Miami

Miami for Asia Business

Miami is increasingly becoming an important hub for Asia business. The city’s enduring status as the “capital of Latin America” is perhaps the main driver of this trend, but ties to other parts of the world also play an important role, as does Miami’s (and all of Florida’s) own attractiveness as a business destination. The

Malaysia

Malaysia on Our Minds

Malaysia is in our minds these days, as the country keeps popping up in our work. This is no coincidence, as the country emerges as one of the beneficiaries of China decoupling. Here we discuss three things you should know about what's happening in MY these days.

Latam China

Cozying Up to China Is Risky for Latam

Russia's invasion of Ukraine starkly illustrates the risk of cozying up to China, which Latam governments and countries should heed. The international community's strong repudiation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine highlights the risks of snuggling up to autocracies, in particular those with military adventurism in mind. As governments and companies in Latam increase their China exposure, they should be mindful of these risks, with Chinese characteristics.

Pig being butchered

The Butchering the Pig (Crypto – Forex) Scam: With Love from China

But lately our international litigation team has been seeing a vertible ton of a particularly sinster scam: The “Sha Zhu Pan” (Chinese: 杀猪盘) or, “Butchering the Pig” scam. The typical email we receive from a victim of this forex or crypto scam is usually something like this.

Latin America map with flags

What Growing China-Latam Ties Mean for Your Business

China-Latam ties are growing. This is an important development for businesses, and not just those in China and Latin America. For businesses in the United States and most of the global north, China presents a conundrum. The lure of its vast markets remains strong, and for many companies it remains the go-to location for manufacturing or sourcing their products. At the same time, there's increasing concern at home about China's behavior. If it was "just" a matter of human rights violations, there might be less concern overall with possible spill-on effects. However, there's also a—not unjustified—feeling that China has unfairly muscled its way to economic dominance. As a result, companies must walk a fine line as they seek the benefits of China engagement, in order to placate increasingly frustrated customers at home. But things are different in the global south.

best practices for tech companies when dealing with China

Best Practices for Tech Companies When Dealing With China

Recently I sat in a presentation with some executives who were sharing best practices for tech companies when dealing with China and the world generally. These were companies that had great success at home and abroad but not surprisingly found China a more difficult market to tackle. Here are some of their tips, along with

Forced labor compliance

Forced Labor Compliance: Your Chance to Be Heard

On December 23 of last year, President Biden signed into law the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). The new law's most salient feature is the establishment of a rebuttable presumption that any product made in Xinjiang violates the forced labor statute (19 U.S.C. § 1307). This will have a major impact for all importers of products from China. Fortunately they have a chance to be heard on the issue of forced labor compliance.

International Trade and Tariffs

International Trade – 2021 Year in Review, Predictions for 2022 – Trump tariffs

The year 2021 began with high hopes for international trade as many thought the incoming Biden Administration would undo many of the unprecedented trade actions taken by the Trump Administration and reset U.S. trade policy.  However, at the end of 2021, most of the Trump tariffs remain in effect and the Biden Administration has largely pushed trade issues to the back burner.  Here, we take a look at some of developments on the Trump tariffs this past year and what to expect for those tariffs in 2022.