I'm just going with it is not an "official" update because it is only sent to individuals not involved with the merger negotiations and not put out to the public. Also, everyone else's reply to this post was valid in their own right. If Canoe Pool what's to put out an "official" announcement, then I will take note.
I do not know much about Chinese culture or business practices, but I get the sense they are very tight lipped until any agreements are verified and we wouldn't get much from them as citizens or maybe we are still considered outsiders here. Either way, we still have not received ANY "official" updates directly from Canoe Pool and so everything else is disregarded.