China Briefing Blog: International Law

Home -> Law Blog Directory -> International Law Blogs

OR PHONE (866) 635-1838 for Bankruptcy Help, (866) 635-6190 for Divorce,
(866) 635-2689 for Personal Injury or (866) 635-9402 for Criminal Defense

Find a Local Lawyer

Bankruptcy (866) 635-1838
Divorce (866) 635-6190
Personal Injury (866) 635-2689
Criminal Defense (866) 635-9402

International Law

China Briefing Blog

Provides news, analysis and commentary on economic, business and regulatory issues in China.
By Andy Scott and Chris Devonshire-Ellis

Post Frequency: 3.4/day

Last Entry: May 25, 2010 at 04:47:32

Hong Kong to Send Rebates to 500,000 Taxpayers

Posted on May 31, 2009
HONG KONG, May 31 - An estimated 500,000 taxpayers in Hong Kong will receive rebate checks in September while 800,000 taxpayers may not need to pay taxes for the year, according to the Hong Kong Financial Secretary John Tsang. He spoke during a radio show last Saturday adding that he was assured that recent relief measures [...

Shanghai to Subsidize More Environmentally Friendly Cars

Posted on May 31, 2009
SHANGHAI, June 1 ? The local government is encouraging more people to replace their cars and trucks with more environment-friendly models by giving average subsidies of RMB5,000 starting today until April 30, 2010. The measure is part of the city?s efforts to ease pollution and help the local economy for the coming Shanghai 2010 World Expo...

China Sector Watch: Automobiles

Posted on May 29, 2009
This series will take an in-depth look at the industries that are shaping the Chinese economy today. By Joyce Roque May 29 - It would be in 1901 that automobiles first came to China, mainly in the streets of then turn of the century Shanghai. Then, automobiles were usually imports from America and used by foreigners...

Hong Kong Adds HK$16.8 Billion to Stimulus Plan

Posted on May 27, 2009
May 27 - Yesterday the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) announced its package of tax cuts, fee waivers and spending amounting to HK$16.8 billion to ease the effects of the global economic crisis. The plan includes the waiver of business registration fees, salary tax cuts and two quarter suspension of property rates...

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

Chinese Investors Buy Minority Stake in NBA Team

Posted on May 26, 2009
May 26 ? A Chinese investment group has bought minority stakes of a U.S. basketball franchise and its arena. The group could purchase as much as 15 percent of Cavaliers Operating Co. although the deal is still pending approval from the National Basketball Association’s board of governors...

HSBC and Citibank Cut RMB Deposit Rates

Posted on May 25, 2009
May 25 - HSBC and Citibank have cut interest rates for medium-term yuan deposits for retail consumers below the central bank benchmark. The move highlights differing policies between local and foreign banks. While foreign banks have refrained from lending more, local banks have gone ahead to fund various projects related to the stimulus plan...

Around Asia: May 26

Posted on May 25, 2009
May 26 - A weekly look at important regional news. The 2009 Monsoon Arrives, Affecting India to China The annual Asian monsoon has arrived, touching the western coast of India last Saturday with 5 centimeters of rainfall in Thiruvananthapuram, the State Capital of Kerala in 24 hours...

Tianjin to Expand Rail Network by 2020

Posted on May 25, 2009
May 26 ? Tianjin?s plan to grow its railways system to 470 kilometers of track by 2020 has been approved. Tianjin is a port city located around 120 kilometers from Beijing. Currently, it has one subway line and one light rail line totaling 70 kilometers while two more subway lines and an extension of the [...

Another Chinese Yangtze Species Extinct?

Posted on May 25, 2009
May 26 - Following the sad tale of the extinction of the Chinese Yangtze River Dolphin, it appears the Yangtze River is losing more species, including the giant Chinese Paddlefish, which has not been seen alive since 2007. Reaching 23 feet (7 meters) in length and weighing half a ton (450 kilograms), the creature is thought [...

China Industry: May 25

Posted on May 24, 2009
May 25 - This is a regular series of relevant industry news from around China. Solar power U.S. solar power plants developer AES Solar Energy has signed a supply deal with Chinese photovoltaic (PV) product manufacturer Yingli Green Energy. Under the three-year exclusive supplier framework agreement, Yingly Green Energy will deliver its polycrystalline PV modules to [...

Shenzhen Plans to Expand Economic Zone to Include the Whole City

Posted on May 22, 2009
SHENZHEN, May 22 - The local government has proposed a plan to expand its special economic zone (SEZ) to encompass the whole city as a way to boost its competitiveness during the downturn. If the proposal pushes through, the Bao’an and Longgang districts will become part of the SEZ thus growing the area from 395...

Stanley Ho and LVMH Invest in Upscale Complex in Hongqiao

Posted on May 21, 2009
SHANGHAI, May 22 - Gambling magnate Stanley Ho and LVMH Mo�t Hennessy - Louis Vuitton chairman Bernard Arnault attended the groundbreaking ceremony of L’Avenue Shanghai last May 20. Mr. Ho and LVMH co-invested US$500 million for the project to develop an area of about 140,000 square meters located in the Hongqiao Development Zone and slated to [...

Global Manufacturing in China Changes Tune as Exports Slow and India Rises

Posted on May 21, 2009
By Chris Devonshire-Ellis May 21 - Subtle changes are occurring in the global and domestic perception of China as a viable cheap manufacturing source as the country grapples with the imbalances caused by its export driven economy. While much of China?s foreign direct investment over the past twenty years has come from initially one source [...

CEPA VI Continues Economic Liberalization Between Hong Kong and the Mainland

Posted on May 20, 2009
By Joyce Roque HONG KONG, May 20 - Officials from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong signed the latest supplement to the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) last May 9 to further ease economic activities between the two. The agreement is set to take effect on� October 1, 2009...

MGM Mirage?s Macau Venture Criticized by U.S. Agency

Posted on May 20, 2009
May 21 - In a report, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has recommended that MGM Mirage cut business ties with its joint-venture partner in Macau, Pansy Ho, the daughter of Macau gambling magnate Stanley Ho. The gambling-enforcement agency called Ms...

Sarbanes-Oxley and U.S. Businesses in China

Posted on May 19, 2009
By Hank Bourg May 19 - The Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002 commonly known as Sarbanes-Oxley or SOX after the two authors of the bill, was enacted on July 30, 2002 in response to several major corporate and accounting scandals, the most infamous being the meltdown of energy giant Enron...

Hangzhou Promises to Clampdown on Illegal Software for Microsoft

Posted on May 18, 2009
May 18 - China’s east coast city of Hangzhou has promised to step-up enforcement of anti-piracy laws in exchange for investments from Microsoft. The city has laid out specific targets for enforcement and will encourage local companies to use legitimate programs...

Hong Kong Clarifies Rule on Double Tax Relief

Posted on May 18, 2009
HONG KONG, May 18 - The Hong Kong Inland Revenue Department has released details on Departmental Interpretation and Practice Notes No.45- ?Relief from Double Taxation due to Transfer Pricing or Profit Reallocation Adjustments? (DIPN45) last April 30. The DIPN45 clarifies the procedure for companies wanting to seek double tax relief for transfer pricing or profit reallocation [...

Hong Kong Extends Online Filing of Tax Returns

Posted on May 18, 2009
HONG KONG, May 19 - Hong Kong’s Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has extended the online filing of tax returns to June 4 to encourage more people to use the service. “As a one-month period is allowed for filing individual tax returns, the deadline falls on June 4 this year,” the Commissioner of Inland Revenue, Alice Lau, [...

Security Checks on Foreign Staff in Beijing Increasing

Posted on May 15, 2009
BEIJING, May 15 - Checks by the Public Security Bureau on the status of foreign employees in offices in Beijing have been taking place in the lead up to the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square incident on June 4. The checks include requests to provide passport, visa and resident certificates...

China Cuts Industrial Land Prices by 30 Percent

Posted on May 15, 2009
May 15 - The Ministry of Land and Resources is discounting the minimum purchase price of land for use in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and aquatic products by 30 percent to encourage more investment. The announcement made last Wednesday did not specify when the cut will begin...

Foreign Banks Post Profits Despite Industry Constraints

Posted on May 14, 2009
May 14 - Despite China’s constraints on its banking and financial industry, foreign banks reported robust profits from its business coming from the mainland; providing a respite from troubled U.S. markets. For HSBC Holdings PLC, mainland China was its fourth most profitable market last year at US$353 million in pretax profits an increase of 137 percent [...

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: Implications for U.S. Businesses in China

Posted on May 13, 2009
By Hank Bourg May 13 - The 1988 Trade Act by the Congress of the United States directed the U.S. Attorney General to provide guidance to potential exporters and small business regarding the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, an act all U.S. businesses operating in China need to be familiar with...

China Industry: May 13

Posted on May 12, 2009
May 13 - This is a regular series of relevant industry news from around China. Solar power Wang Zhongying, assistant director of the Energy Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that China plans to boost its solar power capacity to 10?20 GW by 2020...

Plans to Allow Foreign Companies to List in Shanghai Stock Exchange Underway

Posted on May 12, 2009
SHANGHAI, May 13 - Plans to allow foreign companies to list on the Shanghai Stock Exchange have already begun as well as the development of an international board. The local government has concluded an agreement with Britain that aims to improve the stock market...

New M&A Tax Regulations Released

Posted on May 11, 2009
May 11 - China’s Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation released new Merger and Acquisition (M&A) Tax Rules on April 30. It is the first time the Chinese government has issued a comprehensive set to address the issue of tax treatment of varieties of M&A...

Cheung Kong?s Posh Villas Sell Out in One Weekend

Posted on May 11, 2009
May 11 - Li-Ka Shing’s Cheung Kong Property Developers first phase development at La Grande Villas, close to Beijing’s International Exhibition Center, sold out it’s entire stock of house units over 48 hours this past weekend. The development, which comprises luxury houses priced at between US$750,000 to US$2 million, sold out all 138 properties at [...

Inflation Rate Drops for Third Month

Posted on May 11, 2009
May 11 - China’s inflation rate dropped for the third month in a row in April as its consumer price index decreased by 1.5 percent compared from a year earlier after a 1.2 percent decline in March. According to the National Statistics Bureau (NSB), food prices decreased by 1...

Shipping Tax Break for Foreign Ships Extended

Posted on May 11, 2009
SHANGHAI, May 12 -� Shanghai’s local government has announced that it would extend the� tax break for foreign-registered ships until June 30, 2011 in line with its goal of making the city a major international financial center and shipping hub by 2020...

Shanghai Merges Economic Zones

Posted on May 08, 2009
SHANGHAI, May 8 - In a move aimed at streamlining the city’s shipping, business and manufacturing industries, the local government is combining the Nanhui District with the Pudong New Area under one government entity. The partnership of the Yangshan Deep-water Port and the Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone will lead to better port and shipping policies in [...

Previous | Next

Related Law Bulletins

Eminent Domain in China: Private property rights law opens the door to capitalism
by Priya Prakash Royal'The revision of the property law delivers a...

Conflict between Child Custody Laws of China and the United States
A recently-decided case in Massachusetts sheds light on the growin...

Eminent Domain in China: Nail House Rock
What will the new property law in China hold for one woman’s...

China's Eminent Domain: Nail House Down
by Priya Prakash RoyalThe nail house was demolished, but the Chine...

New Baptist Covenant Blog
Last week, I pointed to the New Baptist Convenant website, now onl...