China's NetDragon to acquire British education enterprise
September 17, 2015
NetDragon Websoft Inc. on Thursday said it would purchase Promethean World Plc., a British educational enterprise, through one of its indirect non-wholly owned subsidiaries, at a price of 40 British pence (62 U.S. cents) per share.
In July, NetDragon has made an estimated 848 million pound offer through its subsidiary, Digital Train Ltd., for the entire issued and to-be issued ordinary share capital of Promethean.
According to a statement published by NetDragon, as of 3 p.m. GMT Wednesday, Digital Train had already acquired 95.88 percent of Promethean's issued share capital, and the whole purchase is expected to be complete in October or November.
NetDragon is a leading Chinese online games and mobile applications development company.
Promethean is a leading education solution provider, listed on the London Stock Exchange.
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Bright Food takes a bite in NZ with stake in meat cooperative
September 16, 2015
A Shanghai Maling Aquarius Co Ltd stand at a food exposition in Shanghai. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Shanghai Maling Aquarius Co Ltd, a unit of the State-owned Bright Food Group Co Ltd, is acquiring a 50 percent stake in New Zealand's biggest meat cooperative for NZ$311 million ($197 million), as China looks to import more agricultural products to satiate demand from consumers.
Sheep and beef exporter Silver Fern Farms said on Tuesday that the stake sale will give it funds to repay debt and boost exports. Consequent to the deal, Shanghai Maling will become the top beef and lamb processor in China, with expected operating revenues of 25 billion yuan ($3.9 billion) to 30 billion yuan.
In addition, the company will have a comprehensive platform to slaughter, process and export beef and lamb products.
"The deal will also give Maling access to 25 percent of the high-quality beef and lamb supply sources. This will support the company expansion plans and cater to the growing need for high-end beef and lamb products from local consumers," the Chinese company said in a statement to the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
New Zealand is the world's biggest lamb exporter and the fifth-largest overseas supplier of beef, with more than 30 percent of its export in value terms flowing to the Chinese market.
Silver Fern Farms, a farmers' cooperative, controls about 27 percent of New Zealand's beef and lamb exports and is the second-largest agricultural product exporter in New Zealand after Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd.
Its beef and venison products are ranked first in terms of market share in New Zealand, while in lamb it is placed second.
The Maling deal is the latest in a series of overseas agricultural investments by Chinese companies.
Shuanghui Group, a Chinese meat processor based in Luohe, Henan province, completed the $7.1 billion acquisition of the United States-based pork processor, Smithfield Foods Inc, in 2013.
According to the target set in the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) for the food industry, 10 large enterprises with sales revenue of more than 10 billion yuan will be set up, and two or three of them will be globally influential and competitive by the end of this year.
"With rising public attention of food quality, more traditional meat processors like Maling and Shuanghui are expanding their functions to be capable of raising livestock, producing and delivering meat products," said Hu Yanchao, an analyst from Qilu Securities Co Ltd in Jinan, Shandong province.
Hu said that the growing demand for beef and lamb products has eaten into pork and chicken demand, which also encouraged Maling to make the overseas acquisition.
The growth in Chinese investment abroad has been largely due to the government support for the "going global" process and the desire by some companies to strengthen their international supply chains.
A senior official at Shanghai Maling told China Daily that the detailed terms of the agreement are still under discussion and will be released when the deal is complete.
Maling's parent, Bright Food Group, has also been on an overseas acquisition spree. It has already bought United Kingdom-based cereal maker Weetabix Ltd and Australian dairy company Mundella Foods Pty Ltd, and also owns a 40 percent stake in New Zealand infant formula processor Synlait Milk Ltd.
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Chinese group buys Turkish port for $940 mn
September 17, 2015, 5:45 am
Kumport has an annual capacity of 1.84 million TEUs of container traffic and has room for expansion to up to 3.5 million TEU capacity [Image: Kumport]
A joint venture set up by a Chinese investor consortium has bought a 65 per cent stake inTurkey’s third largest container terminal for $940 million, the company announced Thursday.
China Merchants teamed up with COSCO Pacific Ltd. and a subsidiary of China Investment Corp. to buy the stake in the Turkish company that now effectively gives the Chinese group the control over its port facility.
A report filed by China COSCO Holdings to the Shanghai Stock Exchange said the investors purchased Kumport Terminal, located on the northwest coast of the Marmara Sea on the European side of Istanbul.
COSCO Pacific is a subsidiary of China COSCO Holdings, the country’s largest shipper.
Kumport has an annual capacity of 1.84 million TEUs of container traffic and has room for expansion to up to 3.5 million TEU capacity.
Located at a gateway to the Black Sea and a strategic interchange between Europe and Asia, the deal is a valuable investment opportunity for COSCO Pacific aiding in Beijing’s ambitious Silk Belt plans.
Turkey is a strategic location along the “One Belt One Road”, an infrastructure and trade network proposed by China.
Turkey expects to become a manufacturing and logistics base for Chinese enterprises, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing in July this year.
Turkey suggested a special free-trade zone that will enable Chinese firms to carry out trade and production in Turkey, said Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci during bilateral talks with Chinese Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng in Beijing.
Source:
Chinese Economy News & Updates | Page 374