China’s Territorial Disputes in Asia During 2015
2014 was a formative year for Chinese territorial disputes with other nations. Tensions with Japan and The Philippines reached near breaking point, with signs of instability creeping into the entire Asian region. Yet behind these media-capturing headlines, trade has been booming.
Foreign Producers Struggle as China Scraps Rare Earth Export Quotas
On December 31, 2014, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced that it had scrapped the quotas restricting exports of rare earth minerals and would replace them with a system of export licenses. The change follows China’s unsuccessful appeal of the WTO’s ruling that found the quotas were designed to benefit domestic firms and encourage foreign investment.
Australia-Japan FTA Enters Into Force
On January 15, the free trade agreement (FTA) between Australia and Japan came into effect. The agreement provides substantial tariff cuts, set to grant over 97 percent of Australian exports preferential or duty-free access to Japan.
Israel’s Economic Relationship with the Asia-Pacific, Part 2: India and ASEAN
India and several countries in the 10-nation ASEAN bloc have emerged as unlikely economic partners with Israel, with trade levels almost continuously increasing since the turn of the century. In the second of this two-part article looking at Israel’s relationship with the Asia-Pacific, we analyze Israel’s ties with these two massive markets.
Thailand Eyes Increased Bilateral Cooperation with China
During the past month, the Thai military junta has been attempting to improve relations with China in order to pick up economic growth. Economic growth has been sluggish in the country since a group of generals led by Prayuth Chan-ocha overthrew the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra last May.
Israel’s Economic Relationship with the Asia-Pacific, Part 1: China
In recent years, Israel has carefully cultivated deep running economic and political ties with many countries throughout the Asia-Pacific. In part one of this two-part article that highlights Israel’s foray into Asia-Pacific markets, we focus on China – Israel’s largest trading partner in Asia and third largest export market in the world.
Devonshire-Ellis Tops Asia Law Portal’s “30 People To Watch in 2015”
The Asia Law Portal has named Chris Devonshire-Ellis of Dezan Shira & Associates in first place on their list of “30 People to Watch in 2015”. The blog was particularly impressed with Dezan Shira’s Business Insights, which provides readers with a broad range of technical resources related to doing business in Asia. Grimley described the tool as being both “detailed and insightful”.
Analysis of Asia’s Tax Rates, Part 2: Withholding Tax
Countries in Asia typically divide withholding tax into dividends, interest and royalties payments, with the amount of each varying considerably in each country. In this article, we compare the three withholding tax rates of China, India, Hong Kong, and the ten nations of ASEAN.
Senior Chinese Political Advisor Hints at Improved Relations with Vietnam
Yu Zhengsheng, the head of China’s top political advisory body, vowed to improve high level exchanges and increase mutual trust between China and Vietnam during his visit to Hanoi. His comments came during his meeting with Le Hong Anh who is a member of the Vietnamese Communist party’s Politburo.
Analysis of Asia’s Tax Rates, Part 1: Corporate Income Tax
The corporate income tax rates of Asia have fluctuated considerably over the past two decades, and more change is forecast for the future. In this first of several articles that examine Asia’s various rates of taxation, we provide a visual representation of the CIT in India, China, Hong Kong, and the ten member states of ASEAN.