legal

Foreign companies and multinationals in China can be vulnerable to internal corruption. Lapses in judgment or inadequate defence procedures may make them liable for crimes committed by employees It is therefore imperative that all companies in China understand the types of behaviours that are illegal under China’s criminal and anti unfair competition laws. This article discusses China’s legislation on commercial corruption and offers advice on preventing acts of fraud, embezzlement… …

In the latest in our series on importing from China to the UK, Mark Davison and Jonathan Christy from law firm Mills & Reeve discuss how businesses can protect themselves from legal issues when importing from China so they can get the best out of the market relationship Importing from China provides huge opportunities for UK businesses. As FOCUS readers will no doubt be aware, China replaced Germany as the… …

In this policy update, Joe Cash explains how UK firms selling into the China market from Hong Kong or the Greater Bay Area can take additional steps to improve the extent to which their business with Mainland China is protected under PRC law Commercial dispute settlement in China is set to become (slightly) more ‘foreign company-friendly,’ following three important changes that China has made to its commercial arbitration framework. The… …

China is increasingly open to overseas tech investors and the burden of regulation is lower than ever before: You should get to know the red tape related to China’s labour laws, Cyber Security Law and others – but it doesn’t need to stand in your way China is a territory rich in potential for UK tech companies, with a hunger for technology and innovation. Yet organisations wanting to capitalise on… …

In this six-part business guide to doing business in China produced by Hawksford, we’ll give an overview of what you need to consider before entering the market. Ranging from localisation, to the legal and banking systems, to type of company set up. This series is a great jumping-off point to understand the many nuances of doing business with China. Part 4: Corporate taxes China’s current tax framework was put in… …

In this six-part business guide to doing business in China produced by Hawksford, we’ll give an overview of what you need to consider before entering the market. Ranging from localisation, to the legal and banking systems, to type of company set up. This series is a great jumping-off point to understand the many nuances of doing business with China. Part 3: The legal system The new Foreign Investment Law regime… …

China has used carved seals known as chops, seals or stamps, for centuries. Whilst they have been replaced by signatures in the west, whoever holds the ‘company chops’ holds the keys to the company, writes Fabio Stella of Hawksford Unlike most of the rest of the world, the use of carved seals (or chops) is still part of the business environment in China, owing to a longstanding tradition with its… …

A number of businesses have received force majeure certificates from their counterparties in China, which were issued by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) in support of the counterparties’ claims for relief from breach-of-contract liability amid the COVID-19 epidemic. What can be done to protect your payments, asks Rosie Howes and Jessica Pyman of Control Risks ? The risk of your business partner failing to perform …

Thousands of Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprises (WFOE) are established in China every year. But for every 3.69 companies established, one shuts down its operations and in 2018 more than 1.8 million companies were deregistered. Consulting firm Dezan Shira & Associates explain the process of closing down a Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise in China Overlooking the more obvious consequences that closing a company may entail in terms of staffing and strategy, problems… …

For many companies in China, the only way to survive the coronavirus outbreak might be to make staffing redundancies. Here law firm Jingtang explain the steps you need to take. As the coronavirus outbreak continues, enterprises in China are experiencing enormous challenges in the management of employee relations. The nationwide implementation of epidemic prevention and control measures has exerted varying degrees of pressure on enterprises, affecting their production, operation and… …