will miss him greatly and hope that he will continue to serve Hong Kong in other areas.”

Shareholder rights activist and editor of webb-site.com, David Webb, who has played a prominent role in drawing attention to the issue, told FinanceAsia: "It’s a good first step but I think the chief executive should have taken the initiative rather than resist his resignation.”

Li’s resignation is a setback for Tsang. It’s the first resignation from his Exco since taking over from Tung Chee Wah in 2005. Li is a close friend of Tsang’s and an important politically ally, having run Tsang’s election campaign in both 2005 and 2007.

The reputational blow to Li is immense since he heads a highly influential family in Hong Kong and sits on the boards of numerous listed companies in Hong Kong and abroad. He is also on a number of important government advisory committees. Li was knighted by the Queen of England in 2005 for services to British education, though he gave up his British citizenship to join Exco that same year.

The SEC charges related to the leaking of insider information about News Corporation’s takeover bid for Dow Jones. The SEC says that Li, who was a Dow Jones board member, leaked information of the takeover before it became public to his friend and business partner Michael Leung, who made a profit of $8.1 million after trading on this information. Leung, his son-in law KK Wong, whose Merrill Lynch account was used to buy the shares, and Leung's daughter Charlotte, who is married to KK Wong, have also agreed to settle with the SEC and give up their trading profits.

The SEC civil complaint states that Li “knew or was reckless in not knowing” both that he had passed non-public information to Leung, and that Leung would try to profit from this information.

Li said in his resignation statement that the public discussion following his agreement to settle with the SEC, “is now becoming an increasing distraction to the chief executive and the executive council”. He said that under the terms of his agreement with the SEC he was unable to respond to questions from the public or the media and this had put pressure on the chief executive and other Exco councillors.

“It would be highly unfair to the chief executive and my fellow executive councillors for me to allow the current situation to continue,” he added.

Li who represents the financial services sector in the legislative council (Legco) said he intended to continue with his duties as a legislative councillor. But he may find that he will come under pressure to resign from that body as well.

“The focus should shift to the legislative council. It is time for the banks to select someone more appropriate to represent them and for David Li to resign from that position,” says Webb.

Rumours of the SEC settlement surfaced in January, but were denied by Li. Final agreement to the terms of the settlement appears to have been stretched out so that the eventual announcement occurred on February 6 when local newspapers had stopped publishing for the Chinese New Year holiday.

When the newspapers resumed publishing, the Li story was kept off the front pages by a scandal involving the publication of hundreds of nude pictures of Hong Kong starlets on the internet which has transfixed the territory for the past fortnight.

However, the Li affair was kept alive by Webb who polled members of his website on the issue. Out of the 1,200 participants in the poll, 93.4% voted that Li should resign from Exco, 89.4% that he should step down from Legco, and 67% that he should resign as chairman and CEO of Bank of East Asia.

Webb sent the poll results together with an open letter to Donald Tsang. “If you wish your administration to have the respect of the public and international community, then you must require Mr Li to step down from the executive council without further delay. Good governance demands it. Please put Hong Kong's reputation as an international financial centre ahead of your personal friendship. We cannot allow a perception that the elite can buy their way out of allegations (at a cost greater than most citizens will earn in a lifetime) and retain public office,” he wrote.

Li has been a Legco member for the financial services functional constituency since it was set up in 1985. During that period he has been challenged once – in 2000 – though he won with a wide majority.

The feeling among some commentators is that if Li stays in Legco and ignores the views of the public then this simply undermines the lack of accountability inherent in functional constituencies.

In light of the SEC settlement, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), as part of its statutory oversight of the banking industry, is obliged to consider whether Li, who is both chairman and CEO of BEA, is a fit and proper person to continue in these roles under its guidelines. Standards for banking executives are considerably higher than for ordinary company directors as public money is involved.

The HKMA has so far remained silent on the issue, saying that the banking ordinance prevents it from commenting on individual cases.

It is possible that the HKMA may ask the bank to find another CEO. Although the BEA board has come out in support of Li, it could be that the bank may use the occasion to address the issue of succession since Li will be 69 in March.

In addition, the Li family is thought to have only about 15% of the bank’s shares though it is not clear how these will be voted given the disparate nature of the family. The family’s hold on the bank is fairly tenuous as was demonstrated some years ago when a general mandate to issue new shares without a rights issue was voted down by institutional shareholders. In recent years it has been regarded as a possible takeover target, though it took on significant minority shareholders last year with BOC (HK) acquiring a 4.9% stake and Spanish Bank La Caixa an 8.9% stake.

Li sits on a number of prominent government committees. These include the HKSAR Banking Advisory Committee, which advises the chief executive on banking and financial issues. Li, possibly because he is the legislative member for the sector, has been a member of this committee since 1981 while others have served no more than the normal six years. His current term is due to end in December this year. Rather than asking him to resign, the HKMA may take the more diplomatic approach of not reappointing him. Indeed this is likely to be the route that other organisations of which is a member will also take if they feel it is inappropriate for him to remain with their organisation.

Li is also on the HKSAR Land Fund Advisory Committee and the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority. He is chairman of the Chinese Banks Association, pro-chancellor of the University of Hong Kong and chairman of the Hong Kong Management Association.

He is either a director or non-executive director of the following listed companies: Cable & Wireless HKT, Hong Kong and China Gas, China Merchants China Direct Investments, China Overseas Land & Investment, COSCO Pacific, FPB Bank Holding Company, San Miguel Brewery, Sime Derby, SCMP Group, Vitasoy International and Henderson Cyber.

BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - The World Bank will name a Chinese academic, Justin Lin, as its next chief economist, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The report said the move is intended to increase the presence of the developing world in the bank's senior management.

Lin, 55, also known as Lin Yifu, replaces Francois Bourguignon, who retired in October, the report said.

Lin founded the China Center for Economic Research at Peking University, and advises the Chinese government. He will be the first Chinese citizen to be the bank's chief economist.

The newspaper said final approval by the bank's governing board is expected by the end of the month.

Trina Solar (NYSE:TSL) Ltd. said Thursday it has accepted the resignation of Sean Shao, the company's chief financial officer, who is leaving the company to pursue other interests.

The China-based manufacturer of solar-power (OTCBB:SOPW) products said Terry Wang will replace Shao, who will leave the company March 31.

Wang recently joined the company as senior vice president of finance. Prior to joining Trina Solar, Wang served as executive vice president of finance for Spreadtrum Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:SPRD)

Shares of the company closed Wednesday at $37.58.

Chinese online game operator The9 Limited has announced that its senior vice president and CFO, Hannah Lee, is resigning her position effective February 2008 to pursue other interests. The company says it is searching for a new CFO, and expects to announce that person's appointment prior to Lee's departure.

The9 both operates and develops games in the Chinese market, either directly or through affiliates. Most notably, it operates Blizzard's World of Warcraft in the region, in addition to Granado Espada and its first proprietary title, Joyful Journey West in mainland China.

The company has also recently obtained licenses to operate Guild Wars, Hellgate: London, Ragnarok Online 2, Emil Chronicle Online, Huxley, FIFA Online 2, Audition 2, Field of Honor and the original Audition. It currently has two additional proprietary titles, Fantastic Melody Online and Warriors of Fate Online, in development.

Said Lee, "It has been my pleasure to serve as the Chief Financial Officer of The9 for over four years. I believe the company remains well- positioned in the growing online game industry. With its rich and diversified game portfolio, I believe The9 will continue to enjoy long-term growth and deliver sustained growth for its employees and shareholders."

SHANGHAI, China, Jan. 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Linktone Ltd. , a leading provider of interactive media and entertainment products and services to consumers in China, announced today the resignation of Chief Financial Officer -- Colin Sung, effective January 31, 2008. Mr. Sung has also resigned as a member of the board of directors of Linktone.

Mr. Sung is expected to remain with Linktone in a consulting capacity for a transition period in order to assist the company with the planned strategic investment by PT Media Nusantara Citra Tbk. Mr. Sung informed the company that he is leaving his position as Linktone's Chief Financial Officer to pursue other interests.

Foo Him Tiem, the Deputy Chief Financial Officer of Linktone, has been appointed as the acting Chief Financial Officer of the company. Ms. Foo Him Tiem joined Linktone in June 2004. Linktone plans to begin its search for a permanent Chief Financial Officer and will announce a successor when this process is completed.

Mr. Sung said, "It has been my pleasure to serve as Chief Financial Officer of Linktone for the past 2 and a half years. I believe that the company is well-positioned with strong initiatives and ample opportunity to achieve long-term value for its shareholders."

Michael Li, Linktone's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "On behalf of the board of directors and Linktone's management, I would like to extend our sincere thanks to Colin. His hard work and contributions are most appreciated by the company. We wish him the very best in his future endeavors." Mr. Li added, "We are also committed to identifying a highly qualified permanent CFO in the near term."

About Linktone Ltd.

Linktone Ltd. is one of the leading providers of wireless interactive entertainment services to consumers and advertising services to enterprises in China. Linktone provides a diverse portfolio of services to wireless consumers and corporate customers, with a particular focus on media, entertainment and communications. These services are promoted through the Company's and our partners cross-media platform which merges traditional and new media marketing channels, and through the networks of the mobile operators in China. Through in-house development and alliances with international and local branded content partners, the Company develops, aggregates, and distributes innovative and engaging products to maximize the breadth, quality and diversity of its offerings.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains statements of a forward-looking nature. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these forward- looking statements by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," and similar statements. The accuracy of these statements may be impacted by a number of business risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated, including risks related to: the risk that Linktone will not be able to locate and retain suitable people for its board of directors and middle and senior management; current or future changes in the policies of the PRC Ministry of Information Industry and the mobile operators in China or in the manner in which the operators enforce such policies; the risk that other changes in Chinese laws and regulations, or in application thereof by other relevant PRC governmental authorities, could adversely affect Linktone's financial condition and results of operations; the risk that Linktone will not be able to compete effectively in the wireless value-added services market in China for whatever reason, including competition from other service providers or penalties or suspensions for violations of the policies of the mobile operators in China; the risk that Linktone will not be able to develop and effectively market innovative services; the risk that Linktone will not be able to effectively control its operating expenses in future periods or make expenditures that effectively differentiate Linktone's services and brand; and the risks outlined in Linktone's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its registration statement on Form F-1 and annual report on Form 20-F. Linktone does not undertake any obligation to update this forward-looking information, except as required under applicable law.

NOTICE TO INVESTORS

This announcement is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell securities by any person. The offer for the outstanding shares of Linktone described in this announcement has not commenced. Any offers to purchase or solicitations of offers to sell will be required to be made pursuant to offer documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") in accordance with U.S. securities laws.

The offer documents required under U.S. laws, including Linktone's recommendation statement, will contain important information, and shareholders and potential investors are urged to read them carefully when they become available before making any decision with respect to any offer. The recommendation statement and other documents filed with or furnished to the SEC are available for free at the SEC's website ( http://www.sec.gov ). Free copies of these documents can also be obtained by directing a request to Linktone through the investor relations contacts listed above.

For more information, please contact:

Edward Liu
Linktone Ltd.
Tel: +86-21-6361-1583
Email: edward.liu@linktone.com

Brandi Piacente
The Piacente Group, Inc.
Tel: +1-212-481-2050
Email: brandi@thepiacentegroup.com

China Automotive Systems Promotes Co-Founder and COO Wu to CEO; Promotes Li to CFO
September 25, 2007: 11:55 AM EST

NEW YORK (Associated Press) - China Automotive Systems Inc., a supplier of power steering components and systems, said Tuesday it promoted co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Qizhou Wu to chief executive.

Wu, 42, succeeds Hanlin Chen, who will continue to serve as chairman.

The company also promoted Jie Li from corporate secretary to chief financial officer. Li, 38, takes over as CFO from Daming Hu, who is now chief accounting officer.

Both positions are effective immediately.

Shares of China Automotive Systems gained 35 cents, or 4.3 percent, to $8.50 in midday trading. The stock has traded in a range of $5.72 to $13.39 over the past 52 weeks.

October 11, 2007
Microsoft (MSFT) has, for the first time, set a chief operating officer position for the Microsoft Greater China region and appointed Eugenio Beaufrand as its first COO.

Eugenio Beaufrand is responsible for sales, marketing and service and focuses on improving clients' and partners' satisfaction. As a top manager of the company, he is also responsible for providing support to the main clients of Microsoft in the region.

As COO, Beaufrand will be responsible for overseeing sales, marketing, and services operations in the market. His responsibilities will include a strong focus on driving customer and partner satisfaction as well as providing support to Microsoft's major clients in the region.

Eugenio Beaufrand will report to Zhang Yaqin, chief executive officer of Microsoft Greater China region.

A seasoned, 23-year veteran of Microsoft, Beaufrand most recently held the position of vice president, Microsoft Latin America, where he led the region to four highly successful years of unprecedented growth. Beaufrand is a native of Maracaibo, Venezuela and has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Economics from the Lewis and Clark College in the United States.

Sino Fibre Communications Corp. (SFBE.OB) revealed that it named Ben Yan as Chief Operating Officer.
Yan has been working on developing the Company's North American business development and is now prepared to take a more active role in its overall achievement particularly as it relates to the build out of our service offering in China.

In addition, Sino Fibre Chairman, President & CEO, Matthew Mecke has announced his intent to focus on his role as Chairman of the company and relinquish his titles of President & CEO as soon as a new CEO can assume this roll. Mecke would continue to focus on U.S. Investments, Shareholders, and related Company activity.

One of China's leading producers of organic rice China Organic Agriculture has appointed Zhidong Li as its CEO.

In a statement, the company said that Li has held positions as CEO, COO and marketing director, as well as investment banker, fund manager and asset manager. At age 27, he was the youngest fund manager for Alliance e-Finance in Australia, managing hundreds of millions of dollars in investments, the company said.

"We are very excited about welcoming Mr. Li to China Organic and we believe his unique mix of experience and expertise will assist us during this high-growth period of our company's development," said Huizhi Xiao, chairman of China Organic Agriculture. "I believe that his insightful leadership will serve every member of the China Organic team and ultimately enable us to reach ever higher levels of shareholder value. His decision-making and business tactics will benefit the Company greatly by allowing us to explore new business opportunities to expand our operations."

10/17/2007 2:46:40 PM China Education Resources Inc. (CHN.V, CHNUF.PK ) announced that it has appointed Danny Chi Tak Hon as Chief Financial Officer.

Hon joined CER from his current position as Partner of Hon & Wong, Certified General Accountants.

Hon was Chief Financial Officer of Silvercorp Metals from October 2004 to August 2006 and Chief Financial Officer of Jinshan Gold Mines Inc. from March 2003 to October 2003.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Chinese news and broadcast company Xinhua Finance Media Ltd. added two big names in American media to its board, appointed two other new directors and named a new internal auditor Thursday.

Larry Kramer, founder and former CEO of MarketWatch, a financial news Web site now owned by Dow Jones & Co., and Steve Richards, chief operating officer of Silver Pictures, which has produced such movies as "V for Vendetta" and the "Matrix" series, are the two newest Americans on the publicly held company's board.

The announcement came a day after Beijing-based Xinhua said The Yucaipa Cos., the southern California investment firm controlled by billionaire Ron Burkle, had taken a stake of undisclosed size in Xinhua. David Olson, a partner in Yucaipa, which counts former President Bill Clinton among its advisers, also will join Xinhua's board, the company said Wednesday.

The two other directors appointed Thursday are Li Shantong, former director general of the Department of Development Strategy and Regional Economy at the Development Research Center of China's State Council, and Teddy Liu Weidong, head of Xinhua Finance Media's advertising group.

Xinhua Finance Media said the changes were intended to "enhance ... corporate governance."

Its chief finance officer resigned in May at the same time Barron's reported that it had failed to disclose information in its initial public offering documents about disciplinary action taken against a brokerage firm that the former CFO ran.

Independent directors now hold a 7 to 5 majority on Xinhua Finance Media's 12-person board. The company's new internal auditor is Henry Heung-Ming Wong.

Xinhua Finance Media, a business publisher and broadcaster, is a subsidiary of Xinhua Finance Ltd., a Chinese financial information and media company led by American-born Fredy Bush.

Xinhua Finance Media's shares soared Wednesday following news of the Yucaipa investment but slipped back 23 cents, or 2.6 percent to close at $8.55 on Thursday. They are still well below their $13 price at their initial public offering in March.

ZHEJIANG PROVINCE, China, Oct. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- China 3C Group , a retailer and distributor of consumer and business products in China, announced today the appointment of Weidong Huang as chief financial officer.

Huang, the newly appointed CFO commented, "I am extremely pleased to have been appointed to this role. I understand the importance of good communication to investors and giving investors the information they need to evaluate our company. I look forward to meeting with more investors."

China 3C CEO Zhenggang Wang said, "We are extremely pleased to appoint Weidong Huang as our new CFO. He understands the nuances of our industry as well the importance of communicating effectively with investors. With his previous experience as a General Manager of an investment consulting company, he understands the importance of good communication with investors and he is prepared him to work with the financial community. He will be a major asset for us as we continue to grow our company."

China 3C expects the appointment of the new CFO to have no effect on previously issued guidance and to have no effect on the ability of the company to report third quarter results on time.

About China 3C

China 3C Group is a leading retail chain operating retail outlets in Eastern China. The company specializes in selling 3C products (communication, information technology and digital) in China. Among China 3C's primary attributes is its efficient distribution network and rapid logistics system. The company's goal is to become the number one retailer of 3C products in China. For more information, visit http://www.china3cgroup.com.

A profile for investors can be accessed at http://www.hawkassociates.com/chcgprofile.aspx. For investor relations information regarding China 3C, contact Frank Hawkins or Ken AuYeung, Hawk Associates, at (305) 451-1888, e-mail: info@hawkassociates.com. An online investor kit including press releases, current price quotes, stock charts and other valuable information for investors may be found at http://www.hawkassociates.com and http://www.americanmicrocaps.com. To receive free e-mail notification of future releases for China 3C, sign up at http://www.hawkassociates.com/email.aspx.

Forward-looking Statements:

Certain of the statements set forth in this press release constitute "Forward looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We have included and from time to time may make in our public filings, press releases or other public statements, certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, those under "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in Part II, Item 7. In some cases these statements are identifiable through the use of words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "project," "target," "can," "could," "may," "should," "will," "would" or words or expressions of similar meaning. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward- looking statements. In addition, our management may make forward-looking statements to analysts, investors, representatives of the media and others. These forward- looking statements are not historical facts and represent only our beliefs regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and beyond our control. There can be no assurance that such forward- looking statements will prove to be accurate and China 3C Group undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or to announce revisions to any of the forward-looking statements.

BEIJING (Reuters) - The chief executive of Microsoft Corp's Greater China business, Chen Yongzheng, has resigned, the world's largest software maker said on Wednesday.

In a statement on its China Web site, Microsoft said its global vice president, Zhang Yaqin, would take over as acting Greater China chief while it sought a permanent replacement.

The New York Times reported on its Web site that the National Basketball Association (NBA) had hired Chen to head a Chinese subsidiary that it is setting up, a move highlighting the growing importance of China to the sport and to the NBA.

Multinational companies in China face a special challenge in terms of finding their own way to adapt to the local environment. And finding the right staff to achieve this could prove critical to the survival of any start-up company. In today's interview, we speak with the President & CEO of Russell Reynolds Associates... about key issues in effective recruitment.

HONG KONG, July 13 - China Netcom Group Corp. (Hong Kong) Ltd. , the smaller of the country's two fixed-line operators, said its vice chairman Tian Suning had resigned due to a heavy workload from his other business.

Executive director Miao Jianhua also resigned and had taken a position at China United Telecommunications Corp., the company said in a statement late on Thursday.

Li Jianguo has been appointed to replace Miao as an executive director and chairman of the board's supervision committee with effect from July 12.

Li holds a senior management position in Netcom's parent, China Network Communications Group Corp. and was an executive director of China Unicom Ltd. .

By Cathy Chan

July 12 (Bloomberg) -- Goldman Sachs Group Inc., the world's most profitable investment bank, couldn't name the co-head of investment banking in Asia as chief executive officer of its Beijing joint venture because his knowledge of Chinese was too weak, three bankers at the firm said.

Richard Ong, an ethnic Chinese born in Malaysia, didn't write Chinese well enough to take a mandatory test for senior managers, said the bankers, declining to be identified as the matter is private. New York-based Goldman instead promoted Zha Xiangyang, deputy CEO of its China joint venture, Goldman Sachs Gao Hua Securities Co., in May.

Government rules requiring language skills may hurt investment banks' efforts to attract top employees to China, the world's fastest-growing major economy. New York-based Citigroup Inc., Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are seeking joint- venture partners in the nation, where a record $16.3 billion was raised in stock sales during the first half of 2007.

``When you start putting a language requirement on it, it dramatically reduces the pool'' of talent, said George Fifield, managing director of Korn/Ferry International Consulting (Beijing) Ltd. ``It's going to diminish the quality of the team, whether it's on the board or the senior management.''

China began requiring senior executives to take the test in 2004. Managers in place before then have until 2009 to pass the exam before losing their titles.

Stricter Enforcement

The language requirement applies to CEOs, deputy CEOs and the heads of supervisory boards at locally incorporated securities firms, according to the industry regulator. The test includes both written and verbal components.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission has stepped up enforcement since December, though it can still grant exemptions for foreign executives. The financial watchdog said Nov. 30 it would punish securities firms that appoint managers who haven't passed the exam. The regulator wasn't more specific.

Goldman, the world's biggest securities firm by market value, moved Ong, 42, to Beijing from Singapore last year to head its China operations after former Asia co-head of investment banking Bill Wicker moved back to New York and Goldman China CEO Joseph Stevens quit in October to join Standard Chartered Plc, the London-based bank that makes most of its money in Asia.

Ong, who headed the Singapore office for about four years, declined to comment, as did Goldman spokesman Edward Naylor. The CSRC didn't respond to faxed questions.

Zha, 40, is a co-founder of Chinese brokerage Gao Hua Securities Co. Gao Hua owns 67 percent of Goldman Sachs Gao Hua and Goldman controls the rest.

Goldman and UBS

Goldman is the No. 3 foreign underwriter of stock sales in China and Hong Kong this year, after Morgan Stanley, the second- biggest U.S. securities firm, and Zurich-based UBS AG, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Goldman and UBS, Europe's largest bank by assets, are the only foreign investment banks licensed to underwrite domestic share sales in China, where the economy expanded at 11.1 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier. Executives at Citigroup, the biggest U.S. bank, JPMorgan, the third-largest, and Morgan Stanley have said the companies are seeking partners in China.

China's enforcement of language testing is part of a plan to give locals increased access to top positions at securities firms. The rule sets China apart from Japan, another Asian nation where English proficiency is low.

Mark Branson, CEO of UBS's Japanese securities venture, and Federico Sacasa, president of Aozora Bank Ltd., controlled by New York-based buyout fund Cerberus Capital Management LP, are among senior executives in the nation who don't read or write Japanese.

UBS has mainly hired locally. Chinese executives at its venture include Chairman David Li.

``Goldman shouldn't have appointed someone who doesn't read or write Chinese to head its China business in the first place,'' said Guo Ming, managing director of human resources consultant EAL Consulting in China.

BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - Alibaba.com has appointed Maggie Wu as its new chief financial officer, a spokeswoman for the Chinese internet firm told XFN-Asia.

Wu will also join the company's board as an executive director, the spokeswoman said.

Wu will commence duties as CFO at the end of this month.

Before joining Alibaba.com, Wu worked as a partner in audit practice at KPMG in Beijing.

Previously, Alibaba Group CFO Joseph Tsai also acted as the finance chief of Alibaba.com's operations.

Following a recent reorganization, Alibaba.com became a wholly-owned business-to-business subsidiary of Alibaba Group that acts independently from its parent.

While Wu will take charge of Alibaba.com's financial affairs, Tsai will remain CFO of Alibaba Group.

Chinese mobile value-added services firm Hurray! (HRAY) announced that its co-founder Jesse Liu will resign from his position as CFO on June 30.

Liu held that position for six years, but after his resignation, he will remain a board member and continue to assist the company in its strategic transformation towards becoming a leading entertainment content provider and distributor in China. Sean Wang, currently president and chief operating officer of the company, will also assume the role of acting CFO of the company.

"As a co-founder, Jesse has been instrumental in developing and executing our initial strategy, raising private finance culminating in our successful IPO on Nasdaq, and more recently working on our transformation strategies. We appreciate his invaluable contribution since inception and look forward to benefiting from his continued support as a member of the board," remarked QD Wang, chairman and CEO of the company.

Deutsche Bank (Xetra: 514000 - news) will on Friday name its first country head for China, the latest senior hiring by the bank in recent weeks as it attempts to expand its Asian operations.

The bank (TBHS - news) has poached Betty Deng, Citigroup's deputy chairman in China, a Harvard-educated banker, regarded as having strong links to the country's state-controlled enterprises.

Ms Deng will report to Lee Zhang, the bank's China chairman and regional head of global banking and be charged with developing the Deutsche Bank franchise in the country.

The bank's footprint spans investment, retail and corporate banking, and private wealth and asset management.

It recently applied to incorporate its mainland operations, a move that will eventually allow it to offer banking products in local currency.

Ms Deng's capture comes amid a hiring spree by Deutsche Bank in which it has recruited eight senior investment bankers and equity market specialists in Asia after losing ground advising on mergers.

The value of announced takeovers in the region reached a record $187bn in the first three months of the year.

However, Deutsche Bank has fallen from fourth in 2004 to seventh this year in advising on Asia-Pacific (002790.KS - news) acquisitions, dropping behind UBS (Virt-X: UBSN.VX - news) and Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS - news) in the rankings.

Last year, it was one of three international advisers to the record $21.9bn listing of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the mainland's largest lender.

Among the hirings are Gordon Paterson, one of the region's heaviest-hitting investment bankers, poached from Citigroup (NYSE: C - news) to be the bank's Asia head of mergers and acquisitions.

Another star recruit is Angus Barker, who was lured away from UBS to head the bank's financial sponsors unit.

Rival bankers say Deutsche Bank has managed to prise away staff only by guaranteeing some of the hirings multi-million dollar contracts and that the bank faced huge losses if it failed to win new business.

However, Mr Zhang said: "The build-up of senior banking talent is an investment to take our franchise to the next level."

NetEase.com CFO Resigns for Personal Reasons; Board Member Also Submits Resignation

NEW YORK (AP) -- China-based online gaming services company NetEase.com Inc. said Monday its chief financial officer Denny Lee resigned, effective June 30, for personal reasons.
The company also said Donghua Ding resigned from its board of directors.

Effective June 30, Onward Choi, the company's current financial controller, will serve as acting chief financial officer, the company said.

American Depositary Shares of NetEase.com rose 46 cents, or 2.6 percent, to $18.29 Monday

MORRISVILLE, N.C. – The abrupt announcement last week that Mary Ma was stepping down as chief financial officer at Lenovo could be a sign of internal wrangling among the PC company’s management.

At least that’s the word from Forbes magazine.

“Her retirement as chief financial officer, ostensibly for unspecified ‘personal reasons,’ probably signals the end of Lenovo’s effort to merge its mostly China-focused operations, along with a Chinese management culture, with IBM’s America-centric international PC businesses, and the beginning of a phase that will focus more on cost-cutting and boosting efficiency,” wrote Shu-Ching Jean Chen out of Forbes’ office in Hong Kong.

Ma, whose Chinese name is Ma Xuezheng, is only 54 years old and has been with Lenovo for 27 years. She also has been widely regarded as not only one of the most powerful women in China but also in the world. In fact in 2005 and 2006 Forbes ranked her as one of the globe’s most powerful female executives.

When Lenovo purchased IBM’s personal computing unit in 2005, Ma played a crucial role.

Ma’s departure was disclosed even as Lenovo reported a quarterly profit of $66 million that far exceeded analysts’expectations. The profit news also triggered a 15 percent surge in Lenovo stock.

But Ma is likely to be missed.

“Her straight-taking style and fluency in English have won her many fans in the financial markets,” Forbes said. “Over the years, she has built a reputation as a no-nonsense, trustworthy businesswoman, and analysts thought she had a firm grip on the company's finances.”

A source cited as a “senior company employee” at Lenovo told Forbes: “It might be a good time for her to retire when Lenovo seems to turnaround. But definitely it is a big loss to Lenovo as she is so instrumental to molding different cultures.”

Ma was more than just a Lenovo executive, however. She also had become a symbol of China’s private enterprise efforts. In fact, the prestigious McKinsey Quarterly published a lengthy interview with her in its April issue.

“The success of [the IBM] deal, heralded as a signal moment in China’s transition from a developing to an industrial economy, was due in no small part to Lenovo’s energetic senior vice president and CFO, Mary Ma,” wrote Gordon Orr and Jane Xing.

Ma told the reporters that cultural integration between companies of the east, such as Lenovo, and of the west, such as IBM, is quite a challenge.
“These East-West cultural differences are built into our identities from a very early age and affect the very basic ways that people interact,” Ma told The McKinsey Quarterly. “Many Chinese companies still don’t realize how much a long-term effort is needed for cultural integration at this level.”

Dragon Capital Corporation (TSX: AHD - News), a miner and producer of zinc, lead and silver in China, today announced the appointment of Graham Warren as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Warren will replace Oliver Xing; the appointment is subject to approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Graham Warren is a Certified Management Accountant and his previous experience includes various assignments as CFO for a number of public and private companies. He is especially familiar with business in China as a director (and former CFO) of Hanfeng Evergreen (TSX) and a founder of Changfeng Energy Limited.

"We believe we are significantly strengthening our management team with the addition of Mr. Warren," said Christopher Harrop, Chairman of Dragon Capital. "On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would also like to extend our gratitude to Mr. Xing for his contribution to Dragon Capital during its formative period as a Canadian public company."

About Dragon Capital (Arehada)

Through its 100% owned subsidiary Arehada Mining Corporation, Dragon Capital is engaged in the exploration, development, extraction and refining of zinc, lead and silver in Dongwuzhumuqinqi, located in Inner Mongolia, China. Arehada produces zinc and lead concentrates, which are then sold to smelters in China.

Arehada is currently constructing its own zinc plant with a designed processing capacity of 100,000 tons per annum. The first phase, with a rated capacity of 50,000 tons per annum, will produce zinc oxide and sulphuric acid.

For further information

Christopher Harrop, Chairman, Dragon Capital Corporation, Tel.: (416) 350-5133, Email: porrah@gmail.com
Martti Kangas, Investor Relations, The Equicom Group, Tel: (416) 815-0700 x 243, Email: mkangas@equicomgroup.com

Chaly Mah, the CEO of Deloitte Singapore, has been appointed as the regional managing partner and CEO for Deloitte, Asia Pacific and a member of Deloitte’s global executive.

Mah’s appointment means he has joined a team put in place by James H. Quigley, the new global CEO of Deloitte whose term also commenced on June 1 2007.

Jim Quigley succeeded William G. Parrett, who has served as CEO for the past four years.

In relation to the Asia Pacific region, Mah said, ‘Our region's prospect is very bright, with countless opportunities in the market to seize.

‘Our current economies are incredibly strong, including Japan, the world's second largest economy, and China and India, two of the world's fastest growing economies, not to mention Vietnam, whose recent entry into the WTO has propelled its growing presence on the global stage.’

Mah will continue to serve as CEO of Deloitte Singapore and Deloitte Southeast Asia which includes Singapore, Guam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

PHILADELPHIA, PA Sandmeyer Steel Company has announced the appointment of ITC Group as the Company's Representative Office and Sales Support Center in China. ITC, with offices in Guangzhou and Hong Kong, will assist Sandmeyer in penetrating the Chinese market for stainless steel and nickel alloy plate products.

ITC's Chairman, Dr. Stanley Yuen, and Sandmeyer Steel's CEO, Ronald P. Sandmeyer, Jr., finalized the agreement during Sandmeyer's visit to Beijing, where the Company and ITC's sales team exhibited at AchemAsia 2007, a trade show that targets the Asian process equipment industry market.

Family-owned and managed for three generations, Sandmeyer Steel Company is recognized as a leading producer of stainless steel and nickel alloy plate products used in the process industries equipment market. ITC was founded in 1993 by Dr. Yuen. Since then, ITC has been pursuing international trading opportunities between China and the rest of the world, providing sales and marketing services, all import/export logistics, and after-sale support.

SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- French dairy and beverage maker Groupe Danone SA said Thursday that the chairman of its troubled joint venture, Wahaha, has resigned.
Danone said in a statement that it accepted Zong Qinghou's resignation and appointed the venture's French vice chairman, Emmanuel Faber, to replace him.

The announcement came just days after Danone filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles over alleged illegal sales in China by companies it said are run by Zong's relatives.

Danone has accused Hangzhou Wahaha, one of China's biggest domestic beverage makers, of illegally selling products identical to those sold by the companies' joint ventures.

Zong lashed back, accusing board members of Paris-based Danone of "insulting and framing" him.

"It was very hard to work with people who do not understand the Chinese market and culture," Zong said in an open letter distributed via e-mail. "They only want to take the profit and benefit instead of taking on risks and carrying out their responsibilities," he said.

"Therefore, I decided to resign from the joint venture," he said.

The feud between Danone and Wahaha surfaced several months ago, when the Zong publicly rejected a plan by Danone to buy out some of Wahaha's assets, accusing the French company of attempting a hostile takeover.

Danone earlier filed for arbitration in Stockholm to help resolve the dispute.

Danone and Wahaha began their joint venture in China in 1996 and the beverage operation has become one of China's largest.

Shares in Danone rose 0.5 percent to 57.36 euros ($77.53) in Paris.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — After completing a strategic-alternatives review launched in October, network equipment vendor UTStarcom Inc. has rejected proposals for selling the company or splitting it apart. But the company has replaced the chief executive of its China operations, Ying Wu, over what the board considered "differing opinions regarding the company's strategy to enhance shareholder value," according to a statement.

Hong Lu, CEO of UTStarcom, will oversee China operations until a new chief is found for that business.

UTStarcom is headquartered in Alameda, Calif., but was founded in China and has continued to realize most of its network equipment sales there. The company has developed a broad range of network infrastructure equipment for both wireline and wireless networks, ranging from cellular basestation controllers to optical transport and Internet Protocol switching systems. It made a concerted effort to break into the North American market following the telecom crash of 2001 but gained only moderate success, even as sales stagnated in China. Layoffs in 2005 and 2006 led to October's strategic review.

In a prepared statement, UTStarcom chairman Thomas Toy said the best method of maximizing shareholder value was to "move forward with the company as it exists today."

MMLC Group has appointed Chinese lawyer Judith Crosbie-Chen as a director. She will divide her time between the group's Beijing and Hong Kong offices. Her practice in the group mainly focuses on corporate social responsibility and compliance, employment and IP issues.

Immediately prior to joining MMLC group, Judith Crosbie-Chen was the associate Asia Pacific general counsel for Gap Inc. Before that, she had been the Head of MacDonalds Corporation's Greater China legal department for nearly eight years.

"Judith brings to the MMLC Group a unique combination of extensive experience within the in-house legal departments of two of the most famous brands in the world - MacDonalds and the Gap - as well as strong credentials in the PRC law practice area," says Matthew Murphy, managing partner at MMLC group.

Those credentials include her appointment in 1992 as the first chief representative of one of the first batch of foreign law firms authorised by the PRC Ministry of Justice to set up an office in Beijing. In addition, her interest in Corporate Social Responsibility and Compliance matters will allow the MMLC Group to rapidly develop a first-class reputation in both of those practice areas.

MMLC is an international corporate advisory group, focusing on M&A, IP, tax and, more recently, CSR and compliance issues for many multinational companies and governments. Currently, the group has over 30 professionals based in Greater China and Australia.

HONG KONG, March 26 (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc. (C.N: Quote, Profile, Research), the world's top bank by market value, on Monday named Eugene Qian as a managing director in its China investment banking team, hiring him from rival Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research).

Qian, who will report to Jing Zhao, Citigroup's head of China investment banking, had been at Deutsche for four years, where he ran the bank's Asian natural resources investment banking team.

Several senior bankers have switched jobs in Asia recently, as dealmakers traditionally switch firms after getting their bonuses early in the year.

BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - Nasdaq-listed Ctrip.com International Ltd, an on-line provider of hotel accommodation, airline tickets and packaged tours, has appointed Hideaki Yokomizo to its board of directors, following the resignation of Yoshihisa Yamada, effective Mar 29.

In a statement, the company said Yokomizo is the deputy general manager of Rakuten Travel Inc.

Ctrip did not provide details on the reason for Yamada's resignation.

China-based Shen-Chao Optronics (transliterated from Chinese) is recruiting former executives from Taiwan-based panel and component makers, as the company's fifth-generation (5G) LCD plant is expected to enter production in 2008, according to the Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN).

Hsiang-Kuei Chung, a former vice president of the CRT business of Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT), will be responsible of the construction of the 5G plant; Ching-Chih Chen, a former vice president of Quanta Display (QDI), will be responsible for Shen-Chao's 6G plans while Arthur Chou, former president of Allied Material Technology Corporation (AMTC), a Taiwan-based color filter (CF) maker, may be in charge of its in-house CF production, the paper said.

The paper also reported Shen-Chao is targeting employees at AUO, Chi Mei Optoelectronic (CMO) and HannStar Display.

KY (Kuen-Yao) Lee, chairman and CEO of AU Optronics (AUO), was quoted as saying he has heard of the recruitment plan from Shen-Chao and several high-level executives are said to have joined the China-based maker.

February 26, 2007
Lenovo has appointed Yolanda Conyers, as vice president, Cultural Integration and Diversity, responsible for the global integration of the company's workforce.

"Yolanda has the experience we need to help make Lenovo a success in the global marketplace," said Ken DiPietro, senior vice president, Human Resources, Lenovo. "Our goal is to leverage the strengths of our employees worldwide, and Yolanda's expertise in cultural integration will help us to become even more competitive."

Conyers was most recently director, Worldwide Procurement at Dell, where she led the supply chain strategy team. Prior to that, Conyers was director, Global Diversity, where she helped develop the company's workforce and marketplace diversity model, including recruitment, retention, outreach, and education. Conyers also held management positions in Dell customer service organization.

Conyers holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science from Lamar University, and an MBA from Our Lady of the Lake, San Antonio, Texas.

By Cathy Chan and Patricia Cheng

Feb. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Merrill Lynch & Co. hired Margaret Ren as a chairman of China investment banking after U.S. regulators cleared the former Citigroup Inc. executive of wrongdoing in a 2003 initial public offering.

The 48-year-old daughter-in-law of former Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang will report to China region Chairman Liu Erh-fei and Asia banking head Sheldon Trainor, said Damian Chunilal, who leads Merrill's Asia Pacific investment banking operations.

Ren may help Merrill challenge UBS AG and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., who together accounted for a quarter of the value of stock sold overseas by Chinese companies last year. Merrill slipped to sixth place last year from fourth in 2005 in arranging such sales, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It ranked fourth in IPOs, up from sixth in 2005.

``She's well-connected,'' said Stephen De Pretre, a vice president at headhunter Salzer Consulting in Hong Kong. ``For companies that need to do deals in an environment that's very strongly regulated, having people with strong networks at senior levels is crucial.''

Ren confirmed the appointment, which is effective this week, when reached by phone. She declined to comment further. The mother of two has a master's degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Ren, who joined Citigroup in 2001 after nine years at Bear, Stearns & Co., was suspended in 2004 after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission started probing the firm's handling of China Life Insurance Co.'s $3.5 billion initial share sale, the world's biggest in 2003. She was cleared of wrongdoing last year.

Bulking Up

Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission on Feb. 2 granted Ren licenses to perform investment banking services. The license approvals on SFC's Web site list Merrill Lynch as her employer.

``This important hire reflects our commitment to this business,'' said Chunilal in an internal memo sent today.

Investment banks and buyout firms are bulking up as companies in China, the world's fastest-growing major economy, prepare to sell more stock and buy local and overseas competitors. The value of China's domestic stock markets has more than tripled in the past year, topping $1 trillion.

Chinese initial public offerings soared after the government ended a ban on share sales in May. The $75.4 billion of stock sold in China and Hong Kong trailed only that of the U.S. in 2006.

Blackstone Group LP, manager of the world's biggest buyout fund, last month hired Antony Leung, Hong Kong's former financial secretary, to run its business in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Oaktree Capital Management LLC, a Los Angeles buyout firm with more than $33 billion of assets, hired former JPMorgan Chase & Co. Asia Pacific Chairman Ralph Parks same month.

Citigroup's Woes

Wilson Feng, a vice chairman of China investment banking, was promoted to a chairman, according to the memo.

Citigroup's fortunes in China waned after it ousted Ren. Her successor as head of China investment banking lasted 15 months. After Ren left in June 2004, 10 of Citigroup's 13-person investment banking group dedicated to China quit the New York- based company.

The company, whose roots in China go back to 1902, slumped to 11th in overseas stock sales by Chinese companies last year from fourth in 2003, Bloomberg data shows. The only Chinese IPO Citigroup handled last year was China Coal Energy Co.'s $1.9 billion sale in December.

Citigroup is fighting back. Last month, it hired Zhang Wendong, former co-head of China investment banking at UBS AG, to be managing director for China investment banking. In March, it tapped Zhao Jing, former co-head of China investment banking at Morgan Stanley.

`Stronger Than Ever'

``2006 was a year of investment for us and we ended up with a great deal of momentum as the year ended,'' Bob Morse, the New York-based firm's chief executive officer of corporate and investment banking in Asia, said in a Jan. 26 interview. ``We have a pipeline that is stronger than it has ever been.''

Chinese companies may raise as much as $55 billion in IPOs this year, with domestic share sales overtaking Hong Kong offerings in value, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Shares of Industrial Bank Co. soared 39 percent in their Shanghai debut today after the $2 billion initial public offer attracted record bids. Investors ordered $150 billion worth of stock -- equal to the market value of International Business Corp.

This year, bankers will be courting companies such as Agricultural Bank of China, which last week said it will seek a government bailout to prepare it for an IPO. The bank had 18 percent of outlets in the nation as of last month, and it employs 452,000 people.

Yahoo China has announced Yahoo China president Xie Wen has resigned for personal reasons after just over a month on the job. Xie will now serve as a strategic consultant for Alibaba. Alibaba vice president Zeng Ming will be named Yahoo China's acting president. Xie was named Yahoo China's president on October 17. There are rumors that Xie resigned because Yahoo China management did not support his strategic plans for the company.

Another personnel reshuffle has taken place in Zhongguo Qingnian Bao, a daily directly under the Communist Youth League [CYL] Central Committee. Chief Editor Li Erliang has been transferred and the vacancy has been filled by Deputy Editor Chen Xiaochuan. Reportedly, the removal of Li Erliang from office is directly related to the Bingdian incident earlier this year.

The transfer is seen as an attempt by the authorities to "put an end" to the incident that evoked the "serious concern" of the media overseas. It has been reported that the authorities are disappointed by the "trouble" caused by Li Erliang and his failure to properly handle the incident.
The decision was "announced internally" and not made public to the agency.

Li Erliang failed to impose final checks and accommodated his subordinates, which resulted in Bingdian Weekly publishing a series of sensitive articles last year. They include a lengthy piece by Taiwan writer Lung Ying-tai drawing a comparison of democracy on both sides of the Taiwan Straits and deliberately underrating the CPC, an essay exposing Zhongnanhai law academics of winning popularity by deception, and an article by Yuan Weishi, professor of Guangzhou Zhongshan University, on modern history that expressed views different from those of the authorities.

Earlier this year, Bingdian Weekly published an article by Yuan Weishi exploring modern history and criticizing the CPC's education system. The move caused a sensation and upset the authorities. As a result, Bingdian Chief Editor Li Datong and Deputy Editor Lu Yaogang were both removed from office.

Source: Ming Pao website, Hong Kong (in Chinese) through BBC Monitoring

Brilliance China Automotive Holdings said chief financial officer Zha Jianping had resigned, effective immediately, to be replaced by Lei Xiaoyang, an executive director of the company.

The Hong Kong holding company told Dow Jones Zha was also finance chief and director of Brilliance's Shenyang XingYuanDong Automobile Component and director of Shenyang Brilliance JinBei Automobile.

Brilliance China said Zha confirmed he has no disagreement with the board, Dow Jones noted.

BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - The chief operating officer of Goldman Sachs Group Inc's China joint venture - Goldman Sachs Gaohua Securities - has quit the firm to join Standard Chartered PLC in Singapore, the Wall Street Journal reportedd, citing a Standard Chartered spokeswoman.

Joe Stevens will start work as group head of principal finance for Standard Chartered on Dec 1, the Hong Kong newspaper reported.

Goldman Sachs Group owns a 33 pct stake in Goldman Sachs Gaohua Securities.

Simmons & Simmons managing partner Mark Dawkins has finally appointed a new China regional managing partner. Hong Kong head of financial services Paul Li was handed the post, which was left open by the departure of Huen Wong plus four other partners to launch the first local office of Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson. Dawkins said Li'sappointment marked a "restabilisation" of Simmons' regional teams. The firm now has to fill the partner headcount depleted by the exodus to Fried Frank.

SHANGHAI, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Yahoo China has appointed Xie Wen, former CEO of financial Web portal Hexun.coma, as its new general manager, sources said on Wednesday.

The appointment was effective on Tuesday, one source confirmed. Yahoo China's former general manager, Tian Jian, is now vice president of Alibaba's M&A department and will be in charge of the company's strategic investment and acquisitions.

Yahoo Inc.'s (YHOO.O: Quote, Profile, Research) main China business consists of a 40 percent stake in Alibaba.com that it bought last year for $1 billion. As part of the landmark deal, Yahoo Inc. folded its previous China business into Alibaba. (Additional reporting by George Chen)

Star has appointed Dr. Jack Gao as its CEO of Star China. Gao will officially join Star in November 2006, and will report to Star CEO Michelle Guthrie.
Based in Beijing, Gao will be in charge of Star's overall business interests in China. He will be responsible for developing strategic and business directions while also overseeing Star China's day-to-day operations.

Gao has also been appointed VP of News Corporation and will assume the position of chief representative of the News Corporation Beijing representative office, responsible for running News Corporation's activities in China, informs an official release.

Commenting on Gao's appointment, Guthrie said, "Jack's insights to the China market, combined with his wealth of networking and business experience, and a proven track-record of success, make him a unique fit to lead our businesses and growth initiatives in China. We are fortunate to have attracted him to join us."

"Bringing on someone of Jack's caliber to lead our China operations underscores Star and News Corporation's commitment to this important market. As we expand aggressively into the digital media space, Jack's technology background and experience in running businesses for multinationals such as Microsoft and Autodesk in China will serve as important assets in taking us to the next stage of our development in China," Guthrie continued.

Gao said, "With China poised for sustained and strong economic growth in the years ahead, a tremendous number of opportunities for dynamic and progressive companies such as Star and News Corporation will continue to open up. I am thrilled at the opportunity to apply my experience in China to Star and News Corporation's businesses and look forward to working with Michelle and the rest of the talented team at Star and News Corporation in seizing growth opportunities in this exciting marketplace."

Prior to joining Star, Gao served for more than three years as Apac Emerging Geography VP for Autodesk Inc., where he was responsible for strategy, marketing and sales, product research and development, government and public relations, investments, human resources, finance and administration operations in Greater China and India. Before that, Gao was general partner of Walden International, a leading venture capital firm in the USA. Between 1999 and 2002, Gao was president and general manager of Microsoft (China) Co. Ltd. Prior to joining Microsoft, Gao spent five years with Autodesk, as regional director, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Mainland China, the release adds.

Gao holds doctorate, master and bachelor degrees in engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Harbin Institute of Technology in China.

Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) China president Erick Hachkenburg resigned in early September, reports 21st Century Business Herald. The newly named EA Asia president Hubert Larenaudie will replace Hachkenburg. Larenaudie was the president of Vivendi Universal Games Asia prior to joining EA. According to rumors, The9 (Nasdaq: NCTY) is the front runner to license EA's FIFA soccer due to Larenaudie's close relationship with The9 during his tenure at Vivendi. [Some online versions of the report were missing a paragraph, which may lead to the wrong assumption that EA will license its racing game Tales Runner to The9. .ed]

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Former China president of mobile phone maker Motorola Inc. Daniel Shih has joined PepsiCo Inc. to help the U.S. company to sell its cola products in China, industry sources said on Thursday. Shih is now the president for Pepsi's beverages business in China, two sources familiar with the situation told Reuters, a market where Pepsi is facing tough competition from its U.S. rival, Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co.

Shih, a Taiwan-born Amercian, joined Pepsi before the week-long Chinese National Day holiday last week and will report to Zhu Huaxu, current China chairman of Pepsi, the sources said.

"Shih will be working very closely with Zhu and finally Shih will take over all Zhu's posts, becoming his successor," said one Beijing-based source close to Pepsi.

Shih, who left Motorola late last year, will take over Pepsi's China operations in the second quarter of 2007, when Zhu plans to retire after working for Pepsi for nearly a decade in China, the second source said.

Multinational corporations, from global banks to toy makers, have poured tens of billions of dollars in the past few years into China, the world's fourth-largest economy where personal savings have reached a total of roughly $2 trillion.

Global chief executives have long complained that a shortage of senior industry talent may be the biggest challenge that companies face in China. Foreign firms see China work experience and language skills as vital when hiring senior executives.

The first source said Pepsi's Zhu first brought up the idea of retirement with management late last year, after which Pepsi began to cast around for a successor.

"Pepsi is a big multinational corporation in China, so it needs some time to assure the handover ... will be done very smoothly," said the source, adding that profit margins in China's beverage sector may be larger than in its electronic industry.

SHANGHAI (XFN-ASIA) - Ed Chan has been appointed head of Wal-Mart Stores Inc''s China retail operations business, succeeding Joe Hatfield, the company said in a statement.
Chan, who will be president and chief executive of Wal-Mart China, comes to the company from Dairy Farm Group where he was regional director of North Asia, it said.
He will join Wal-Mart next month and take over leadership of the China retail operations in February, the company said.
Wal-Mart China now has 66 retail units in 34 cities employing 36,000 associates.
It has been widely reported that the company is seeking to acquire Taiwan-owned retailer Trust-Mart, although the companies have not yet commented on such a deal.
Such an acquisition would propel the US retailer ahead of France''s Carrefour as the largest foreign-owned retail chain
In the statement Wal-Mart vice chairman Michael Duke said Chan would be tasked with expanding the company''s China business.
"Ed brings extensive retail experience that will help us expand our growth momentum in this important market," said Duke.

SINGAPORE Andy Xie's resignation as Morgan Stanley's chief economist in Asia last week followed an e-mail message in which he characterized Singapore as an economic failure.

Xie, a Shanghai-born economist who worked at Morgan Stanley for nine years, sent the message to his colleagues after attending the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings last month in the Southeast Asian island state.

In the e-mail message, he questioned why Singapore had been chosen as host for the conference and said that delegates "were competing with each other to praise Singapore as the success story of globalization."

Xie also made unsubstantiated allegations about the use made of Singapore's financial services by corrupt officials and businessmen in Indonesia.

The $118 billion Singaporean economy has experienced three recessions since the 1997 Asian financial crisis, and is expected to grow by as much as 7.5 percent this year.

The city-state is grappling with growing competition from China and India, the most populous and second most populous countries, respectively, where labor costs are less than a quarter of those in Singapore.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore said last month that the city- state's economy could sustain annual growth of 3 percent to 5 percent for the next 10 to 15 years as the country expanded industries from information technology to tourism.

Singapore is ending a four-decade ban on casinos. The government plans to triple tourism revenue to $19 billion and double visitors to 17 million by 2015.

Officials from the public relations departments of the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the government information service declined to comment on the contents of Xie's message. They also declined to be identified.

When reached on his cellphone Monday, Xie said that he had not decided on what he would do next.

"I'm not at liberty to comment on anything," Xie said. "I'm in Guangzhou, and I'm taking a break on top of a mountain. It's quite nice here."

Morgan Stanley confirmed the contents of the e-mail message, but the firm, based in New York, said that it did not elaborate on the reasons behind departures of employees.

"This is an internal e-mail based on personal suppositions and aimed at stimulating internal debate amongst a small group of intended recipients," Cheung Po-ling, a spokeswoman for Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong, wrote in a statement. "The e-mail expresses the views of one individual, and does not in any way represent the views of the firm."

"Morgan Stanley has been a very strong supporter of Singapore, and has a great deal of respect for Singapore's achievements," Cheung said.

Morgan Stanley has handled $1.5 billion in merger deals in Singapore this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg News.

It advised Temasek Holdings, the Singapore government investment company, in its purchase in March of a 9.9 percent stake in Tata Teleservices, based in Mumbai, India.

Xie worked at the corporate finance division at Macquarie Bank in Singapore before joining Morgan Stanley.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Morgan Stanley's star Asia Pacific economist, Andy Xie, has resigned and is expected to embark on a new career elsewhere, the U.S. investment bank and an industry source said on Sunday.

Xie, whose widely-read reports on the Chinese economy have boosted Morgan Stanley's image in the region, tendered his resignation last week and had left the firm as of Friday, said Hong Kong-based spokeswoman Po-ling Cheung.

"An internal memo was sent out (on Friday) informing employees that he has resigned from the firm," she said by telephone.

"He has left the firm," she added.

Xie confirmed the news by telephone, but declined to say what he would do next.

A source close to Morgan Stanley said that Xie would likely join another firm in the industry in the near future.

When living in Shanghai for quite some years, I did have a positive impress at Mr. Chen Liangyu, then vice-Mayor, mayor & later the city General Secretary of Party. Now when I am reading news titles from the subscribed RSS, I learned he was dismissed by being accused of violating discipline and law [links to Xinhua (in Chinese) or to BBC (in English)]. Snips of AP report seemly have other aspects of the case.

Shanghai is a bastion of Hu's predecessor, Jiang Zemin, and Chen's removal could be part of a strategy to weaken rivals in the collective leadership for Hu to better position himself and the allies he wants to maneuver into place.

Chen was viewed as a Jiang protege and therefore an ally in the former leader's attempts to wield influence even in retirement. He reportedly clashed with Premier Wen Jiabao over Beijing's efforts to cool economic growth, lobbying instead for ambitious infrastructure projects for China's wealthiest and most populous city.

"It's a serious warning to corrupt officials and to those who don't toe the party line," said Joseph Cheng, director of the Contemporary China Research Center at Hong Kong's City University.

Major reshuffles of local leaders are planned for many areas ahead of the congress, the Beijing-linked Hong Kong newspaper Wei Wei Po reported Monday. It said local leaders who have defied Beijing's economic policies would be singled out.

With his protector Jiang now descending into political obscurity, Chen could face a lengthy jail term or other harsh punishments.

"Sacking Chen shows that Jiang has no power to protect his proteges and is in no position to affect the choice of new leaders," said City University's Cheng.

Chen was last seen in public on Friday at a meeting of chief justices from China, Russia and four Central Asian states. Mayor Han also attended, but neither man spoke in public.

It was unclear what impact, if any, the scandal may have on Vice Premier Huang Ju, the most senior leader in the Shanghai faction and sixth-highest ranking Communist Party official.

Huang disappeared from the political scene early this year amid reports that he had cancer. But in recent months he has made a number of public appearances.

CHICAGO, Sept. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSII), the world's premier executive search and leadership consulting firm, today announced that Karen Choy-Xavier has joined the firm's Singapore office as a Partner in the Industrial and Technology practices. Choy-Xavier will focus on building relationships with Southeast Asia-based businesses and on the placement of chief information officers with companies operating throughout the region.

"With the hiring of Karen, we have doubled our consultant teams in Singapore to six in the past eight months," said Charles Moore, Managing Partner, Singapore. "With her extensive background in executive search, Karen is a significant hire for Heidrick & Struggles in Asia, particularly given our growing market share in the region."

Choy-Xavier has 18 years of experience in executive search. Her depth of focus with companies based in Singapore and across Asia Pacific is highly regarded, particularly in the technology, industrial and consumer spaces. Prior to joining Heidrick & Struggles, Choy-Xavier spent 10 years with Spencer Stuart as a Partner. Her network of contacts and relationships in Asia Pacific has served her well, exemplified by her numerous senior-level placements within both locally based and Fortune 500 companies.

Choy-Xavier's formative years were spent in sales and marketing for technology pioneers Wang and Digital Equipment. She holds bachelor's degrees in computer science and psychology from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and speaks fluent Mandarin, Cantonese, Malay and English.

About Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.

Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. is the world's premier provider of senior-level executive search and leadership consulting services, including talent management, board building, executive on-boarding and M&A effectiveness. For more than 50 years we have focused on quality service and built strong leadership teams through our relationships with clients and individuals worldwide. Today, our leadership experts operate from principal business centers in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information about Heidrick & Struggles, please visit http://www.heidrick.com . SOURCE Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. Local, Jennifer Tow of Manifesto Ltd, +1-852-2526-1972, jennifer@manifesto.com.hk , or Corporate, Christina Stratinsky of Heidrick & Struggles International, +1-312-496-1646, cstratinsky@heidrick.com

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese computer giant Lenovo announced Thursday the recruitment of a fourth former executive of Dell, the world's largest personal computer maker, in just eight days.

Christopher J. Askew, former vice president of Dell, joined Lenovo as senior vice president in charge of the service department.

Before joining in Lenovo, Askew has been in charge of Dell's service in Asia-Pacific region and Japan.

Lenovo said on Aug. 17 that former president of Dell China David Miller had joined as president of its Asia Pacific operations. Miller, also senior vice president of Lenovo, will be based in Singapore.

The company has also named Sotaro Amanoas president of Lenovo Japan. Amanoas was formerly corporate director of Dell's home and business sales division in Japan.

On Aug. 21, the Chinese company announced former Dell senior vice president David Schmoock had joined as senior vice president in charge of a new center of excellence on market evaluation and strategy.

Before taking the position, David Schmoock was in charge of Dell's marketing in Asia-Pacific and Japan.

The participation of the four senior executives is considered a strong move by Lenovo CEO William Amelio to strengthen the company's business in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Lenovo appointed Amelio as CEO to replace Stephen Ward last December, the latter being in the position for only eight months.

Lenovo announced in the first half its sales reached 3.5 billion U.S. dollars, up 38 percent from the same period of last year.

The company's year-on-year sale growth of personal computers is 12 percent, with the sales in the Asia-Pacific region, excluding China, up 3 percent, in America up six percent and in Europe, the Middle East and Africa down 12 percent.

(c) 2006 Xinhua News Agency - CEIS. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.

Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS

Carrie Yu, DigiTimes.com, Taipei [Tuesday 22 August 2006]

Chen Jin-zhi, former vice president of Quanta Display's (QDI) manufacturing department, will lead a team of factory directors and engineers from QDI to join China's Shanghai SVA-NEC Liquid Crystal Display (SVA-NEC), with Chen to be the first vice president at SVA-NEC that comes from Taiwan, according to the Chinese-language Apple Daily.

Chen had been appointed special assistant at AU Optronics (AUO) to help in the preparation for the merger between QDI and AUO, which will completed in October of this year. He was recently reported by the Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) to have already stopped working at QDI.

AUO declined to comment on the news.

SVA-NEC will work with Japan's Fujifilm for a fifth-generation (5G) color filter (CF) plant, according to the Chinese-language Commercial Times.

The China-based panel maker has technology support from Japan's NEC and is currently operating a 5G TFT LCD plant, with a maximum monthly capacity of 90,000 glass substrates.

SVA-NEC accounted for 41% of the 15-inch monitor panel market and continued to become the number-one supplier in this segment in June, according to WitsView Technology.

US PC giant Dell Inc is facing an exodus of top executives from its China operations that could affect its business in one of the world's most dynamic PC markets.

Dell yesterday said Junlin Liu and Amit Midha will replace David Miller, president of Dell China, who "has left Dell."

David Miller's resignation followed that of his co-president, Foo Piau Phang.

Foo left Dell last October and joined local PC maker Shenzhen HASEE Group Co Ltd.

Miller will reportedly join Chinese top PC maker Lenovo, which could deal a big blow to Dell.

Last December William Amelio, Dell's Asia-Pacific and Japan president, joined Lenovo as chief executive officer.

Speculation has been rife that Miller's resignation is related to Dell's underperformance in China; but this was denied by a company spokeswoman.

Dell has been performing "pretty well" in China, she said, adding Dell China's PC shipment and revenue increased by 40 per cent and 29 per cent respectively in the latest fiscal quarter.

But analysts said Dell's business in China is slowing down.

According to Beijing-based research house Analysys International, Dell's share of China's notebook PC market grew to 9.4 per cent in the second quarter compared to 9.2 per cent in the previous quarter.

Its share of the desktop market slipped to 7.5 per cent from 8.3 per cent.

"Dell's notebook growth, in fact, is part of an industry-wide boom," said Li Chong, an analyst with Analysys International.

"Dell is facing hiccups in China due to the inadequate localization of its direct-business model."

Dell has been successful in implementing its customer-focused direct model in many countries, but such a practice has not been well received in China, Li said.

Unlike US consumers, Chinese are usually reluctant to open their wallets if they cannot experience the consumer products they wish to buy.

Dell China executives have been trying to diversify the model by bringing in distributors and resellers.

This may have caused disagreement between Dell China and its US headquarters, which could partly explain the exodus of its top executives in China, Li said.

Lenovo has taken on Dell since it acquired IBM's PC-making business, learning from the US firm's direct model to cut costs.

"Lenovo is now taking a diverse approach to China's PC market, which is geographically complicated. But Dell is still insisting on the purity of its direct model," Li said.

Dell's woes are in stark contrast to rival Hewlett-Packard, which has successfully introduced both a distribution system and a direct selling model to its China operation.

HP China has managed to grow both its notebook and desktop shipment in the second quarter.

But Steve Felice, president of Dell Asia-Pacific and Japan, defended Dell's direct model.

"We are growing strongly and profitably, because more and more customers in China are recognizing the superior value of direct relationships with Dell," he said.

Source: China Daily

Siemens China has appointed a new general manager for its Communications Group as a strategic adjustment, a crucial step for its future development, reported the Xinhua-run Shanghai Securities News on Wednesday.

Zhang Zhiqiang, former vice president of Siemens China, is appointed the new position, and will be responsible for all the business of the Communications Group in China.

Zhang joined Siemens China in 1987, starting as an assistant manager in the commercial and management branch. Before his new appointment, Zhang has held management positions in many different business groups in Siemens, including Medical Solutions and Siemens VDO Automotive.

Peter Weiss, the former general manager of the Communications Group, will continue to serve as executive vice president and member of the management board of Siemens China, the newspaper reported.

Source: Xinhua

August 9, 2006

Apple (APPL) is rumored to be removing its general manager position in China and replacing it with four business departments whose general managers will directly report to the head of Apple's Asia Pacific Headquarters.

The four new departments that Apple will set up in China include the Industry Client Business Department (B2B), Consumer Electronics Products Department (B2C) and Education Market Product Department (Edu). The name of the fourth department is still unannounced.

Apart from the manager for the Education Market Product Department who will come from Apple's headquarters, the other two managers are not known yet although local media report that they might be new faces to the company.

A representative from Apple in the Asia Pacific Region has confirmed that Apple is making some adjustments, but he says that the final scheme has not come out yet.

Thursday June 8, 9:30 am ET

KELOWNA, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(MARKET WIRE)--Jun 8, 2006 -- PACIFIC ASIA CHINA ENERGY INC. ("PACE") (TSX VENTURE:PCE.V - News) is pleased to announce that its PACE - Mitchell Drilling Joint Venture Company has appointed Mr. Peter Pacey as Country Manager of its China drilling operations. Mr. Pacey will oversee all aspects of the joint venture activities in China as the Joint Venture Company prepares to deploy Mitchell Drilling Contractors Pty Ltd's proprietary Dymaxion Surface to In-seam Drilling System later this year.

Mr. Pacey is from Australia and has spent more than 30 years in the drilling industry, including twenty years of coalbed methane gas experience. He has worked for a number of Australian drilling companies and is well versed in CBM drilling operations. Mr. Pacey will be based in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China where PACE's President, Mr. Tunaye Sai, and his operational team are located.

As previously reported, the PACE has contracted for the construction of a Dymaxion Drill Rig as part of its commitments to the PACE/Mitchell Drilling joint venture company. This drill rig is expected to be completed in September 2006 and will be ready to be deployed for independent pilot coal mine degasification contracts and for the company's own test production plans expected in early 2007. Degasification of Chinese coal mines represents a significant business opportunity due to China representing one-third of the world's coal reserves and is the world's largest coal producer, and the government mandate to improve coal mining safety standards. An additional drill rig has been ordered to meet the expected needs of the joint venture.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

PACIFIC ASIA CHINA ENERGY INC. is a Canadian based resource company specializing in the strategic development of Coal Bed Methane projects in China. Common Shares of PACIFIC ASIA CHINA ENERGY INC. are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "PCE".

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Tunaye Sai, President

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

SUNNYVALE, Calif.: SonicWALL Inc., a provider of continuous data protection and network, has appointed Tommy Tam as its country manager in China.

The firm also announced today that it will open a new engineering centre at the Fudan University High Tech Park in Shanghai to provide quality assurance, engineering and support for the China market.

Tam joined SonicWALL this year with responsibility for all sales, marketing and pre-sales activities in China.

He is also responsible for developing a network of business partnerships throughout that country.

?CyberMedia News

SHANGHAI, June 18 (Reuters) - General Motors' main partner in China, which will soon roll out its first independently developed car, said on Sunday it was appointing GM's former China chief as executive vice president.
Philip Murtaugh, who served as chief executive and chairman of GM's China operations between 2000 and 2005, will be responsible for SAIC Motor Corp's overseas business, China's biggest car maker said in a statement.

SAIC, which makes Buicks and Santanas in ventures with GM and Volkswagen AG , set up a $460 million unit in February to make its own model of car. It acquired some of the technology by purchasing assets from failed British car maker MG Rover.

It is scheduled to roll out the first car in the second half of this year, and aims to sell over 200,000 of the cars by 2010, 45,000 of them in overseas markets, company executives told Reuters in April.

April 25, 2006

Lloyd's has announced that Ian Faragher has been appointed Chief Operating Officer of its new Chinese onshore reinsurance operation in Shanghai, Lloyd's Reinsurance Company (China) Ltd., effective May 15.

"Ian has over 25 years insurance experience and has worked for a number of years in China, Hong Kong and Thailand. He was previously responsible for the Liberty Mutual and Chubb operations in China," said the bulletin.

Director of Worldwide Markets, Julian James welcomed the appointment, commenting: "Ian brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge of the Asian insurance market which will be crucial as we continue our work with the Chinese authorities to get the new operation up and running in the autumn. We look forward to him joining on 15th May"

Paul Swain, Chairman of Lloyd's China Strategic Steering Group noted: "I am delighted that Ian has agreed to join Lloyd's as our new Chief Operating Officer in China. In Ian we have a strong leader with first-hand knowledge of China and experience of establishing and running operations there."

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--Morgan Stanley (MS) said Thursday it hired Kai Yang as an executive director for its China investment banking team, based in Beijing.

Yang previously worked as chief representative in Beijing for Citigroup Inc. (C) and Swiss bank UBS AG (UBS).

Yang, who will start working at Morgan Stanley in May, will report to C.G. Wu, the company's head of investment banking for China.

So far this year, Morgan Stanley is the top bookrunner for equity deals in China, according to Dealogic PLC (DL.LN), a capital markets data provider. The company has acted as bookrunner on US$339 million worth of deals. The firm was also the top bookrunner for China equity deals in 2005.

http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/060323/15/3zku2.html

(SinoCast Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)BEIJING, Apr 04, 2006 (SinoCast via COMTEX) --UBS AG, a global leading financial service provider, appoints Cai Hongping the chairman of the investment banking business in China.

Mr. Cai, formerly served in BNP Paribas, has 12 years of experience in helping the state-owned companies go public and vie for underwriting business of USD 2.5 million, in which BNP Paribas was a leading bank and arranger.

Robert Rankin, joint head of USB investment banking business in Asia, reveals that Mr. Cai has been doing the investment banking business for ten years and is a senior investment banker. He had in-depth understanding of the Chinese private companies in various industries, including manufacturing, transportation, infrastructure, retail, and power and energy. The coming of Mr. Cai will help UBS AG to improve the current business in China.

Cai Hongping joined BNP Paribas in 1997 and became the managing director in 2002. Later, he was promoted to be the joint head of the bank's Asian business.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Air New Zealand is a step closer to launching its proposed Shanghai service with the appointment of a Regional General Manager for Greater China and regulatory approval to operate three services a week into Shanghai’s Pudong Airport.

Peter Elmsly, currently Air New Zealand’s General Manager for Eastern Region, has been appointed to the newly created role, assuming responsibility from 1 May 2006.

Previously part of Eastern Regions, the move to appoint a separate Greater China General Manager reinforces Air New Zealand’s commitment to launching a direct Auckland to Shanghai service later this year.

Based in Shanghai Mr Elmsly will have overall responsibility for China and Hong Kong operations including the launch of the Shanghai to Auckland service.

Having spent the last three years based in Japan, Mr Elmsly has an intimate understanding of the Asian market and experience in developing New Zealand as a premium tourist destination among Asian travellers. He also played an integral role in reviving demand and driving significant growth following challenging times such as SARS.

He also brings to the role more than 35 years of experience within Air New Zealand in various roles including General Manager of the United Kingdom and Europe markets and General Manager of Cargo.

Mr Elmsly said gaining approval to operate services into Pudong Airport enabled the airline to quickly progress plans to launch its service and start driving visitor growth from China, already New Zealand’s sixth biggest source of visitor arrivals.

“With more than 88,000 visitors to New Zealand from China in the year ending February 2006, and strong forecasted growth, the opportunity to drive significant inbound tourism for New Zealand is endless. I’d like to look at ways of harnessing online sales capability to drive real growth within the Greater China region,” said Mr Elmsly.

In addition to the launch of the Shanghai service, Mr Elmsly will also manage the introduction of the airline’s new Boeing 777 aircraft on the Hong Kong route from 1 July, and driving growth to fill the 30 percent increase in capacity.

With approval to operate into Pudong, Air New Zealand is now finalising slot times with a view to begin selling fares in a few months time, followed by the commencement of services in November.

Air New Zealand will utilise its new 313-seat Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, configured in a format of 26 lie-flat Business Premier seats, 18 Pacific Premium Economy seats and 269 seats in Pacific Economy.

Airfares and flight schedules will be announced once slots have been gained.

The replacement for Mr Elmsly’s role of General Manager of Japan will be announced later.

http://www.etravelblackboard.com/index.asp?id=49724&nav=28

LONDON, April 7 (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank has appointed Wang Tao as head of trade finance for China within its global transaction banking division, the German bank said on Friday.
Tao, who will be based in Shanghai, will look after local trade sales and the expansion of the bank's products on offer in China.

Tao was most recently head of forfaiting for HSBC in China, where he was responsible for delivering both structured financing and forfaiting solutions within the Chinese market.

Forfaiting is a form of trade finance that allows an exporter to grant attractive credit terms to foreign buyers.

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060407/3/2ip78.html

Sony China chairman Kei Kodera retired on March 31, reports Sina. Sony vice president Shizuo Takashino will replace Kei as Sony China's new chairman. Shizuo Takashino has been Sony China's general representative and Sony China design president since 2005. The report said that in 2006 Sony will increase its fixed-asset investment in China by about US$200 million.

http://www.pacificepoch.com/newsstories?id=58459_0_5_0_M

SHANGHAI, April 4 (Reuters) - Sony Corp. said on Tuesday that Shizuo Takashino has been named as the new chairman of its China business, taking the helm in a market the company expects to become its second largest in the next three years.

Takashino will take over as chairman of Sony (China) Ltd. from Kei Kodera, who left the company at the end of March, said spokesman Shinji Obana.

Takashino has been in China for the last year, previously working as an executive vice president connected with the company's Japan operations, Obana said.

The move comes amid a broader global overhaul for Sony, which has posted weak results in the last few years amid a lack of major hits for its core consumer electronics business.

In September last year, Sony's newly appointed global chief executive Howard Stringer and President Ryoji Chubachi unveiled a sweeping restructuring plan that included the shedding of 10,000 employees, closure of several plants and sale of more than $1 billion in non-core assets.

China has been one of the company's few bright spots of late, with annual sales of over $3 billion in a market set to overtake Japan as the company's second largest in the next three years, Kodera told Reuters in an interview last year.
The company has set a target of reaching $8 billion in annual China sales by 2008/09.

But the company also had a misstep in China late last year, when it was forced to withdraw six digital camera models that were plagued with issues such as image uniformity and problems with their liquid crystal displays.

Obana said the company stopped taking back the models in question at the end of last month, but has not begun reselling them in China.

LOS ANGELES, CA and SHENZHEN, CHINA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 04/04/06 -- China Digital Communication Group (OTC BB: CHID), one of the largest and fastest growing battery components manufacturers in China, announced today the resignation of CEO and Chairman Chang Chun Zheng. Yu Xi Sun, president of China Digital, was designated by the board to assume responsibilities of CEO and chairman until the company hires a replacement for Zheng.

Sun said, "We are saddened by the departure of Mr. Zheng, who has stepped down for personal reasons. He has played a key role in the growth of our company. We wish Mr. Zheng and his family all the best. The board of directors has begun a search for a new chairman and CEO."

Sun, who holds an M.S. degree from the Hubei University Law School, began her career as legal counsel at Hubei Xing Yuan Battery Company. She subsequently held a number of marketing positions until she was named assistant president at Shenzhen E'Jenio Science and Development Company. She went on to become vice president, then president of China Digital.

About China Digital Communication Group

China Digital Communication Group, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Shenzhen E'Jenie Science and Technology Co., Ltd. (E'Jenie), is one of China's leading manufacturers and developers of advanced telecommunications equipment. E'Jenie sells advanced high-quality lithium-ion battery shell and cap products to all major lithium-ion battery cell manufacturers in China. E'Jenie's products are used to power mobile phones, MP3 players, laptops, digital cameras, PDAs, camera recorders and other consumer electronic digital devices. China Digital Communication Group is continuing its expansion across East Asia, while seeking distribution partners and acquisitions in new global markets, including the U.S. For more information, visit http://www.chinadigitalgroup.com or contact Roy Teng, China Digital, (310) 461-1322, e-mail: info@chinadigitalgroup.com.

An investment profile on China Digital Communication Group may be found at http://www.hawkassociates.com/chinadigital/profile.htm.

For investor relations information regarding China Digital Communication Group, contact Frank Hawkins or Ken AuYeung, Hawk Associates, at (305) 451-1888, e-mail: info@hawkassociates.com. An online investor kit including press releases, current price quotes, stock charts and other valuable information for investors may be found at http://www.hawkassociates.com and http://www.americanmicrocaps.com.

LONDON, ON, March 14 /CNW Telbec/ - The Company is pleased to announce as part of its corporate restructuring the appointment of Mr. Keith C. Minty, P. Eng., as a director who has also been elected as Chairman of the Board effective today, subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance. Mr. Minty has over 25 years of international mining and financial experience and since graduating as a Mining Engineer in 1978 from Queens University, has established an excellent reputation in the mining and investment communities. Mr. Minty, has previously held the executive position of President and CEO of North American Palladium Ltd., and was instrumental in developing that company into Canada's largest primary palladium producer. Mr. Minty received the "Mining Man of the Year" Award in 2002 for outstanding achievement in the Canadian Mining Industry.

"Keith is a versatile senior executive with demonstrated leadership strengths in developing and executing company strategies related to operations and management, financing and resource and reserve development and brings a solid track record of transforming resource companies into profitable enterprises in the mining industry" commented Sam Halbouni. "I stated previously that our objective was to build a strong management team and board of directors. The addition of Keith as Chairman of the board will provide management and the Company access to a person who has a strong corporate and mining background. With Keith's extensive international mining and financial experience, we look forward to his contribution in advancing China Diamond Corp. and its projects."

In addition, as mentioned in the March 8, 2006 news release, Mr. David Critoph, a Chartered Accountant and a former partner of the international accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche, joins the Company as a director. Mr. Critoph has extensive professional accounting experience having been actively involved in the financial industry since graduating in 1964 from the University of British Columbia

As part of the Company's further corporate restructuring, Mr. Halbouni, who remains as a director of the Company, will now be concentrating his efforts in China to represent the Company's interests as Chairman and legal representative of its joint venture companies, to assist management with the development of the Company's projects, and to liaise with government officials in order to foster relationships.

Additionally, Mr. Michael Michaud, P. Geo., President and CEO, will continue to lead his technical and operating team in existing operations operational improvements and evaluate and develop the company's China projects. Mr. Michaud with Mr. Minty's assistance will continue to improve the company's profile in the investment community.

"On behalf of the Company's management and the board of directors, I wish to thank Mr. Halbouni for his past efforts and his commitment to continue to support the Company" said Mr. Michaud, "For the past 3 years, under Sam's leadership, the Company has developed a strong management team and board of directors and has advanced the Company's gold and diamond projects that establishes a strong foundation for the future development of the Company. The management and the board of directors appreciates Mr. Halbouni's efforts in developing the Company and strongly support Sam in his new role which will focus his activities in China where he has acquired invaluable experience and developed strong relationships. The Company appreciates not only Sam's strong financial support, but also the commitment of his time and dedication to the Company. The Company is pleased with the addition of Mr. Minty and Mr. Critoph that adds considerable mining and financial expertise to the Board".

At the meeting of the directors of the Company on March 13, 2006, the board has approved the makeup of following committees:

Audit Committee: David Critoph (Chairman)
George Laforme
Keith Minty

Compensation Committee: Keith Minty George Laforme (Chairman)
David Critoph
Sylvio Escaloni

Governance Committee: Keith Minty (Chairman)
Lee Barker
Xie Datong
Sam Halbouni

As announced previously on March 8, 2006, the independent committee of the board of directors consisting of George Laforme, Lee Barker, Sylvio Escaloni and David Critoph will continue to take on the mandate to review of the Company's current corporate governance and expenditure authorization policies and procedures in March 2006. The committee expects to report its findings and recommendations to the Governance Committee and the board by the end of the first half of 2006.
Pursuant to the Exchange Bulletin dated February 15, 2006, the Company's securities remain halted pending clarification of the Company's affairs as previously announced on February 24, 2006 by the Company. The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SHANGHAI, April 3 (Reuters) - Wireless media company Linktone Ltd. said on Monday it had appointed its former chief operating officer Michael Li as its new chief executive.

Li, Linktone's chief operating officer from 2003 until January this year, assumes the post following the resignation of previous chief executive Raymond Yang in February, the company said in a statement.

Shanghai-based Linktone also announced it had completed most of its restructuring plan at the end of the first quarter, which would improve the company's financial performance in 2006.

Shares in Shanghai-based Linktone have fallen 37 percent since the end of last year.

SHENYANG, China, March 7, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Great China International Holdings, Inc. (OTC BB:GCIH.OB - News) today announced the appointment of Zhiren (Paul) Deng as Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Fang Jiang, who will remain in the positions of Chairman of the Board and President.

Mr. Deng, 55, joined Great China as its Chief Business Advisor in November 2005. He previously was Chief Executive Officer of Sichuan Exposition Development Ltd., a multi-functional real estate project covering 800,000 square meters, located in Chengdu, Sichuan, China.

From 2003 to 2004, Mr. Deng was the Chief Consultant to Beijing Junefield Group, and for three years prior to 2003 he was Chief Executive Officer of Beijing X&D Property Consultants Ltd, which participated in the strategic planning and sales of more than 70 real estate projects in China. He is a frequent guest lecturer of Real State EMBA courses at Tsinghua University, Beijing University and Fudan University.

``We are pleased to have attracted an executive with the breadth of experience that Paul Deng brings to our company,'' Mr. Jiang said. ``He is widely known as the founding father of China's real estate industry and highly respected throughout China. I am confident that under Mr. Deng's leadership, Great China International Holdings will experience solid growth and deliver strong returns to our shareholders.''

Founded in 1989, Great China International Holdings' wholly owned subsidiary, Shenyang Maryland International Industry Co., Ltd., is one of the largest non-state-owned real estate developers in Northeast China. The company's core business is premium residential and commercial development and management. It currently owns and manages the President Building, which was completed in April 2002, with 25 tenants comprised of Fortune 500 companies. The company's prior developments included the Maryland Building, Roma Resort Garden, Qiyun New Village, Peacock Garden, University Campus of Shenyang Teacher's University, and Chenglong Garden, mostly located in Shenyang.

http://biz.yahoo.com/pz/060307/95339.html

ISELIN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 4, 2006--Techedge, Inc. (OTCBB:TEDG - News) today announced its appointment of Dr. Jean-Denis Shu (MD, MBA) as the CEO and Chief Scientist of its soon to be wholly owned subsidiary China BioPharma Limited.

On February 13, 2006, Techedge, Inc. announced that it had signed a letter of intent to acquire China BioPharma Limited, a Cayman island Company, which has the rights to have majority ownership in one of the largest non-governmental owned vaccine development and manufacturing companies in China. The company's currently available products are vaccines against Influenza and Epidemic Hemorrhagic Fever. Techedge is in the process of preparing the legal document and expect to close this deal in Q2, 2006.

Formerly the Regional Director of Far East & North Pacific of Chiron Vaccines, Dr. Shu is widely recognized as a vaccine expert in China, with extensive experiences in business start-ups and general management in vaccine industry, proven track-record in medical and marketing management in France and China, and strong resource network. His past professional experiences also include General Delegate China for Aventis Pasteur, and Medical and Regulatory Affairs Manager for Pasteur Merieux Connaught, based in Lyon, France. Dr Shu was the author of several articles and books in vaccines.

A French citizen born in Shanghai, Dr. Shu is bi-cultural and tri-lingual (English, French and Chinese). He earned a Certificate of Finance and Accounting from Wharton School, a MBA from the European School of Management (ESCP-EAP) in Paris, a Diploma of Specialization on Gynecology-Obstetrics from Medical and Pharmacy College of Besancon in France, and a Medical Degree, B. Med. from Medical University of Shanghai II, in China. Dr Shu spent five years as Foreign Physician in French hospitals.

"As a witness and player, my career in vaccine industry has developed for ten years together with the growth of Chinese vaccine market that is one of the world fastest growing markets. I am very excited about this opportunity and am committed to lead China BioPharma to become a leading market player in China's enormous vaccine and bio-pharmaceutical industry", commented Dr. Shu.

About Techedge, Inc.

Techedge, Inc. (OTCBB:TEDG - News) is a leading developer of mobile VoIP and wireless broadband solution provider. The Company provides disruptive and low cost communications solutions combining matured radio with VoIP technologies for emerging service providers. The Company has recently repositioned itself to focus at opportunities in the fast growing bio-pharmaceutical sector in China. For more information, please visit its website at www.techedgeinc.net.

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060404/20060404005622.html?.v=1

Launches Shanghai Technical Center of Excellence for Localized Support to China Market

OCEANPORT, N.J. and BEIJING, March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- CommVault(R), a provider of Unified Data Management(TM) solutions, today bolstered its ability to serve global markets by establishing a representative office in China, and announced the appointment of Philip Xu as head of CommVault's China office. CommVault also has increased its investment in the rapidly-growing Chinese market by opening a native-language support center, located in Shanghai, which will provide full support and training to CommVault customers in China. The company also announced the completion of a Master Distributor agreement with Beijing Toyou Feiji Electronics Co., Ltd., (Toyou), one of China's leading providers of storage solutions and professional services.

Philip Xu, CommVault's China operations general manager, will be headquartered in Shanghai. Xu's strong leadership track record in the Asia/Pacific storage software business brings proven industry expertise and reputation to the management of CommVault sales and support offices currently located in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

"The storage software market in Asia/Pacific is forecast to have a compound annual growth rate of 16.8 percent from 2004-2009, according to projections available from industry analyst firm IDC," said Dave West, vice president of marketing and business development at CommVault. "CommVault believes the Chinese market for storage software is primed for growth. We are making the necessary investments to establish a leadership position in this fast-paced market by building a strong local presence, with experienced local managers and full native-language support capabilities. The agreement with Toyou, in addition to CommVault's existing OEM relationships with Dell and Hitachi Data Systems, are validations that CommVault's innovative QiNetix technology and unified approach to data management answer the needs of China's enterprise IT managers."

Localized product, local support and commitment

CommVault has made a strong commitment to the Chinese storage market with the development and availability of a localized, fully-supported simplified Chinese language version of its innovative CommVault QiNetix 6.1 Unified Data Management solution. Full product support and training is provided by CommVault's Shanghai support center, staffed by local, native-language storage experts.

CommVault users in China include Tencent, China's leading provider of Internet and mobile value-added services. Tencent, which integrates IM across different platforms, such as Internet, mobile and fixed line networks, also is the provider of the QQ search product, which enables users to search for web pages, pictures, music, documents and news.

"We rely on CommVault Galaxy, a component of the QiNetix suite, to backup growing stores of data from more than 100 servers," said Mr. Jiang, project manager, Tencent. "As a provider of on-demand Internet and media services, we must meet demanding RTO and RPO objectives. We are confident that Galaxy's scalability, reliability and ease of use will help us manage our explosive growth."

Zhou Zexiang, general manager, Toyou, said, "I'm very happy that Toyou has the opportunity to partner with CommVault. As a recognized leader in the global storage management software market, CommVault's innovative Unified Data Management solutions will provide users in China with better value and a technically superior, cost-effective solution. This strategic relationship will increase the abilities of both companies to support users in China with practical solutions that solve the complex data management issues they are facing today."

About CommVault

CommVault(R) provides Unified Data Management(TM) solutions for high- performance data protection, universal availability and simplified management of data on complex storage networks. The CommVault(R) QiNetix(TM) platform, based on CommVault's Common Technology Engine, integrates Galaxy backup and recovery, snapshot management and recovery, active data migration and archiving, e-mail compliance, enterprise service level management and reporting and storage resource management software solutions. The QiNetix unified approach allows customers to add/integrate QiNetix components, at a fraction of the time, effort and money required by separate point products.

Information about CommVault is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.commvault.com/ or by calling (732) 870-4000. CommVault's corporate headquarters is located in Oceanport, New Jersey in the United States.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding financial projections, which are subject to risks and uncertainties, such as competitive factors, difficulties and delays inherent in the development, manufacturing, marketing and sale of software products and related services, general economic conditions and others. Statements regarding CommVault's beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future are forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results. CommVault does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements.

CommVault Systems, CommVault Galaxy, CommVault QiNetix, DataMigrator, DataArchiver, QNet, CommServe StorageManager, MediaAgent, iDataAgent, CommCell and the CommVault logo are trademarks and may be registered trademarks in some jurisdictions of CommVault Systems, Inc. Product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

http://sys-con.com/read/200427.htm

By Jim Hedger - July 26, 2005

Back in the good old days, headhunters never got sued. If a lawyer went nuts on you, there was always a good shrink available. Being a headhunter meant never having to say you were sorry. Corporate law has evolved substantially since then.

Today, Google is getting sued for headhunting one of the brightest techno-brains in China , Dr. Kai-Fu Lee. Actually, Dr. Lee was in Redmond Washington, working for Microsoft when the deal went down and Microsoft is pretty angry about it all.

In a press release issued last Tuesday, Google reported it had hired one of China 's most respected computer pioneers, Dr. Kai-Fu Lee. Problem is, until Monday afternoon anyway, Dr. Lee was the corporate VP of Microsoft's Interactive Services Division. That got Gate's goat, big time.

Hours before Google issued the press release, Microsoft issued suit in a Washington State court against Dr. Lee and his new employer, citing breach of contract. They are seeking an injunction to prevent Dr. Lee from taking his new position as head of Google's China Division.

"Accepting such a position with a direct Microsoft competitor like Google violates the narrow non-competition promise Lee made when he was hired as an executive," Microsoft said in its lawsuit, as quoted in a ZDnet report . "Google is fully aware of Lee's promises to Microsoft, but has chosen to ignore them, and has encouraged Lee to violate them."

The suit seeks monetary damages for the loss of Dr. Lee's services as well as injunctive measures to prevent Dr. Lee from violating a narrowly worded non-competition agreement or sharing information Microsoft claims as its intellectual property. The lawsuit states that Dr. Lee was for some time, "responsible for overall development of the MSN Internet search application."

Calling Dr. Lee's move a "particularly egregious" violation of a non-competition agreement that was part of his contract with Microsoft, Deputy General Counsel, Tom Burt said Dr. Lee "...has access to sensitive information, to trade secrets about our search technology and business plans and our China business strategies."

Google is planning to open a massive Research and Development Centre in China by the end of October. With decades of investment in science and engineering, and many of the world's top technical universities, China is seen by most in the industry to be the leading IT nation in the near future. It also has an economy developing at 9% or more per year, three times faster than most G8 economies.

The press release noted these factors stating, "China , with its thriving economy and excellent universities, is home to many outstanding computer scientists and engineers. By establishing an R&D center in China, Google is making a strong commitment to attracting and developing Chinese talent, as well as partnering with local universities and institutes. The selection of Dr. Kai-Fu Lee to lead this important operation underscores Google's commitment to building a successful Chinese product research and development center and to expanding its international business operations."

Google VP of Engineering, Alan Eustace said, "The opening of an R&D center in China will strengthen Google's efforts in delivering the best search experience to our users and partners worldwide. Under the leadership of Dr. Lee, with his proven track record of innovation and his passion for technology and research, the Google China R&D center will enable us to develop more innovative products and technologies for millions of users in China and around the world."

As for Dr. Lee himself, apparently he informed his boss at Microsoft on July 5th that he wasn't coming back from a sabbatical he had planned and that he was in discussions with Google about China. In the press release, Google spokespersons quoted Dr. Lee saying, "It has always been my goal to make advanced technologies accessible and useful to every user, as well as to be part of the vibrant growth and innovation in China today. Joining Google uniquely enables me to pursue both of my passions and I look forward to returning to China to begin this exciting endeavor."

This is bound to get more interesting as time develops.

Looking for a down-to-earth, easy to understand guide to all things search marketing? Check out the Small Business Guide to Search Engine Marketing. It's the first search marketing e-book specifically written for folks that know almost nothing about search marketing. It even includes access to a private support forum where you can ask the author questions.

http://www.searchengineguide.com/hedger/005181.html

03.15.2006, 07:58 PM

BEIJING (AFX) - Morgan Stanley's co-head of China investment banking, Zhao Jing, has resigned amid a wider management shake-up in the company's China business, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Zhao, who joined Morgan Stanley in 1994, was the firm's chief representative in Beijing and worked on last year's 9.2 bln usd initial public offering of China Construction Bank Corp, the report said.

She has discussed joining Citigroup, according to people familiar with the matter, but has yet to reach a deal, the report added.

Last month, Morgan Stanley hired Wei Christianson, formerly the head of China investment banking at Citigroup Inc., to be its China chief executive after 11-year veteran Jonathan Zhu resigned to join private-equity house Bain Capital LLC.

Christianson will start working in May after a three-month leave required by Citigroup before joining a competing firm.

In the past several months, the firm has lost several investment bankers in Asia, such as Zhu and India banker Mihir Doshi, who left to join Credit Suisse Group.

http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2006/03/15/afx2598117.html

LA-based O’Melveny & Myers has bagged the former head of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s China practise.

Michael Moser retired from Freshfields' partnership to be replaced by New York-qualified M&A specialist Douglas Markel, as revealed by The Lawyer (27 February). He will now co-head O’Melveny’s Asia practise, alongside current head Howard Chao.

He will work from the firm’s Hong Kong and Beijing offices. Moser has practiced in Asia for 25 years. His experience includes advising on M&A, foreign direct investment, technology licensing, and corporate restructuring. He also has experience resolving disputes between Chinese and foreign businesses.

Moser joined Freshfields in December 1999, after being poached from Baker & McKenzie, where he headed the firm’s China practice.

Moser is a member of the panel of the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), and vice-chairman of the Governing Council of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre.

He was made vice chairman of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) in 2004, and was the first foreign national to be appointed an arbitrator in mainland China.

http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=119025&d=122&h=24&f=46

03.31.2006, 05:15 AM

BEIJING (AFX) - UBS said it has appointed Henry Cai to the new position of chairman of investment banking for China, effective today.

The Swiss-based bank said in a statement that Cai, formerly with BNP Paribas, would work with its mainland banker Zhang Wendong and others in leading its China business.

Cai, who has 12 years experience in the listing of Chinese firms, lead managed more than 2.5 bln usd of underwriting projects in his previous job with BNP Paribas, the statement said.

http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2006/03/31/afx2636335.html

March 7, 2006

American International Group Inc. (AIG) reported that Olin Wethington, former special envoy on China, U.S. Department of the Treasury, has joined AIG as chairman of AIG Companies in China, a new position.

In this capacity, Wethington will oversee expansion of AIG's businesses in China. Wethington will report to AIG Senior Vice Chairman Edmund S.W. Tse, and will work closely with Tse and with AIG President and Chief Executive Officer Martin Sullivan.

Wethington has extensive experience in government and the private sector involving China. He has served in a variety of senior positions in the U.S. Treasury Department, including special envoy on China in 2005; counselor to the Secretary of the Treasury; and assistant secretary for International Affairs.

Commenting on Wethington's appointment, Sullivan said, "We are delighted that Olin Wethington will be joining AIG in such a senior position. Olin's many accomplishments include negotiating on behalf of the U.S. government a number of financial market agreements with other countries. China is a very important market for AIG, dating from the earliest days of the company. AIG re-entered the Chinese insurance market in 1992, the first foreign company to do so, and we now have extensive life and non-life insurance operations in the major Chinese cities. Going forward, we expect to grow these businesses, as well as continue to develop our financial services and asset management operations. I expect Olin Wethington to be a key leader of our expansion efforts in China."

http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2006/03/07/66243.htm

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 27, 2006--The Taiwan Greater China Fund (NYSE:TFC), a diversified closed-end investment company registered in the United States, today announced that its Board of Trustees has appointed Frederick C. Copeland, Jr. as Vice Chairman. Mr. Copeland has been a Trustee of the Fund since May 2004.

From 1995 to 2001, Mr. Copeland served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Aetna International, where he was responsible for all of Aetna's insurance and financial services activities outside the United States and was a member of Aetna's CEO Management Committee. He left Aetna following the company's acquisition by ING at the end of 2000.

Prior to joining Aetna, Mr. Copeland headed the Connecticut operations of Fleet Bank for two years. Mr. Copeland began his banking career at Citibank in 1967 and spent 25 years there, during which period he held various executive positions that included acting as President and Chief Executive Officer of Citibank Canada from 1987 to 1993. He served as Citibank's Taiwan Country Head from 1983 to 1987, at which time Citibank's assets in Taiwan exceeded those of any other foreign bank.

Mr. Copeland has also been the Vice Chairman of Far East National Bank (FENB) since 2005. Based in Los Angeles, California, FENB was founded in 1974 as the first federally chartered Asian American bank in the United States, and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Taiwan's Bank SinoPac in 1997.

The Taiwan Greater China Fund is listed and publicly traded in the United States. The Fund is organized for investment in securities of Taiwan issuers by non-Taiwan investors and follows an investment strategy of primarily investing in Taiwan listed companies that derive or expect to derive a significant portion of their revenues from operations in or exports to mainland China.

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060227005553&newsLang=en

February 28, 2006
Rumors are swirling that Edward Tian, CEO of China Netcom (CN), plans to leave the company to head a new venture fund.

Local media report that Tian will lead a Chinese broadband services fund that could be financed by Rupert Murdoch and Hong Kong's PCCW.

No specific departure date has been determined and officials at Netcom have not made any comment.

http://www.chinatechnews.com/index.php?action=show&type=news&id=3610

Last Update: 10:03 AM ET Mar 20, 2006

HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Shenzhen Investment Ltd. (0604.HK) said it has appointed Joe Zhang, formerly a high-profile research analyst for Swiss bank UBS AG (UBS), as its chief operating officer.
Shenzhen Investment is a Hong Kong-listed company controlled by the municipal government of Shenzhen, Guangdong province, which borders Hong Kong. It has interests mainly in property and infrastructure.