Got an email the other day on Chongqing that went as follows: Long-time reader _________from Chongqing here. Hope all has been well with you. First, I’m not sure how this could work into a post, or whether it is simply of interest, but there has been fascinating political and cultural developments here in Chongqing over… Continue Reading
Monthly Archives: September 2009
China History 101. 1949-2009.
Posted in Recommended ReadingFT.com has a very nicely put together, very informative timeline/article mapping out the key points in China’s history. It is entitled, “People’s Republic of China at 60” and its pitch is that it allows you to “follow the key political and economic moments in the history of the People’s Republic since its founding on October… Continue Reading
China Blogs: That’s The way, Uh-Huh Uh-Huh, We Like It, Uh-Huh, Uh-Huh. Part II.
Posted in Recommended ReadingAbout a month ago, in Part I of this series, I promised we would go through our blogroll and justify and expound upon each blog, five by five. This is the second in that series. As I mentioned in that last blog post, we pick our blogs based on the following slippery, vague, and subjective… Continue Reading
China Company Formation: Meet The New Hong Kong. Same As The Old Hong Kong.
Posted in Legal NewsWon’t Get Fooled Again. My roommate my senior year in college was a Who fanatic. And when I say fanatic, I mean fanatic. This guy had lived a few years in London and he had the urban trench coat and the British accent down pat. Most annoyingly, the only beer he would buy was Guiness,… Continue Reading
Understanding China FCPA Risks. Who Is A Foreign Official?
Posted in Legal NewsI am becoming obsessed with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) because I see it as one of the the “most missed” things for United States companies doing business in or with China. The other day, I was interviewed by a news service reporter who asked me whether the FCPA is a big issue for… Continue Reading
China Marketing And Branding. Reading The Tea Leaves.
Posted in China BusinessThe DragonBeat blog has a great post, entitled, “Why foreigners are beating China’s tea-makers on their home turf.” The post is on why China has none of the leading tea brands worldwide, but what it says pretty much applies across the board to Chinese branding in general. The comments are interesting as well, with many… Continue Reading
China Law Journals In English
Posted in Legal NewsChinese Law Prof Blog recently did a post on Chinese law journals in English. His list consists of the following journals currently in publication: Frontiers of Law in China. Peking University Journal of Legal Studies. No online edition, but you can subscribe here. Tsinghua China Law Review. This is brand new, but it shows tremendous… Continue Reading
Everything You Always Wanted To Know About China’s Education System.
Posted in Recommended ReadingTeachingtips.com did an article entitled, “25 Surprising Facts About China’s Education System.” (h/t to China Economics Blog) And though I am not prepared to say all 25 will surprise you, certainly most of them are at least pretty interesting. On top of that, each fact has a link to its source, which usually provides more… Continue Reading
The FCPA And China. Do I Need To Get All Loud On You?
Posted in Legal NewsI spent my high school junior year living in Istanbul, where my father was teaching while on sabbatical. There was one other American family in our Bebek apartment building: the Richards. Adelle Richards was the matriarch of that family and there are three things I will always remember about her: 1. No matter how many… Continue Reading
“Socialized” Medicine In China And The US. What’s That You Say, Mrs. Robinson?
Posted in China BusinessMr. McGuire: I want to say one word to you. Just one word. Benjamin: Yes, sir. Mr. McGuire: Are you listening? Benjamin: Yes, I am. Mr. McGuire: Plastics. From the movie, The Graduate. “Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you. What’s that you say, Mrs. Robinson? Joltin’ Joe… Continue Reading
Topless Women, Rule Of Law, And Perceptions Of China.
Posted in Legal NewsMatt Schivenza‘s always interesting blog has a new post up on nudity (well, sorta) in China, entitled, “Foreign Woman Removes Top At Beach in Qingdao, Causes Major Disturbance.” The post tracks exactly what I was talking about this morning with a client. No, not nudity, but rule of law in China and how so many… Continue Reading
Love In China. Actions Speak Instead Of Words.
Posted in Recommended ReadingI just love this post, “Saying “I love you” with a toilet: of indirect displays of love in Chinese families,” over at the Speaking of China blog. I love it because it perfectly illustrates how Chinese express an emotion (in this case love) differently than in the West. Differently, not necessarily better or worse. The… Continue Reading
Protecting Your IP In China — The Basics.
Posted in Legal NewsStan Abrams over at China Hearsay is (or will be?) speaking on China intellectual property at an IP conference for SMEs in the Netherlands and he has mapped out on his blog what he is going to say. And here it is: 1. Register your IP as early as possible. 2. Don’t sacrifice IP protection… Continue Reading
How China’s Birthday And Shanghai’s Expo Are Good For The Legal Business.
Posted in Legal NewsI have to admit one of my favorite things is forming a China WFOE for foreign companies. I love them because co-blogger Steve Dickinson and our Chinese affiliated lawyers do all the work. I also love them because it is the rare WFOE that does not also need real estate, labor law, and IP assistance… Continue Reading
Our First China Hummer Post. Our Silence Said It All.
Posted in China BusinessVirtually every week, somebody emails or calls me with the perfect (usually distressed) United States company for me to pitch to “all the people” I know in China. I have even gotten calls from government agencies asking me what they should be doing to lure Chinese businesses. Here is what I am seeing. Chinese companies… Continue Reading
China Sex, Mistresses, And Improper Payments, And What They Mean For Your China Business Litigation. Part II, The Contracts Do Matter Edition.
Posted in China BusinessYesterday, I wrote a post on how important contracts are in China. The post was about a China Daily article on what has been described as China’s first foreign nail house. The China Daily article included an interview with CLB’s own Steve Dickinson, who said the case really hinged on the lease agreement (i.e., the… Continue Reading
Will Obama Soon Be Kicking China Tires?
Posted in Recommended ReadingPresident Obama faces a September 17th deadline to determine whether to go along with the International Trade Commission’s recommendation to impose high tariffs on low end Chinese tires. The US has the authority to impose these tariffs under section 421 of China’s complicated WTO accession agreement. There were six similar cases during the Bush administration,… Continue Reading
China’s First Foreign Nail House. Dude, Where’s Your Contract?
Posted in Legal NewsLara Farrar and Xie Yu have written an excellent article for the China Daily and AsiaOne on the recent controversy swirling around what is being called China’s first foreign nail house case. The article is entitled, “1st foreigner ‘nail household’ in China,” and it details the travails Tim Hilbert has been having in getting compensation… Continue Reading
The End Of The Recession? The View From Qingdao.
Posted in China BusinessJust received this email from co-blogger Steve Dickinson: I do my martial arts workout three mornings a week at the beach here in Qingdao. We have a great view of the entrance to the Qingdao port complex. Vessels intending to use the port must “park” for a while as they wait for a berth. For… Continue Reading
China Has 703 Million Cell Phone Users. The Middle Class Is Rising.
Posted in China Business703 million. (h/t Shanghaiist) Think about that for just a minute. That’s about 2.5 times the population of the United States. More than three years ago (gosh, have we really been here that long??!!) I did a post on how China had hit 410 million cell phone users. In that post, I stated the following:… Continue Reading
China Law On Term Employment Contracts.
Posted in Legal NewsOne of our clients is coming to the end of its contract term with the bulk of its China employees. They wrote Steve asking him some questions regarding fixed term employment contracts under Chinese law. Steve’s reply is a made to order blog post, so here goes: Pursuant to Chinese law, you are permitted to… Continue Reading
On The Demise Of China Manufacturing…..Kidding!
Posted in China BusinessBBC radio news did an interview last night with the owner of a company out of Houston, Texas, who had moved his manufacturing from China back to the United States. Unfortunately, I tuned in way too late to hear the whole story, but I heard the following (I think): 1. His company pays its US… Continue Reading
Why Suing Chinese Companies In The US Is Usually A Waste Of Time.
Posted in Legal NewsFt.com has a fascinating and extremely sad story, entitled, “An accident shows how China treats consumers.” (h/t This is China!) It’s a great article, but the title is all wrong, at least if you are a lawyer. The title should be “An accident illustrates why it is (almost always) a complete waste of time to… Continue Reading
"...the widely respected China Law Blog"
