Wanda is already the largest commercial developer in China. And CEO Wang Jianlin is China’s richest person, more or less. But in the last two years, they have been making large moves into entertainment and other asset-light industries. They bought AMC and are now the largest owner of movie theatres in the US and China.
Going after a major Hollywood studio is logical. And they have been circling for a while. And keep in mind, Japanese Sony bought Columbia Pictures in a similar move in the late 1980’s. Wanda can afford it and could easily end up as one of the major players in Hollywood. Current likely candidates are Lionsgate and MGM.
American Tesla and Japanese Nissan lead in electric cars (not hybrids) by market share and technology. But winning in electric cars will require advanced Western technology, the US market and the China market. You can’t win without China (given its population and pollution problems).
But Chinese Wanxiang is advancing rapidly. While Tesla has struggled to grow in China, Wanxiang is making quick progress buying Western companies with electric car technology. In 2014, they purchased Fisker Auto out of US bankruptcy court. They previously bought battery-maker A123.
The potential surprise here is Wanxiang rocketing up in China sales. They now have the operating platform and complete working models. They could leap-frog Tesla in sales and become the largest electric car company in China. That would likely make them the leader globally.
There is a lot of capital, expertise and government support now going into modernizing the Chinese healthcare sector. But the industry is more known for its impressive and long-standing stagnation than it’s development.