The July/August issue of China Business Law Journal is once again a hefty tome with the addition of our third annual China Business Law Directory. The directory has proved a popular feature for China Business Law Journal, and we would like to thank all the participants who continue to make it a success, and also those who have sent us encouraging feedback about this handy reference guide for corporate counsel, China business leaders and others to locate quality domestic and international legal advisers for all their China-related work.
This issue’s Directory Review feature, Game changers, explores the machinations that herald exciting economic beginnings in China, as regulatory and commercial reforms gather momentum. Game changers canvasses a comprehensive cross-section of the legal community, many of them old hands who see the new reforms moving China towards less administrative interference and greater international compliance. Regulatory and enforcement authorities are loosening controls on overseas investment, while at home developments like the registration-based system for IPOs are being seen as more market-driven, with higher disclosure levels a sign of a maturing stock market. Shanghai’s Free Trade Zone (FTZ) is also indicative of a future where cross-border investment is all but free from restrictions.
At the same time authorities continue to clamp down, with investigations into antitrust and abuse of market positions in particular signalling risk in some sectors. Compliance has never been more important. Game Changers explores the markets, intellectual property (IP), banking and finance, the Shanghai FTZ, telecoms and tech, and offshore issues among others in a must-read review of the legal market for international and domestic law firms, and corporate counsel alike.
With the FIFA World Cup just completed in Brazil, Latam goals explores whether China has what it takes to remain the region’s go-to foreign player. What is clear is that China and Latin America are increasingly looking beyond a relationship dominated by natural resources, which is slowly flipping equations between China and leading nations in the region. We look at regulatory developments in the countries with the most prominent trade relations with China.
Companies with IP to protect will find Quid pro quo an interesting summary of the risks associated with staff who may depart from the company taking valuable IP with them. This article explains the types of risks most commonly confronted, and outlines procedures that can be put in place to ensure staff are properly compensated for their contributions, as well as the appropriate steps necessary to protect valuable IP.
Observant readers may notice this month’s cover is slightly different. We have a new logo on the bottom left branding our parent company, Vantage Asia. The saffron and red are in the exact colours of the flags of China and India, reflecting the two law journals in the Vantage Asia stable. The triangles symbolise mountain peaks, or vantage points, from which clearer perspectives of the world can always be attained. We hope you like it!
