I am more convinced than ever that the CCP does NOT want to ameliorate COVID's impact on China because doing so would diminish its incredible power and control over its people. And I'm also more convinced than ever that COVID in China -- more accurately, the CCP's handling of COVID -- will negatively impact foreign companies there for a long, long time.
Recently, I was fortunate to attend a World Trade Center Utah event attended by Minister Jing Quan, the number three-ranking Chinese diplomat in the U.S. This was the first visit by a high-ranking Chinese official since the imposition of the “Trump tariffs”, after which a massive delegation of Chinese officials descended on Salt Lake City
At least once a day, someone — usually a client — asks me if President Xi will hold onto power. And every day, I give a much shorter version of the following half-serious, half-facetious answer: He will hold onto power, but for how long I don’t know. It’s like the stock market. I can right
Even though China private equity (PE) activity has cooled down (see here and here), our law firm has even this year been involved in many U.S. PE transactions involving China entities, employees, and assets. These deals are typically conducted at the U.S. entity level between two private equity groups, with the seller in each instance
Blockchain technologies are inherently international, and China has had its share of news lately. I have spoken on China and web3 from both business and national security perspectives. These new technologies present challenges and opportunities both inside and outside China. This post focuses on the for-profit blockchain developments and opportunities in China.
In its design and use of the National Security Law, Beijing has been quite transparent. The question for foreign businesses is whether they are willing to be as clear-eyed.
For international businesses, the takeaways should be clear. First, the trend of increasing oversight of business activities by the Chinese authorities continues. As readers of this blog will have noted, this is a recurring theme in much recent Chinese legislation, even that coming out of the special administrative regions, such as Macau's new gaming law. Second, engaging in monopolistic practices in China is now a riskier endeavor, with increased penalties for companies and personal liabilities for responsible officers. When dealing with competitors and trading partners, businesses must beware the AML and give it a wide berth to any activity that could be construed as a monopolistic practice.
For the past several months we have been engaged in many transactions relating to China with companies still doing business in China. These companies recognize both the business opportunities and the business risks. (Those who do not fully understand the risks are still doing their business deals without the help of a lawyer on the front end, which means we usually hear from them when something has gone wrong.)
Macau has a new gaming law as of June 21, 2022. On that day, Macau’s Legislative Assembly approved Law No. 7/2022, which amends a 2001 law. While the legal framework for gambling remains fundamentally unchanged, the amended law offers a hint of what is to come, not just for Macau’s casinos, but for Macau itself.
today I am turning that alarm to an eleven out of ten because of the kerfuffle surrounding Nancy Pelosi's expected visit to Taiwan. I do not know for certain whether Speaker Pelosi will go to Taiwan or not, but I am thinking that she will. Most importantly, I have no clue what China's reaction to her visit will be. But I am certain that this trip will substantially worsen relations between China and the West and that those relations will either stay at that lower level or, more likely, continue to get worse.
