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.
The past couple of weeks have seen a flurry of important Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) developments. This post flags the things importers need to know now in a way that links back into the bigger picture of what importers need to be doing to achieve UFLPA compliance. Let’s start with the latest UFLPA
Yesterday, the AP published an article entitled Amid Strained US Ties, China Finds Unlikely Friend in Utah. I spoke with an AP journalist last year when they were researching this story, and I know and have spoken to some of the people mentioned in this article. I am not surprised about its tone or its
In China, the United States and the New Normal, I called the US-China trade war the “New Normal” and I predicted a “diminished future for foreign companies” manufacturing in China. I also said that since “the inception of the US-China trade war we have been saying that we do not see its end because we
Last year, I asked my good friend Andrew Hupert of North American Strategic Planning to explain what is involved in moving manufacturing from China to Mexico. I chose Andrew for this because he has spent so much time in both China and Mexico, navigating their manufacturing systems from the inside. My law firm frequently consulted with
Lawyers love to jab at each other, especially when we are friends and operate in different jurisdictions or different practice areas. Recently a litigator friend said to me, “Don’t transactional lawyers just cut and paste? It looks really easy.” I replied, “Don’t litigators just argue about pointless things?” This willful misreading of each other’s skills
