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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 [...]
Tougher stance on inflation
On the back of the steep rise in prices of 8.5% in April China announced further monetary tightening. What is more worrying is the suspension of the appreciation of the RMB. This may prove to be counter-productive. The story is covered expertly by the FT (saving me the time). Beijing takes tougher stance to combat [...]
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 [...]
Inflation picking up speed
From Bloomberg. This article sums up nicely the inherent dangers when inflation begins to rise at rates like this. China Inflation Quickens; Close to Fastest Since 1996 May 12 (Bloomberg) — China’s inflation accelerated to close to the fastest pace since 1996 as food prices soared and the government slowed gains by the yuan. Consumer [...]
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 [...]
CNBC Interview: The Real China Price and Olympic Shutdowns
Last week, I was asked onto CNBC to discuss Inflation in China, energy price hikes, and the Olympic shutdown were the topics discussed. I apologize for my lack of enthusiasm, and a few mumbled words…..but it was really early in the morning and the monitor was on a 5 second delay. The intellectual weak point [...]
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