Other Briefings
China to stop using corn for biofuel in five years
In an effort to develop biofuel alternatives without harming the general food supply, China is shifting its dependence on corn as the main raw material to sorghum, cassava and sweet potato plants in the next five years. Cassava and sweet potato are both high-yield plants, and while edible, are not a stable food like corn and won’t create […]
New rules for foreigners buying property in Shenzhen come into effect
Foreigners are now limited to buying one home for personal use in Shenzhen. The rule, which came into effect Wednesday, states that all non-mainlanders, including overseas nationals, Chinese citizens resident overseas and residents of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, will be allowed to buy property only if they sign a guarantee that the house is […]
China taxes oil exports by foreign firms
China will impose a tax on crude oil exports by foreign partners in offshore joint ventures the Ministry of Finance announced yesterday. As reported in China Daily, the tax – a 5 percent tariff on oil exports – will take effect August 1, but existing contracts will be granted a five-year holiday. “The move is aimed at […]
China to allow FDI in defense sector
China will allow foreign investment in its defense sector according to state media Tuesday, as it looks to invigorate a long restricted and dormant sector. Beijing News (via AFP) is reporting that firms producing less-sensitive military equipment and products for broader civil and consumer markets will be allowed to solicit domestic and foreign investors as […]
Foreign investment funds scrambling for slice of China’s property pie
Foreign investment in China’s property market reached RMB22.2 billion in the first five months of this year (up 89.9 percent from the same period last year) according to the latest figures from the National Bureau of Statistics. As the Shanghai Daily reports: Global property funds have remained very active tapping the increased demand for properties […]
Developing the Yangtze River
The second tier cities that line the Yangtze River are seeing increased foreign investment as international companies look to move out of the Yangtze River Delta with its high rent and labor costs. As China Briefing pointed out in our November 2006 issue, for export-based businesses in central China, the burden of increased transportation costs […]
Made in China
The eminently readable James Fallows has an excellent piece on manufacturing in China in the upcoming issue of The Atlantic. When not judging beer in Shanghai, Fallows apparently spends a lot of time eating breakfast at the Four Points hotel in Shenzhen. In The Atlantic July/August cover story, he takes a look inside China’s manufacturing world and comes out […]
Islamic finance and China
China has become the world’s fastest growing energy consumer in the world. As the country develops, and the need for energy – specifically oil – grows, China wiill look to deepen strategic relationships with oil rich Gulf states. A result of that will be the opening of China’s banking sector to Middle East investors who follow Islamic […]
