IN BRIEF (Page 6)

Silver Lake to join $1.2b round in key Alibaba arm

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd's on-demand services unit is close to securing $1.2 billion of funding for expansion after getting backing from first-time investors including Silver Lake Management and China's sovereign wealth fund, people familiar with the matter said.

Tianjin clean tech platform promotes cooperation

Potential buyers in the clean technology sector from China can choose to attend investment fairs among traditional avenues - or now they can just open their computers and the relevant information will be delivered directly to them.

Deep losses, scandal face bond dealer

China's top securities watchdog said on Friday that it will step up scrutiny of the internal controls and risk management of the country's investment banks, after a Shenzhen-listed securities firm said it is facing heavy losses in a bond financing scandal.

KFC launches first AI-enabled outlet in Beijing

Kentucky Fried Chicken launched its first artificial intelligence-enabled store in Beijing on Friday, and the fast-food chain said it plans to further expand its layout of smart restaurants, creating more innovative and interesting dining experiences for customers.

ZTE wins Hutchison, VimpelCom Italian deal

CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd and VimpelCom Ltd selected Chinese supplier ZTE Corp to merge and manage their Italian mobile networks in a blow to Ericsson AB, which has business with both carriers.

Alarm bell ringing due to Trump's new pick on trade

Because it is so emotionally charged, populism can be easily guided for a purpose. One example of this is the campaign rhetoric of Donald Trump about how foreigners have "raped" the United States by "stealing" many of its manufacturing jobs.

Certainty in uncertain times

In the context of "certainty" being a scarce resource, the general tone set by the just-concluded Central Economic Work Conference to pursue "sound and steady" economic development next year has undoubtedly eased market fears.

Local govts' subsidies for property purchases serve their own interests

THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF YU'AN DISTRICT in the city of Lu'an in East China's Anhui province recently posted on its official website information about the house purchase subsidies it had provided, which shows that a person purchased 44 apartments in one single community, accessing subsidies of about 800,000 yuan ($115,456) in all. It is time to reconsider the policies of many local governments to subsidize property purchases, says Beijing News:

IPO priority is not financial companies

TEN LOCAL BANKS as well as many securities dealers and futures brokers are reportedly in line for their initial public offering in China's A-share market, raising concerns about the shrinking market liquidity for bricks-and-mortar enterprises and innovation-driven companies. Beijing Youth Daily commented on Thursday:

Law can ensure healthy growth of e-commerce

A PROPOSAL for the draft of an e-commerce law attracted much attention during the ongoing meeting of the National People's Congress Standing Committee from December 19 to 25 in Beijing. China Youth Daily commented on Thursday:

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