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China Briefing is a monthly magazine and daily news service about doing business in China. We cover topics relating to the Chinese economy, the market in China, foreign direct investment and Chinese law and tax. It is written in-house by the foreign investment professionals at Dezan Shira & Associates




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Author Archives: China Briefing

Huizhou Launches Enterprise Registration and Examination Reform

May 23 – The Huizhou government held a mobilization conference on May 17 to officially launch its enterprise registration and examination trial reform, which aims to “simplify what can be simplified; permit what can be permitted; accelerate what can be accelerated; and optimize what needs to be optimized.”

It is the first time that the Guangdong provincial government has approved the enterprise registration and examination reform to be trialed at the city-level. As a result, the Guangdong government has ordered the related departments at the provincial level to fully support and guide the trial reform in Huizhou. Continue reading

Posted in Business, FDI and Foreign Trade, Finance, Tax and Accounting, Legal and Regulatory, Regulatory Update, South China | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

U.S. Burdens Chinese Solar Panel Manufacturers with Anti-Dumping Tariffs

By Sofia Liska

May 22 – The U.S. Commerce Department has imposed tariffs of 31 percent to 250 percent on Chinese solar panels, upsetting American solar panel installers, Chinese solar panel manufacturers, and Chinese officials. In doing so, the U.S. government effectively sided with solar panel manufacturer SolarWorld Industries America, who claimed that Chinese companies were dumping their under-priced and illegally subsidized solar panels onto the U.S. market.

The United States had already imposed a tariff in March of between 2.9 percent and 4.73 percent in order to offset the illegal government subsidies received by Chinese solar panel manufacturers, but American solar panel manufacturers were not satisfied. Continue reading

Posted in Business, Economy and Politics, FDI and Foreign Trade, Science and Tech, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why ASEAN Matters For Your China Business

The 2015 Free Trade Agreement will soon kick in. Is your China business ready?

Op-Ed Commentary: Chris Devonshire-Ellis

May 22 – The term “ASEAN” is cropping up more often these days, yet still many businesses in China are unaware of what it is and why it is gaining in importance. The basic answer is fairly simple – free trade across Asia. That means reduced or zero customs duties across a space that includes the 10 ASEAN nations in Southeast Asia, and includes China, India, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. Continue reading

Posted in Business, Economy and Politics, FDI and Foreign Trade, Featured | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

China Clarifies Filing Process for Foreign-Funded Venture Capital Enterprises

May 21 – In order to improve the management of foreign-funded venture capital enterprises (VCs), China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) issued the “Ministry of Commerce Circular on Improving the Administration of Record Filing for Foreign-funded Venture Capital Enterprises (shangzihan [2-12] No.269, hereinafter referred as the “Circular”)” on May 7, clarifying the filing procedures for foreign-funded VCs. Continue reading

Posted in Legal and Regulatory, Regulatory Update | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

China’s Exploding Wine Consumption

U.S., Chile, Australia as well as old world wines all generating increasing market shares as China develops new tastes

Op-Ed Commentary: Chris Devonshire-Ellis

May 21 – China is a country that continues to surprise, even 20 years after I first established my business there. Back in 1992, drinking coffee was limited to the few hotels that even had such a thing as a Nescafe sachet. Last October, Starbucks opened its 500th store, not bad going for a nation once considered purely tea drinkers. The same story, that of changing consumer tastes, has filtered across many F&B markets, not least with wine. In 1992, red wine would be drunk as a highball with coke, and white wine with 7Up. While that may be understandable given the general quality of wine in China at the time, that is not the case today, and rather like the coffee phenomena, wine consumption has sky rocketed and continues to do so. Continue reading

Posted in Business, FDI and Foreign Trade, Markets, Retail | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Severance Pay Subject to Individual Income Tax in China

May 18 – On May 14, officials from China’s State Administration of Taxation answered questions on several hot issues regarding ambiguities in tax payments, clarifying that individual income tax should be paid when an employee receives compensation for termination of their contract.

According to the government officials, if the one-time compensation offered to an employee after the termination of the contract does not exceed three times the local average annual salary of the previous year, the compensation is tax exempt. However, if the amount exceeds this threshold, then the exceeding part of the compensation is subject to individual income tax payment. Continue reading

Posted in Business, Finance, Tax and Accounting, Legal and Regulatory, Regulatory Update | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

U.S. Eases Financial Sanctions on Myanmar

News gives China-based U.S. manufacturers a new neighboring market to consider

May 18 – The United States has decided to ease its financial sanctions on Myanmar after a visit to Washington on Thursday by the Southeast Asian nation’s Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin. The U.S. described the move as a reward in recognition of Myanmar’s dramatic steps to open up its political system.

“As an iron fist has unclenched in Burma, we have extended our hand, and are entering a new phase in our engagement on behalf of a more democratic and prosperous future for the Burmese people,” U.S. President Barack Obama said on Thursday. Continue reading

Posted in FDI and Foreign Trade | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Obtaining a Z Visa, Work Permit and Residence Permit in China

By Xiaolei Gu

May 17 – The Beijing Public Security Bureau announced the commencement of a three-month campaign beginning May 15 to “clean up” illegally entered/stayed/employed foreigners through its Sina Weibo account in an effort to establish a comprehensive mechanism for managing foreigners in China.

According to the Sina Weibo announcement, the Beijing Public Security Bureau will check key neighborhoods, carry out regular crackdowns in certain areas, and review visa applications more strictly and more carefully. Moreover, the Bureau also encourages public reporting of suspicious cases in the city. Continue reading

Posted in Business, Legal and Regulatory | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment



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