If You Export from the United States You Can Save on Your Taxes With a DISC Election
If you export products from the United States you can save on your US Taxes with a DISC Election
Solar Panels from China: The Next Forced Labor Battleground
In January 2020, we warned American companies about potential problems stemming from forced labor in China: Forced labor is a reality in China. And if you source from China, you need to keep close tabs on your supply chain to avoid forced labor becoming a part of it. In addition to the ethical and reputational
How to Stay Out of Foreign (and Chinese) Jails and What to Do If You Are Arrested
1. How to Avoid Getting Arrested Overseas When my two kids did their foreign study, I told them that they would be bound by the laws in the countries in which they would live/visit and that United States embassies and consulates can do little to help them if arrested. I also talked with them about
Americans, Australians, British and Canadians Are Being Singled Out in China and I’ve Got Proof
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
China Employee Non-Compete Agreements: Essential Guidelines and Compensation Requirement
Many American companies (at least outside California where employee non-competes are generally considered invalid) love non-competes and they use them as a matter of course with most (sometimes all) their employees. Generally, a non-compete agreement or a non-compete provision in an employee contract provides that the employee cannot work for one of the employer’s competitors
Luckin Coffee Files for Bankruptcy in the United States: This is Your Due Diligence Reminder
Most China watchers have spent the past three months trying to decide what a Biden Presidency means for U.S.-China relations. And over the past week, some China watchers also have been watching as mainland Chinese users flocked to discussions on the Clubhouse app, seemingly without sparking concern among Great Firewall monitors. That brief window into
The U.S. Government Hates Companies That Do Business with China: Get Used to It
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
New Law Bans All Imports from Xinjiang
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
“Made in China” Is a Warning Label, But …
On December 2, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a withhold release order (WRO) against cotton and cotton products made by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC). XPCC has been described as a “state within a state,” which “functions like a government in running schools, policing and health care facilities across a number
Five Keys to International Consulting Contracts
Our international lawyers have been getting an increasing amount of work involving the provision of services across borders. International service agreements are more complicated than international product sales agreements because they typically involve an ongoing and more amorphous relationship without easily definable deliverables. It is easier to write a contract to buy 1,000 widgets from