The Best Reads of the Week From Caixin
Dear Reader,
Are banks and internet companies China’s new power couple? What new details emerged this week on Wanda’s massive asset sale to Sunac? Why are Chinese tourists shifting from shopping to sightseeing? Why has the toxic gas ozone become China’s top air pollutant? And how can China’s health system cope when an estimated half of its doctors are underqualified? Here are five fascinating story windows into today’s China that I don't want you to miss.
Deb Price
Managing editor of Caixin Global
Banks and Internet Companies: A Calculated Relationship
Lenders and online portals need each other to reach more customers, rein in credit risks
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Internet companies are sitting on big data that provides them with invaluable, real-time insights into customers’ creditworthiness and spending patterns, which are crucial for designing financial products. Photo: Visual China |
New Details Emerge in Wanda’s Planned Asset Sales
Sunac to pay billions of yuan in additional management fees, and seller will help secure bank loans needed to close deal
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Sunac China Holdings Ltd. will pay 13 billion yuan ($1.91 billion) to Dalian Wanda Group to manage for 20 years the 13 theme parks that Sunac is buying from Wanda. Photo: Visual China |
Killer Ozone Rises to Become Top Air Pollutant in North China
O3 grows to prominence as authorities run into trouble curtailing hazardous components
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Ozone is becoming a growing problem in North China. The gas has already surpassed PM2.5 as the top pollutant in many cities. Photo: Visual China |
For Chinese Traveling Abroad, Spending Shifts From Shopping to Sightseeing
Retail consumption accounted for 33% of an average traveler’s budget in 2016, down from 41% in 2015
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A new report shows that shopping has become a less-important reason that mainland Chinese travel overseas, while leisure and entertainment has become a bigger priority. Above, Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas is docked in Shanghai in October 2015. Photo: Visual China |
Underqualified Doctors Plague China’s Health Care System
Nearly half of country's physicians lack medical degree, government data show
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Only 51% of doctors, including surgeons, in China have a five-year medical degree — the minimum requirement to get a physician’s license in many countries. The lack of professional qualifications is hindering the country's efforts to update its health care system. Photo: Visual China |

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