Region

Shenzhen Rolls Out New BYD E-Taxis

Dec. 13 – Shenzhen has begun integrating electric vehicles into its public transport with the recent commercial introduction of local auto-maker BYD’s vehicles appearing on the city streets. An initial fleet of some 300 e-taxis are now plying the roads. Named the E6, the vehicle offers enough space for five passengers and has a range […]

Apple Loses iPad Trademark Case in China

By Vivian Ni Dec. 13 – Apple has recently hit a roadblock in its key growth market China, as a local Chinese court rejected the company’s ownership claim of its iPad trademark. The giant California-based technology company may therefore be forced to either change the name of its tablet computer products in China, or pay […]

China’s First Tier Cities Compete to Attract Foreign Headquarters

Setting up regional headquarters in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen Dec. 8 – China’s first tier cities – faced with various challenges during industrial upgrading and an economic transition – are scrambling to attract foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) to set up regional headquarters (RHQ) in their jurisdictions. The cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen have […]

Foreign Investors Should Be Aware of Labor Strike Tactics in China

By Vivian Ni Nov. 29 – Increasing labor costs have become a major concern for foreign companies mulling whether or not to invest in China, but this may not be the only labor-related issue they should be watching out for. As the recent global economic downturn brings about falling factory orders, an abundance of young, […]

The Man from Ashgabat – Xinjiang’s Key to Central Asia

The Chinese have done a lot in upgrading the infrastructure in Xinjiang, and are helping with developments across Central Asia too. Road, rail, and air links have all been significantly improved. But they can only do so much, and key to this are the Uyghurs.

Photo: Kaisern Chen

Has China’s Demographic Dividend Payout Ended?

Op-Ed Commentary: Chris Devonshire-Ellis Nov. 23 – This is Part II of my essay concerning the discussions and findings of the annual Economist China Summit which took place in Beijing last week, bringing together the cream of China-based businessmen, academics and analysts. Part I may be viewed here and Part III here. In this discussion, […]

The Economist Annual China Summit Summarized

The Chinese Century – Promises, Pitfalls and Presumptions Op-Ed Commentary: Chris Devonshire-Ellis Nov. 21 – The Economist Newspaper’s annual China summit took place in Beijing last Friday, with some 300 senior executives from many of China’s MNCs in attendance, together with political and academic leaders. With this year’s theme being “Promises, Pitfalls and Presumptions,” the […]

China’s SAT Details VAT Reform Issues in Shanghai

The “Circular on Commencing the VAT Reform (Replacing BT Imposition with VAT Imposition) in Shanghai’s Transport Industry and Several Modern Service Sectors” explains multiple issues including services that become VATable, VAT rates, as well as calculation methods, taxpayer status and favorable VAT treatment to specific services.