China Manufacturing Output Decreases

Mar. 2 – China’s manufacturing output decreased in February, with the benchmark Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) slipping for the first time in more than four years, to 52 from 55.5 the previous month.

The PMI is compiled by China’s National Bureau of Statistics with numbers above 50 indicating growth and figures below 50 suggesting contraction. Read the rest of this entry »



China Briefing Partners with China Daily and IBISWorld to Provide China Industry Reports

Mar. 2 – China Briefing has partnered with China Daily and the market research firms All China Marketing Research and IBISWorld to provide a series of industry reports covering a number of sectors

Written by dedicated researchers from China Daily and ACMR-IBISWorld, these reports are listed on the Asia Briefing Bookstore and include the following titles:

China Daily
AutoChina
China Banking
China Energy Read the rest of this entry »



Paying Tax by Installment in Hong Kong

HONG KONG, Feb. 24 – As the region slowly recovers from the effects of the financial crisis, some business may still be struggling to manage their cash flow.

Hong Kong’s Inland Revenue Department allows payment of taxes by installment for taxpayers having financial difficulties. Taxpayers will need to submit an installment application to the agency and if approved a surcharge not exceeding 5 percent of the outstanding amount will be imposed. Read the rest of this entry »



Lithium the Next Big Thing for China Investments

Feb 24 – China’s long had a relationship with Latin America, and with the South American continent holding 75 percent of the global lithium reserves, global players are piling in to negotiate supplies of the metal.

With China positioned as the global manufacturing hub for computers, and starting to pull away in the technology race to find viable light weight batteries, lithium – used in batteries and in hybrid vehicles – is poised to become the next oil as a commodity. Usage is expected to double by 2020. Read the rest of this entry »



Tax Rebates for Export Businesses Still Available

Jan. 18 – China’s State Administration of Taxation has issued a circular addressing tax rebates for export businesses.

Export companies with unsettled overpaid value-added-tax can still avail of lump-sum tax rebates under the provision concerning tax settlements for enterprises undertaking a new export business following the Circular of the State Administration of Taxation on Printing and Distributing and the Circular of the State Administration of Taxation on Implementing Tax-Rebates Clearance for Exported Goods in 2003. Read the rest of this entry »



IBM Expands into Accounts Receivable Lending in China

Jan. 11 – International Business Machines (IBM) has launched a financing business in China indicating how the company is diversifying into service, consulting and financing businesses.

The company’s  first accounts-receivable lending license in the country will apply to the Tianjin Binhai New Area, a special economic zone located in the northeast city of Tianjin. Chip maker and IBM supplier Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) will be the company’s first client providing accounts-receivable lending or factoring that will give AMD upfront cash payment for sold goods. Read the rest of this entry »



China Wants More Private Players in Publishing Industry

Jan. 5 – The General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) is set to issue guidelines to encourage more private companies to enter the publishing industry.

Xinhua reports that private companies will be allowed to publish books on science and technology, finance and economy, supplementary materials to textbooks, music and arts, and children’s books. Companies can provide content in cooperation or being a unit of state-run publishers. Read the rest of this entry »



China Industry: Jan. 5

Jan. 5 – This is a regular series of relevant industry news from around China.

Air transport
Taiwan-based China Airlines intends to launch a flight from Taipei to Miyazaki, Japan in 2010. The air carrier will fly on this route two times a week on Thursdays and Sundays. With the new route, China Airlines is boosting the number of its weekly flights to Japan to 81. The company will operate flights to eight destinations in Japan: Sapporo, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Miyazaki, and Ryukyu. Read the rest of this entry »



China to Impose Low Tariffs on More Than 600 Commodities

Dec. 16 – The Ministry of Finance has announced that it would temporarily charge low import tariffs for more than 600 commodities beginning next year.

The scope will include natural resource products, key components for optic communications, public health products, consumer products and advanced machines. High export tariffs will still apply to energy-intensive and resource products like crude oil, rare earths, pulp and billet. Read the rest of this entry »



Major Bottling Company Demands Apology for False Arsenic Claims

Dec. 7 – Major bottling company, Nongfu Spring, is demanding an apology from the industry and commerce bureau of Haikou, Hainan Province for a claim that falsely charged its products of having high levels of arsenic.

The bureau made the claims on November 24 with orders to remove products from shelves immediately only withdraw it on December 1. A separate test conducted by the Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine showed that all the products were safe. According to The Global Times, the provincial health department admitted that the bureau had made “errors in its procedure.” Read the rest of this entry »