Technology

Twitter – When Freedom of Speech Collides with Business Interests

By Vivian Ni

Feb. 3 – Twitter, the U.S.-based micro-blogging service provider, has recently found itself at the receiving end of criticism due to its new policy that will allow content censorship on a country-by-country basis. The policy adjustment may have revealed Twitter’s interest in returning to the cash-flowing Chinese market, where the government implements strict internet censorship regulations and blocks an array of Western social media web sites.

In a blog post last Thursday, Twitter said that it had refined its technology and gained “the ability to reactively withhold content from users in a specific country – while keeping it available in the rest of the world.” Previously, when the company took down a post at the request of a country’s government, the “tweet” invariably disappeared across the worldwide web. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, FDI and Foreign Trade, Technology | Tagged China Freedom of Speech, China Internet Censorship, China Online Information Filtering, China Social Media, Facebook, Social Media, Twitter, Twitter Censorship Policy, Weibo | Leave a comment

American Express Extends Reach to China’s e-Payment Market

By Vivian Ni

Jan. 30 – Although China has made it more difficult for foreign investors to enter its e-payment sector over the last year, the potential profits offered by the country’s massive consumer population are proving too attractive to miss. Recently, American Express – the U.S. financial service provider that has long considered China as its critical strategic market – established a new partnership with a growing Chinese payment service company, Lianlian Group, by means of equity investment and technology authorization.

AmEx said on January 18 that it will license its digital wallet Serve – a next-generation commerce technology developed to target lower-end consumers – to the Zhejiang-based Lianlian Group. The Chinese company will be allowed to apply the technology in its payment services, but will not necessarily use the Serve brand. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, East China, Markets, Technology | Tagged American Express, China Online Payment Lisence, China Online Payment Market, China Third-party Payment Market, Lianlian Group, People's Bank of China, Tencent TenPay | Leave a comment

Report: Climate Change Could Hamper China’s Rise

Jan. 20 – The effects of climate change could seriously damage the Chinese economy in the near future, according to the Chinese government’s latest research into the phenomenon. Both food and water supplies are threatened with critical shortages, while an increase in flooding and drought could ravage vulnerable areas.

The 710-page “Second National Assessment Report on Climate Change” was published last year, but only recently entered the public domain. Authored by teams of government-supervised scientists, the report builds on an initial assessment conducted in 2007 to provide evidence and forecasting which will shape, rather than set, government policy. Continue reading →

Posted in Science and Tech, Technology | Tagged China Climate Change, Second National Assessment Report on Climate Change | 3 Comments

China Sets New Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Goals

By Vivian Ni

Jan. 18 – In its newest “12th Five-year Plan on Greenhouse Emission Control (guofa [2011] No. 41),” China has set its new goals of reducing carbon emissions in the next five years and called for pilot programs that aim to promote a low-carbon economy.

New goals
The newly released Plan aims to reduce China’s carbon intensity – the amount of carbon emitted per unit of GDP – by 17 percent by 2015, compared with 2010 levels. Energy consumption intensity by GDP will also be reduced by 16 percent during the same period. Continue reading →

Posted in Economy and Politics, Legal and Regulatory, Manufacturing, Regulatory Update, Science and Tech, Technology | Tagged Carbon Tax, China Carbon Dioxide Emission, China Carbon Emission, China Carbon Emission Right Exchange, China Carbon Trading, China Greenhouse Emission, China New Energy, China New-energy Vehicles, China Non-fossil Energy, EU Emission Trading System | Leave a comment

China Unveils Its 12th Five-year Plan on Environmental Protection

Dec. 23 – In the pursuit of a more environmentally friendly economy, the Chinese government has recently laid out a blueprint on pollution reduction goals between 2011 and 2015. Experts believe the new plan will shift the future investment focus in China from infrastructure development to “green” projects.

The “National 12th Five-year Plan on Environmental Protection (guofa [2011] No.42),” released by the State Council on December 15, complimented China’s achievement in pollution control over the past five years and set new goals for the future. Continue reading →

Posted in Economy and Politics, Legal and Regulatory, Regulatory Update, Technology | Tagged China 12th Five-year Plan, China Air Quality, China Emission Reduction, China Environmental Protection, China Green Industry, China Pollution Control, China Soil Quality, China Water Quality | Leave a comment

China Briefing App Launched

Free download includes all Asia Briefing titles

Dec. 15 – China Briefing has launched its mobile app today, with the full website contents being available as part of an application that also bundles together the India, Vietnam, Russia, Mongolia Briefing websites, and 2point6billion.com (emerging Asia) plus a Dezan Shira & Associates section that deals with legal and tax regulatory updates in all these jurisdictions. The app is a free download, and is currently for iPhone. Blackberry and iPad will be available from next week, while the Android version will follow early next year.

Updated every hour, we provide real time news and opinion on matters affecting investment into these countries and regions from the top legal and tax professionals at Dezan Shira & Associates – Asia’s largest independent business advisory practice. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Technology | Tagged Asia Briefing App, Asia Briefing iPhone | Leave a comment

China Briefing Releases New Business Guide for the Greater Pearl River Delta

Dec. 14 – China Briefing has just released the fourth edition of its regional business guide “The Greater Pearl River Delta: Business Guide to South China” – offering business-minded individuals an up-to-date reference source for all of the key issues concerning setting up and successfully operating a business in South China.

By leveraging its proximity to the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau, the Pearl River Delta (PRD) became the “Greater PRD” – China’s manufacturing heart and a region connected not only through financial ties but through a web of government initiatives to encourage its integration. This has included Closer Economic Partnership Arrangements and massive infrastructure developments such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.

Having risen to prominence around the pillar cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen, the Greater PRD today is the home of high-technology in China. While Hong Kong is the regional management center for many high-technology firms, Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Guangzhou are being joined by Zhuhai and Huizhou as centers for the manufacturing of high-technology goods. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Economy and Politics, FDI and Foreign Trade, Manufacturing, Markets, Shipping & Logistics, South China, Technology | Tagged China Briefing Regional Guides, Doing Business in China, Fujian, Fuzhou, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guangzhou, Haikou, Hainan, Hong Kong, Macau, Pearl River Delta, Shenzhen, South China | 3 Comments

Shenzhen Rolls Out New BYD E-Taxis

Photo: Rani Bongiovanni, Dezan Shira & Associates

Shenzhen BYD E6 taxi

Dec. 13 – Shenzhen has begun integrating electric vehicles into its public transport with the recent commercial introduction of local auto-maker BYD’s vehicles appearing on the city streets. An initial fleet of some 300 e-taxis are now plying the roads. Named the E6, the vehicle offers enough space for five passengers and has a range of some 160 kilometers. Plans are currently being put into place to convert all of Shenzhen’s public vehicular transport to electric – including buses and all taxis – over the next five years. Continue reading →