A whistleblower from one of China’s most powerful banks says its shady dealings highlight how Hong Kong’s financial system is increasingly at the mercy of Beijing.
Listen to SupChina editor-at-large and Sinica podcast host Kaiser Kuo read this article.
The roadshow kicked off on a steamy autumn morning in Singapore. Over the course of two days, CLSA, a Hong Kong-based brokerage firm, hyped up a $250 million, three-year bond deal for CEFC China Energy Co., a huge oil and gas firm.
It was 2016, and CEFC was flying high. The company was fresh off a deal to take a stake in a Kazakhstan oil and gas company and a Czech Republic-based bank, plus the company was in the process of developing a massive oil reserve in Hainan, an island province of China.
CLSA was tasked with finding investors for CEFC’s dollar-denominated bond. And during the roadshow, bankers pushed its growth story: the company had more than $40 billion in annual revenue, 30,000 employees and had been recognized as “China’s Most Influential Company” and an “Asia Excellence Brand.” The company was also portrayed as being “closely aligned with
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 David Barboza, Pulitzer Prize-winning former Shanghai correspondent for The New York Times.
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.
China provides a large chunk of Facebook’s revenue and its state media outlets are some of the platform’s most popular accounts — even though Facebook isn’t allowed inside China’s borders. What message is Beijing trying to send?
The Kigali Treaty is a reminder that, when it comes to climate change, competition — rather than cooperation — between the U.S. and China may be the spur to action.
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
