Research & Analysis

As China enters a new stage of economic development, the key to continued growth will be reforms aimed to shift the the country’s dependence on investment to more sustainable areas of development.

 For US-based small and medium companies with representative offices in China, it’s important to think through internal bookkeeping structures and plans. Severe legal implications and financial consequences lie ahead for companies processing payroll and bookkeeping without relevant qualifications.

Shanghai’s maternity leave has increased from the national baseline of 98 days to 128 days, and paternity leave remains at 10 days. Married couples in Shanghai are also entitled to seven days marriage leave in addition to the three-day national marriage holiday.

China’s annual online-retail sales passed those of the United States in 2013. By 2018, they are estimated to reach about $610 billion—passing Europe and the United States combined (exhibit). Yet though the market is vast, succeeding in China is far from easy. While select leading Western companies have captured some of the country’s explosive e-commerce growth, many make basic mistakes, from equating China’s e-commerce leaders with US companies (“Alibaba is China’s Amazon!”) to assuming selling

A series of derailed Chinese technology acquisitions in the US has triggered media reports about greater US scrutiny of Chinese investments. The release of an annual report by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS), which reviews foreign acquisitions for national security threats, further fueled this debate, showing China in the top spot for covered transactions for the third year in a row.

With the release of China’s central government’s 13th Five-Year Plan (FYP)—an economic and social planning blueprint—expected later this month, newly released local plans may point to common themes of raising incomes, modernizing industry, environmental protection, and innovation.Provincial- and municipal-level five-year plans already released include Zhejiang, Guangdong, Chongqing, Jiangsu, and Shanghai, among others. Key themes include increased investment to promote development and commitment

Some Positive Movement, But Major Reform Elusive The US-China Business Council’s (USCBC) released its Economic Reform Scorecard, which tracks developments on tangible progress that the Chinese central government agencies have made toward implementing economic reform and the impact these reforms may have on US companies just before the opening of China’s National People’s Congress. The NPC will deliberate economic reform policies and pass a new Five Year Plan for China’s economy.USCBC’s latest as

One of the most significant questions for global business leaders over the next decade is how to capture Chinese consumption growth opportunities against a backdrop of deep structural challenges in China’s economy. While growth will become more difficult to capture in the increasingly complex environment in which consumer businesses are operating, significant opportunities exist.