China is Killing Rep Offices For many years, Representative Offices (Rep Offices) were the go-to choice for foreign companies entering the Chinese market. They offered a faster, cheaper setup process and tax advantages compared to Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprises (WFOEs). However, the landscape is changing rapidly. A recent conversation with a fellow lawyer friend revealed a
In Cashing in on Internet Censorship, CNN News writes how VPN companies is booming, thanks largely to China. The article discusses how “foreign companies are profiting from software that allows circumvention of government internet controls.” The article quotes one of my law firm’s international attorneys on how businesses that offer firewall avoidance software in China are
When the media and the blogosphere started going crazy writing about China’s plans to ban the eating of dog meat, I made clear to myself that I was going to stay out of it. There was just no way I was going to join that bandwagon. First off, I just did not see it as
There usually is one right way for businesses to act legally in China and if you are a foreign company, your best bet is to know and follow Chinese law. One of the problems businesses face in China is too many laws, some of which conflict with others. In Do Too Many Rules Erode the
The Matt Schivenza blog has a new post, Foreign Woman Removes Top At Beach in Qingdao, Causes Major Disturbance. [link no longer exists]. Matt’s post tracks what I was talking about this morning with a client: not nudity, but rule of law, and how foreigners that do business in China often misunderstand misperceive what China
Comparing Korea and China Lawyers A post like this has to generalize a bit, and there are exceptions to everything I say below. However, having worked with dozens of law firms in both Korea and China, I have noticed the following four problems when dealing with lawyers from these two countries: KOREA LAWYERS 1.Non-responsiveness is
“I hear that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.” Bob Dylan, Man of Peace “I am a man of peace.” Kwai Chang Caine, Kung Fu, Episode 8 “Peace lies not in the world…but in the man who walks the path.” Master Po, Kung Fu, Episode 8 When I took on this task of
This month’s China Economic Review contains an article Steve Dickinson on the Danone Wahaha dispute. The article is an offshoot of a speech he gave for JP Morgan on China Joint Ventures. Steve’s China Economic Review article is entitled Danone v. Wahaha: The lessons to be learned from the tensions within China’s largest beverage joint
Many China law firms on the Internet are completely fake and dangerous as hell.
We will be discussing the practical aspects of Chinese law and how it impacts business there. We will be telling you about what works and what does not and what you as a businessperson can do to use the law to your advantage. Our aim is to assist businesses already in China or planning to go into China, not to break new ground in legal theory or policy. We want to start a conversation with, for and about the person who wants to know "what is what" in China and the practical aspects of starting and growing a business in or involved with China.
