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Wrong number: On the reliability of Chinese Data
Following on the heals of the last post and thanks to Chinalawblog for the pointer. As an economist who works with large amounts of Chinese data this issue has arisen many many times without a satisfactory solution. The Economist discusses this issue at length. I tend to use province level data – this raises a [...]
Financial Controls: When China Offices Go Wrong
During my time in China, I have heard more than a few stories of where one partner/ manager lost control of their finances in a way that was company/ project killing. Perhaps it was an underling that figured out a loophole, a business development manager spending too much time at the KTV, a purchasing manager [...]
China’s Exports Off in May. What Should We Think?
A lot of news today on China’s June numbers for the surplus. According to the IHT coverage: China recorded a trade surplus of .35 billion in June, less than expected, as slower growth in exports contributed to concerns that weakening demand overseas could be starting to hit the economy. The surplus marked an increase from [...]
Recent China-related Enforcement Activities of the Bureau of Industry and Security
Many small and mid-sized manufacturers in the United States are unaware that their exports may be subject to Export Administration Regulations (EAR). The implementation of those regulations is overseen by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), and enforced through that bureau’s Office of Export Enforcement (OEE). BIS is joined by several other [...]
RMB Freely Bought and Sold on Taiwan as of Today
“就是今天，台灣本島都可自由兌換人民幣了，估計各銀行備妥五億以上人民幣等著給民眾換。根據規定，買賣人民幣跟其他外幣一樣，只要帶著身分證、護照等身份證明文件即可，但每人每次仍有兩萬元人民幣的上限。不過，開放初期受限於貨源，部分分行可能只買不賣，民眾前往銀行結匯前，不妨先打個電話問清楚，免得白跑一趟。” [Editor's Translation: Today, the RMB is freely convertible throughout Taiwan, and it is estimated that banks have prepared 500 million RMB for that purpose. Regulations make NT-RMB conversion the same as conversion with other foreign currencies, requiring only an ID, passport or similar documentation of identity. with 20,000 RMB at most converted in any [...]
Smaller Smelters Agree Over Output Cuts
For those of you who are using metals in your products, or are speculating in the metals market, here is some news that you should pay attention to. Smaller smelters agree over output cuts With 20% of steel production offline for Olympic pollution concerns, it looks like other smelters are being taken down as well [...]
Fright of the Day: Justice Breyer Argues Value of American Judges Consulting Foreign Law
It is a scary day in June when a justice of the United States Supreme Court insists upon the value of looking to foreign law and practice as an aid in the interpretation of American law. Curiously, Justice Breyer, in yesterday’s brief defense of this argument at Brookings, adapts the shabby and insubstantial construct of [...]
EU Grant Opportunity for Training and Research in China
Editor’s Note: This grant appears to be a superb opportunity for “cultural immersion,” followed by hosted research. Click the link below to go to the EuropeAid page. On the left frame, select “By Country” from the drop down box. Then click the “Open” and “Grants” check boxes. The grant program will then appear on the [...]
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