Not all of CITIC Pacific's critics were convinced, however. Analysts faulted the company for having no clear investment strategy. And the company's trading subsidiary, Dah Chong Hong, in which CITIC Pacific had taken its most active management role, was suffering heavy losses. Nevertheless, the company continued to attract investors, in part because of its close ties with China's government; at the same time, however, the company--and Yung--were widely praised for refusing to exploit the political clout of its parent, relying instead on its own entrepreneurial skills to build the company. But competition from other mainland-backed companies was heating up, and as its position as the premier China investment vehicle came under attack, CITIC Pacific needed to step up its entrepreneurial activities. In 1995, the company began reducing its stake in its more passive holdings, such as Cathay Airlines and Hong Kong Telecom, raising a war chest of some HK$10 billion. The company's revenues, however, dropped to HK$10.83 billion for the year, dragged down by Dah Chong Hong's poor performance amid a weak retail market.