Legal

China's new social insurance law demonstrates the government's aim to promote equality among all those residing in China, however, more regulations are needed to implement the principles of coverage

The Measures states that mainland enterprises are encouraged to invest in Taiwan to realise mutual benefits and a win-win situation for the economies on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

The codification of China's civil law took a big step forward with Beijing's release of its hallmark statute on conflict rules. The government is now more flexible in dealing with foreign-related civil relationships, but party autonomy limitations are likely to affect judicial practice

At this year's China Outbound Summit, held in Beijing on September 16, nearly all of the panelists highlighted the importance of properly planning for post-merger integration (PMI). As China's appetite for overseas buying grows and PRC companies increasingly roam offshore for targets, it is imperative they consider PMI details earlier along the deal course and allocate sufficient resources to PMI-planning

A new circular eases the approval process for overseas players engaging in online sales and business through vending machines. It clarifies the types of business activities foreign enterprises can partake in, but still lacks guidelines on what distinguishes a for-profit internet content provider from a non-profit one

The PRC government rolled out numerous measures to rein in soaring housing prices this year, but that's not the only story from this sector. In addition to the implementation of Circular 698 and the toughened stance of Circular 186 on foreigner purchase restrictions, the real estate market is gearing up for an injection of fresh investment from insurance companies

The law comprises five types of social insurance: basic old-age insurance, basic medical insurance, occupational injury insurance, unemployment insurance and maternity insurance.

Collateral required for engaging in outsourcing of processing.

The manufacture and export of clean energy technologies continues to rise; and further challenges await foreign competitors in 2011 in the services and financing sectors