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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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FDI and Foreign Trade

Suzhou’s Development Zones – An Introduction to Xiangcheng District

By Michael Keller

Apr. 24 – An opening and project signing ceremony was held at Suzhou’s Xiangcheng District on January 11 in which 16 projects were allocated to different firms – 8 domestic and 8 foreign – with total investment amounting to RMB7.7 billion.

Twelve of these projects are in the categories of either advanced manufacturing (precision machinery, electronic equipment components) or emerging sectors (new materials, environmental protection). Among the firms included were PolyOne, Evans, Digital Innovation Display, and Doony. Continue reading

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

China Customs Revises Hong Kong CEPA Ad Valorem Definition

Apr. 23 – On March 28, China’s General Administration of Customs decided to revise Article 6 of the “Provisions on the Implementation of the Rules of Origin for Trade in Goods under the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) between Mainland China and Hong Kong (haiguanzongshu No.107, modified under No. 142 and No. 198),” which is effective from April 1, 2012. Continue reading

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

Taobao and CTR Release Report on China’s Online Shopping Growth

By Xiaolei Gu

Apr. 19 – To further expound the important role that online shopping is playing with regards to China’s expanding consumption levels, popular shopping website Taobao and China’s largest market research firm CTR jointly released the “Report on China’s Online Shopping Trends 2012 (中国消费风向标报告2012).” The report identifies and extrapolates on online shopping trends in China based on CTR’s continuous single-source survey CNRS-TGI, Kantar Worldpanel, and data collected from Taobao – a facilitator of B2C and C2C retail business run by Chinese internet giant Alibaba Group. Continue reading

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

ChinaGlare – Has Your China Business Become Too China-Centric?

ChinaGlare can diminish the ability to properly assess other markets

ChinaGlare (chī-nə glair): When an Asian regional business, financial opportunity or development of similar magnitude to the economic situation of China at point of WTO entry occurs, but is overlooked due to the over-focusing of an individual or business exclusively upon developments within China as an investment market.”

Op-Ed Commentary: Chris Devonshire-Ellis

Apr. 13 – One of the key peculiarities about operating in emerging markets is one of the issues that makes them so appealing – not only are they exciting from an entrepreneurial standpoint with mass potential markets, but each one possesses a vibrant, almost exotic culture. Just the BRICS alone make up a Lonely Planet traveler’s best dream – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa all wrapped up in one convenient package. Of these, China as an emerging market is arguably the most familiar. A benchmark is to ask someone, say in the United States or Europe, if they have ever been to China and a large percentage will have traveled there personally or will know someone who has. That is less true of the other countries on the BRICS list. Continue reading

Posted in Business, Economy and Politics, FDI and Foreign Trade, Featured, Markets | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dezan Shira & Associates on the Liabilities of the Legal Representative

Fabian Knopf, business development associate at Dezan Shira & Associates, discusses the liabilities of key FIE personnel during a seminar in Suzhou on Tuesday.

By Eunice Ku and Shane McDonnell

SUZHOU, Apr. 12 – Fabian Knopf, business development associate at Dezan Shira & Associates’ Suzhou branch, headed  a seminar at OfficeStar’s Suzhou New District office on Tuesday discussing the duties and liabilities of the legal representative and other key personnel of an FIE. Continue reading

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Guangdong Streamlines the Registration Process for Foreign-Funded Companies

Apr. 11 – According to the Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of Guangdong Province and Guangdong Province Administration of Industry and Commerce (Guangdong AIC), a new streamlined registration and approval process for foreign-funded companies will be run across nine cities along the Pearl River Delta. The newly revamped procedures are currently being trialed in Dongguan, Foshan, and Guangzhou.

The discussion of streamlining the approval procedure came out of an article published in the Nan Fang Daily about the lengthy and complicated process a foreign-funded company went through to get registered in Guangdong. From the registration of the company name to the final approval, the company had to get permission from at least 10 different departments. Due to the number of government agencies involved in the process and the disjunction between them, the process could take up to one year or longer. Continue reading

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

China-India Business Update: Apr. 11

Apr. 11 – Welcome to our China-India round up in which we examine the latest bilateral news and commentary affecting foreign investment in the two countries.

Here we provide a list of recent regional news of interest to China-based business individuals who may be considering doing business in, or with, India.

China Top Economy in 2020, India in 2050
India, currently boasting the fourth-largest economy in the world in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP), will become the largest by 2050, according to the 2012 edition of The Wealth Report. The report also predicts China, currently the world’s second largest economy, will take the top spot from the United States by 2020.

China-India-ASEAN Hot Markets Watch – Live Webinar Download
A 45-minute live webinar download concerning changing China trends, the development of India, and the role of emerging ASEAN (plus Q&A session) is now available. Featuring Dezan Shira & Associates’ Principal Chris Devonshire-Ellis.

Selling to China & India’s Middle Class
How to target China and India’s emerging middle class consumers through a manufacturing base in Vietnam. The reason for this manufacturing suggestion is because Vietnam is a member of ASEAN, which has free trade agreements with both China and India. Continue reading

Posted in Business, Economy and Politics, FDI and Foreign Trade, Markets | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

South China’s Gaolan Port Economic Development Zone Promoted to NETDZ

Apr. 10 – In late March, China’s State Council approved the promotion of the Gaolan Port Economic Development Zone to become the first national economic and technology development zone (NETDZ) on the west bank of the Pearl River Delta. The newly-promoted zone has been named the “Zhuhai Economic and Technological Development Zone.”

Gaolan is roughly 83 kilometers away from Hong Kong, 42 kilometers from Macao, 150 kilometers from Guangzhou, and 180 kilometers from Shenzhen. The 380-square-kilometer Gaolan Port Economic Development Zone was established in 2006 by the government, with the municipal-level administrative authorities and independent financial management power. It is one of the most important large-scale comprehensive harbor industry zones of South China, with a focus on the equipment manufacturing, petrochemical and energy industries. Continue reading

Posted in Business, FDI and Foreign Trade, Shipping & Logistics, South China | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment




Dezan Shira & Associates provide a range of services for companies looking to undertake foreign direct investment into Asia, These include corporate establishment, accounting, tax, payroll, audit and due diligence. To learn more about the firm, please contact one of our specialists at china@dezshira.com, download our corporate brochure or visit at us www.dezshira.com


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