Shanghai – Hangzhou maglev train shelved
Didn’t we just talk about pork? The maglev train that was to connect Shanghai and Hangzhou appears headed to the dustbin of history. The project has been officially put on hold due to radiation concerns according to Xinhua. “The project has been suspended in line with the arrangements of the municipal government,” said a spokesman with […]
Pork, politics and China
Pork has an illustrious history in government and politics. Long associated with wasteful, politically aimed spending – pork barrel politics – pigs have made their home in the slop of governmental politics. In China, local spending on pet projects tends to get the far more sinister moniker of “graft” or “corruption,” and so swine have been noticeably absent from […]
Mongolia Travel Guide Launched in Ulaanbaatar
ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia, May 28 – Just to prove well rounded tax professionals have other interests, Chris Devonshire-Ellis, senior partner of Dezan Shira & Associates and publisher of China Briefing, launched his “Travel Guide to Ulaan Baatar & The Mongolian Countryside” on Friday at the British Embassy in Ulaanbaatar, with all proceeds from the book launch […]
China’s stocks fall as Greenspan comments on bubble
It seems even in retirement, Alan Greenspan needs only to open his mouth for the world markets to go into a fit. He has now given his voice to the growing chorus of analysts voicing their concern at the bubbling Chinese stock market. No sooner had he said this, that the markets in Shanghai and Shenzhen began to […]
China Briefing’s updated Guide to China’s Business Taxes out now
The second, updated edition of the best selling 2007 Guide to China’s Business Taxes is now available with full coverage and all new updates on: China’s Recent Income Tax Unification Impact on Foreign Investors Status of Free Trade and Other Development Zones after 1st January 2008 Encouraged Industries That May Still Obtain 15% Tax Incentives Comments […]
Water dispute in Xinjiang puts China and Kazakhstan at odds
China’s relationship with her neighbors hasn’t always been the most cordial, and as the country’s economy has taken off, it has sought to off-set negative feelings that those neighbors may be harboring. Through projects like the roads China is building in Laos and Vietnam, the opening of the Nathu La pass between China and India, […]
Changsha to increase tourism; Wuhan to spend 10 million yuan on infrastructure
The city of Changsha is to become one of the two centers tourism in Hunan province in the next ten years. According to the Hunan Tourism Industry Development General Plan, approved May 20, Hunan will build tourism around two “cores:” the provincial capital of Changsha and Zhangjiajie, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the west of the province. […]
China imposes export tarriffs, lowers import duties to combat trade imbalance
The Ministry of Finance announced Monday that the country will impose extra export tariffs, while cutting import duties as of June 1 to narrow its widening trade surplus. The ministry said a total 142 low-end and resource products will be hit with additional export tariffs. According to Xinhua, China will impose five to 10 percent export […]