A Federal Register notice that has been released confirms the United States will follow through on threats to raise tariffs this week. Duties on $200 billion of Chinese goods will increase from 10 percent to 25 percent, effective Friday, May 10. The unpublished version is available here; it is scheduled to be officially published tomorrow. While it has not released an official announcement of its own, China is expected to increase its retaliatory tariffs on US exports as soon as the US...
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May 7th, 2019
China’s Ministry of Commerce confirmed on Tuesday that Vice Premier Liu He will still lead a Chinese delegation to Washington, DC, for negotiations this Thursday and Friday, despite impending tariff increases on $200 billion of Chinese goods. USCBC sources said on Tuesday that Liu’s delegation may be smaller than the 100 members that were originally expected.
On Monday afternoon, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke to media about the...
April 24th, 2019
China has rolled out a series of pilot programs employing blockchain to increase transparency and cut costs.
However, China has placed restrictions on trading non-state-backed cryptocurrencies and imposing new requirements on companies that use the technology.
Blockchain’s rollout may present opportunities to work with the Chinese government in the financial and tech sectors.
To increase transparency and lower costs in a range of functions, Chinese government ministries have recently found...
April 24th, 2019
China’s IP regulator has boosted efforts to provide a more immediate solution to malicious trademark application while more comprehensive revisions to the Trademark Law are underway.
Long awaited draft amendments to the Trademark Law were adopted at this week’s NPC Standing Committee meeting.
A new reporting mechanism could enable brand owners to better protect their marks, and the national credit system appears to be gaining ground as a tool for deterring IP infringement.
In one of the...
April 24th, 2019
The US Department of Commerce recently added 37 Chinese entities to its Unverified List (UVL), a list of entities whose end-use credentials could not be verified by US authorities.
These additions, and the complex compliance procedures involved with the UVL, will impose new compliance burdens on US companies involved in export transactions with the listed entities.
The additions were the result of delays by the Chinese government in responding to US government requests for access to the...
April 24th, 2019
The National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) this week approved amendments to eight laws, including the Trademark Law, the Anti-Unfair Competition Law (AUCL), and Administrative Law.
Trademark Law changes focus on punishing bad faith trademark applications, but do not introduce criminal penalties, and will come into effect November 1, 2019.
AUCL and Administrative Law amendments add protections for trade secrets, but fall short of comprehensive reform, and immediately went into...
April 24th, 2019
Leadership changes were made at the Securities Regulatory Commission, Ministry of Commerce, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Finance, and other departments.
Shanghai and Guangdong provinces have promoted several new deputies, vice-governors and vice-mayors.
Promotion of the "Post-70," or government officials born after 1970, is accelerating, and more state-owned enterprise executives took to political posts.
Each year...
April 24th, 2019
The US-China Business Council partnered with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Freeman Chair in China Studies on April 10 to host the US-China Innovation Forum, a platform for experts from industry, finance, government, and think tanks to discuss how to best foster, protect, and advance innovation.
USCBC President Craig Allen and Scott Kennedy, CSIS Freeman Chair of China Studies senior advisor and director of the Project on Chinese Business...
April 10th, 2019
Processing times in Shanghai have increased to over two months for US business visa applications, according to data provided by the US State Department, though shorter times have been reported for other locations in China.
The data reflect the wait time for a visa interview appointment. After an appointment and interview, the State Department takes another three to five days to print and check each visa.
Due to the delays, USCBC contacts at the...
April 10th, 2019
China’s State Council announced that it will be reducing the tax rate on a variety of daily consumer goods, including books, cameras, and bicycles.
The tax reduction is meant to boost domestic consumption and could benefit cross-border trade, ecommerce, and logistics industries.
On April 8, the State Council Customs Tariff Commission announced that it will be revising the system for personal postal articles tax (PPAT)—which was introduced in 2010 and targets small parcels bought by...