The Chinese Manufacturing Times Are a Changin' For companies buying products from China, doing business used to be straightforward - you placed an order, they shipped the goods. Those days are gone. Chinese manufacturers are struggling, and buyers who understand the new landscape can negotiate deals that were unimaginable just a few years ago. Play
Introduction A toy importer, thrilled about getting its toys from Vietnam at a great price paid $2 million upfront to a supposed "toy maker". The dream turned into a nightmare when they realized there was no such Vietnamese toy maker, and no toys would ever materialize. This importer isn't alone. Many foreign companies have faced
The international lawyers at my law firm have been increasingly fielding inquiries from companies looking to diversify their supply chains away from China. Many of these companies are looking to move their China manufacturing to Southeast Asia. To help our clients moving to or already in Southeast Asia, I recently went to Vietnam, Indonesia, and
About a decade ago, I gave a speech on software outsourcing at a major software event. Last week, I found my outline for that speech and this post is based on that outline, revised and updated. It is largely based on my experiences and what I have learned from talking with clients and other businesses
As the China-US geopolitical environment continues be problematic, our clients and prospective clients have pivoted from joint venture relationships to distribution and similar licensing-type relationships. This is not a one-sided trend. We are seeing an increase in these distributor relationships going both into China and out of China. From the questions we receive, we see
Polysilicon is a pure form of silicon and an essential element in the supply chain of solar photovoltaics, which harness solar power. Roughly 80 percent of the world's polysilicon comes from China. The United States Geological Survey describes rare earths as follows: The rare earths are a relatively abundant group of 17 elements composed of scandium,
The UFLPA, the Question of Legislative Intent, and Its Impact on SMEs Since the launch of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) in the summer of 2022, there has been an undercurrent of discussion in the trade community regarding the law’s real intent. Is the law intended to weed out products made with Xinjiang
Paying lawyers can seem expensive, even if they are only mediocre lawyers. But good lawyers can often save you money because they can save you from your own mistakes. They do that by having both the experience and gravitas to teach you from others’ mistakes. I wrote in a previous post about the PPE nightmare
On August 13, 2019, in Hong Kong for International Business: Stick a Fork in It we made clear Hong Kong would soon cease to be an international business center and companies needed to consider moving out. To say this generated anger would be an understatement. In comments, I was called a "turd", "hopelessly naive" someone
Many years ago, a Spanish client sent me a U.S. Government list of what the government called "Essential Advice for Doing Business Overseas." That article no longer exists, but I came across the email where the client and I discussed the list and I am reprising it below, along with some of my own comments.
