Staying ahead of the game involves not just coming to terms with new situations and changes to environments that may have been comfortably familiar in an older form, but capitalising on these changes. This can so often distinguish success from mediocrity.
The March issue of China Business Law Journal visits this premise often, and the cover article, Old World, smart money, perhaps demonstrates it best. China’s new breed of shrewd investors is targeting a wider and more diversified list of acquisitions in the fast-changing political and economic landscape that is Western Europe. Capital-starved countries in political disarray, like Italy, are providing prime opportunities for Chinese investors who are well researched in their choices, with particular interest in high-tech, precision engineering and recognisable luxury brands. As the face of Europe changes, so has the Chinese investor, delving more deeply into the target destination, understanding better the legal challenges and cultural nuances, avoiding possible backlash and confrontation that sometimes resulted from the all-out acquisitions of the past, and generally showing a new level of sophistication.
In a new section called In Perspective, we present the viewpoints of major law firms on current legal affairs. Open and transparent? looks at antitrust enforcement and the progress made under the Anti-Monopoly Law towards international standards. Three major firms explore issues including the recent high-profile cartel price-fixing cases, MOFCOM’s progress towards greater transparency in anti-monopoly regulation and improving its image at home and abroad, merger control and the law relating to M&A and joint ventures, and the urgent need for companies’ anti-monopoly compliance.
Social media represent a relatively new and rapidly developing platform of communication, but as we are learning, most things on the web carry risk as much as reward. Watch what you tweet shows how senior management of companies listed on Hong Kong’s stock exchange who use social media platforms, perhaps to display their credentials or keep stakeholders up to date, may inadvertently leak sensitive information for the world to see, and act upon. This article explores disclosure regulations and gives examples (some of which were actually posted by executives) of what’s OK – and what might land you in hot water. Excellent advice for those coming up to speed with social media platforms.
China’s relationship with Central Asia has long been established and future relationships are assured in this energy-rich region, right? Wrong. In Golden opportunities, we show nothing should be taken for granted. Chinese investors need to stay updated on often rapidly changing regulatory environments and work on their established relationships. Nations are getting choosier about who their partners are and what they get out of the relationship, legislation is often more restrictive for investors, and competitors like Korea are quick to offer these nations better incentives for investment than China has up until now. The need to update and stay ahead of the game has never been greater.
