As the PRC plans for the next decade of Xi Jinping rule, economic planning is at the forefront. Xi Jinping’s core policy for that decade is his new concept of dual circulation 双循环. The concept is that for economic development China must rely both on domestic economic development and on China’s participation in the international
One of the things I’ve done since the inception of this blog is try to help young people in trouble in China. Mostly this has involved my telling thousands of English teachers NOT to cause a stink with their employers that have not paid them. I tell them I understand why they are angering at
Got an email the other day enclosing a link to a Globe and Mail article, Vancouver miner says China trying to steal Xinjiang gold mine, and stating the following: I literally chuckled when I read this. Only for the reason that it pretty much checked off every point you have warned about. They certainly would
Got an email from an American client this morning asking me whether I was aware of how American companies that do “significant” business with China cannot receive Paycheck Protection Program (PPP2) loans. I replied that I was not, because my focus is not on domestic U.S. law or business. But then I started thinking more
On January 3, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced a ban on cotton products and tomato products produced in Xinjiang, based on information “that reasonably indicates the use of detainee or prison labor and situations of forced labor.” This does not come as a surprise: We warned about such a ban on cotton in
In a recent op-ed, I wrote how the controversy over Disney’s Mulan embodies some of the ethical dilemmas and pitfalls that face companies doing business in China. On one hand, to maintain their presence in China these companies must comply with the demands and expectations of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). On the other hand,
U.S. companies’ relationships with their Chinese business partners have been strained in the past year, and that has only accelerated the past few months, as we have noted in prior blog posts (see The US-China Trade War: What’s Next?, When Will the US-China Trade War End? It’s the New Normal, and The US-China Trade War:
On December 23, President Biden signed a new law that bans all imports from Xinjiang. Specifically, the new law establishes a rebuttable presumption that any product from Xinjiang was made using forced labor. Some observations: 1. Not Just a Xinjiang Problem We have repeatedly pointed out in these pages that even a total ban on
As China steps up its tax enforcement against both foreign companies and foreigners, we are seeing increasing instances where expat employees working in China are having their salaries “split” by their Chinese or foreign company employers. We strongly counsel our employer clients against doing this sort of salary splitting and we even more strongly counsel
As part of our China employment work, our China employment lawyers are often tasked with helping expats navigate the China employee onboarding process, including reviewing and revising their employment-related documents, such as employment contracts. This involves our making sure our clients’ contracts protect their interests and achieve their goals and minimize the likelihood of confusion
