Category: Policy & Regulations
Shanghai Revises Minimum Wage and Social Insurance Contribution Rates
The Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Human Resources & Social Security recently released its annual minimum wage adjustments for 2017, as well as the associated changes to employee benefits. The adjustments, which came into effect on April 1, affect minimum wages,...
LGBTQ+ in the Chinese Workplace: Fostering an Inclusive Environment
As awareness of LGBTQ+ issues in China rises, employers are facing newfound scrutiny over their treatment of sexual minorities. Employers have the opportunity to establish safe work environments for LGBTQ+ employees, and become leaders in China’s changing social climate. Doing...
Officials Reverse Course on Cross-border Ecommerce
Providing a small amount of stability in a year of significant changes for cross-border ecommerce, the Chinese government recently halted a move to increase regulation — and costs — of foreign goods purchased online by consumers in China. Observers believe...
Hong Kong Announces Changes to Beneficial Ownership Regime
Hong Kong’s Financial Services and Treasury Bureau (FSTB) recently issued a consultation document on amending the Companies Ordinance law. If the amendment proposal is approved, companies incorporated in Hong Kong will need to identify their beneficial owners and register with...
Changing Tastes: China’s Imported Wine Industry
China’s taste for wine is growing rapidly. A number of opportunities are presented for both online and offline wine importers. The supply and demand side trends, as well as key considerations for the differing distribution channels and challenges in the...
Securing Employees’ Financial Futures
Asian economies are grappling with ageing populations, which place government finances under strain while putting pressure on individual savings as an additional source of income in retirement. The impact is felt more in developed countries, which are at a more...
Expecting in China: Employee Maternity Leave and Allowances
Maternity leave in China can vary widely by location, especially in terms of ‘late maternity leave’ as determined by the local government. It can also be complex for an employer to calculate how much maternity leave and allowance female employees...
How to Handle 4 Anticorruption Compliance Issues
The 2012 launch of China’s anticorruption campaign has renewed US companies’ attention to anti-bribery, competition, and corruption-related policies and regulations. The challenges of compliance have continued to evolve since the US-China Business Council’s (USCBC) 2013 Compliance Best Practices Report, as...
China’s New Environmental Protection Tax Law
In December 2016, the National People’s Congress promulgated China’s first Environmental Protection Tax Law (the EPT Law), replacing the existing Pollutant Discharge Fees (PDF) system in a bid to strengthen the enforcement of environmental regulations. Given the EPT Law’s impact...
Foreign Direct Investment in an “America First” Administration
Chinese entities looking to invest in the United States or acquire US corporations should expect 2017 to be filled with greater energy and uncertainty due to a number of factors. Most notably, the policies and rhetoric of the administration of...