How an army of investigators and short-sellers got the world to wake up and smell the fraud.
Illustration by Nigel Buchanan
The secret operation got underway late last year. A small army of researchers were told to fan out across China, to cities big and small, to collect documents and videotape the activities of the prime target.
The organizers had a hunch that Luckin Coffee, China’s fast-growing challenger to Starbucks and a company traded in the U.S. stock market, was falsifying financial statements to exaggerate its sales. The organizer set out to prove it, deploying 1,510 investigators to count sales and r
Exclusive longform investigative journalism, Q&As, news and analysis, and data on Chinese business elites and corporations. We publish China scoops you won't find anywhere else.
A weekly curated reading list on China from Andrew Peaple.
A daily roundup of China finance, business and economics headlines.
We offer discounts for groups, institutions and students. Go to our Subscriptions page for details.
A former Google software engineer has been convicted of trade secrets theft and economic espionage in connection with his efforts to launch a start-up in his native China. The Wire China sat in on Ding Linwei’s trial in San Francisco.
The world's biggest battery manufacturer is pushing the limits of battery tech and supplies carmakers around the world — but a path further into the U.S. is far from certain.
Now on podcast platforms everywhere, The Wire China hits the airwaves to take you behind the scenes of the stories we cover each week. We are dedicated to understanding and explaining one of the biggest stories of our time: China’s economic rise and its influence on the world.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OKPrivacy policy
