Features & Analyses

Futures trading in China has had a chequered past. New rules make for a limited opening of the sector, and might constitute a new beginning for China's futures markets, though further legislation is needed to clarify the opportunities for foreign investors.

The Ministry of Agriculture issued new rules on infringement cases involving plant varieties. They constitute another important part of the regulatory infrastructure for the protection of PVRs in China.

On December 6 2002 the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress passed the Guangdong Province, Electronic Transactions Regulations (the Regulations). These are the first regulations in China to address the particulars of electronic transactions.

Over a year after its WTO accession, how has China done in the key securities, fund management and insurance markets?

New regulations from the central bank target the use of financial institutions to launder funds obtained by criminal means. Under new rules, both renminbi and foreign currency transfers through financial institutions under the PBOC's supervision will come under heightened scrutiny.

False profit statements and other forms of misrepresentation have plagued China's securities markets for years. A new SPC regulation directs the government's efforts to clean up the markets.

The PRC's new Foreign Debt Administration Tentative Procedures set out tighter foreign debt registration requirements, while collecting and putting a high-level government imprimatur on various policies and practices.

Legislative issues arising out of the popularity of the Internet in China include the thorny problems of privacy and the rights of the individual. The debate is more complicated in a State where the interests of society as a whole have always been seen as paramount.

China's environment has taken a beating over the past decades when economic growth has been the government's priority. The government is now making a keen effort to tackle the problems, and is devoting resources to major projects.