Culture and History

China’s Four Ocracies

The path to power in China is still dominated by revolutionary political divisions

Op-Ed Commentary: Chris Devonshire-Ellis

May 2 – Recent events in China, ranging from the jostling of power for seats on the Central Commission for the CCP, the downfall of Bo Xilai, and the recent escape of activist Chen Guangcheng from house detention in Shandong have all displayed to varying degrees the changing faces of China’s evolution. In fact, in over 20 years in China I have never personally seen anything quite like the vying for influence being acted out in today’s contemporary political scene. The fact that they are observable at all says perhaps rather more for certain factions that are involved in the path for reform than the oft-lauded “freedom via internet” that many believe is behind an unprecedented media coverage of the struggles and power plays currently underway. Continue reading →

Report: American and Chinese Perceptions on U.S.-China Relations

Apr. 23 – An overwhelming majority of the American and Chinese public believes trade is mutually beneficial, but concerns about the trade deficit, intellectual property protection, job loss, product safety, and corruption also make trade the leading source of bilateral conflict, according to the 2012 Public Perceptions & Opinions Survey released on Friday by the Chinese-American cultural-exchange advocacy organization the Committee of 100.

The survey findings provide unique, comprehensive and comparative information that can be used to enhance U.S.-China relations and formulate recommendations on how to forge mutually beneficial partnerships, including leader-to-leader, people-to-people, organization-to-organization, and many others to foster greater understanding and build trust between the United States and China. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Culture and History, Economy and Politics | Tagged Committee of 100, Corruption, Intellectual Property Rights, Outsourcing, Public Perception, Taiwan, Trade Deficit, U.S.-China Relations | Leave a comment

New Issue of China Briefing: The China Manager’s Handbook

Mar. 30 – The new issue of China Briefing Magazine, titled The China Manager’s Handbook, is out now and immediately available as a complimentary PDF download on the Asia Briefing Bookstore.

Deciding who should fill the key roles in a foreign-invested enterprise (FIE) in China is often a source of significant hesitation. Many businessmen and women simply want to know what they’re getting themselves into before signing on any dotted lines. What responsibilities and what potential legal liabilities are they taking on?

Stories of expats having their name added to the Administration of Industry and Commerce “blacklist,” or being “trapped in China” for company legal proceedings, encourage a careful consideration of key positions in an FIE.

This issue of China Briefing Magazine aims to shed a little light on this topic. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Culture and History, Featured, Legal and Regulatory | Tagged China Administration of Industry and Commerce, China Briefing Magazine, China Chief Representative, China Legal, China Regulatory, Legally Responsible Person, The China Manager's Handbook | Leave a comment

China Making Improvements in Copyright Protection

By Vivian Ni

Mar. 16 – China’s video web sites have made “fundamental” improvements in their use of audiovisual products with authorized copyrights, according to Yan Xiaohong, deputy director of the General Administration of Press and Publication. Now, at least 76 percent of movies shown on the country’s 18 largest video web sites are shown in authorized-copyright format.

While people living in China may still find it relatively easy to buy a pirated movie in DVD format on the street, or download a non-copyright edition of a book from the internet, China’s efforts to enhance its copyright environment is undeniable. Major progress in recent years includes the official shutdown of the download services provided by China’s main file sharing web sites such as BTChina and VeryCD, both of which were then major online platforms where pirated cultural products were uploaded and shared by netizens. Continue reading →

Posted in Culture and History, FDI and Foreign Trade, Legal and Regulatory, Science and Tech | Tagged China Copyright, China Cultrural Industry, China Piracy, China U.S. Movie Import | 1 Comment

China Continues Offering Tax Incentives to Animation Industry

Jan. 19 – As part of its support for emerging cultural industries, China’s Ministry of Finance and State Administration of Taxation recently announced their intentions to continue the favorable value-added tax (VAT) and business tax (BT) treatment to the animation industry.

According to the “Circular on VAT and BT Policies that Support the Development of the Animation Industry (caishui [2011] No.119)” released on December 27, 2011, qualified animation developers can enjoy a VAT refund and a reduced BT rate. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Culture and History, Finance, Tax and Accounting, Legal and Regulatory, Regulatory Update | Tagged China Animation Industry, China Animation Production, China Animation Software, China Business Tax, China Copyright Transfer, China Cultural Industries, China Tax, China Value Added Tax, China VAT Refund | Leave a comment

Twenty Years Ago, Deng Changed China Forever

The “socialist market economy” was born this week in 1992

Op-Ed Commentary: Chris Devonshire-Ellis

Jan. 16 – An anniversary occurs this week that may well go unnoticed by many – the 20th year since Deng Xiaoping, China’s premier at the time, visited Shenzhen as part of an unusual South China tour. To set the scene to recall why this was so important an event is to remember that China had not really fully opened up its economy on the back of reforms instigated by Deng in the late 1980s. What had at one stage seemed to be a sincere movement to open the country up came to a shuddering halt in the aftermath of the Tiananmen incident. I was in China at that time, employed by Asia Law & Practice (now part of Euromoney) – it was to be a further few months before I was to establish my firm, Dezan Shira & Associates. That I did so was almost entirely down to Deng’s visit. Continue reading →

Posted in Culture and History, Economy and Politics, South China | Tagged Chris Devonshire-Ellis, Deng Xiaoping, Opening Up, Shekou, Shenzhen, South China, Tour of South China | Leave a comment

Why India Matters

Investing in India makes sound Asia strategic sense when coupled with China

Op-Ed Commentary by Chris Devonshire-Ellis

Jan. 4 – Much has been made of comparisons between China and India, much of it driven by the fact that the two nations are (occasionally reluctant) neighbors, their size, population and simultaneous development and progression. For two nations so large, sometimes at polar opposites, yet at the same time offering potentially comparable market sizes, is unprecedented in history. Yet here we are, 25 years on from the beginnings of China’s first, tentative steps towards reform, and India now looms on the horizon as a giant of Asia.

Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Culture and History, Economy and Politics, FDI and Foreign Trade, Featured | 4 Comments

China to Offer Incentives to Its High-Tech, Cultural Industries

Dec. 12 – In a recent statement, China’s State Administration of Taxation (SAT) has vowed to offer more tax incentives to the country’s cultural industries, especially those emerging cultural industries essential to China’s advancement in technological innovation.

Favorable policies will mainly go to high-tech as well as emerging cultural industries, and nonprofit cultural organizations. Continue reading →