China: International Trade & Investment

China has introduced comprehensive administrative regulations governing outbound investment activities by domestic investors, establishing systematic rules for approval procedures, security reviews, and compliance requirements. The new framework integrates previously scattered regulatory requirements on national security, data protection, and technology export into a unified system, while introducing significant penalties for violations. High-tech enterprises and investors must now navigate enhanced scrutin

For the first time, PRC courts have asserted jurisdiction over securities fraud claims brought by Mainland investors against offshore-incorporated, Hong Kong-listed companies. The Beijing Financial Court's landmark ruling establishes that harm to domestic investors alone can trigger extraterritorial application of PRC Securities Law, even when securities transactions occur outside Mainland China.

China's new Regulation on Overseas Investment represents a fundamental shift in how Beijing oversees international expansion by Chinese investors, moving from traditional capital control to strategic risk management focused on technology, data, and national security. The framework introduces lifecycle oversight of investments, expanded definitions of investors, and dual national security review requirements that will reshape cross-border transactions.

When a U.S. company's shipment of protective work gloves was seized at Chinese customs because a competitor held the trademark registration in the correct product class, it revealed a costly lesson about China trademark strategy. What appears to be a simple filing process actually requires sophisticated legal judgment about classification, ownership structure, and brand protection that goes far beyond what low-cost filing services provide.

China's designation of the Responsible Business Alliance and five other US entities under its Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law disrupts the global supply chain verification infrastructure...

I was spurred to write this post by four different companies that came to us in the last two months with problems involving food trucks they had purchased from China. The details differed: one never arrived; others showed up with serious problems. In each case, the attraction was easy to understand.

China's blocking of Meta's acquisition of AI company Manus and the new Outbound Investment Rules signal a shift toward systematic regulation of cross-border transactions...

China's Maritime Code underwent its first comprehensive revision in over 30 years, introducing sweeping changes that expand coverage to domestic cargo transport, strengthen environmental protections through a new oil pollution liability chapter, and modernize shipping practices with electronic transport records. The amendments substantially increase liability limits, consolidate charterparty regulations, and enhance seafarer protections while aligning with international maritime conventions.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has opened a public comment process that could reshape the tariff landscape for U.S.-China trade, offering companies a chance to influence which products may receive longer-term tariff reductions through a newly proposed U.S.-China Board of Trade. Unlike previous exclusion proceedings focused on temporary relief, this initiative aims to identify approximately $30 billion in bilateral trade for potential tariff liberalization while establishing an institutional fra